The Tuscany & Sabine Grove
by TSG Multimedia's Dan Cortopassi
The Beginning
While the bulk of my models follow real prototypes, I also enjoy the creative freedom of freelancing. Back when we were producing Shays in the Redwoods, and wanted to create a model of a switchback to illustrate how one worked, I got the idea to paint some models in a TSG-inspired paint scheme.
Coming up with a name that could use the initials TSG proved more difficult than I thought. John and I are both of Italian descent, so eventually I decided on town names that reflected that heritage. I was also trying to think of names that didn't really exist in California. So far as I have been able to determine, there is no Tuscany or Sabine Grove in California. As a bonus, I am not aware of any real railroad that uses TSG as a reporting mark.
I picked purple as the main color for the paint scheme since that color is on the website and in our logo. I painted GP7 No. 15 and a caboose, and things kind of snowballed after that. Now I have a couple of boxes full of T&SG models!
The Concept
My goal is to create a plausible-seeming prosperous small railroad. I envision the T&SG as a modern-day shortline somewhere in California with connections to the UP and/or BNSF.
The railroad hauls freight with a small roster of secondhand EMD diesels. An RDC provides twice-daily (or maybe three times) passenger service between Tuscany and Sabine Grove, running as the Tuscan. Recently the line has also added dinner trains and exursions, usually running on weekends.
There is no actual layout yet. I don't really have room for one right now. Meanwhile I can paint and detail equipment so I have that part out of the way. Building a working diorama that could be included in a future layout is on my to-do list.
The Models
While the bulk of my T&SG models are in N, I did do a couple in HO. I don't have all of the models I've made photographed, so I hope to add to this page as time goes on.
HO Scale Models
N Scale Models
