Modelrailroader.ca

Progress of late has been swift and I’ve almost completed all of the foam benchwork ‘ including the elevations for roads and highways. It took more time to remove the old glue leftover from the false start on the previous incarnation of the WGR then it did to actually construct the new risers!

I read a post by another modeler detailing the he too was going to attempt to use foam exclusively as benchwork material, but was having difficulty making perpendicular cuts using a knife. He went on to explain how he finally discovered that his jig saw was a far better alternative. Using his level as a fence, he guided the saw offsetting the level from the cut line the distance from the saw blade to the edge of the saw foot. Apparently the result was a ‘butter smooth’ perfectly square cut. I’m eager to try this, however as I’ve already finished the majority of the benchwork, and in my household ‘noise’ is a big issue, I’ll leave it up to others to try this technique and decide how it works.

A challenge I needed to address with the foam risers was the gaps in the curves. Woodland Scenics sells a foam-putty intended for gap filling, and using something similar such as drywall compound had crossed my mind. One of the drawbacks of compound is that it really doesn’t stick to foam. I had used it on the NES for gap filling and it worked well, however I learned that I could easily peel it away from the foam, which didn’t reassure me that I really wanted to depend on it for keeping my track secure.

I opted to drape glue-soaked paper towels around the top and sides of the risers and it has worked out well. I slathered the foam with some 2:1 glue/water and then applied the strips of paper towel – brushing everything as smooth as possible as I worked. It took little time to cover all of the risers and the results are rock-solid. The paper towel fused the risers into one continuous run, and the gaps are effectively filled. While white glue won’t permanently fuse to foam, wrapping the paper towel around the sides should result in a secure bond.

As the benchwork progresses I’ve had some time to test some 1:1 track planning and I’ve been making small modifications to the plan. I decided that I would stay from the prototype in favour of a slightly more operational yard. Granted ‘ the yard is small ‘ but isolating yards movements from the mainline will be advantageous. One of the benefits is that the track itself ‘looks’ more like the prototype, even though it’s not the same.

Likewise, a suggestion was made by a reader that I consider including the now defunct Nova Scotia Textiles building. While I cannot pinpoint the exact location of the mill, I do know it resided on King St., overlooking the Windsor yard ‘ so for the time being I’ve included it as part of the design. I’ve had difficulty finding any images of the mill, so if anyone can direct me toward any images I’d be thankful!

Keeping with my ambition to construct the majority of the WGR with foam, I have been experimenting with a few different construction techniques in an effort to create foam risers much like those offered by Woodland Scenics. Although my first efforts have been removed due to a change in track plan, the technique I used was very straightforward and fast – allowing me to construct all of my initial bench work in a few evenings.

Step One: Transfer the track plan onto the baseboard, and mark the elevation endpoints. In this example the track is crossing over itself so the elevation endpoints account for a ‘bridge’ and the track below it.

Step Two: Draw a line following the inside curve of the area, offsetting the original centerline by 1″. The 1″ offset allows for the foam (in this case 2″) to follow this new smaller circumference as a guide, so that once installed the risers foam can be easily cantered over the original plan. With this new guide drawn, measure the total length between elevation endpoints using a piece of string.

Step Three: Transfer the length of the string on a new sheet of foam and mark each end with the starting and ending elevations – these elevations should be drawn perpendicular to the riser length – in this case 0″ and 2″. Connecting the two points will create a long wedge that represents the grade between the connecting points.

Step Four: Using a sharp utility knife, and a thick straightedge (such as a board or a level) make light cuts by continuously draw the knife through the foam along this line, keeping the knife against the straightedge to ensure the cut is both strait and square.

Step Five: Cut the ‘wedge’ into 2″ long segments

Step Six: Using foam-safe glue such as PL300, affix the wedges along the edge of the inner line – ensuring that each corner touches the next (unlike the illustration), otherwise the resulting grade will be to long.

Finally, once the glue has completely dried, any imperfections can be removed by lightly sanding the tops of the risers using a sanding block or rasp.

There you have it – a fast and dirty tutorial on how I created my original grades. Now I just need to get to work on the new plan!

After having scrapped the initial WGR plan, I decided that I would revisit my collected references on the WHR’s Windsor Yard – the original inspiration for this project. The more I considered the function of Windsor Yard the more I realized that it was this singular location that I was interested in and that I should base my new design on this area. Likewise, I started rethinking my space and my desires. The original WGR plan had utilized all sides of the baseboard and as I started building the risers I started to truly appreciate the space needed to operate the pike from all sides – the space required for a full perimeter layout defeated the purpose of building a small pike as I now required several feet of space on all sided of the layout to run it. Therefore, I considered how the plan might work if I treated it as a deep shelf, and if I eliminated Windsor Junction. The result (seem below) was a more accurate depiction of the yard as well as the surrounding geography. At first I was disappointed at ‘what I had lost’, but I started to realize all that I was gaining. This arrangement allows for deeper scenic treatments, and improves the track/scenery ratio – focusing on the neighbouring fields, highway and the all important ‘nothing’ in between.

I sat on this idea for a day trying to decide if I would be happy with this new approach when I received an encouraging note from a reader, Allen, who in one fell swoop characterized the function of Windsor Yard, and offered an approach that was similar to what I had been considering. This input has wiped out any doubts I had about this more minimal design, so without further ado, I humbly present the new WGR – leaner and meaner! (I’m still considering the track arrangement in the yard – so things might change slightly over the next few days)

Side note: one of the details that has been staring me in the face since I started considering modelling this railway was the fact that I can easily include some passenger operations. The WHR offered a seasonal passenger service along the Evangeline Trail – a perfect excuse to model some unique passenger equipment!

I’ve completed the WGR bench work, and having spent the last few days staring at it I’ve concluded that I’m not happy…

I was pleased with the design when I conceived it, and I’ve had an opportunity to think about it for a few months and in that time found little fault – always bearing in mind that this was a small layout, and with that came trade offs. Despite this, the one aspect I couldn’t visualize was the grades, as well as the volume of hidden track. Now having had an opportunity to take a better look at things I realise that both are a bigger trade-off then I imagined. Hence, I’m starting over…

So what’s next?

The baseboard is still good and I can ‘easily’ remove the risers, and the track and turnouts I’ve ordered can be repurposed. The only issue at this point is re-evaluating how I want to go about representing the WHR prototype. Despite best efforts I don’t think it’s possible to capture both the essence of the region as well as operations in a small space.

The more I consider it, the more I’m leaning towards doing a single element of the WHR – such as the Windsor Yard. I would like things to be continuous run – so I’ll need to give this some thought! Stay tuned!

After having spent some time building the NES, looking at other layouts, and reading about construction techniques, I was convinced that it was possible to build a layout that was almost completely made of foam. Conventional wisdom dictates that layouts be built to museum quality standard ‘ with heavy duty wood construction ‘ but often times that is a necessity of building a layout that is, well, heavy duty. I decided that if I were to attempt to build the WGR using foam exclusively, such construction techniques would be unnecessary as the layout itself wasn’t heavy duty.

A trip to the local DIY store offered a rather sobering perspective on foam, as extruded foam ‘ the modelers foam of choice ‘ was also quite pricey, costing well over $ 25.00 for each 2″ thick 2′x8′ sheet. Needing three sheets of foam for the project, I considered scrapping the whole foam idea in favour of plywood as its cost would be a 1/3rd that of the extruded foam. Just as I was about to commit to some ¼” birch plywood, I noticed a new foam product called Plastispan HD expanded foam. Apparently this newer product is considered mid-grade ‘ better then the standard white foam, but not quite as good as the extruded pink/blue stuff. It is considerably harder then the white bead foam, and much less crumbly. I threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a shot.

The WGR is 34″x72″, which would have fit on a door, but wanting to stick to my foam commitment, I decided to construct the baseboard out of 1″x2″ pine with support stringers every 16″. I glued and nailed a simple frame together and then attached the sheets of foam using PL300 adhesive, and let the entire assembly dry for a few days.

Once dry, I started transferring the trackplan onto the baseboard. Using a stick for a compass, and some photocopies of turnouts, I marked, traced and plotted the basic track arrangement. I wasn’t surprised to find that despite best intentions, the trackplan wasn’t going to be a perfect fit, as my turnouts needed more space then estimated. By reversing the turnout arrangement on one section of the wye, and eliminating one of the hidden staging tracks I was able to make everything fit.

For risers, I opted to use foam ‘ I’ve been looking at the Woodland Scenics foam risers and deiced that it would be straightforward to construct something similar ‘ the advantage being that the cost would be greatly reduced, and I would be able to create custom grades. To make the risers, I measured the length of the curve/strait section of track I was working on and transferred the length on to the foam. I then marked the heights that the grade needed to rise over that distance on the foam, and cut the foam into a large wedge. I scored and snapped the foam every inch or so and glued the riser segments to the baseboard ensuring the inside edge was butted tight against one another. Work went quickly, and in the course of three hours I managed to construct all of the risers seen here.

My mind is already buzzing trying to figure out how to scenic all of these grades. Many will be hidden, but other will need some creative camouflage is order to maintain some believability. That being said, the foam experience thus far has been very positive! Looking forward to the next stages!

(Originally posted on nscale.net)

I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent the past year working on my Niagara Escarpment System – as small freelanced 2×4 layout set in south western Ontario. In this time I’ve learned a great deal building this, my first layout, and now better understand what I’m interested in, what my goals are, and what my next steps should be. I promised myself that I would ‘finish’ the NES, and I’ve done that. The layout isn’t done by many standards, but as whole it’s been completely sceniced, runs well, and has sated most of my desires. Now on to (slightly) bigger and better things.

The WGR will be loosely based on the Windsor Hantsport Railway, a 56 mile railway operating in Nova Scotia, Canada between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua. The WHR’s primary commodities include gypsum, rock, grain, vegetable oil and lumber. The majority of WHR traffic originates at the two gypsum quarries on the spur running east of Windsor, whereby the gypsum is hauled by unit trains to the port at Hantsport. I was smitten with this railway while visiting family in Nova Scotia and as it is a fairly small operation, it lends itself well to my desires.

Over the course of the last few months I’ve been able to develop a trackplan that should lend itself to my current needs, and while by no means a realistic condensation of this prototype, I believe it effectively captures many of the features indicative of the shortline, embodying the essence of the railway as a whole.

With that, I’ve set out a modest set of goals which I aspire to obtain. Some remedial, others more involved. For the most part all of these guidelines have been set in an effort to become a better modeler, and to broaden my scope of the hobby.

Benchwork

I have every intention of building 95% of this layout using extruded foam – benchwork included. With the exception of support stringers my hopes are to demonstrate that a excellent base can be constructed almost entirely of the pink stuff. I like woodworking, I have lots of tools, but I think that some stray away from constructing ‘custom’ baseboards as the woodworking component is too daunting. I think this tends to limit modelers to settle with doors, sheets of plywood or DIY shelving for their base, and I’d be happy to prove that a anything is possible with the right materials. (Let’s see if this one comes back to haunt me!)

Track

I’m excited about trying Atlas’ code 55 series, and I’ve already placed my order. The NES used the standard code 80 track common at most hobby shops as well as some Peco switches I had on hand. I’ve been happy with the results of these items, and wouldn’t want to discourage anyone from using them, but I’m now ready to try something finer. As well, my trackside scenery treatments were a little cavalier on the NES – I picked a ballast colour I liked and went with it. However, looking down the lines of all the railway crossings in my local area, I’m starting to appreciate that modeling track is like anything else and is aided by reference the real thing.

Scenery

I’m not a rivet counter, but I would like to become more of a ‘daisy counter’. Scenery is the most enjoyable aspect of this hobby for me, and I’d like to improve upon the results of the NES. I’ve spent a good deal of time looking over the work of modelers such Pelle Soeberg and Josef Brandl, and once of the most striking differences I’ve noted is how they accurately model the things that aren’t trains. Proper elevations on roads, believable lot sizes for residential areas, drainage etc. – details that I considered only as an afterthought. Likewise, I need to teach myself to look at scenery ‘prototypes’ more, be that my backyard, or aerial photos of different railways. I’ve got a good deal of art school training under my belt and one of the first things you learn is that you need to ‘look and see’. I’ve ignored this advice and have been happy to work from memory – a memory that remembers things as a whole, not the details. What colour was the ballast? What shape is a maple tree? A few moments of reference for these and other questions will undoubtedly improve my modeling efforts.

Structures

Scratchbuilding is a wonderful hobby within a hobby, and I’m quite taken by it. Every structure on the WGR will be scratchbuilt – I enjoy the practice and it allows me to enjoy the hobby with but a small toolbox and the kitchen table – a nice reprieve from the basement dwelling that is too often the life of a modeler.

Motive Power and rolling stock

I optimistic that this endeavor will allow me to casually learn more about the subject of all layouts – trains! I’m admittedly ignorant with all things on wheels and I think basic investigations about the engines and cars of the WHR will help expand a very narrow knowledge base. I’m not looking to get a degree in engines, but just a better understanding of the history and uses of motive power. Likewise, I’m working up the nerve to scratchbuild an RS23 – the past engine of choice on the WHR. I’d also like to actually try detailing some equipment, weathering it at the very least!

Overall

I’d like this next project to be a sum of its parts. I’d like to create a pike that is effective overall. If a casual survey of the pike is pleasing then the project has been successful. I dislike sore thumbs, and they catch my eye all the time. I’m striving for unity – a homogeneous relationship between all elements that make up a railroad. If close inspection finds a flaw, that’s okay – it’s the first impression I’m interested in – besides, if I take the time to ensure that the railroad works as a whole, I will be satisfied.

So what of the NES? I still have one little lighting project I’d like to attempt, and then I will wrap the entire thing in plastic and store it safely. I have no intention on cannibalizing the layout, as I want to start new. I also have no intention of trashing the layout as I’ve invested a good deal of time in it and I want to keep it until the next project comes along.

So there we have it, a rather long winded introduction to the WGR – now that it’s in print and public I have no choice but to stick by my words… Oh mercy…

Soon after I submitted the WHR trackplan to the nscale.net forum I received some constructive criticism on the design from a helpful member. His criticisms were as follows:

• staging is too limited / small
• too much rail-fanning ‘ not enough industry
• no passing sidings

(He also noted that the yard needed work to be functional – something I struggle with as I have little understanding of how railroads operate.)

I took note of his ideas and have come up with this slight variation.

Even though I’m in the process of finishing my two other layouts ‘ Pete’s Pumpkins and The Niagara Escarpment System ‘ I’m eager to start my next layout. I’ve learned a lot from these two layouts, but they are not without their drawbacks. One of the things I’ve come to understand that taking the time to develop a suitable track plan is paramount for the overall success of the layout. As such, I decided to approach this layout design by referencing the prototype

I also decided that I would try designing a railroad after the WHR prototype as many of the design decisions have already been made ‘ industries, locomotive rosters, geographical landmarks etc.

As I’ve been fortunate enough to have amassed a good deal of information about the WHR, I was comfortable designing a railroad that closely resembled the prototype, however my limited space and budget make it more difficult to design a pleasing track plan as one must selectively compress industries and landmarks. Likewise, limited space prohibits long trains, vast yards, and large rosters.

In an attempt to simplify the process, I developed the following set of guidelines:

• the layout needs to be portable, so an around-the-wall design is out
• maximum space is about the size of a door (30×80)
• I prefer rail fanning over switching so the layout should allow for continuous running
• Hidden staging is a must
• The design should capture the flavour of the prototype

I developed several ‘concept’ plans but was unhappy with the results as my continuous run criteria complicated the design. Frustrated with progress I returned to Google maps to see if I could find anything of interest. As stated earlier, most of the images of Nova Scotia are of very poor quality so tracking the WHR mainline was impossible. However as I followed the railroad east, the images improved and I discovered Windsor Junction. Windsor Junction connects connect the quarries on the north end of the province with the south, and offers an interchange for the westbound line to Hantsport. While I didn’t like the idea of modelling a wye, I couldn’t deny that it could be a perfect solution to my design dilemma.

Thus, here is the first incarnation of the new Windsor Gypsum Railway track plan. The layout is 34″x76″ with a minimum radius of 9″. I’m not yet happy with the yard configuration, and I haven’t considered where I might add some buildings, however I’m pleased with the overall concept.

Kim “Grizzz” Little of WHR fame, has been good enough to share his collection of images with me. With hundreds of images to choose from, I’ve decided to focus primarily on the Windsor Yard. I was particularly pleased to find a few images of WHR’s GMD1 #1423, as well as the photos that tie the yard office to the maintenance shed.

Thanks Grizzz!

In my never-ending quest to find more information about the WHR, I happened upon a few videos on YouTube. It never ceases to amaze me what you can find when you look hard enough. As well, I met some great people on the nScale.net message board who have offered to assist me in my research. Thanks to all!

One of the challenges I’m facing designing the WHRC is locating a blueprint of the track arrangement. I assumed that Google Maps would have had suitable reference images, but I discovered that the satellite images of Nova Scotia were quite poor ‘ the highways are barely visible, let alone the rail lines. So I reviewed the small compliment of images available on the web and tried to piece together what I could. The challenge was that the vast majority of images have been taken by railfans, therefore they tend to focus on the locomotives, and not the surroundings.

The first suitable image I found was a shot of WHRC shops in Windsor ‘ a perfect subject for a small pike. The track layout is clearly visible, and the engine shed and sidings would fit perfectly on a narrow shelf. As well, the elevated highway could sit against a backdrop and serve as a view block.

Copyright Kim “Grizzz” Little / http://yardlimit.railfan.net

I compared this image with a set of images I found on ns1763.ca, taken from a bridge that crosses over the east/west bound tracks near the WHRC shops, and decided that west of the bridge is the WHRC company office.

Copyright Ivan Smith / http://www.ns1763.ca

Based on this information, I came up with the following track diagram that could easily be used as a blueprint for a small shelf layout. Operationally, I believe this plan has a lot to offer ‘ particularly if the east and west tracks terminated at a transfer table or sector plate. The only drawback to the schematic is that the engine shed and the company office are in the foreground, which would foul the access to the turnouts. One option would be to flip the tracks so that the structures were on the North side of the layout, or to model the layout from North ‘ which would put the highway in the foreground and reverse east and west. Now I need to discover where the two spurs diverging south from the yard travel to.

The Windsor and Hantsport Railway is a 56 mile railway operating in Nova Scotia, Canada between Windsor Junction and New Minas with a spur at Windsor serving two gypsum quarries at Wentworth Creek and Mantua. The WHRC’s primary commodities include gypsum, rock, grain, vegetable oil and lumber. The majority of WHRC traffic originates at the two gypsum quarries on the spur running east of Windsor, whereby the gypsum is hauled by unit trains to the port at Hantsport. The WHRC offered a seasonal tourist excursion train, the Evangeline Express, offering passenger service between Windsor and Wolfville.

Formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, the mainline and spurs were sold to Iron Road Railways and officially started operations as the WHRC in August 1994. At the time of purchase, WHRC acquired a small fleet of Alco/MLW RS23 units from CP, which until 2005 were the primary motive power for the railway.

I first encountered the WHR a few years ago while visiting family in Nova Scotia. I distinctly remember driving down the highway alongside a pair of ALCOs pulling hoppers filled with gypsum – spitting black smoke into the air as they laboured along the rails. I was smitten with the railroad and spent the evening researching it. There were only a few resources available online, but it was enough to learn the railway’s general history, the customers they served, and their locomotive roster.

Until recently I had forgotten about the WHR, as my interests had turned to the Ontario Southland Railway, and their Guelph Junction Railway operations. In researching the OSR, I found many references to WHR’s fleet of RS23′s ‘ as both the OSR and the WHR had several of these engines, and my interest was rekindled.

As such, I am planning to build a small layout based on the WHR ‘ likely focusing on their Windsor yard operations. This shortline is a perfect candidate for modeling as their limited industries etc. allow for reasonable selective compression. On the other hand, I have struggled to find decent information online, as the small compliments of sites that refer to the WHR are generally railfan sites ‘ which are a great references for locos of the WHR, but offer very little information about yard configurations, trackside structures etc. Likewise, Google Maps doesn’t have images that are a high enough resolution to be of use.

As such, I will attempt to design a layout based on what I can find. I hoping to secure the rights to feature some of the photos other sites are currently hosting, as well a feature a small compliment of videos I’ve come across. If anyone has any information that I might be able to use, I would certainly appreciate speaking with you!