CNR Kensington sub

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

After looking at a couple blogs namely the Quebec South Shore Railway <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://theendofsteel.blogspot.ca/">http://theendofsteel.blogspot.ca/</a><!-- m --> and the Ontario in HO Scale <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://ontarioinhoscale.wordpress.com/">https://ontarioinhoscale.wordpress.com/</a><!-- m --> I revisited my Dilemma HO layout plan <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7961">viewtopic.php?t=7961</a><!-- l --> After some thinking I decided to go in a more prototypical direction and era for a new ISL based on the CNR Kensington sub that was located on Prince Edward Island and will be set in the 1975-1985 era.

The rail line was light jointed rail with the heaviest cars in the 220,000 pound range. CN ran RSC-14's <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLW_RSC-14">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLW_RSC-14</a><!-- m --> I acquired a 1990's Overland RSC-14 and have picked up an Atlas RS11 for conversion to another RSC-14 using Kato RSC trucks and Shapeways parts. That will probably be a slow project. I am not sure what I will use for track but it will not be hand laid since I would never live long enough to to it. I'll also use my existing Peco medium turnouts.

Industries I will model

Schurman Concrete - gravel in 3-bay open hoppers, sand & cement in slab side covered hoppers
Shur-Gain Feed - grain in covered hoppers, bagged feed and farm supplies in boxcars
Team track - farm machinery

Potential industries

McCain produce - mechanical reefers, insulated boxcars
Petroleum Dealer - either Esso, Shell or Gulf, tank cars for fuel and boxcars for misc lubricants
Fertilizer plant - Covered hoppers
Schurman Building Supplies - boxcars for lumber and misc goods

I have slowly begun to pick up cars appropiate for this ISL and will also need vehicals and structures suitable for the era. I am going to have the RSC-14 equipped with dcc and sound and slowly gather parts for the RS11's conversion. I will be using the exsisting benchwork for this ISL and run a NCE dcc system. If anyone has any information or pictures for my era and location I would love to see it.

[sailormatlac]

Good to hear you're taking the plunge! Interesting small branchline... and nothing less than RSC-14. Those small ISL are fun to try ideas like that because it won't take you a life to reach interesting results.

Do you have rough dimensions for your benchwork?

Matt

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

I bought the unit about two years ago and never laid eyes on it. I was recently painted and I hope to have it in hand this week. I would love to have another pair of OMI units if I could find them and have the $.

The bench work is 12' long by 2' wide on one side, across 6'L x 2'W and back down 8'L x 2'w. I am looking at a cassette to go out the bedroom door to give me some staging. The reason for keeping the existing bench work is that we are looking to move in a year or two and if that works out I will have a far larger space to build in.

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

Some more inspiration from A.W. Mooney

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=19302">http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=19302</a><!-- m -->

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/a-trio-of-the-island-heaviest-power-the-mlw-rsc-18-locomotives-are-given-the-once-over-by-cn-workers-as-they-are-readied-for-the-next-assignment-their-days-are-numbered-business-is-dwindling">http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/a-tri ... -dwindling</a><!-- m -->

My favorite of the three and it shows the possible fertilizer and fuel dealer.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/cns-rsc-18-1750-switches-industry-along-the-waterfront-area-of-summerside-pei-on-a-pleasantly-warm-september-16-1977-railroading-ended-on-the-island-in-late-1989">http://www.railpictures.ca/upload/cns-r ... -late-1989</a><!-- m -->

[sailormatlac]

Neat pictures... Really inspiring. Borden Station and Summerside "whatever" industry in the background looks promising prototype.

You've got plenty of space to do something significant.

Matt

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

Behind the fuel dealer is the fertilizer plant. The team track was also in that area and a few storage tracks with the main line running through the middle.

Here is a link to the picture that really got me motivated to look at this ISL

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/cnf34.html">http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/cnf34.html</a><!-- m -->

The ready mix plant is in the front with the feed mill next in line with the previous pics fuel distributed and fertilizer plant would follow. Behind the direction of the picture is the produce shipper/distributer. So I think I found my industries for the ISL.

[sailormatlac]

Behind the fuel dealer is the fertilizer plant. The team track was also in that area and a few storage tracks with the main line running through the middle.

Here is a link to the picture that really got me motivated to look at this ISL

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/cnf34.html">http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/cnf34.html</a><!-- m -->

The ready mix plant is in the front with the feed mill next in line with the previous pics fuel distributed and fertilizer plant would follow. Behind the direction of the picture is the produce shipper/distributer. So I think I found my industries for the ISL.

Thanks for the new pic. Industries are really packed in a small area. The potential to run small but varied freight trains really makes it a clever choice.

The sinking siding is also a classic railroad sight. It has a similar feeling as Trevor Marshall's Port Rowan S scale layout.

Matt

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

The sunken siding is a cool feature. We don't need no stinking derails I would like to capture that section as close as possible. Here is what the area looks like now.



Similar but a very different look and feel to the area. The last train went through in December of 1989.

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

I had an epic mail call this morning. My long awaited RSC-14 arrived bright and early





This is the only unit that I have that is prototypical for the season of my era. Apparently straight RS-18's were used on this subdivision in the winter months since the frozen roadbed would support the additional weight of the locomotives.

[cn nutbar]

Hi Stephen---that's a great looking locomotive.Unfortunately for me,it's too modern for my modelling era as these units were rebuilt from RS-18's starting in 1975 ---I can only imagine how it would have looked in the classic CNR green and yellow livery

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

I like the stripes the best since that is what the majority of the units were in and what I remember . My next choice is the green and yellow and lastly the black/red with big noodle although the my RS-11 is slated to become 1752 which was retired in the noodle scheme. I can't remember the RSC-13's here at all although some were likely green and yellow.

[sailormatlac]

That loco is a great starting point! Funny how the frozen roadbed made the track sturdier! Proof winter ain't only bad.

@cn nutbar: I started to imagine a modern fleet of CN locomotives in Heritage paint scheme à la Norfolk Southern...

Matt

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

Thanks Matt? I was looking at doing a CN inspired freelanced yellow and green scheme then the CNR bug bit.

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

I ordered some Micro Engineering code 70 weathered track. I don't know whether to reuse my medium Peco switches or go with ME large switches. Anyone use the ME/Peco combo? Pros and cons?

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

Some freight cars are starting to arrive and I dug out my transfer van which was another common sight on the island.