Brighton, M.P. 246.0 (CB&Q Crossing)

Brighton, Illinois, is located approximately 45 miles NNE of St. Louis. Here
the Burlington's line to Beardstown crosses the GM&O. The interlocking tower
closed and the signals were remoted in the GM&O's CTC installation at
Bloomington. The Q line sees one passenger train each day and several freight
trains as well.
On the Eastern Division Brighton is on a narrow shelf which allows room only
to model the trackside area. Two street crossings with flashers are
located immediately south of the depot. Directly across from the depot is a
small, local elevator and team track. The CB&Q diamond is located just north of
the team track switch. This small town was a fun project and was not included in
the original renovation plans for the layout.
The original plan called for "country running" however Brighton was such a
small town that it turned into a nice L.D.E. (layout design element) and it
serves the purpose of breaking up the scene! This small area has been a lot of
fun to work scenic items into and will be the first area of the new construction
to be fully scenicked and detailed. I will leave the old tower and it's
associated "Armstrong" lever linkage to the signals and locks in place but the
interlocking will show the new installation of electrical cabinets and other
small details associated with that installation as well as around the town of
Brighton!
The road crossings in Brighton will be one of the few on the railroad with
working flashers eventually.
