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/westbound 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 is 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 Northside 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.
0 thoughts on “Designing the WHRC”
Doug says:
Hello. I see that your a fan of the WHRC.Yeah my Grandfather used to take me to Hantsport to watch the gypsum train.When ever i think of the WHRC I rember him.
Glenn says:
That’s a great little shortline for modeling.
There are several shortlines near me in Mississippi that I visit often.
I’m a big fan of the shortline railroads.
J M says:
The spur that diverges to the east is actually the mainline to Windsor Jct where it connects with CN’s mainline. The west spur ends just beyond the downtown core perhaps a mile from the switch. I believe it served an industry there but im not 100 percent sure.