BC Rail subdivision in progress

[Twist]

Rico,
thanks for the answers. I thought I have posted it last week but it seems like I have not hit the post button before leaving the site. You´re right. Yellow with green was the paintscheme from the PGE. It was later changed into an ugly green with a yellow or more orange stripe before it was changed in 1972 to the two tone green and the name was changed to British Columbia Railway. In 1984 changed to BC Rail and the scheme was changed to red white and blue. I don´t know exactly why some of the engines where painted blue only but it was no official paint scheme I think. If you search for pictures you can see some of those GE engines in the blue paintscheme but most of the engines where painted blue,red and white or remained in their two tone green color. When BC Rail was sold to CN in 2004 it was owned by the British Columbia Government for 80 years. Today the railsystem is still leased to CN at my knowing.
So for my time period the last paintscheme started 10 years later but I like it and also the blue only engines are a bit to new for me but I want to run them from time to time. I have to do a lot of work to finish the RS3´s and RS18´s with the green paintscheme so I will run the newer engines for now. The engines in the pictures are factory painted for BC Rail and PGE. I also want to paint one of my RS3´s into the older Yellow and Green scheme with a lot of weathering.

Regards,Chris

 

[Twist]

Hi there.
Here are some recent updates of my layout.....and again some changes.....only small changes.
First change was done to thenorthwestern wood preservers plywood mill again. I was thinking how the prototype would do it. I think they will feed raw wood into the mill on one side, add some ingredients during the manufacturing and will get finished and packed plywood on the other side....so it will make no sense to deliver the glue and paint on one end,the wood on the other and load the plywood in the middle....so this is what I came up with:

First part is a part of the area where the Logs and pulpwood is stored. The logs will be deivered by trucks as is on the prototype

Next step is the inbound track for tank and boxcars.

And the second track is for loading the outbound finished plywood into boxcars,flatcars and trucks.This will be the other end of the mill.

It´s only a rough mockup with leftover structures etc. but it will give me a better feeling for the whole thing.

The second part I´m working on was the interchangetrack and the look of this end of the layout.
I moved Wright´s food service around the corner and removed the cold storage. I placed the interchange to the rebuild area next to the teamtrack with the siding.

This gives me some new space where Wright´s was located. The single track is the NAR/CN row heading into Alberta. I will scratchbuild a road overpass maybe a third structure...I´m still searching for something maching to the two other buildings and will add some backyard scenery to it...some trees bushes etc.

More progress wil follow soon. Thanks for looking.

Regards,Chris

 

[montanan]

Looks like you're really moving ahead and have done quite a bit of research. Thanks for the update. Keep them coming.

 

[Alan Curtis]

Well thought out changes, definite improvements. Awaiting further updates........

 

[Twist]

Hi there,
thanks for the kind comments. I hope to get some more done with removing the old korkbed,adding new kork and finish trackwork here and on some other parts of the layout.
Regards,Chris

 

[logandsawman]

Hi Chris,
I have been watching your photos for a year or more and enjoy seeing your trucks and machinery as much as your track configuration, trains, and buildings.

I look forward to checking out your photos and thanks for posting!

 

[Twist]

Hi there,
Thanks Dave for the kind words.
It´s been a month since my last post. I was very busy with my work and had not so much time for the hobby. I was not so happy with the last conversion on the layout for some time. The Modules and benchwork I made for this part of the layout were not all level and I was not happy with them. So finaly I decided to remove that part for now. It was not a big deal to remove the trackwork and cork. The wood will be fired up the next winter .The industries will be placed on other locations on the layout and the G.E.R.N. Industries Ltd. Facilitiy got some more tracks and has grown bigger...Here is the new trackplan. As you can see I changed the liftout at the entrance door,too. I removed the curves and have now a straight piece of track...I also started with the trackwork redo at Dawson Creek Yard. I used a shematic track diagram of the prototype for that and only removed one of the yardtracks and the spur to National Food. I added one track in front of the No.3 elevator and it will be used as teamtrack and also for loading TOFC cars.

I started with the G.E.R.N. complex. The trackwork is glued down and wired. From left to right starting with the truck loading structure.There will be a background structure behind the warehose connecting it with the mill building. I´ll add a door for boxcars to that new building where the track will disapear into it.

Mill structure with the elevator in the background. I will add an addition to the mill with an overpass to the other side of tracks next to the elevator. There will be also some pipes etc. going over the tracks to the mill.

Diamond Fertilizer on the right side to the front (blue and beige structures with the silo) is one of the railserved customers from the old part of the layout.

I also have some first pictures of the new arranged Dawson Creek yard.First pictures entering the yard from the east coming back from the G.E.R.N. area around the next corner

From right to left or front to backdrop are mainline, two yardtracks, runaround and elevator track

Looking from the other direction with the station and freighthouse in the far distance

More pictures will follow as soon as I could do some more work on the yard. I hope to get the Industry area with G.E.R.N. finishe d by the end of the week with painting the backdrop and adding some cork as a baselayer for the paved areas. I´ll use styrene sheet for most of the paving again. Some tracks will be paved in and some not.

Thanks for looking. Any coments are very appreciated.

Regards,Chris

 

[montanan]

Looks like you're moving along pretty good. Thanks for posting the photos. I like to watch your progress.

 

[Twist]

Hi,
Thanks Chet.
I made some progress last week on the new liftout. The sharp curves are gone and I made a straight part for the liftout. It looks much better and I hope it will worke better when it´s finished.

[/url]
Left track is the spur to G.E.R.N. with the liftout, right track is the main heading east to Alberta. It ends in front of the wall behind the roadbridge. I´ll use it as an interchange with the NAR/CN.
I started the basic trrain with foam and will use a hot wire cutter for more shaping and the fine part will done with sandpaper. The top will be coverd with plastercloth. I don´t know if I´ll stay with the residences or will build some downtown area on this place.I´ll decide that when the terrain shape is finished.
Here are some more pictures of that area.

Looking back from G.E.R.N.

I hope to get some more work done this week with more landscaping...

Regards,Chris

 

[Twist]

Hi,
Again I made some small progress on the liftout area. I have done more foamwork. I´m searching for a name for that section...It´s a part of the residential zone of Dawson Creek...So any ideas are very appreciated

Next step will be finishing the corkbed and trackwork and do some painting. After that I will go on with the foreground scenery. I hope to finish this part and the liftout next to it by the end of next week....
I´ll post more pictures soon.

Regards,Chris

 

[tootnkumin]

A name for the town. Pringleton. Looks like there's a factory up the track a'ways.

 

[Twist]

Yeah, that sounds cool....The Pringleton Hill Estates..... Thanks for the advice,nice idea...

Regards,Chris

 

[KB02]

Heh, heh... Pringleton... (Pringles town?)

 

[tootnkumin]

And just think, for the plant you could use those tubes for corn silos and leave the labels on and say they're an advertising gimmick. Take a photo of the mustachioed logo for a "Welcome to Pringleton Hills Estates" signboard. Corny? you bet'cha.

 

[Twist]

That´s great.... You got it......... I´ll do that with the logo.....

Regards,Chris

 

[montanan]

Nice to see the starting of some scenery ideas. It sure makes a difference.

 

[Twist]

Hi,
I was very busy during the last weeks but made some progress on my layout. First part I have finished tracks and tested them is the G.E.R.N. komplex and the liftout with the main next to the residential area. I made a small change on the Industrie with the track in front of the mill sitting at an angle of about 10 degree to the backdrop. On the other side of the track is the warehouse.

You can see the structure above the tracks crossing from the mill to the elevator side.
I added some tanks and another structure to the track in the front. All tracks are wired and tested during a short switching session.

You can see the track curving around the corner. This is where it will enter the liftout in the next two pictures

From the opposite direction. On the left side of the tracks is the residential area.

Next part I started with is the yard at Dawson Creek. It was okay but to much for my needs. So I searched for a way to stay with most of the spots but less track and a new design.I made some plans with Anyrail and finaly found something that looked fine.

Next step will be laying out kork and gluing down the track, wireing etc. So there is still a lot to do, but I hope to get it finished,soon.
Thanks for looking. Any comments are very appreciated.
Regards,Chris

 

[montanan]

Saw these photos over the weekend on my phone and wanted to see larger photos on the computer. (remodeling has the room where the computer is set up, and my MRR workbench under construction)

Looks like you are moving ahead quite well. Shouldn't be too long before you can get some trains running.

 

[Alan Curtis]

Looking good. Should be great to operate, when you get it done

 

[Twist]

HI,
Thanks Chet and Alan. Had some trains running in the G.E.R.N. area over the liftout and it made a lot of fun.I move on to have some more trackwork finished, soon and to make the final connection to the helix. The lower level of the layout is still ready for operations but is used as a storag for rolling stock and engines...

Regards,Chris