CN Armagh Subdivision - Refining the Concept

While I'm still working on my pair of Athearn SW7 and SW1200, finding myself having fun soldering brass parts from scratch, my mind still probe the idea of modelling CN Armagh Subdivision in the Appalachian mountains.

I can say with confidence this project really brings a new lease of life to my rolling stock collection, be it from the transition era and the 1960s-1970s. It also gives a purpose to my few select CNR steam locomotive kitbashes that have virtually seen no running in eons.

Nevertheless, I thought the previous track plan was a little bit crowded. I seriously took a look at my room and tried to imagine the layout in place to see own things would present themselves to the visitor. It must be said the Langlois Siding scene, while extremely cute, can hardly be modelled in the corner because they are barely accessible due to the presence of my workbench and spray booth. I thus took the liberty to eliminate this scene and replace it with simple scenery. Also, the short distance between Monk Yard and Langlois make it not very realistic.

As articulated in my posts about remodelling Clermont yard, I believe layout design is like a song. You must provide silences between your phrases to enhance them. Having more scene than the room can virtually accommodate would go against that basic rule of scene composition.

Trains meet at Beaubien by Lake Therrien in 1973 (credit: Richard Manicom)

Fortunately, near Monk was a neat embankment filling part of Lac Therrien (Therrien Lake). Richard Manicom took a neat picture of a train meet there and it provided me with a very NTR scene. North to the embankment, the lake turned into a bog with sinking telegraph poles. Something very typical of backwater Canadian railways. What I like about such a scene is that it provided varying ground elevations that create the impression the track did really have to cross over ingrate topography. It is also a perfect spot to display your trains in a beautiful surrounding. And finally, while iconic, this kind of scenery doesn't overwhelm the layout.

Another spot I reworked was the engine facility. Too many turnouts diverged from the mainline, making it both unrealistic and dangerous. Now, both inbound and outbound tracks converged, leaving more empty space for telegraph poles and a small diesel fueling pad.

This small change also enabled me to create a more sweeping curve on the mainline, which looks far better and less like a table top Lionel train set from the 1950s. Slightly moving the tracks make a huge difference. Finally, I also got the right dimensions for the turntable and roundhouse. With these, I was able to better use the space and create a 6-stall roundhouse, which will have a little bit more presence and justify the large coaling plant.

The question remain if I'll build this layout. As we speak, I'm still working on my Glassine diorama, trying to find motivation. Not having the right siding for the plant really stalled the project. However, it is now located on the cabinet and perfectly functional. Did take an entire morning cleaning up the rails, but it was worth the effort as the layout now perform flawlessly. I must admit this is a fun little switching layout and while it can look quite simplistic, I've faced a few challenges during my last few operation session.