Clermont: Inspiration from an unexpected source

As we progress and learn about our prototype, the more the project gets real. Lots of stuff is happening right now since we decided to put together a working timetable.

I finally located a copy of a 1986 CN time table. A brave soul posting here from time to time was kind enough to look if he can send us something. Anyway, we already started to prepare one from a 1975 time table and using CN 1987 graphic style and fonts.

Also, I recently stumbled upon (again) an old website made by a team developing a Train Simulator project about Murray Bay Subdivision back in 2004-2007. The website is now derelict with broken links but I got the chance to take a look at a nice picture of La Malbaie. It take the liberty to post the picture here for documentation purpose. From what I could read, it was taken back in 2004 during a railfanning trip made by François Cantin.

That picture could have been taken on Mike Confalone's Allagash Railway.

The ressemblance with our Clermont scene and topography is striking and I'll be honest, the temptation to merge Clermont and La Malbaie is strong. Reproducing Clermont's yard is impossible and I know for a while.

On the other hand, La Malbaie is an interesting spot because it is the original town from which Clermont splitted when the paper mill opened. In Clermont, there's a place called Wieland where there is a wye, spartan locomotive facilities, sidings with bunch of MoW equipment and a team track. Oh, did I say the yard limits started at La Malbaie up to Donohue? It means La Malbaie, Wieland and Clermont were kind of a same unit.

In La Malbaie, you find the exact same things, but better. Look at the picture: no space at all between the track and the mountain, a sinous siding, a road running along the track, MoW equipment, a diesel full tank and a team track lost in the woods. Think about it, it is exactly what our layout have. Almost no compression required, isn't sweet?

Instead of making a lot of compromise to model Clermont, I feel it's better to draw inspiration from nearby La Malbaie. To some extent, that place is also more associated with typical Charlevoix wonderful topography. The good thing is the scene isn't crowded at all...

Lettering an old tank car

While doing some clean up last week end, I found out a pair of assembled and painted black Intermountain tank car. Having a set of Black Cat decals on hand for CN company service tank car, I browsed CNRphotos.com in search of a suitable prototype.


Quickly, I stumbled up a neat tank car of similar size sporting the wet noodle logo and a ACI label. I was sold to the idea immediatly.

I didn't need to use all the decal set since lettering on the prototype was spartan at best. Microscale sets provided additional data and logo.

I heavily weathered the model according to the original picture. But I didn't try to go as far as the real car because it was photographed in the 90s. After I took my picture, I slight added more dirt under the tank. I didn't yet dullcote the model. I like the very dull look it has right now. Maybe I'll dullcote it later.

 

All in all, it was a fun brainless project. It's good to have some from time to time.

It will probably find it's from time to time in a work train to Clermont.

Toward More Realistic Operations

We reached a new level last week end when we staged our operation session when Murray Bay subdivision was back on service after track improvement: we implemented a dispatcher. The small closet used as hidden staging and storage was quickly transformed into a dispatching office. Louis-Marie also dug out a set of walkie-talkies.

The dispatcher's desk in hidden staging

A dispatcher isn’t a new thing for us. Back in 2007, when we started the original layout depicting Bassin Louise industrial trackage, we used to have two operators (CN and CP) receiving their instructions from a dispatcher sitting on a step ladder. It was quite informal, but still useful and a funny role to fulfill. After each session, roles would be shuffled to ensure everybody would have a chance to operate. It worked like this for a while, but as the old layout morphed and decayed, it became almost impossible to do any credible form of dispatching.

Later, switching lists were implemented, but most visiting operators didn’t care about them and I quickly grew dissatisfied making them. Many people serious about operation always stress this point: your operators must have similar level of interest in operation to make sure it works well.

As the club coalesced around a very few regular members – the three of us – it was enough to simply stage a train and identify which cars went to which customers to get the job done right. We plan to return to more formal switching list in the future and I started to make simplified waybill cards for this purpose. With our 4 “customers”, it shouldn’t be too hard to handle even if the rolling stock pool swelled up as I built more cars recently!

In fact, beyond the paper work, having a dispatcher giving instructions really set the mood right. We really felt it was no more a layout, but a real railroad, particularly while handling clearance forms. They really give you the feeling you are going somewhere, they slow the train movement at a comfortable speed and make the layout “bigger” without adding any track.

I had the honor to be the first dispatcher and did a really poor job at it, having no idea what the prototype does! Since the task was far to be overwhelming, I also acted as a brakeman on the train.

Train 522 and Limoilou Switcher in staging.

 

Two trains were staged, the 522 doing the run to Clermont and Limoilou Switcher serving the cement plant. Both trains were shoved into the hidden staging track and assigned a locomotive. Train 522 was made of 17 cars plus a caboose. I determined a single Rapido GMD-1 would be enough for the task.

GMD1 1906 ready to pull train 522 out of Limoilou

Louis-Marie would run this train up to Clermont. It was late at night and we only run 522. Meanwhile, Jérôme switched Donohue before 522 arrived there to prepare future action.

 

Louis-Marie commanding 522 while it crosses D'Estimauville Avenue.

Train 522 departed D’Estimauville around 10:30 AM and swiftly crossed Villeneuve yard before reaching Charlevoix.

522 speeding up to 20 mph while leaving Villeneuve.

 

Then, the real action started. It was simplistic but realistic: pull the departing cars from Donohue, shove the empties on the plant property then switch Clermont team track. But it wasn’t easy at all! First of all, switching a train longer than the available siding can be done quite easily when you know what you are doing, but we improvised a lot and wasted time on useless moves. To be honest, I figured out a few weeks ago how to do it efficiently, but completely forgot how to do it…

CN 1906 entering Clermont siding.

First, we took care of the team track which was a piece of cake...

 

Switching the layout: a empty ballast car, a grain car and a plywood load.

...but then things started to get complicated when we tried to pull Donohue’s loaded cars. Train 522 was clearly underpowered and the locomotives started to slip on Malbaie River bridge’s wet rails.

"Dispatcher, we've got a problem!"

  

Worst, Donohue’s industrial switcher couldn’t give us a push because it was trapped on a siding by our own train! As a last resort, we called the dispatcher and requested a helper locomotive. The nearest locomotive available was GMD1 #1027 in Limoilou, 92 miles away! We wasted a lot of time! It was my own fault because I didn’t take in account we would have to pull Donohue’s cars and Train 522's cars together, resulting in a very long and heavy train. Lesson learned: never venture to Clermont with less than 2 powered units, except if you run an exceptionally short train.

CN 1027 couples with 522 and saves the day.

Switching then resumed and the helper left us when its job was done.

CN 1027 kissing goodbye after giving a helping hand.

It was getting late and finally the train, now called 523, made its return trip to D’Estimauville. And then we found out we forgot to switch Dominion Textile plant! Well, it will be for another day!

 

After this session, Jérôme decided to explain us how real dispatching is done on the prototype, using the correct lexicon and protocol. This is going to be interesting.

Having a dispatcher also brought a new “material” dimension to the layout as we had to determine what is mainline and what yard limits are. Digging in old cheap trackside details, we found out a few plastic railroad signs that could be useful to operators. It was decided to follow practices.

Villeneuve's yard limit sign post

Track from Limoilou to Villeneuve is now considered yard and track up from Clermont to Donohue too. In between lies the “real” mainline. Speed limits, whistle posts and grade crossing crossbuck are now implemented. When scenery will progress, these will be changed to prototypical signs.

A few other details were added, including relay boxes near crossing signals and a new small office at Donohue.

Clermont's yard limit sign post

Jérôme wants to make a real timetable for the layout and to implement special instruction including motive power restriction in some areas. To this, we will probably add the Power Rating chart I made. It’s quite useful to minimize underpowered train!

Some mock up details in Clermont to bring life to the scene

In the end, there’s still a long way to go for us, but going forward using stand-in operation-oriented scenery details and implementing a not-so-perfect dispatcher is still a better than nothing. It would be completely ludicrous to hope to be perfect from start and it’s better to start with what we have, learn from it and improve accordingly.

Donohue's New Backdrop

It was long due, but now Donohue's got its brand new photo backdrop. It was printed on heavy flat paper and secured with double-face tape. Nothing fancy here. We moved from a shelf to a paper mill just in a few second.

However, I can't say I'm 100% satisfied. First, I did some little mistakes when I stiched the original photos together. Nothing important, but it means I'll have to hide some mistakes with scenery later.

Also, it was evident that perspective works from some angles, and not from other. That's a short coming you rarely see on "official" layout pictures because people don't post those pictures. In fact, those discrepancies appears well in video. But there's almost nothing we can do about it. It was a set of ludicrously thin flat buildings or a realistic backdrop. Choose your poison and assume it. There's not perfect solution here.

Seen from the "wrong" perspective angle

 
The biggest problem is the paper we used can be easily damaged. It will need extra care when doing the wet scenery. It will be tricky, no less.

Seen from the "correct" perspective angle

But whatever the issues, I think it's better to move forward at this point. There will always be room for improvement later. Stalling the project for such reasons would be stupid. So let's move on.

Also, we found out adding some 3D elements here and there in some key area really helps to bring life to the backdrop, hiding it's 2D nature. I can also say that I'll have to improvement my structure weathering to match the backdrop. Now I perfectly understand why color choice is primordial in creating a scene.

So, in the end, I'd say I'm 75% satisfied. We did an operation session later and it was quite fun to feel the trains was definitely going somewhere. More in that on another post.

By the way, track laying is now officially completed. The conversion to code 83 went smootly and we are now tracking down small little bugs here and there.

CN 40ft Insulated Boxcar - Part 5

Here's some picture of the first 40ft boxcar with dry transfer lettring on. ACI label and lube data are Microscale decals.

Here's a picture of cars built during the summer and ready to receive a good coat of weathering. Looks like we now have almost every car needed to handle the Murray Bay Subdivision traffic.