# Starting the HP & Sackville Railroad



## BigGRacing

HO scale fantasy/historic memories railroad encompassing many locations in Halifax, Dartmouth and surrounding areas that are no longer around but fondly remembered. Benchwork finished this week and plywood is now installed all around.


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## Mark VerMurlen

Looking good! Please keep the progress posts coming as you build.


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## BigGRacing

Thanks Mark,

I will for sure, it will just be a much slower build than some of the more experienced.....lol


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## BigGRacing

Would love to hear some feedback on the track plans that I am looking at building towards, ideally, I want to have a 5 siding into a train station is the must have on one side of the layout, and double main. Elevations I am weary about for sure.

Thoughts ?










Left hand side of layout








U
Or


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Would love to hear some feedback on the track plans that I am looking at building towards, ideally, I want to have a 5 siding into a train station is the must have on one side of the layout, and double main. Elevations I am weary about for sure.
> 
> Thoughts ?
> 
> View attachment 547869
> 
> 
> Left hand side of layout
> 
> View attachment 547870
> U
> Or
> 
> View attachment 547871



BigGRacing;

Any of those would work. However, all of them have track everywhere, and not much room for anything else. It depends on what you want,to represent from the history of the places you mentioned. I'm a yank who doesn't know much about Canadian geography, but I know that many WWII convoys left from Halifax to sail to England. That possibly means that Halifax is, or was, a major seaport. Is that something that you want to represent on your layout?

There are several different approaches to designing a model railroad. Most new modelers do what you apparently have in mind, pick a published track plan, and build it. Some combine features from two, or more plans. I did this on some of my early layouts.

For my present model railroad (my 7th) I took a different approach altogether. I started with a "prototype". That is a particular real life railroad that I wanted to model.
Since I like electrified railroads, that narrowed down potential American prototypes considerably. While most European, and Asian, railways are electrified, very few U.S. railroads used electric locomotives and overhead wire. One that did was the Milwaukee Road.

I wanted to portray passenger operations from a big city station. I also wanted mountainous scenery, and a harbor. Now each one of those things, reduced to your HO-scale, or even to my N-scale, would fill a huge area. So I had to do a lot of "creative cheating" as far as representing them.
Seattle, Washington had the type of station I wanted, and yet it had only six main tracks, and they were stub tracks with turnouts at one end, and a bumper at the other. Seattle Union Station was a true "terminal." Trains stopped there, and then went back, but did not continue their runs through the station, and on to another destination. It was literally the end of the line. That made modeling the station and it's yard, more practical.
Seattle is also a major seaport, and the surrounding countryside is quite mountainous. In short, Seattle was close to ideal for what I wanted to portray. So now I had a particular railroad to model, and a location to represent. The real challenge has been to fit even a tiny portion of that into the wall area of my garage that I have available. If you're curious, you can see a track plan of my railroad in the "Layout Design" section of this forum. It's inside a thread called "Here are the layouts of some club members."

There is nothing "right" or "wrong" about either of these different approaches. One is more realistic than the other, but you mentioned "fantasy" which may mean that you're not too concerned about realism. That's quite OK. It's your railroad, and you can build it anyway you like.

The first photo shows a particularly shallow section of my railroad. Its only 8" deep at the bottom and 16" at the top, but the backdrop and scenery combine to make it look like it goes on for miles. (You might consider using backdrops or hills, to divide your layout into separate "scenes" so that the train isn't so obviously going round and round in circles.) The next few photos show my scratchbuilt model of Seattle Union Station, and some of the other structures on my railroad.

Good Luck & Have Fun!

Traction Fan 🙂


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## BigGRacing

Traction fan, thank you for the great tips. Parts of the seaport will be on both sides of my layout for sure. I want a little bit of both running a couple of trains and some switching. The double mainline is important as it used to run around the harbour and ran by my old school.
Accurate / close to prototype buildings will be most important after that.


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## Big Ed

I like the last layout.
You could even add a bunch more harbor to the left of the layout.
Room for some vessels sitting docked?
A foot or two, make it a lift out in case you need to get back there to fix something.


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## DonR

My favorite model layout activity is switching. After a while just watching trains go
around gets a little boring. But if you have a lot of freight users on sidings and
at least one good yard you can spend hours moving cars about. It's especially
interesting if you set up a car card set...a card for each car in your fleet. Then using
Post It notes attached to each car card you are told what is to be done with that car...what industry...what train.
This is even more fun if you have family or friends who can do the card set ups.

Don


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Traction fan, thank you for the great tips. Parts of the seaport will be on both sides of my layout for sure. I want a little bit of both running a couple of trains and some switching. The double mainline is important as it used to run around the harbour and ran by my old school.
> Accurate / close to prototype buildings will be most important after that.


BigRacing;

I saw your post above, with the three track plans, before I saw your introductory post with a photo of Halifax harbor. Based on that photo, I would agree with Big Ed's choice of the third layout, if I had to pick one from only among those three. Simply because it has more water near the middle, and therefore is slightly closer to what your photo of the Halifax harbor shows. However, it sounds like you have some specific prototype features that you want to represent in model form. To do that, I suggest you try to duplicate as much of the trackage around the real harbor as practical. That likely will mean drawing your own track plan, rather than copying a published one, since it will look more like Halifax than any of the three plans you posted.

Accurate prototype structures usually need to be scratchbuilt, since it's not likely that any manufacturer had expensive molds made of some prototype Halifax harbor structures in hopes of selling hundreds of models of them!  If you're willing to settle for a generic warehouse model, that you can paint and letter like one that once stood in Halifax, that's probably more practical than scratchbuilding everything. Design Preservation Models (Now part of Woodland Scenics) makes brick warehouse, and factory, structure kits that are well detailed, easy to assemble, and lend themselves to kitbashing into other structures. My model of Seattle Union Station uses kitbashed parts from a DPM warehouse and a furniture factory to form the longer side walls. The rest of it is scratchbuilt, since no commercial model of Seattle Union Station is available. The same is true for most of the models in my photos. DPM also made some generic structure modular sections that could be assembled into any shape, or size, building you wanted. I don't know whether or not these are still available since Woodland scenics bought Design Preservation Models.

Harbors are a natural place to do some switching, as long as the piers, and warehouses, are rail-served. Why wouldn't they be? 😊 
One very difficult to duplicate, but essential, feature of harbors, is the ships themselves. An HO-scale model of even a small coastal freighter would be over six (real) feet long! Few of us have that kind of room. There is a commercial printed backdrop called "the docks", that might help you. Another idea that might "fit right in" (pun intended) your harbor would be a ship model on a rolling cart that could be "docked" in the center aisle of your 'C'-shaped layout. If you needed more room in there, the ship could simply "sail out of port."
I don't know if Halifax had any rail float/ferry service, but Seattle did. The Milwaukee Road owned tugs, and rail floats, that operated between Seattle & Port Townsend, Washington, for years. The tugboat, and the little track maintenance shed, are the only two commercial models in my photos above. All the other models are scratchbuilt, including the rail float the tug is hauling. It started life as a 1x4 piece of lumber. The two commercial models were super-detailed.

Have Fun!

Traction Fan 🙂

P.S. The files below are some I wrote for new modelers. A good deal of the information in them promotes shelf layouts (my favorite kind) and will not directly apply to the shape layout you have, but look through them if you like. You may find some information that will help you.


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Traction fan, thank you for the great tips. Parts of the seaport will be on both sides of my layout for sure. I want a little bit of both running a couple of trains and some switching. The double mainline is important as it used to run around the harbour and ran by my old school.
> Accurate / close to prototype buildings will be most important after that.



BigGRacing;

I lost a post reply, and I think it was from you. It was simply a thank you for some information that I sent, but it mentioned "staying up all night" and serious concern abot changing things on your layout because of the information I had sent. Does that sound like something you said? 

Traction Fan


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## BigGRacing

Hey Traction Fan, it was my other post that I sent you directly asking about your benchwork and any photos you have. You gave me pause for sure but no harm done.....lol, regarding my track plan. I have reconsidered from a few people, but changing for more prototypical would mean the loss of using the tunnels that my friend bought for me......such hard decisions but after more thought, I have come up with a better prototypical point to point concept I am considering.


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## BigGRacing

I am now looking at building prototype areas from bottom left train station to bottom right of map wharves to the roundhouse area at the top of this map. It was a real rail line at this point in time before the Halifax Explosion. Compared to trying to copy an excellent layout by another individual from here in Nova Scotia.









Instead of


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Hey Traction Fan, it was my other post that I sent you directly asking about your benchwork and any photos you have. You gave me pause for sure but no harm done.....lol, regarding my track plan. I have reconsidered from a few people, but changing for more prototypical would mean the loss of using the tunnels that my friend bought for me......such hard decisions but after more thought, I have come up with a better prototypical point to point concept I am considering.


BiGRacing;

I'm glad to hear I didn't cause you pain & suffering. 😄 I wrote those files to help people, not make things more difficult. From what I've seen of your plan, It looks quite good as far as the general concept. The degree to which you do or don't hue closer to the prototype is up to you, like everything else on your layout. I don't know if you have considered having a hidden staging yard to feed the visible trackage in the harbor. It can be disguised as a tunnel, but doesn't need to be. My own staging yard's entrances are disguised as a tunnel at one end, and an underpass at the other end. Both existed on my prototype but not in the same locations as on my model. It's quite impractical to duplicate the prototype exactly. We have to choose which things are most important to us, and leave out a lot of other things for lack of space. I'm confident that you will figure out what to do. If there's anything I can do to help you, let me know.

Traction Fan 🙂


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## BigGRacing

Sub Roadbed complete and a bit more track down, will see how it looks and runs before finalizing the track plan.....long winding process


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## BigGRacing




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## Magic

Looking good so far.
Will be an interesting build for sure.

Magic


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## BigGRacing

The Connaught tunnels are looking good after the first coat, will have to get some of those charcoal dusts to get some soot weathering done up.


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## J.Albert1949

Regarding the pic in #15 above...

The curves on the right... why so tight?
The room is there, make them _"broader" _(greater radius).

Same for the "far end" on the right, too.


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## BigGRacing




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## BigGRacing

Hey J Albert, you are right, eventually I do want some broader curves with flex track, all I have right now is 18” radius tracks from old IHC train sets. Priority was to get a bench built, now I will start slowly picking up some tracks and turnouts.


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## jackpresley

I think building a plan based on locations and industries you know adds a lot of interest to a layout. It makes it more fun for visitors, too. I agree with DonR's comments about switching. And I agree with BigEd on choice of the original plans: The New England and North Coast RR appears to me to match your space and benchwork, while giving some long runs and lots of sidings for switching ops. 

I have two tips: First is Simulation. I know simulation has saved me from mistakes that just were not obvious on the plan. The second is having the ability to turn a train around so you can run it both directions on the main line(s). How you do it is up to you.

Look forward to following this thread and seeing your progress.


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## BigGRacing

Thank you Jack,

Greatly appreciate your insight! Many incredible railroad enthusiasts here giving great perspectives and advice. Mark VerMerlen has also been giving me great help setting up a track plan with Anyrail at the same time. I downloaded it this morning and hope to be able to figure it out slowly as well. Trying to squeeze everything I want into such a tight space is proving to be challenging for sure, but I am getting there I think.


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## jackpresley

BigGRacing said:


> Thank you Jack,
> 
> Greatly appreciate your insight! Many incredible railroad enthusiasts here giving great perspectives and advice. Mark VerMerlen has also been giving me great help setting up a track plan with Anyrail at the same time. I downloaded it this morning and hope to be able to figure it out slowly as well. Trying to squeeze everything I want into such a tight space is proving to be challenging for sure, but I am getting there I think.


*Mark is a guru.* I love Anyrail. It identifies a lot of problems. Too steep. Too tight. Reversing loops. And it will export a "TrainPlayer" file. TrainPlayer is a simulator. The free version is very capable.


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## BigGRacing

Hmmmmmm, roof is being glued up now, but the footprint for a scale prototype takes up huge real estate........Five tracks will fit though, it with the hotel across the street, I do not know if my plans are working......open to all thoughts and love the bricks bats and bouquets 💐 








J


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## Stumpy

Yeah that's huge. That's supposed to be the train station, correct?

Unless that is to be "the" focal point of the layout, I'd scale it back.


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## BigGRacing

Hey Stumpy,

You are correct, this is what I want to model as a historic aspect









It will be a showpiece if I do it for sure including a glass roof as I think it was the second one ever built in North America, maybe Canada, I can’t remember. I am just trying to figure out the track plan to utilize around it currently


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Hey Stumpy,
> 
> You are correct, this is what I want to model as a historic aspect
> View attachment 548616
> 
> 
> It will be a showpiece if I do it for sure including a glass roof as I think it was the second one ever built in North America, maybe Canada, I can’t remember. I am just trying to figure out the track plan to utilize around it currently



BigGRacing;

I'm in the same situation, sort of, with fitting my N-scale model of Seattle Union Station into my 4' x 3' "downtown Seattle." 

There are two ways of looking at this.

1) The station building is so big that there won't be room for much of anything else. So If you want to have the station, particularly at anything close to scale size, you have to do without the "much of anything else."

2) If you want to have a bigger amount of "anything else", then you adopt Stumpy's suggestion, and scale down the station. 

I did some of both. My station is 90% of scale size, and the tracks feeding into it are a lot shorter than the prototype. Still there is, in my opinion, enough of Seattle Union Station to be recognizable, and long enough tracks to be functional. The rest of my "Downtown Seattle" is limited to a single short city block, some seriously compressed structures, and a backdrop. The entire rest of the city is left out altogether, for lack of space.

Your space situation looks to be a little better than mine, despite the fact that your using HO-scale rather than N-scale. You simply have more room.
The Halifax station in your photo is beautiful, and certainly would be a familiar landmark that would establish the location of your layout.
You might consider reducing it 10-20% below actual HO-scale. It would still be just as impressive, and still recognizable as the Halifax station. That amount of reduction might let you get in an extra track, or structure, if that's something you want to do.-

You have certainly picked a very challenging project if, as I assume, there is no commercial model that comes "close enough", and you have to scratchbuild the entire structure. Have you looked at models of large European Railway stations? I seem to remember a "Brandenberg Station", or something along those lines, that had the same general look as the Halifax station. I don't know if it would be "close enough" for you to simply substitute it, or if it would be a viable kitbashing project. I recall that it was a quite expensive model. You might check www.walthers.com and look at what's available. I remember doing this before I scratchbuilt my station, and finding that there was nothing even close to Seattle Union Station available commercially. I did end up finding a couple of Design Preservation Models kits that I kitbashed into reasonable representations of the two longer exterior walls of Union Station. They were "close enough" for me. I did have to scratchbuild the two shorter exterior walls, and the entire interior, using Evergreen commercial styrene shapes, and Holgate Reynolds plastic brick sheet. Do you plan to model the interior of your station?
Building this kind of model is a lot of work, and takes a very long time. However, it does produce a signature piece, which I feel is worth the effort. 

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Stumpy

Sounds good G. Looking forward to seeing it progress.


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## BigGRacing

No money for train building this week as I had to get a new iPad, but I did get some benchwork added to give me more square footage. I need room for that future station, I think I can do it.









changed my layout plan to a version of the Montreal layout from model railroader


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## BigGRacing

Well thanks to the Internet and the incredible workmanship done by Custom model railroads. I have finally found a track plan that had everything in it that I was looking for. A huge thank you to Mark VerMerlen who was able to shrink it down to a 10x10 layout for me to build. It is going to be awesome ! Thank you all as well for the track laying and modelling tips so far, I will hopefully be able to put some of those tips to good use !


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## jackpresley

Overall I like it. The long lead-ins to the yards and the industrial sidings are very nice. Like the two separate ovals and the extra long outer oval. If the outer oval is a 45 crossing, no worries. If it is up and over, the upper line is sandwiched in between two (I assume) lower tracks on the west/southwest side. Like the passing sidings.

If you are going to do a lot of switching operations, I might consider adding a run around track to the west yard.

I can picture running two trains in opposite directions on the outer oval. The timing might work where they reach the yard siding and the outer siding (southeast siding) simultaneously -- which would keep things moving without long waits. I'd simulate it to be sure.

Look forward to following along with your progress.


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Well thanks to the Internet and the incredible workmanship done by Custom model railroads. I have finally found a track plan that had everything in it that I was looking for. A huge thank you to Mark VerMerlen who was able to shrink it down to a 10x10 layout for me to build. It is going to be awesome ! Thank you all as well for the track laying and modelling tips so far, I will hopefully be able to put some of those tips to good use !
> View attachment 548811


BigGRacing;

I have some questions, and a possible suggestion regarding your layout plan. The first question is, "How are you planning to get into, and out of, the center area? I'm assuming that is where you will operate your layout from. If you plan to duck under the layout to get there then, sooner or later, you will come to regret it. Your back, and other body parts, will not thank you for selecting a duck under!  
If you will have some sort of movable table section for access, that's a better idea, but I don't see one on the plan.It looks like any movable section would need to be quite wide. I also don't see the scale of the plan on the diagram. Is each of those squares supposed to represent one square foot? You said the overall dimensions are 10' x 10', but the track plan shows a rectangular shape, not a perfect square. The layout shape is higher than it is wide. 

What brand of turnouts do you plan to use? If they will be Atlas "Snap Switches", then my suggestion comes into play. You might rearrange some of the turnouts that form your "yard ladders" both on the left and the right sides. As drawn, they will contain some reverse curves, if you use Snap Switch turnouts, with their unique geometry of one curved route, and one straight route.
It's possible, and wise, to have the straight routes of these Atlas snap switches all in one continuous straight line. That makes it a lot easier to back a train into any of the yard tracks with less chance of a derailment. It's easy to do, doesn't cost any more, and eliminates a potential problem.

If you are using any other turnouts, (and not the Atlas Snap Switch variety) then the reverse curve problems in the yard ladders won't exist. Every other model turnout, including some Atlas Custom Line ones, has two straight routes and no curved route.*
There are some avoidable reverse curves in other places, but in most cases, they also depend on the type of turnout used. If you want to, you can find reverse curves by tracing the track lines with a pencil or finger, and looking carefully for any spot where the train must turn right, and then immediately left, with no straight track in between the two opposing curves.
The layout, just as drawn, will work; you don't have to change anything if you don't want to. However, in my opinion, I think it will work more reliably, and therefore give you more satisfaction, if you hunt down and eliminate reverse curves, and don't use a duck under.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂

* The exception is a curved turnout which has two curved routes of different radii.


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## BigGRacing

Hey Jack and Traction Fan, thanks for the pointers greatly appreciated. The plan is actually 10x10 with each grid representing 6 inches. I am also planning on using Peco turnouts, I have heard many model railroaders speaking highly of them for the last 40 plus years, so I will be going slowly and adding one or two each payday. I am sticking with the duck under though as the switches will eventually be all wired up anyways. I might add a bridge or something down the road but I wanted those longer runs and greater curves so I made that decision to move forward.


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## BigGRacing

The track is like you said, elevated and sandwiched, but I plan on putting a steeper hill in that area with my tunnels that my friend built on both ends of that area, the elevated track will run alongside the edge of that hill.


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## jackpresley

This is what I meant. Really not important because you have a nice big run-around option on the east yard. I would consider loading it up in TrainPlayer or other simulator and run some trains on it and just see if you get what you expect. Anyrail will export to a file that TrainPlayer can import -- and the free version will do it.


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## BigGRacing

Thank you Jack, appreciate the tip


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## Chops

Wow, the bench work is so professional. That being said, your goal is epic, even for a veteran with the skill and patience of Svengali. Smart to be wary of grades. So were prototype railroads, for much the same reason. They can be pulled off with remarkable skill, skill I really don’t have. I guess if you can build that kind of bench work, you can tackle such a massive task.

You already probably know this, but if you put a turnout under a tunnel you will live to regret it.


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## BigGRacing

Yes, I have learned these things from all of you, thank you Chops


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## MichaelE

If you build the benchwork at 48" from the floor it will be easier on your back in 20 years and wiring and maintenance will be easier sitting on a stool.


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## BigGRacing

Thanks Michael, I have a little stool that I built when I built my house, I use it all the time under that area by coincidence. Got a great deal at my local hobby store today (Maritime Hobbies and Crafts) on some second hand peco switches (pair) and 10 pieces of flex (non ballasted) so it was in my price range....can’t wait to get some of it laid out.


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## MichaelE

The other advantage of a taller layout is that it puts closer to the action instead of a bird's eye view of looking down on it from above.

No one views a railroad like that unless you live or work in a high-rise or fly helicopters for a living.


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## BigGRacing

My shoulders are bad from so many sports and military injuries so I can only go so high without pain.....lol, the legs will have to stay put for now.....lol


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Hey Jack and Traction Fan, thanks for the pointers greatly appreciated. The plan is actually 10x10 with each grid representing 6 inches. I am also planning on using Peco turnouts, I have heard many model railroaders speaking highly of them for the last 40 plus years, so I will be going slowly and adding one or two each payday. I am sticking with the duck under though as the switches will eventually be all wired up anyways. I might add a bridge or something down the road but I wanted those longer runs and greater curves so I made that decision to move forward.



BiGHRacing;

Will the center pit be where you will control the layout from, or will that be done from outside the layout? While I still think a duck under is a bad Idea, it's your railroad, and your back.
The reason I ask about the control location is that if your turnouts, and trains, can be controlled from outside the "doughnut", that will limit the number of trips where you will have to duck under. One reason that I so strongly recommend not using duck unders is that I have one on my layout. Given the location, it was unavoidable, also it's seldom used as it's for odd maintenance use only. Even at that, I converted my duck under to a "roll under" by using a low stool on casters. I'm 72 and can't crawl anymore due to double knee replacements. So a duck under is very serious for me, but it's also a literal pain in the neck, back, head, and anywhere else you hit yourself on it, for anybody. Looking at your track plan, I see why you feel you need to use a duck under. Any bridge section would be wide, and have plenty of tracks on it that would all need to line up perfectly when it closed. Not easy to do. I suggest you mount your layout high enough to be able to roll under it on a stool, especially if you will have a control panel in there. You could also enlarge the center hole a bit if you want.

I think you indicated, early on, that you were going to be using DCC. If so, that takes care of controlling the trains, and even the turnouts, if you use stationary decoders for them. If you use a wireless DCC controller, you will be able to operate from anywhere in the room. Both DCC and Peco Turnouts are excellent choices. Good for you! 
The Peco turnouts are also ready to go as highly reliable manual turnouts right out of the box. So if you can walk all the way around the layout, you could simply control them locally by hand. That saves having to run three wires to each turnout and the considerable cost of a big bunch (20?) of turnout motors, ($12-$20 each on www.modeltrainstuff.com ) That would be $240-$400 for all 20.

Good Luck & Have Fun;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## BigGRacing

Thank you Traction Fan, a lot of excellent pointers for sure. I have a bench set up on one side of the layout already to control everything from. I will also be moving towards DCC for sure. That is an excellent idea on raising the layout some more and I haven’t ruled out a bridge either. Those are just lower priorities right now.


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## Lemonhawk

Make a swing or lift gate, you won't regret it!


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## PoppetFlatsRR

Had a few minutes tonight and spent it looking at your ideas. Think it will be really great when you get it done. I will follow your development. Not on as much as I was a year or so ago, but planning and being more involved with the forum very soon. 

Thanks for sharing.


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## BigGRacing

Thanks Poppet, my wife has ordered me not to buy anything more for a bit and wait until Christmas.....lol, so things have slowed down for the last month. Hand in hand, a bad lung diagnosis has put the halt on any more woodworking for a bit so I might have to manage with the base I have, or switch to some costly foam. It has definitely given me a time to pause.


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Thanks Poppet, my wife has ordered me not to buy anything more for a bit and wait until Christmas.....lol, so things have slowed down for the last month. Hand in hand, a bad lung diagnosis has put the halt on any more woodworking for a bit so I might have to manage with the base I have, or switch to some costly foam. It has definitely given me a time to pause.



BigGRacing;

Sorry to hear about your lung problem. You are wise to give it priority over cutting more wood for benchwork. Do you have a respirator? ( If not, check on www.harborfreight.com They sell a decent one, with replaceable filters, for a reasonable price. ) That will help protect your lungs if you are cutting either wood, or extruded foam. Yes cutting foam with anything other than a hot wire cutting tool, or an electric hot knife tool, (also available @ Harbor Freight) produces lots tiny bits of super-lightweight foam dust, just waiting to be inhaled. So maybe that expensive foam isn't for you.
Cutting it with either hot tool produces no dust, but it does produce fairly nasty fumes. Either way, a respirator might be a good thing to have, along with a shop vac with the hose right next to the cutting tool, and plenty of fresh air circulating. That last one might be tough in the middle of a Canadian winter!  

Take Care of Yourself, Good Luck, and Have Fun ;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## BigGRacing

Thanks Traction Fan, Greatly appreciate you sending that link, I currently have some N95 but will be investing in a better cartridge type mask for sure, my old one actually wore out. I know that dust and stuff isn’t good for sure and have to start taking even more precautions. My shop vac was already hooked up to my tools. With COVID , I have no idea when I will get in to see the respirologist. It is what it is and I am just glad that I still have family and such a great hobby.


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## BigGRacing

Can I get some constructive criticism and opinions on my first attempt at weathering please, too much white/grey grout?


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## MichaelE

Looks perfect to me. I wouldn't change it.


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## BigGRacing

Thanks Michael


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## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Can I get some constructive criticism and opinions on my first attempt at weathering please, too much white/grey grout?
> View attachment 551783


BiGRacing;

Your building looks good just as is. Real brick structures vary quite a bit in how much mortar shows. One mistake many modelers make is "too perfect mortar." on all their brick structures. A newly built structure, or one in a high class neighborhood, might have nice clean mortar showing around every single brick. However, older structures, and those that are rarely if ever cleaned on the outside, are not going to look so pristine. The color of real mortar fades over time. It may start out white, but can turn a bit yellow with age. Also real mortar cracks with heat/cold & wet/dry weather cycles. Some chips may fall off either mortar or the actual bricks. The biggest color change is due to plain old dirt. Smoke, smog, rain, & dust get on the walls, and leave their mark. I hate graffiti in real life, so I don't model it, but it does crop up a lot, and there are decals for it. In the period up to the very popular 1950s "transition' era, spray cans of paint were a lot less common, so glued on paper posters, or professionally painted signs would have been more common than graffiti, so they might show up on walls in that era. Overall, very nice work! One technique I've recently started using is to finger smear pre-mixed paste patching plaster, or drywall mud onto painted walls. This goes on heavy, but can be wiped off until you get the amount of grout that you want. It also accepts paint well. The mansion and retaining wall, in the photo were "grouted" this way. A single mouse click will enlarge the photo a bit. If you then rapidly double click on the bricks, you will get more magnification and will really be able see the brick detail clearly.


Regards;

Traction Fan 🙂


----------



## BigGRacing

Traction Fan, 
Thank you for the tips, your mansion looks awesome !
I took a run into town to look at brick again, and confirmed that the mortar is more grey in real life as you mentioned. I will keep going today, but think that it looks way better than no painting or weathering at all.


----------



## Stumpy

MichaelE said:


> Looks perfect to me. I wouldn't change it.


Yep.


----------



## BigGRacing

Well, will finish paint touch ups, but had to test my smoking chimney today (environmentally friendly). My hose isn’t leak test and still worked perfectly! Borrowed my aquarium hose with my hand and my $30 vicks humidifier (temporary but future buy) voila, smoke that I can breathe....test worked!


----------



## BigGRacing

Slowly making progress


----------



## BigGRacing

Started laying down foam roadbed today.....going to take a long time I suspect.....


----------



## BigGRacing

More track bed down and can now start laying track bit by bit…very slowly sadly


----------



## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> More track bed down and can now start laying track bit by bit…very slowly sadly
> View attachment 567466
> 
> View attachment 567467


I think you need more steam locomotives! and, of course, some electric locomotives too. LOL 😄 

Traction Fan


----------



## MichaelE

And some cat, signals, wait, I'm getting ahead here...

Looks good so far.


----------



## BigGRacing

Took a long time deciding how I was going to do the inside of the layout, now bit by bit will just keep adding on


----------



## BigGRacing

Grrrrrr, I just don’t think I can squeeze the ladder into my stub end station…..grrrrrr


----------



## traction fan

BigGRacing said:


> Grrrrrr, I just don’t think I can squeeze the ladder into my stub end station…..grrrrrr
> View attachment 573143
> 
> View attachment 573144


BGR;

Your pics don't show the station, so I can't really see the problem. If the difficulty is the length of the ladder there are some things you can do. If you're willing to cut some turnouts you may be able to form a compressed ladder. I've done this , but I don't use Kato turnouts, like you do, I make my own. Perhaps more practical, would be to have one less yard track. Another possibility is a "compound ladder." This has one turnout feeding into two more turnouts, one on each route. Those two can each feed two more, for a total of 4 yard tracks, with minimal length of ladder. There are also passenger stations which are over the passenger yard tracks, which saves space. My own prototype, Seattle Union Station, is this type. (see photo)

Good Luck;

Traction Fan 🙂


----------



## BigGRacing

traction fan said:


> Your pics don't show the station


Hey Traction Fan,
The train station is the brown wooden template up in the top left of the pic. It will be along the background of the layout. I also might just shorten the covered part of the station by a smidgen.


----------



## BigGRacing

Grrrrrr, 22 & 24 inch Centres on my plan did not work ! Grrrrrr


----------



## afboundguy

BigGRacing said:


> Grrrrrr, 22 & 24 inch Centres on my plan did not work ! Grrrrrr
> 
> View attachment 574177


How far away are the edges of those two turns? Hoping your measurements could help me avoid the same issue on my 4 line mainline with curves!


----------



## BigGRacing

afboundguy said:


> How far away are the edges of those two turns?


I had 2" on the outsides of both sides (52" wide at that location)

I do not have any BigBoys, but even my Medium size steamers were hitting. I referenced Beilands notes from back a while ago and had to verify to my disgruntlement.


----------



## MichaelE

For nested 22" and 24" curves you need at least 2-3/16" between track centers for 85' coaches to pass without a scrape. 2-1/4" would be better, and 2-5/16" would be ideal.

On a far corner of my layout I am _slightly_ under the minimum clearance and sometimes two 303mm passenger wagens will scrape if the timing of passage is just right. I thought about fixing it, but it doesn't happen often enough to justify the hassle. Especially where they can't be seen.


----------



## BigGRacing

One tip from the other forum is to commence the 22 a little earlier as well which might work or add some smaller easements etc…. to fix the issue


----------



## Big Ed

BigGRacing said:


> Grrrrrr, I just don’t think I can squeeze the ladder into my stub end station…..grrrrrr
> View attachment 573143
> 
> View attachment 573144



Too bad you couldn't fit a transfer table in, this is an old video, there might be a lot of different transfer tables today.
This video came up first in a search, I like the way they installed one in between the buildings.

A cool accessory to add to a layout if you have the room. I always wanted one in O scale. 
I saw a home made one once in HO, it had a little motor for power. Wasn't bad.


----------



## MichaelE

Transfer tables on model railroads is a big thing in the UK. A lot of modelers incorporate them into their layouts.


----------



## BigGRacing

Foam getting glued down slowly


----------



## afboundguy

BigGRacing said:


> Foam getting glued down slowly


Oh I can relate to that speed quite well!!!


----------



## Stejones82

Looking good Gary!! I'm finding it is sprint and drift for my LO


----------



## Big Ed

BigGRacing said:


> Foam getting glued down slowly
> View attachment 574844


Looking good. 
What vessel is docked back there?


----------



## Raege

Could it be the New Jersey?


----------



## BigGRacing

Yes, It’s represents the New Jersey, but eventually it will be a scale Canadian naval ship from the Battle of the Atlantic.


----------



## CHRlSTIAN

Hello BigGRacing,
I'll follow your work with a great interest here too !


----------



## BigGRacing

Montfort said:


> I'll follow your work with a great interest here too !


Only if you keep posting your great track plans yourself…..


----------



## JeffHurl

Off topic question:

I'm assuming that's a water softener in the background... Where is your brine tank? I'm thinking about relocating mine out of the basement and into the garage, so I don't have to keep hauling 40lb bags of salt into the basement.


----------



## BigGRacing

I don’t have a brine tank with mine.


----------



## BigGRacing

Progress again today, foam laid down and 22” curves used on inner track. Lots of 22 & 24 track still needed….lol










I need a few beer drinkers after Covid…..lol


----------



## JeffHurl

Going to be cool! Is that a curved bridge in there?


----------



## CHRlSTIAN

BigGRacing said:


> Only if you keep posting your great track plans yourself…..


 This is my best track plan:


----------



## BigGRacing

JeffHurl said:


> Going to be cool! Is that a curved bridge in there?


No, that area is going to be Magazine hill with a tunnel running through it.


----------



## afboundguy

So jealous you're laying track I can't wait to get to that point in my layout!



JeffHurl said:


> Going to be cool! Is that a curved bridge in there?


Keep an eye out of my build thread if you want to eventually see a nice curved bridge  (full disclaimer may be a while though!!!)


----------



## JeffHurl

BigGRacing said:


> No, that area is going to be Magazine hill with a tunnel running through it.


Ah, so they're tunnel portals. That makes sense, I was wondering how the deck would fit if it was a bridge. I like how the retaining walls are built into the portal.

You have some nice structures in the picture!


----------



## BigGRacing

Very slow and will just keep building slowly….so many great layouts to aspire to from all of you and yes afboundguy, I am watching your build thread as well.


----------



## JeffHurl

I love running trains, but I think I'm having just as much fun building the layout. It's a really good cold weather hobby!


----------



## afboundguy

BigGRacing said:


> Very slow and will just keep building slowly….so many great layouts to aspire to from all of you and yes afboundguy, I am watching your build thread as well.


Right back at you I'm enjoying your build as well... Still just a little jealous you've already got track laid down!



JeffHurl said:


> I love running trains, but I think I'm having just as much fun building the layout. It's a really good cold weather hobby!


I have the same feeling... A few times I threw up a small oval to get my fix in while I was doing the layout but now that I'm close to track laying I can't wait to start running trains again!


----------



## BigGRacing

Latest picture


----------



## JeffHurl

Gotta love having a ship!!!

Looking forward to more pics👍


----------



## Conductorkev

afboundguy said:


> So jealous you're laying track I can't wait to get to that point in my layout!
> 
> 
> 
> Keep an eye out of my build thread if you want to eventually see a nice curved bridge  (full disclaimer may be a while though!!!)



I had one in the layout I'm building the cambell curved truss bridge but I kept having problems during testing. It was continuing a turn out of a mountain was going over some rapids below. Was going to have water effects going around the supports maybe a tree or two stuck but all the work I was doing in the river I kept having to take it Out and if it was even a smidge high or low my bigger trains would derail.... I decided to go another route when I decided to expand my layout.


----------



## BigGRacing

Took out the crossover, will stick with no incline after trialing and not wanting struggling up the incline with the below length of train or more.


----------



## TommyB

Eliminating the crossover hasn't taken anything away from your layout IMO. Looks good! Does this change have much of an effect on operations?


----------



## BigGRacing

In my opinion, as CTV hinted at, my engines just seem to work better than when chugging up hills. No change in operation at all if I think about it except maybe about 8 less feet of run distance On the mains. This is probably balanced with more siding and industry options.


----------



## BigGRacing

I was able to get to the LHS yesterday for some more flex and curves, I was then able to get my outer loop in. Not powered fully yet as my soldering onto rail joiners did not go as well as planned. Nice and warm here today, so then went for a nice drive along the east coast to Mahone Bay. What a perfect day! These pics were not taken by me, my wife has our camera right now out at her girlfriends.








L


----------



## JeffHurl

Gotta love making progress!


----------



## BigGRacing

Work has started printing on a scale Liberty ship that will be dual purpose R/C for the lake behind the house this summer! Largest section done today, stern section, and some guns started as well.


----------



## JeffHurl

Very cool!! When I was a kid, a camp counselor has a RC Titanic and and iceberg to chase it. He headed up modeling, and most of us kids just built a cheap rocket and launched it as many times as we could retrieve it, which often times was "one and done."


----------



## Valsmere

I love the plan and the layout is looking great, I love the progress. I also love seeing the CN rail locomotives it brings me back to my childhood. My Grandfather worked on that rail line when it went from Quebec to Portland Maine. My grandparents lived in Island Pond Vermont. The trains would pass right through town, I was fortunate enough that their home was on a hill that overlooked the town, and I would be able to watch the trains roll in stop at the station and proceed on their way. Brings back great memories!


----------



## SF Gal

Gary has TWO printers!!!!








Like the ship idea, are you going to place some anti-ship guns on the bow and foremast?









While drooling over your printer picture, I also went thru and checked out your progress on the layout and it made me remember all the issues I was thinking about when I designed my layout. 
Those pesky too close turns, the running out of space, those too long passenger cars. 
I am glad I am working on scenery...








Any advice to someone trying _"willy nilly"_ ....to pick out the best printer?


----------



## BigGRacing

And the 5” guns look good coming in to the dockyard


----------



## BigGRacing

SF Gal said:


> .to pick out the best printer?


Good morning Candy,
It is my buddy from work that owns the two printers, here is a pic of the two that he uses:

The orange Prussia is the one that he uses and the pic you posted are one of the ones I am using to model my ship.


----------



## afboundguy

@BigGRacing I don't know if I missed it but do you have the .stl files for those guns or any other HO scale military equipment? I have several US Army flatbeds and I have the same load for each one and I'd like to vary it up and for the life of me I can't find many .stl files for even regular cars and such!


----------



## BigGRacing

afboundguy said:


> @BigGRacing I don't know if I missed it but do you have the .stl files for those guns or any other HO scale military equipment? I have several US Army flatbeds and I have the same load for each one and I'd like to vary it up and for the life of me I can't find many .stl files for even regular cars and such!


Hey afboundguy, Here is a screenshot, just search the subject line in Thingiverse and it should come right up, if you still have problems finding it, please let me know. You didn’t miss it, I just generally posted a Few pics and mentioned how we were doing them. You can even edit them more if you like playing with the CAD.









I also just usually search HO scale and a few designers pop up.


----------



## afboundguy

BigGRacing said:


> Hey afboundguy, Here is a screenshot, just search the subject line in Thingiverse and it should come right up, if you still have problems finding it, please let me know. You didn’t miss it, I just generally posted a Few pics and mentioned how we were doing them. You can even edit them more if you like playing with the CAD.
> 
> View attachment 578217
> 
> I also just usually search HO scale and a few designers pop up.


Awesome thanks!!!


----------



## BigGRacing

A little more progress this week, printing stacks, boats, etc….HMCS HAMMONDS PLAINS is starting to fit in place.


----------



## Stumpy

You just don't realize how big ships are vs. trains...


----------



## Raege

Wowsers! Ship is coming along great. Amazing what a 3d printer can do. It going to be a real head turner once completed for sure


----------



## BigGRacing

Thank you !


----------



## BigGRacing

I still have masts and paint to do, but most important, I have a guns crew !


----------



## JeffHurl

Having a military ship in your layout is very cool! 

Especially one you printed yourself!!
😎


----------



## Raege

Gun crews at the ready. They look good. As a kid I was drawn to any models with gun tubs on board. Merchant LSTs something so cool to me about the look and heroic purpose. She’s going to be a beauty.


----------



## BigGRacing

It’s coming along beautifully, I am quite pleased so far. I have also learned a little more history at the same time. The pontoons are actually just shark protection floats from what I have been told. People stood in them and it had like a cage that dropped down below the pontoons.


----------



## Stumpy

JeffHurl said:


> Having a military ship in your layout is very cool!


Agreed. 

Did you see the sub just below it ?


----------



## BigGRacing

Just a little update, not much work going on during the summer months, started painting parts of the ship and have a hole cut in place now, will start wharf next. And always still working on the track plan.


----------



## OilValleyRy

I don’t know why but I haven’t seen any of these posts going back a long ways. First time seeing these photos from March etc. That ship is very cool looking! Makes me curious if someone makes a Farragut guided missile destroyer.

It also makes me wonder about recognizable Disney World attraction components (i.e. the Nautilus “subs”) as a more whimsical flat car load.

What’s the story with “the white mushroom?”


----------



## BigGRacing

OilValleyRy said:


> I don’t know why but I haven’t seen any of these posts going back a long ways. First time seeing these photos from March etc. That ship is very cool looking! Makes me curious if someone makes a Farragut guided missile destroyer.
> 
> It also makes me wonder about recognizable Disney World attraction components (i.e. the Nautilus “subs”) as a more whimsical flat car load.
> 
> What’s the story with “the white mushroom?”


Hey OVR,

It will be another little piece of history on my layout, it is the Prince’s lodge from the late 1800s. Here is a related article as the property is currently boarded up, but what a location overlooking the beautiful Bedford basin.









Seen below here in George Wahay’s incredible Intercolonial Model Railroad.


----------



## LongvaΙΙon

BigGRacing said:


> George Wahay’s incredible Intercolonial Model Railroad


Could you post a link to this layout ? Thanks.


----------



## BigGRacing

LongvaΙΙon said:


> Could you post a link to this layout ? Thanks.


I am hoping this link works, not used to posting links here, followed by a shot of my starting build from sitting on my stool, I liked this angle as I am not usually sitting here.


----------



## LongvaΙΙon

BigGRacing said:


> I am hoping this link works


Works fine. Thanks !


----------



## BigGRacing

Finally ordered some more cars today, beautiful and a piece of history in my opinion. I have ordered 4 of the coal cars which is a huge part of the history of Nova Scotia! To quote:

Hello Everyone!

At long last, I am pleased to inform you that my club’s 2022 model railroad cars are now available. These have taken far longer to produce this year than usual as Accurail is still experiencing covid-related staffing shortages, but nonetheless, we now have five different cars available as follows. 
Studebaker Corporation. The history of Studebaker is far too long and complex to be condensed here, but suffice to say that from its founding in 1852 as a manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles, to its last automobile in 1966, Studebaker became one of the largest and most beloved of the independent automobile manufacturers and still has its fans today. Like many large industries, Studebaker had its own in-plant railroad, but unlike most, Studebaker incorporated theirs as an independent entity that they named the Chicago & South Bend. This allowed Studebaker to receive a cut of the shipping charge on every railcar they handled as an interchanging railroad. Studebaker’s C&SB had a small fleet of switching locomotives and company service freight cars. We have two Studebaker 34ft. steel coal hoppers in different lettering styles representing such cars as would have served the company power plant and carried ash away. Decorated in one number each, renumbering decals are available upon request. The Studebaker cars are priced at $23.98 each.











Wabash/NJI&I/Studebaker. The New Jersey, Indiana, & Illinois Railroad was formed in 1905 by the Singer Sewing Machine Company to serve their South Bend, Indiana factory. Grandiosely named after the three states in which Singer had factories, the railroad only ran eleven miles to a connection with the Wabash. Although a company railroad, it did serve other South Bend industries, with the largest and most famous being the Studebaker auto plant. Singer sold the NJI&I to the Wabash in 1926 who operated it as an independent subsidiary. The NJI&I retained its independent identity all the way until 1982 when it was absorbed into Norfolk Southern. The Wabash had a fleet of cars assigned to Studebaker service to handle the factory’s large amount of traffic. We are offering a 40ft. single-sheath wood boxcar model of one of the Studebaker service cars. Decorated in one number, renumbering decals are available upon request. The Wabash/Studebaker cars are priced at $23.98 each.











Sydney & Louisburg Railway. Coal was discovered in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1720, with commercial mining beginning in 1858. Early railways were soon built to serve the mines and ship coal to the harbor at Sydney. However, Sydney harbor would ice up and become unusable during times of the year, so in 1877 a railway line was built to the harbor at Louisbourg due to its year-round ice-free conditions. In 1893, the Dominion Coal Company (DOMCO) was incorporated to consolidate all coal mining and associated operations between Sydney and Louisbourg. In 1910, the various railway lines DOMCO acquired were organized into the Sydney & Louisburg Railway, the railway choosing to spell “Louisburg” rather than “Louisbourg”. Although very much a company coal hauler, so much coal was moved, and so many commuter trains were run to handle all the miners, that the S&L had both tonnage and passenger numbers up there with the major Class 1 systems. All the available coal also meant that the S&L not only remained a steam-powered railway longer than most, but they bought additional steam locomotives that the dieselizing roads were selling off. But the S&L did eventually buy their first diesel in 1960, and retired steam entirely in 1966. DOMCO during this time was in financial difficulties as coal demand began sharply dropping off after World War II, and in 1957 DOMCO was sold. The new owners announced their intention was to shut down coal mining, but public pressure led to the government funding a new corporation to take over the operations. Thus in 1967, the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO) was formed and in 1968 assumed control of the former DOMCO operations. The S&L was officially renamed the Devco Railway, although the old S&L name continued to linger around for a few more years. The railway’s map changed under Devco as old lines were closed and new ones opened as coal mining operations shifted, but DEVCO ceased operation of both the railway and of their last coal mine in 2001. Some remaining track was reopened in 2003 as the Sydney Coal Railway to carry imported coal from the Sydney harbor to an area power generating plant. We have one S&L coal hopper available priced at $20.98. Renumbering decals are available.











and finally,

Lemp Brewing Co. The Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, Missouri, was founded in 1840 by Adam Lemp. Son William inherited the brewery in 1864 and built it into the largest brewery in St. Louis. William’s two sons inherited the business in 1904, but they proved to have none of the business skills of their father and grandfather, and the brewery began a long, slow decline. When Prohibition made beer production illegal on January 1, 1920, the Lemp family decided to close the business and sell off the assets. We have a Lemp Brewing Co. 40ft wood refrigerator car available priced at $29.98. Renumbering decals are available.









I want them all, but budget is only so big…..lol


----------



## Stejones82

BigGRacing said:


> Finally ordered some more cars today, beautiful and a piece of history in my opinion. I have ordered 4 of the coal cars which is a huge part of the history of Nova Scotia! To quote:
> 
> Hello Everyone!
> 
> At long last, I am pleased to inform you that my club’s 2022 model railroad cars are now available.


Link Gary? Those Studebaker do sound cool and I can devise a fictional fantasy for their presence in Minn/Wisc.


----------



## BigGRacing

Stejones82 said:


> Link Gary? Those Studebaker do sound cool and I can devise a fictional fantasy for their presence in Minn/Wisc.


I had to check with Patrick before I provided contact info. Here you go, no link, I get an email, you might have to search, or just email him directly.

All cars listed here are Accurail HO scale kits, and all prices are listed in U.S. dollars. Shipping costs are as follows, $9.45 for one car or $10.35 for two or more shipped to a USA address, or $22.10 for any number of cars shipped to other countries. Checks or money orders can be made payable to “Illini Chapter PCS” and mailed to the above address. Or online PayPal payments can be sent to [email protected]

Thank you for your continued interest in our club cars!

Patrick J. Martin
President
Illini Chapter
Professional Car Society


----------



## Stejones82

Thanks Gary!


----------



## BigGRacing

Just a couple pics that are neat in my opinion for those folks landbound of the area that I am modelling as I go.


----------



## Berrychon




----------



## BigGRacing

Just working on getting my train station up next


----------



## BigGRacing

And it finally arrived today via snail mail, perfectly built and packed by Kim Brumble!


----------



## Gramps

Glad to see you posting. How did the hurricane (Fiona?) affect you?


----------



## SF Gal

I love the idea of incorporating a shipyard in the layout. I was planning on something similar but the shelve size I desired didn't facilitate that idea to progress without loosing trackage.


BigGRacing said:


> And it finally arrived today via snail mail, perfectly built and packed by Kim Brumble!


Like the Kim Brumble station, is it animated like some of the stuff he makes and shows in videos on youtube?


----------



## BigGRacing

Gramps said:


> Glad to see you posting. How did the hurricane (Fiona?) affect you?


Hey Gramps,
Most important, everyone is alive and well and no damage to the house! Thank you for asking. We did have about 40 trees blow down between my yard and my next door neighbor that impact my views. 4 are over top of our greenhouse and garage that I have a guy hired for next week; the rest I will pick away slowly due to my breathing and broken bones....lol


----------



## BigGRacing

SF Gal said:


> I love the idea of incorporating a shipyard in the layout. I was planning on something similar but the shelve size I desired didn't facilitate that idea to progress without loosing trackage.
> 
> Like the Kim Brumble station, is it animated like some of the stuff he makes and shows in videos on youtube?


It is not animated, I haven't seen any of these videos......I have to get it painted up nicely first!

I will be looking for those videos though !


----------



## SF Gal

Here is a link.... Kim Brumble on youtube


----------



## Gramps

BigGRacing said:


> Hey Gramps,
> Most important, everyone is alive and well and no damage to the house! Thank you for asking. We did have about 40 trees blow down between my yard and my next door neighbor that impact my views. 4 are over top of our greenhouse and garage that I have a guy hired for next week; the rest I will pick away slowly due to my breathing and broken bones....lol


Glad it's working out.


----------



## OilValleyRy

BigG, 
The views from your sitting stool..,. Is that like a ‘bar stool’ stool? 
I wonder if a folding chair would be like a view from a 2nd story house? 
Or an adjustable office/computer desk type chair would be interesting to tinker with views. 
(Guilty of doing that here)


----------



## BigGRacing

OilValleyRy said:


> BigG,
> The views from your sitting stool..,. Is that like a ‘bar stool’ stool?
> I wonder if a folding chair would be like a view from a 2nd story house?
> Or an adjustable office/computer desk type chair would be interesting to tinker with views.
> (Guilty of doing that here)


Good morning OVR,
You are correct, it is from a bar stool. It would also be cool like you said to have that other view from a lower chair. I do not know yet whether i will have my control panel on one end of the layout or in the model or both. I am leaning towards a couple of operating stations to have better sight of the train station yard area.


----------



## BigGRacing

First coat of paint on North Street Station.


----------



## Raege

That’s a real focal point. Love the style


----------



## BigGRacing

Raege said:


> That’s a real focal point. Love the style


Thank you


----------



## JeffHurl

That is a cool building!!!


----------



## BigGRacing

Thanks Jeff !


----------



## Stejones82

Looks great, Gary!


----------



## BigGRacing

Thanks Steve ! I am quite please with how it’s turning out for sure.


----------



## JeffHurl

Keep the pics coming, Gary. I'm eager to see the building come along!


----------



## OilValleyRy

I wonder how a patina’d copper roof would look? 
Certainly looks good so far.


----------



## JeffHurl

OilValleyRy said:


> I wonder how a patina’d copper roof would look?
> Certainly looks good so far.


Yes! A nice green patina would look awesome.


----------



## SF Gal

I wonder if they make copper flake foil?
I see they do! Click on the picture for a link.


----------



## BigGRacing

Great idea SF Gal and OVR, I do plan on doing the roof in a weathered copper green but had to prime first. I won’t be using the real copper foil though, I need the least amount of work if possible.


----------



## Stejones82

310 sq. inches if my conversion app is correct: 









Amazon.com: 99.99% Pure Copper Foil, 0.001''x4''x79''(0.03MM x 0.1M x 2M), Thin Copper Sheet Sealed Package : Health & Household


Amazon.com: 99.99% Pure Copper Foil, 0.001''x4''x79''(0.03MM x 0.1M x 2M), Thin Copper Sheet Sealed Package : Health & Household



smile.amazon.com


----------



## OilValleyRy

I vote for copper spray paint, maybe a wash of black acrylic to tone it down, and dry brushing turquoise over it. Much less work, mo corners to burnish, easier to re-do/cover up oppsie daisies.

Like Bob Ross says: Just happy accidents. Make friends with a toilet vent.


----------



## BigGRacing

Yes, copper spray paint might be it !


----------



## Big Ed

BigGRacing said:


> A little more progress this week, printing stacks, boats, etc….HMCS HAMMONDS PLAINS is starting to fit in place.
> 
> View attachment 579201
> 
> 
> View attachment 579206
> 
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Are you going to paint this?
Where is the New Jersey's dock?


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## BigGRacing

Big Ed said:


> Are you going to paint this?
> Where is the New Jersey's dock?


Good morning Ed,
Sadly I do not have a large enough dockyard for a large fleet....lol. The ship is getting painted as well, but I am held up on this one as its my winter project. I want to resin it first after I get some gears to make it R/C. I have been painting bits of it as I go. It won't be ship side grey though until the R/C portion is finished sadly. There is a lot to it for me; I have countersunk it into my layout and now also have to find a way to seal between the plywood and ship. I am looking at spray foaming it with saran wrap to prevent it from sticking; then will be able to pour fake water. I have been focusing on one or two items at a time as many suggested and I will get these two items finished in the next couple of months.


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## BigGRacing

Just an update after new Digitrax and more Peco switches.


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## Christiaη

Could you post more pics ? Thanks.


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## BigGRacing

Christiaη said:


> Could you post more pics ? Thanks.


Here you go, not a lot finished but new curved switches inserted and crossover track started; need another turnout there as well now.
Will hopefully get second track installed and elevated next.


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## SF Gal

Your layout is going to be amazing Gary. I so like the idea of the ship in port, your warehouse, engine garage and that train station you were working on back this past October. I do not see it in the background yet. Keep up the good work. You're really going to have something special as a post war layout.


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## BigGRacing

SF Gal said:


> Your layout is going to be amazing Gary. I so like the idea of the ship in port, your warehouse, engine garage and that train station you were working on back this past October. I do not see it in the background yet. Keep up the good work. You're really going to have something special as a post war layout.


Thanks for such kind words SF Gal, you are right; my train station is out in the garage where I have to paint. I have to glue and paint outside more because of the fumes and my lungs.


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## Christiaη

Nice start. You are many miles ahead of me with your layout. I envy you a bit...


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## BigGRacing

Finally got some modelling time again and a little progress on my station.


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## JeffHurl

I kind of like the "sandstone" look of the layer between stories. Do you intend to have it the same color as the brick, or do you want it to add some contrast like the first picture.

It looks great either way, but I think I prefer the contrast.


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## BigGRacing

JeffHurl said:


> I kind of like the "sandstone" look of the layer between stories. Do you intend to have it the same color as the brick, or do you want it to add some contrast like the first picture.
> 
> It looks great either way, but I think I prefer the contrast.


It’s going to have the brown grey sandstone look in first pic….will try some slight weathering.


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## Gramps

That's a very impressive building, nice work.


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## BigGRacing

Gramps said:


> That's a very impressive building, nice work.


Thanks Gramps, means a lot coming from you as I use your layout for inspiration!


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## OilValleyRy

GIGGITY


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## BigGRacing

Well, good morning! Goal 1 of 4 for 2023 now complete. Wiring to lights was corrected last night at the club and my first DC to DCC conversion is complete. Thanks to Fergus of our Dartmouth model railroad club and member of the NMRA for making this happen, what a great teacher! CN 4100 shown here running through her paces on the club track.


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