I have completed some more work on the car wash in the VIA Rail Yard. I posted an earlier blog as I was constructing the car wash. I have replaced the black plastic tubes that came with the kit with pipe cleaners and scratch built a base from 1mm styrene. Adding railings, grating and a […]

I have been working on the VIA Rail yard and shops lately. Here are some preliminary photos of the area, taken with a cell phone to check for details. Once complete I will photograph again with a better camera and a backdrop. In the first photo, two siding have been assigned for trains, waiting for […]

I have been able to complete the scenery in the Trenton Yard on my layout. Not the best picture of the yard but it does give an good overview of the scenery. I have posted earlier blogs on the steps I have taken to this point. Once ballasting was complete, I added gravel for roadways, […]

I have completed the ballasting of the main yard for my layout, the Trenton Subdivision in N Scale. In the photo you can see the general layout of the yard area. The engine terminal and shops are located behind the yard in the top of the photo. The entrance to the VIA Rail passenger yard […]

I have finally progressed to the ballasting stage in the Trenton Freight Yard, on my Trenton Subdivision in N Scale. I find working in small patches, allows me to focus on one section and the glue/water mixture time to set before moving on to the adjoining section. With such a large area to ballast it […]

When models are not available of the items you want to include on your layout, customizing is the next option. The inspiration for this RDC began with a trip to White River in Northern Ontario. This is the only area still serviced by RDC’s. VIA Rail operates a regular train from Sudbury to White River. […]

I have always wanted a Passenger Yard on the layout. Setting up passenger trains, shop area and an opportunity to display unique rolling stock and engines in VIA Rail Service, provides another level of modeling and operations. Having a wash area to keep the passenger trains spotless was a must for me. I decided on […]

All railroads strive to reduce accidents and injuries, so reflecting this mandate on my layout is an opportunity to create a small diorama within the layout. The large banner on the side of the Engine Maintenance and Repair Shop draws the eye. Using my computer and Photoshop software I was able to take the classic […]

“I think I can see my keys.” Adding a storm drain can create a scenario of it’s own. Storm drains and heavy rain runoff is something that we don’t need to worry about on our layouts. The real world is not so fortunate. So having drainage modeled into our layouts is something we need to […]

I have finally laid the last section of rail on my rebuilt N Scale -Trenton Subdivision. To mark this milestone, I decided to have some fun. The layout is a 12 x 11 x 6, “U”, I had to extend the long side from 10 feet to ease a steep grade. Chopping a layout in […]