As
introduced in my previous blog, I’m actually in the process of developing a
final vision – or should I say framework – for my Connors layout. I’ve found
over the years doing justice about a prototype wasn’t always replicating
perfectly a prototype. Some artistic license must be used and this license
isn’t about doing going loose and veering toward indulgence, but rather trying
to understand what matters and how to push it forward in a coherent fashion.
Framing a
subject is a complex and subjective task. No wonder I’ve been pondering a
central question this year more than once; how much layout do you really need?
I feel this question is absolutely central to our understanding of our hobby as
I suspect, for many of us, the railway empire is both an improbable pursue but
also one that would thin down our vision of this hobby. It would also be a
preposterous assumption to believe everyone shares this goal as if it was a
mandatory objective per se. That’s
the funny thing about North American values in general, this idea that sky is
the limit can be both an enabling force both also a crushing goal to try to
reach.
This isn’t
an easy question and I’ve never found a compelling answer over the last three
decades I’ve been dabbling with this hobby. The only thing I know for sure is
it’s better to have some kind of layout rather than none. The physical
existence of a layout is a key element to make sure you are actually doing
something and not only thinking about doing something. Take away the material
manifestation of this hobby and you fell a sad feeling of underachievement. It
may not be perfect, but at least it is a canvas to paint on a picture and that
very picture is probably not the last one you’ll paint. Indeed, it may lack
accuracy but it is a continuous learning experiment.
With that
said, I gave a lot of thoughts about my longstanding personal home layout in
recent days, revisiting yet again several basic concepts. This prompted me to
make a serious distinction between what I can build and want I want to build.
More than just a question of semantics, this raises several important issues
and my personal way to interact with my hobby.
What would
be best? A larger layout set in a dedicated room in the basement, or something
smaller and more personal in my office room? What kind of interaction I want
with my models beyond simply running them? In fact, the layout appears to be
only a cog in a much more complex mechanism.
Until
recently, I felt a layout in my office would feel contrived and also out of
place. Being a railway modellers since my youth, I know this hobby comes with a
despicable reputation and social stigma. I know more than one guy taking great
care to hide their involvement with trains and certainly can understand. Recent conversations about layouts with
people of the common taught me the stigma wasn’t that bad nowadays. Trainsets
are no longer a staple of childhood and many, due to 3D modelling and video
games, are now more open to this craft. It was evident that more people admire
the sophistication involved than I initially thought. If they have a good grasp
of workmanship, technologies or simply creative arts, they generally recognize
immediately the merit of the hobby. It’s not a matter of hiding it, but rather
showcasing it in a proper way that makes people fully appreciate this piece of
art and technology.
It also
made me recognize my own interaction with this hobby. How I often wished the
layout would be at hands, ready to be put into action. Small enough to care
about details and scene composition while staying achievable. Able to take
apart a part of the layout, work on it under optimal conditions then set it
back in place.
Also, the
layout shouldn’t be far from the workbench and reference material (both books
and online). Building and operating are activities going hand in hand. Given
these criterions, I feel it is better to build small but in the right place
where the layout can be displayed, built and operated eagerly in a comfortable
environment rather than waste time hiding it in a subpar and distant room. I
have no doubt this could be done with taste and look great both as a game board
and an artistic diorama.
Certainly,
such advantages come with restrictions. The best spot in the room is on top a set
of Ikea Kallax shelves. These have been hacked several years ago and create a
nice 102” long 15” wide continuous countertop. While I could use more space, it
would look good in the room and the idea of a nice diorama sitting on shelves
would be lost. Such space is more than adequate for a small switching layout
given a 45” small and unobtrusive cassette can be attach without ruining the
room.
Indeed, this
kind of setup would be neat for Connors, but obviously, I can’t cram everything
there. I must cut some corners and if I do so, better think about what matters.
According to various written sources, I was able to trace down a typical
timetable for the early 20th century operations. It was both
extremely simplistic and yet eye opening. It really put things in perspective
in my mind.
Back then,
the daily mixed train left Edmunston at noon and reached Connors in the
afternoon. The locomotive was then stored in the engine house and serviced. On
the next morning, the train came back to Edmunston, reaching the station before
noon. Quite simple isn’t it? Certainly, I have no details about it, but given
the tight schedule, it seems the small yard and sidings could only be switched
in late afternoon since the morning train left Connors quite early and starting
a steam locomotive needs lengthy preparations. This simple fact helps to
understand what matters if I ever operate a small Temiscouata layout. What does
matter in a typical day at Connors? What can fit the bill for a regular 20 to
45 minutes operation session? What fits my interest? What doesn’t? Lots of
question I can now start to answer.
If you ask
me, I like the look of a locomotive entering a station and performing some work
there. Shoving cars here, exchanging others there, rebuilding the train, etc.
On the other hand, I have very little interest in servicing locomotives. Also,
I’m not that much into building intricate craftsman engine house full of
details and far too cute for my own taste. Given that, do I need to model
entirely Connors? The answer is no. Connors has irrelevant sections that I
don’t care about, add very little to my story and take up space and resources I
don’t want to allow them. Maybe some readers will recall Lance Mindheim’s
advice to crop a scene and not compress it. Well, I believe he is indeed
touching an important point when building a layout. Connors is long but only a
part of it frames a well composed scene and makes a compelling stage for
trains.
Speaking of
scene and staging, modelling must support my story and, according to my own
biases, the arriving train in the afternoon is probably the most interesting
aspect of this script. The morning train is a dull formality involving no
switching and simply backing the train in front of the station after leaving
the roundhouse. Given most locomotives were often refuelled before being stored
for the night; the morning preparation would lack relief.
Knowing that, only the trackage pertaining to this
afternoon train matters. The rest is inconsequential. Anyway, I have very
little good data about the engine house except bad front view photographs taken
from a distance and an 1894 panorama leaving many crucial details blurred or in
the dark. Remember, since day 1, the Connors station caught my interest and not
the engine facilities.
From a
practical standpoint, it means only the yard, station, fueling facilities and
turntable matter in my story. It easily removes about 4-5 feet of irrelevant
layout, providing a more relaxed and better framed scene. In fact, just like
Mike Cougill and I discussed, maybe some end parts of a layout are better when
they gradually fade away into darkness, leaving the mind to imagine what lies
beyond this fuzzy boundary. In a few words, shadows can be used for modelling purpose, the same way they are in theater, museum exhibits, movies and dioramas.
Funnily enough, I recently discovered the old scale
model of this layout I made many years ago when exploring this concept for the
first time. You won’t be surprised the engine house wasn’t there, only the core
project. Once again, my late grandmother would probably tell me “the first idea
is always the best”. But I should add, it becomes the best only because other
options have been evaluated before going back to the first impression.
Having
reduced my scope and knowing I’m only interested in modelling the afternoon
train and occasional freight extra, I can now take a hard look at reality. How much
layout do I really need? A few technical elements set the track plan: siding
capacity must be large enough to run around the train, the cassette must provide
enough space for shoving to 50ft coaches. Finally, the leading track in front
of the station must provide room to switch about 3 empty and 3 loaded freight
cars at the team track. Fortunately, without compression, this can be done in
exactly the space available.
Interestingly
enough, without effort, most actions on this layout take place in front of the
passenger depot, making for a compelling scene. Depending on train composition,
a session can be straightforward or slightly more complex. In fact, some days,
a coach and a combine will be required to handle sportsman and hunters while on
other day, only a coach will do a fine job. Extra freight trains are also an
option. Regular mixed freight train can pull from 1 to 4 freight cars, making
for a lot of variety. Short 32’ and 36’ cars also help to keep some degree of
variety. It is also possible to stage excursion trains from time to time since
Connors used to be somewhat of a lesser tourist destination due to the presence
of a deluxe hotel near the station.
Finally,
the interesting thing about cropping this particular scene according to my
available space and intended story is that I don’t have to make compromises on
track work. When I asked myself if I could compress Connors, I instinctively
veered toward using unrealistic #6 turnouts. Then, doing some maths, it was
quite evident the intended #10 turnouts did have their place even if they took
about 15” each. On a small layout such as this one, looking closely at
operation is the biggest show you’ll see. A cute turn-of-the-century steamer
crawling over the rail is a nice show and ruining it with toyish track
parameters would defeat this purpose. Take my words for granted on this, my
small Bachmann 4-6-0 looks absolutely great on a #10 turnout… Even from a
technical standpoint, small steamers do perform better on large radius
turnouts. There light and short tenders no longer randomly derail, which can be
a real let down when operating with old time locomotives. Don’t ask me with I know, but I can assure
you the idea small rolling stock means small radius is the most laughable
principle. Sure it can be done, sure it will look camp and whimsical. Some love
that quaint old time look that never existed, but I’m not one. In the same regard, René Gourley was kind enough to remind me of his excellent efforts with prototypical turn-of-the-century modelling based on pre-WW1 Canadian Atlantic Railway. He also has to deal with these pesky issues and takes extensive care to ensure the end results is both artistically attractive and technically sound. Yes, there's is no reasons to take shortcuts when dealing with old time subjects. We wouldn't tolerate it with modern subjects, why settle for less when dealing with the past?
Finally, another
neat aspect of the layout is it can be stored easily as modules. I know that at some
point, I'll have interests in other eras and locales. I could easily imagine this pre-WW1
layout being used half the year and another one, sharing the same physical
parameters taking its place later. Once again, Mike Cougill's concept of dissociating the substructure from the layout seems to be a sensible approach. In my case, the Kallax shelves
acting as a structure to support various dioramas/modules following the evolution
of my tastes without having do deal with wall anchors and such. Once again, it seems my intuition kind of overlapped with his own, though I'm glad his post made me see the benefit of something that was only a blurry concept in my mind. As they say, nothing new under the sun!
