Scenery - Limoilou Yard Backdrop Buildings

Limoilou Yard

Using backdrop buildings is a common occurence on shelf layouts. No wonder why, they are ergonomic and only need half the material than a full 3-D building. An other advantage is that it let you use the unseen back facades to make other buildings, just like a 2-in-1.

During the last week, I’ve been upgrading the scenery located along the backdrop in Limoilou Yard.

Until recently, it was supposed this space was allocated to Canada Glassine factory, a building which, in reality, is located on the other side of the yard. After few operation sessions and scenery mock up, it became clear that Canada Glassine was a plain building with little railway traffic opportunities and didn’t give the “old town” look so typical of Limoilou Ward. Variety of rolling stock was also quite limited for this industry.

For this reason, we decided to go back to the prototype and try to include the varied industries that existed on this very spot back in 1957. Most weren't rail-served, but it wasn't to hard to imagine they could have been. Until recently, this space was occupied by two partially built kits of the wonderful Atlas Middlesex Manufacturing. It was time to kitbash them once for all according to the prototype.

Once again, the insurance map from 1957 was used for reference.

New buildings seen from Dufferin-Montmorency Highway Overpass.

Two front facades of Middlesex were cemented together to make a larger warehouse occupied by 2 tenants. Then, an old Smalltown USA back facade was slightly adapted and joined to a remaining Middlesex rear facade. Interiors were compartimented with styrene sheets. This will provided structural strength to the buildings and give lighting opportunities.

From left to right, the new industries are:

• Adélard Laberge Ltée. – Ornemental Iron Works & Sheet Metal
• McCormick’s Ltd. – Biscuit & Bonbon Warehouse
• The American News Company – Magazine Distributor
• Vandry Inc. – Radio & Refrigerator Mfg. (ex-E. T. Nesbit – Sash & Door Factory)

All building received a coat of Krylon Brown Primer, a versatile base color for brick buildings (and for CNR rolling stock!).

New backdrop buildings seen from the yard.

The best part will be weathering them and creating the billboards and company's signs.

Chemin de la Canardière 

On March 21th, we also upgraded the scenery around Chemin de la Canardière overpass.
 

Canardière overpass and new Massey-Harris dealer seen from the yard.

According to the Insurance Maps, we decided to build the original farm implement dealer that existed of this plot of land. All our previous efforts to find a different vocation on this corner failed. We were lucky enough to find an old photograph taken from the overpass back in October 1957!

Chemin de la Canardière seen from the overpass in 1957, Jocelyn Paquet (2011)

Our interpretation of this part of the city was built with a Smalltown USA front facade was used with a heavily modified clapboard warehouse (in fact, the four walls were merged into a long one).An old IHC two-storey brick structure was used to simulate the building sporting several Coca-Cola billboards.

Chemin de la Canardière reinterpretation.

A close up on Massey-Harris and soft drink billboards.

This updated map shows the completed structures and the proposed building.

Red buildings are completed, grey aren't built.