Reason ??? Because I didn't know any better at the time.
Well I based mine on the local short line, reasoning it would be easier to model if the prototype was close by, so I could take some photos, go home paint and decal some locos and all would go smoothly.
A great thought many many moons ago that didn't work out that way.
At the time, the CB&CNS Railway consisted of hauling coal to power plants and freight interchange with CN. at the Southern terminus.
I was always taken by Eric Brooman's "Utah Belt" , the neat staging yards, the idea of coming from and going somewhere. I tried many times to work Eric's idea of a 3 loop to 3 loop layout into the space I had available with a 30"R minimum, ending up stymied much of the time. My modeling time was then spent by dreaming, purchasing items and trying to come up with a plan. Actually it seemed so fruitless that quite a few times I was about to give up and go with some sort of a CN layout, in fact when it came to buying some locos I did just that.
Obstacles:
(1) CB&CNS RR started with 10 MLW C630M's a MLW C636 and 5 MLW RS18's. At the time only the MLW C630's were available by Overland at a cost of around $700 apiece. So I couldn't afford one let alone 10. The RS 18's well they just weren't available.
(2) 3/4" plywood isn't cheap around here and I'd need a lot of it.
A ray of sunshine came with the construction of a new 4 lane close by. When the overpasses were finished anything other than a full sheet of plywood was dumped close by my place. Yep after cleaning off the cement I had enough 3/4" ply to build a layout. Building a loop to loop required shifting a few walls and I did that then started building my CN rr.
As luck was going my way an article in a Cdn. modeling magazine described how the author built his C630 from Tyco shells and Athearn drives. Again some luck just kept coming my way, athearns were selling $70 to $100 here in Canada
I came across one on ebay snagged it for $30 and with a little note from the seller telling me he could sell me new ones for $24 ea plus shipping The short of it was his supplier had 10 Ath U33C's and I bought them all. Next I had to get the Tyco's. Heck they cost me more that the Atherns, but all in all six of them are finished, I had some old Life Like RS 11's nice detail except for the hand rails and the drives were worthless toys. I turned one of those into a representation of a MLW RS18 with plans to do more. You can see these models and the unfinished layout at
http://www.freewebs.com/cbcnsfan/index.htm or the link in my signature.
While I was building I received much advice from this forum especially with regard to the trestle and the station
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1220&highlight=trestle
It seems to be an unfinished thread, and some photos are not where they should be but it's still ok. A lot has changed so maybe I should get back and finish it.
For the past year or so many other problems came my way and the layout remained dormant so this year with the worst of it out of the way maybe I'll get back to it. Like myself the Proto CB&CNS has had some setbacks, was looking at abandonment of a the largest section of the line when the mines closed. However there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel a new mine id about to open (metallurgical coal) a possible LNG plant and a container terminal where the super tankers used to dock so the prospects are looking good. The MLW's are gone now having beem replaced with GP's and SD's so the original RR will exist only in my basement, ( well at least my rendition of it)
Willis
