Marlpost, Ontario
#1
At long last, after many false starts and life events interrupting things, I am happy to announce that Marlpost is coming to life.

Originally conceived over 10 years ago after my return to model railroading as an adult, I started reading Ian Wilson's Steam... books. At that point I knew I wanted to do a small, rural town served by Canadian National. My chosen era is loosely defined as "between the wars", so encompasses both the prosperity of the Roaring '20s and the Great Depression.

Marlpost has a number of industries common to small towns across the province. Coal & fuel, grain elevator, stock pen, and team track. Railway facilities include the station, water tank, and a small speeder & maintenance shed. All these building are grouped around the main, double ended siding, and two stub ended sidings. One facing comes off the main to the elevator and the other off the runaround to the stock pen.

The main street in Marlpost runs across the west end of the "yard". There's a gas station, stores, probably a bank, and other buildings yet to be built. The whole thing sits on two 6' X 2' modules.

The biggest issue I had was resisting the urge to cram in all the industries I have. So waiting for another module will be Hamilton-Paice, a mid-sized industrial building with ties to Gern Wink, a milk depot, and various other buildings that don't have a home. Keeping the track plan under control was highly influenced by Trevor Marshall's Pory Rowan in S Scale blog, especially the Achievable Layouts portion.

So at long last, here is the first "new" view of the town. From left to right you can see the station (stand in salvaged from a Christmas layout), team track ramp (one of my first scratch builds with Popsicle sticks and matches), a cardboard mockup of the grain elevator with accompanying scale house, and the end of the coal shed.

Andrew


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#2
It's good to see you finally have a chance to start this layout, Andrew. Thumbsup Thumbsup

Wayne
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#3
Thanks Wayne! I didn't realize until after I'd taken the photo that there's an EG&E boxcar at the team track... Smile

Andrew
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#4
A lost sheep has returned to the flock---great to see you back Andrew,looking forward to the ongoing development of Marlpost
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#5
Hi Ed,

Thanks! I have been lurking for a while and making a slow comeback. Things are finally where I need them to be an it feels great to run the trains! Big Grin

Andrew
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#6
What scale?
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#7
MM - it's HO scale.
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#8
Here's the beginnings of "downtown" Marlpost. The scene will occupy space between the west end of the "yard" and the left end of the layout.

So far I have a gas station kit, some DPM type buildings in brick and wood, and some card models as stand-ins. Although it's a small town, I'd like to populate it with believable businesses. I'm thinking about adding a bank or a comparable civic institution. Other ideas include drug store, law office, furniture/piano store, and a telephone building.

If you have any other ideas suitable for the 20s or 30s, please let me know!

Andrew


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#9
Looks promising! That elevator and the main street are going to be real nice places.

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/
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#10
Question, is this the main line running thought the town? If so, I am not sure how things happened in Ontario but in the prairies the rail lines were there before the towns and the streets and buildings were built in line with the track. All most all the small towns out here have a railway avenue running parallel to the tracks with main street ninety degrees to the tracks.
Robert
Modeling the Canadian National prairie region in 1959.
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#11
Andrew
There's that old favourite, the related furniture store and funeral home.

Prairie trains
Lots of Ontario was laid out before trains were thought of. In Brampton, the railway runs nearly 45 degrees to the streets. It always looks to me as if the main roads were built at right angles to the lakeshore, usually consistent through one county, and often with a triangular township called "The Gore" or even "Gower".
David
Moderato ma non troppo
Perth & Exeter Railway Company
Esquesing & Chinguacousy Radial Railway
In model railroading, there are between six and two hundred ways of performing a given task.
Most modellers can get two of them to work.
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#12
BR60103 Thanks for the information.
Robert
Modeling the Canadian National prairie region in 1959.
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#13
Matt - Thanks!

Robert - As David said, that was not always the case in Ontario. One thing I find fascinating is that out west - and maybe you can attest to it - the railways got to name the towns, and did so in alphabetical order...!

David - thanks for the suggestions Thumbsup


Andrew
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#14
MasonJar That was on CN's Grand Trunk lines only, the Canadian Northern lines were random.
Robert
Modeling the Canadian National prairie region in 1959.
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#15
Hi,
great start on your layout and very nice looking scenes. Thumbsup

Regards,Chris
Building the BC-Rail Dawson Creek Subdivision in H0 scale http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=7835
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