Hamilton & Great Lakes Railroad
#1
I finally have a name for my new layout . The Hamilton and Great lakes RR will have a steel mill flavour to it and Hamilton, Ontario was ( once ) a big player in the steel industry in our country . Some of the stratified rock scenes I'll have on the layout are similar to the terrain around Hamilton and of course , Great Lakes, is what I'm surrounded by where I live . Hence , the name .

A refresher as to "in the beginning "

   

   



....and bridge added

   
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#2
I'm having a lot of fun with this area as I keep changing my mind . So far , in it's infancy , I have a couple of scratchbuilt structures , a roadway , a highline track , an overhead crane that I have to kitbash because I've narrowed it ....

   

   

   

   
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#3
The roadway going in was changed from this ....


   


to this ....

   

...with the aid of some comments and advice here on the forum .


I'm having fun with the foam rocks
   
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#4
There will be a few more surprises coming up as I 'speriment with ideas . This is my favourite part of the layout and it sure beats wiring Misngth

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#5
That's a good name. Very plausible. Looking forward to see how things develop! Thumbsup
Reply
#6
Well, you picked a great spot to model, especially if you're modelling the area before the collapse of the steel industry. CNR, CPR, TH&B, and NYC all operating in the city and depending on the era, several radial and interurban lines, too. Ian Wilson's books on the CNR, especially Steam Echoes of Hamilton and Steam to the Niagara Frontier have lots of useful info and some good photos from the '50s.
If you need anything specific, either photos or info, feel free to ask - I grew up there, as did my good friend Ed (cn nutbar).

Wayne
Reply
#7
Cheers Another railroad that was seen in Hamilton was the Ontario Northland with it's consists of ore from the mines in northern Ontario
Reply
#8
I don't know as much about Hamilton as I really should . My late father moved there in the '50s and then on to Burlington , Bronte , and Oakville . My step sister lives in Hamilton not far from Ivor Wynn stadium where they are restoring an old 3 story house .

My recollections of Hamilton are the mountain and the long stairways up the slopes .

I'll be building my own version of things , so won't really be referring to any old pics , but thanks anyhow . I might do a little Googling on Stelco .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#9
Looks like you are off to a good start T, really like the rockwork. Thumbsup
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
Reply
#10
The stratified rock is PoP while the more conventional ones are cushion foam , soaked in thinned joint compound and dipped in paint ...still needs dry brushing to finish it . Most everything in the pics is wood , or some form of plaster .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#11
In my continued effort to avoid spending money on the new layout , and , at the same time use up various supplies and items I've accumulated in the past , I came upon 3 partial bags of sanded grout which I mixed together somewhat for my groundcover/dirt ....held in place with diluted white glue .


   


Added more foam rocks although I haven't dry brushed them yet ....mixed up some grey paint and let the foam soak in it for a while . The black "air vents" on top of the building ( 1st pic ) are thumb controls from an old Sony Playstation controller . I don't throw anything out . Tongue Tongue

   
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#12
Impressive, very natural looking T !
Thumbsup Thumbsup Thumbsup
Mike

Sent from my pocket calculator using two tin cans and a string
Reply
#13
teejay Wrote:The black "air vents" on top of the building ( 1st pic ) are thumb controls from an old Sony Playstation controller . I don't throw anything out . Tongue Tongue

Necessity is mother of invention! And by the way, going "cheap" is often a good way to have original and personnalized structures.

Matt
Proudly modelling Quebec Railway Light & Power Company since 1997.

Hedley-Junction Club Layout: http://www.hedley-junction.blogspot.com/

Erie 149th Street Harlem Station http://www.harlem-station.blogspot.com/
Reply
#14
So , Ive been doing a lot of thinking lately .....can be "dangerous to my health " Goldth ...... about backdrops for my layout . After seeing Tysons latest effort , and some of the backdrops on other layouts I was trying to decide on what to do .

The Pros :
1. Effective way to add interest and depth
2. Reasonable cost

The cons :

1. In HO , most backdrops are 3-4 feet high and it would destroy the ease of managing my "walk-around" layout .
2.Low cost for masonite , yes , but I'm still adhering to a strict budget and a desire to use up what I have in materials .


What to do ?


I have a lot of complete and mostly complete models stored away from the old steel mill layout . Why not use them ? My new layout has a steel industry them about it . ..........
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply
#15
..........Soooooooo

   






   

....I'm going to try using my models as the backdrop , on a raised platform . There will be tracks to show off some of the unique rolling stock ( two hot metal cars can be seen in the pics ) but the tracks won't be connected to anything .

I hope this doesn't look too goofy ...lots of work to do , maybe a rock facing to separate it from the layout and give some distance .

T
To err is human, to blame it on somebody else shows management potential.
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)