Sailormatlac 2012 Resolution Challenge

[sailormatlac]

After being struck by doubts... I decided to move on today. Maybe I made too much researches about QRL&PCo and got side tracked. At some point, their freight/passenger terminal, that fit at scale (no compression) in less than 7 feet tempted me a lot. However, it doesn't have any operation potential for a shelf layout. Most trackage was for passenger service and honestly, I don't give a **** about passenger stuff at all. I'm too young to have known "real" passenger operation, so it's not in my nostalgia psyché... I lived in Europe for a while as a student, took the train on a regular base but must admit modern passenge stuff is totally denied of any charms to my neophyte eyes, except a nice ride between Koln and Dortmund in Germany. I must admit this train was extremely modern but still kept what makes train travel wonderful with its dining cars and standing bar. Thumbs up for this line... Anyway, I'm sidetracking again!

I built the benchwork by joining to pantry hollow core door that I recuperated 2 years ago while doing some home improvements. The leg is done in classic framing. A sheet of 1 1/2 inch styrofoam will provide the subroadbed. I decided that the switching lead will be just a plain cassette. I don't see the point to scenic it at all. So what you see here will be the entire landscaped area.



If everything works has planned, I will try to build and paint the backdrop tomorrow, maybe glue the styrofoam too. My goal is to have it put on the shelf brackets sunday evening to put the track plan against reality.

Now I'm trying to see what kind of lighting I will use. I'm leaning toward fluorescent on a valence. I read somewhere that a few people complained about the fluo fading the color over the time... I wonder if it is a critic factor.

Operation and locale: I've decided to include QRL&PCo (QL&P) freight cars to this shelf layout rolling stock. Their interchange track was about a few hundred feet from this industrial branchline and they carried many bulk commodities needed by my industries. Their cars were old and small, outdated. By 1957, they were already absorbed by CNR anyway (thought they didn't repaint the old cars). Most cars will be CNR, CPR and QL&P. QL&P also had a 2-6-0 for interchange purpose and switching where the electric overhead (it was a traction railway) couldn't reach. I've seen someone kitbashing the need Bachmann offering and it has potential to be turn into a credible QL&P #22.

Here are some photoshop paint job according to historic pictures:





Except their side door gondola (which could be bashed without too much trouble from Tichy flat car with gondola sides, ProtoWest is nice but pricey and won't fit the prototype at all), I found cheap (10$-12$) models for each car type still running in the 50's. The sole exception is the all-steel drop bottom gondolas made by Red Caboose and the Fowler stock car by Westerfield.

This week, I also continued to assemble and detail many undecorated cars to populate the layout.



Matt