I’ve been surprised that the Google hit stats show E. L. Moore' Legacy in the 21th Century: The Elizabeth Valley Railroad to be one of the top 5 all time posts at this blog even though it was only posted on 23 April this year. It got me wondering if it could be built. E. L. Moore built it in HO – and the Eagleroost & Koontree is in HOn3 – but that is out of the question because I don’t have room for a 6 by 4 foot layout in addition to the Lost Ocean Line. N scale seems intriguing since it’s around 54% of HO as far as dimensions go.
At DeSerres art supply store last weekend they had birch gallery wood panels on sale. These things are used as bases for paintings. The 3 x 2 foot one seemed interesting. It’s the same proportions as the EVRR, although dimensionally it is around 8% too small in length and width for an exact N scale reproduction of the original HO scale layout. I bought a panel anyway and decided to take it home, stare at it, and wonder how an N scale EVRR would fit :-)
The panel is light weight, seems quite stiff, and its fit and finish is much better than I could make from raw pieces. Also, during construction at least, I could hang it on the wall like a painting between building sessions. That would solve the storage problem for awhile.
Also you can see on the underside is that with a few holes drilled in the centre strut, wiring will tuck nicely in the frame.
Problem is I’m not sure how I’ll get on with building in N scale as I’m used to the larger size of HO. Just about everything Mr. Moore built for this layout is scratchbuilt, so the small size might be a problem – although I’m not sure.
Jim, working in 2mm/ft is a bit of a shock at first, but it is amazing how soon you get accustomed to it, as I found out recently when I had to build something in the scale. The space saving and compressional advantages have got a lot going for them and I would very much like to see your take on EL's line! I'm back on 4mm/ft now...seems huge! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know making the downshift in size can turn out alright. I have to admit it probably wouldn't be an exact copy since I don't have all the particulars on it, and since I'm a 'trolley man' to a certain extent, some sort of trolley or tram might make it's way in :-)
DeleteMy shift from HO to N was successful in that, putting the same detail of my HO models into N made them look even MORE detailed. I think you'll be happy with the switch.
ReplyDeleteI looking forward to making progress on this project. Things have been put on the back-burner for awhile as I've been working on house renovations and having a fascinating time with new E. L. Moore related information coming in for that series.
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