CNE VIA layout

VIA Rail set up this promotional layout at the Canadian National Exhibition sometime in the mid to late '70s. That top photo is obviously shot from some sort of balcony - I can't remember the building where this was staged - and in the lower photo I moved down to that front railing where all the people are standing. These photos are very grainy because I used my old Kodak Instamatic camera that shot 110 size film in a rather low light situation.

Thoughts on a N-scale Elizabeth Valley Railroad

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.

The Marlborough Hotel Then and Now

I think my uncle, William Henry Wood, shot this photo of Winnipeg's Marlborough hotel either in September or October 1943, or during the fall of 1944. This photo didn't have any accompanying annotation. The photo below - sourced from the Marlborough hotel website - shows what it looks like today. If one ignores the modern building to the left, and the Prii parked outside, not a lot has changed on the outside.

One convenience store down....

... and one to go.

The front steps are built up from pieces of 0.060 inch styrene sheet. Also, I added long strips of 0.010 inch styrene underneath the white brick strips to build out the front facade a little. These things were painted with a loose wash of gray, white, concrete, and a little black paint.

I didn't do any detailing on the back. Just added some doors. I might add some details later once I've decided on a place on the layout for it.

The roof is a piece of stucco textured styrene sheet painted with loose washes - mainly black. I just wanted something that suggested a roof, not anything highly detailed.

The roof isn't glued in place. It sits on a perimeter ledge and can be easily lifted out. I'm going to add some lights and photos to simulate interior detail. On this project I concentrated on the facade to try and learn more about making a '50s or '60s store front.

In the dining car

I have a few pictures that have no annotations or other indications about when or where they taken. All I can say about this one is it was probably shot sometime in the winter of '43 or '44.