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The following will document our progress constructing the new layout. The general track plan is in place and construction has begun... Due to the length of this page and load time issues, I have broken the photos up. The most recent photos will continue to be found on this page, but olders one will be archived on their own pages as listed below. Ian D. has been taking photos of the progress from day one. You can view his photos here
* NOTE: The larger images will not load until all the thumbnails have finished loading * |
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
The Facia board has all been given a first coat of green paint. We chose green instead of black so it would not contrast with the scenery as much. The green blends and is less noticable.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
Lots of rock castings have been puzzled together to create this rock formation around the branchline wye.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
CP ES44AC 8724 leads an intermodal train across the steel viaduct over the limestone quarry.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
CP 8724 rounds the bend past the mining town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
CP 8724 leads an intermodal train through the helper town. We really need to pick a name!
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
Ballasting has been done in the area around the helper town. Larger talus was used at the base of the fill with finer ballast at the top around the ties.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
This view is from the coaling tower looking back at the town. The Depot is on the left with the station behind it.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
Some more work has been done on the buildings that will line main street.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
Looking from the bridge back toward town we can see the backs of buildings along the street and the station and coaling tower in the distance.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 22, 2011
Mainline ballasting has been done by the mining town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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20110122-minetown-church.jpg
This small church overlooks the mining town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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20110122-quarry-plasterclothed.jpg
The foamboard base for the limestone quarry has been covered with a layer of plaster cloth to help form the hills.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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20110122-quarry-plastertest.jpg
A small section of plaster was added and scraped to resemble the finished quarry walls. The whole thing will get stained to highlight the rock features later.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
More rock castings and plaster carving have been done to help hide the staging yard and return loop on the W&M mainline.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This tunnel allows the branchline to pass under the helper district town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
Building locations are being roughed in for the helper pocket town. The stations, depot and coaling tower are in place, but Main Street still needs work.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
Small rock castings and carved plaster have been used to create this rock cut tunnel portal.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
Rock castings and carved plaster are being added to the plaster cloth hills. Trees and underbrush will follow.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The W&M main line climbs a 2% grade through the hills above the branchline mines.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The mountain was made of plaster cloth over cardboard webbing. A concrete tunnel portal and retaining wall will be installed next.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The row of identical houses is one hallmark of a mining town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This small road leads up into the mine company town. A small repair shop is on the left with a gas station and general store to the right. On the extreme right the edge of the train station is visable.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This is one of the coal mines on the branch line.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This curved switch leads from the siding onto the switchback.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This switchback will serve two small industries for pulp wood and wood chips.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The paper mill scene is almost ready for ballasting. All the bell crank switch throws are in place. We just need to do some test switching to make sure everything works well before ballasting begins.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The steel viaduct over the limestone quarry is now in place. The foam insulation board footings will be covered in plaster and weathered to look like concrete. The quarry itself will be built up using plaster cloth and carved/shaped plaster for the rocks.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This small pannel will control the switches and track power for the hidden B&O interchange staging yard.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
This wye allows access to the Modular layout for North and South bound trains on the W&M. It is only temporary and will be removed when construction on the last two legs of the layout start.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 29, 2010
The quay for the cement plant is made from a scale scenes paper kit. The kit is a PDF file and you can print as many sections as needed to fill the space. The paper was glued to a masonite backing with glue sticks and then sealed with several coats of clear flat finish to protect it from water during scenicing.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 11, 2010
Southwestern Ontario GP38-2W 201 leads a coal train over the newly installed viaduct over the limestone quarry.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 11, 2010
Another view of SWO 201 crossing the viaduct.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 11, 2010
The branch line main is now fully operational from the hidden staging yard around to the interchange year on leg 4.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 11, 2010
Here we see a coal train coming the hidden staging loop track and back out onto the layout.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 4, 2010
The spline has been removed from the quarry scene to make room for the steel viaduct.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 4, 2010
The abuttments at either end of the viaduct are made from scraps of plywood and masonite, covered with paster and weathered using several washes of black acrylic paint.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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December 4, 2010
The viaduct is finally in place! Scraps of plywood and cardboard have been used to support the bents and level the bridge. These are temporary and will be replaced with foam insulation board cut and plastered to look like concrete footings.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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November 20, 2010
A 2 bay covered hopper lettered for the Cloverleaf Cement plant on the layout. The car is a bowser kit and very nicely detailed.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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November 20, 2010
Mike S's CP SD90 coasts down the grade behind the Wilson Industrial district on leg 4 of the layout. The W&M main line will pass through this area on a raised viaduct with the branch line handling switching duties are street level.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 30, 2010
The girders for the steel viaduct over the limestone quarry have been trimmed and curved and are being test fit before they are painted and weathered.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 26, 2010
SOO SD60 6026 leads the first train to be run on the W&M since the 4th leg was tied into the main line.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 26, 2010
Rounding the curve off leg 5 and onto leg 4
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 26, 2010
This train stretches the entire length of leg 4, over 30' long!
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 26, 2010
Two trains meet on the temporary siding. So named because this section of track will be re-done when construction of the last two legs of the layout starts in a few years.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 25, 2010
The mining company town is being laid out on a mainly foam insulation board base. Various buildings are being tested to lay out the town. The cardboard ess will be a road.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
The open pit limestone quarry is starting to take shape. A plywood platform was built to form the base of the quarry. The rest of the quarry was built up using foam board. The curve of spline will be replaced by a steel viaduct.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
This view looks along the access road that follows the edges of the pit down into the mine.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
More scenic work behind the papermill.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
Some scenic work around the tunnel portal on the branch line.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
The mountain on the end of leg 5 is starting to take shape with the addition of rocks, shrubs and a road.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
This branchline mine was kitbashed using two Walthers New River Mine kits.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
The hills have been extented around the end of leg 1 onto the coal processing plant area along the back wall.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
A look along the main bridge toward the staging yard shows the hill and newly ballasted track.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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September 18, 2010
This view from the staging yard toward the bridge shows the staging yard track on the right and the loop track to the left. The loop track goes around the end of leg 1 and allows continuous running on the layout.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
Who says mountains take eons to form? The scenery crew used cardboard strip weave covered in plaster cloth to create the mountain on the end of leg 5.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
The same technique was used to create the hills behind the papermill and around the curve onto the 4th leg.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
This is the other side of the mountain on the end of leg 5.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
The hill hiding the staging yard was built using the same cardboard stripe and plaster cloth method.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
This is the view from the branchline staging yard under leg 1 heading out of the yard and across the connection under the main bridge.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
This is the return loop on the branchline staging yard. This allows trains to run into staging and loop around back out of the yard and back onto the layout.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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June 29, 2010
The branchline interchange yard tracks are now all spiked down. Only the engine facility and turntable still have to be finished.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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May 8, 2010
The view across the aisle between the permanant layout and the modules. There is a custom module to bridge this gap to connect the two layouts.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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May 8, 2010
While not actually part of the permanent layout, this wye track was added to the modules to allow better access to the inner staging yard for operations between the two layouts.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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May 8, 2010
After a long hiatus to allow scenery to be worked on, the main bridge is back in place! So the main line is whole once more.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
A small road through town at the helper pocket on leg one. This asphault road was made using N scale ballast.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
A test sprinkling of ballast on the branch line to see how the colour mixture looks.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
The backdrops on leg 4 and almost done. The short panel in the front hides the staging yard from view. This will be disguised with hills and trees.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
This view shows the B&O staging yard and branch line connecting track along the backdrop.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
This view down the aisle between legs 4 and 5 shows the backdrop fully in place.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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April 24, 2010
This is the wye track that will connect the permanent layout to the modular one. We plan to operate across both layouts for a few years while we scenic the permanent layout. This will eventually be removed to allow us to build the final two legs of the permanent layout.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
This is the new temporary track along the back wall. This will eventually be replaced by two more legs of the layout. The siding here will be part of a double track main past the W&M yard.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
The switch will be the end of the double track main off leg 3. To the left of the main line is a four track staging yard for the B&O interchange further down the leg.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
The B&O crosses the W&M here with the W&M continuing up along the backdrop with the B&O in front for switching.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
After crossing the B&O the W&M crosses a small river and then splits to include a passing track for the passenger station via a curved turnout.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
This is the opposite end of the passing track. The B&O interchange track is off the passing track to the left.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
The track has been completed on the curve around the end of leg 4. This will be a limestone quarry and open pit mine with the main line crossing the pit on a steel viaduct.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
The backdrop crew has been hard at work installing the backdrops on leg 5. This is the paper mill area.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
More backdrops have been installed on the corner around the end of leg 5. This area will be a small coal loader and company town.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
The branch line staging yard under leg 1 has finally been put back in place. The switches have all been powered now.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
Wood and foam are being used to rough in the hill that will hide the staging yard from view.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
Grass has finally sprouted on the W&M!
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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January 9, 2010
More grass around the corner of leg 1.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 31, 2009
The cork for the W&M main line and siding past the B&O interchange has been glued down and painted grey. The scenic base is old ceiling tiles.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 31, 2009
The cork and track have been added for the W&M siding and main line past the branch line interchange.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 31, 2009
The W&M main line goes from the upper right to the lower left in this photo, crossing the branch line. The W&M has two interchange tracks with the branch in this location, one between the diamond the siding switch giving direct access to the yard and one off the siding.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 31, 2009
The cork is in place on the curves connecting legs 4 and 5.
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Photo By: Fred Jr.
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October 31, 2009
The facia board is on around the end of leg 5. The 'portholes' give access to the branch line track below the W&M main in case of derailments and for cleaning.
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