Port Rowan in 1:64

An S scale study of a Canadian National Railways branch in Ontario – in its twilight years

Port Rowan in 1:64

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Trees in BRM magazine (2013-12)

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Trevor
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If you haven’t already purchased the Gordon Gravett books on making trees, well… why not? But if you’re still on the fence about these, the December 2013 issue of British Railway Modeller magazine includes a four-page article by Michael Russell … Continue reading →

Posted in resources, scenery, trees | Leave a reply

Ripples

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Trevor
14

The word always sets off the Genesis song of the same name in my head, but I braved the earwig and added ripples to the Lynn River this afternoon: (Click on either image to view a larger version) I followed … Continue reading →

Posted in Lynn River, scenery | 14 Replies

Pleasing trees

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Trevor
11

Yesterday’s post was a teaser of sorts for this one. I’ve been working on the trees near the depot in St. Williams and I have – finally – built some that I really, really like. I’ve been working for a … Continue reading →

Posted in scenery, trees | 11 Replies

Peter’s foreground trees

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Trevor
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One of the satisfying things about writing a blog is connecting with people you might not have otherwise. S scale enthusiast Peter Vanvliet, for example. Peter commented on a few of my posts, and I followed the link he provided … Continue reading →

Posted in scenery, shout out, trees | Leave a reply

Troublesome Trees Trimmed

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Trevor
18

(The alliterations continue…) I’ve been having misgivings about the trees behind the St. Williams depot. I’m very happy with the trunks and branches, but less happy with the canopy. A couple of off-line discussions with friends confirmed that there was … Continue reading →

Posted in scenery, trees | 18 Replies

Lunch with Chris

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Trevor
4

Chris Abbott dropped in today en route to an appointment in my neighbourhood. We enjoyed a quick lunch at The Burgernator in Kensington Market, followed by a pause for a pint of Conductor’s Craft on the patio at Templeton’s. Nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in eat drink and be merry, philosophy | 4 Replies

Road Work

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Trevor
9

My copy of Volume 3 of the scenery series by Gordon Gravett arrived this week, and it includes a section on modelling roads. As it happens, I had a couple of roads that needed painting, so I read through Gordon’s … Continue reading →

Posted in roads, scenery | 9 Replies

St Williams weekend progress

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Trevor
13

I made significant progress in St. Williams over the weekend. In addition to building a baggage wagon for the station, I also paved the road and crossing, built and installed crossbucks, and added fence posts to define the railway’s right … Continue reading →

Posted in figures vehicles and other details, roads, scenery, track work | 13 Replies

A visit from Woodhead & Reilly

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Trevor
1

(With arms waving, I give David Reilly the guided tour) Last week, my friend and neighbour David Woodhead emailed to say he had a friend coming to visit his layout – and would they be able to come over to … Continue reading →

Posted in audio, layout tour, scenery | 1 Reply

St Williams in November?

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Trevor
11

It sure looks that way, doesn’t it! Over the past couple of evenings, while camped in front of the television, I’ve been following the inspiration found in the series of scenery books by Gordon Gravett and twisting up tree armatures … Continue reading →

Posted in scenery, St Williams station, structures, trees | 11 Replies

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  • Achievable Layouts I’ve had a life-long interest in layout design. Some of my thoughts on the subject can be found here.
  • Adventures in Live Steam My blog about my interest in garden-scale live steam.
  • Niagara Electrics in 1:64 Modelling the Niagara St. Catharines and Toronto Railway in S scale.
  • S Scale Workshop I’m a member of this group of friends that has built an S scale exhibition layout to Free-mo standards.
  • The Model Railway Show The podcast I produced and co-hosted with Jim Martin. Currently on hiatus – but you can still listen to all of the shows we did.

Media

  • "CN Lines" The magazine of the CNR Historical Association. A terrific resource.
  • "Hamilton's Other Railway" This book, by Charles Cooper, is one of my prime sources of information about the line I model. Highly recommended.
  • "Mainline Modeler" This was a superb modelling magazine – and the complete collection (all 304 issues) is available as PDFs on DVD from the C&O Historical Society.
  • "Steam Echoes of Hamilton" This book, by Ian Wilson, is one of my prime sources of information about the line I model. Highly recommended.

Resources

  • Canadian Freight Cars An excellent resource, with photos, maintained by Ian Cranstone.
  • Charles Cooper's Railway Pages The author of “Hamilton’s Other Railway” and “Rails to the Lakes” – two books the cover other parts of the line that I model – also has a huge amount of terrific content online. Brew a mug and spend a while…
  • CNR Historical Association From prototype information to paint, this is an important resource for the serious CNR modeller. Publishers of “CN Lines” magazine, as well as a DVD of back issues.
  • CNR In Ontario Jeffrey Smith maintains a website with invaluable information for anybody interested in modelling the Canadian National Railway in Ontario. Grab a mug or pint, and prepare to spend some time!
  • GPS Video DVDs of Canadian subjects – including Railway Recollections V5, which includes some vintage film of the Port Rowan line.
  • Ian Wilson's "Canadian Branchline" books Invaluable inspiration for anybody interested in the CNR in the steam era in southern Ontario.
  • Lance Mindheim Lance is the go-to person for information on operating modern-era layouts, and has emerged as a leading thinker on simple yet satisfying layout design. Well worth bookmarking.
  • Layout Design SIG Only make new mistakes.
  • Layout Vision The blog written by my friend and one of the most thoughtful layout designers I know, Byron Henderson.
  • Maine Two-Foot FAQ I’m one of the admins of this blog, which stores and shares a huge amount of information about modelling the two-foot gauge railroads of Maine.
  • NASG – National Association of S Gauguers An invaluable resource for the S scale enthusiast. The product gallery (see separate entry) is a go-to for me.
  • NASG – Product Gallery I know, right? See what I mean?
  • NMRA – Standards You can’t build a layout without standards. This is the most important section of the NMRA website, in my opinion…
  • Ontario Branchlines Past and Present (FB) This Facebook group has a lot of great photographs and knowledgeable people. Join up and explore!
  • OST Publications Always insightful musings from my friend Mike Cougill. Also, the place to find “Detailing Track” – a great resource for, well, detailing track!
  • S Scale SIG An NMRA-affiliated group dedicated to scale model railroading in 1:64. Given the dominance of American Flyer-style railroading in this scale, the SIG is a welcome addition to our online community!
  • Steam Era Freight Cars – Blog A blog run by Marty McGuirk which is about exactly what it sounds like: Freight cars from the steam era and how to model them. Some neat information about specific industries, too.
  • Steam Era Freight Cars – Website A tremendous resource for the prototype modeller.
  • Stories and Legends… of Port Rowan (FB) A Facebook group covering Port Rowan, St. Williams, Long Point and area. Join up and explore!

S Scale Suppliers

  • Altoona Model Works Some neat S scale craftsman structures – including the water tank I used as the basis for my model.
  • American Models One of the go-to companies for equipment.
  • Arttista My favourite source for S scale people. I wish they would do more!
  • Black Cat Publishing You can’t model the CNR in 1:64 without Al Ferguson’s decals. (Thanks Al!)
  • BTS A terrific source for S scale detail parts.
  • Elgin Car Shops My friend Pierre Oliver’s rolling stock-building business, plus a blog about his Southern Pacific layout.
  • Fast Tracks A great source for tools and supplies for handlaid track – including turnout building fixtures in 1:64.
  • Funaro & Camerlengo While mostly HO, this company does offer a few S scale resin rolling stock kits.
  • Grandt Line An important source for S scale detail castings – from nuts and bolts to doors and windows.
  • Laser-Art Structures by Branchline Trains Mostly serving other scales, this company does do a few nice kits in 1:64. I’ve used a few of their houses on my layout.
  • Lee Valley Tools Super tools, super hardware. There’s a lot of Lee Valley in my layout.
  • MLW Services My friend Andy Malette’s business, supplying neat stuff in S (and sometimes other scales).
  • Mt. Albert Scale Lumber Now owned by Fast Tracks, this company is my go-to for S scale lumber, including ties.
  • MTH The former S Helper Service line. Not what it once was – but maybe someday…
  • National Scale Car My friend Ryan Mendell has started his own small business, supplying rolling stock, details, tools and other nifty things. Mostly HO. I’m working on the S part…
  • Northwest Short Line My rolling stock rolls smoothly and derailment free because of NWSL’s excellent replacement S scale wheel sets.
  • Pacific Rail Shops No longer in business, but an important supplier of rolling stock kits for S scale enthusiast. This link takes you to their story. It’s worth a read – and you may be surprised by how they still influence the hobby today.
  • Proto:87 Stores Don’t let the name fool you: While this company primarily caters to the finescale HO market, Andy Reichert also offers some wicked-good scale spikes for 1:64.
  • Ridgehill Scale Models My friend David Clubine and his late father Oliver run this supplier of resin kits for S scale rolling stock.
  • River Raisin Models Dan Navarre imports some lovely brass models in 1:64. Thanks for that, Dan!
  • S Helper Service At one time, an important supplier of S scale rolling stock. Now owned by MTH, which unfortunately does not give S scale the attention it used to enjoy under Don Thompson.
  • S Scale America Manufacturer of S scale rolling stock and other goodies. Part of the Des Plaines Hobbies store.
  • Scenery Unlimited Actually spelled “S”cenery Unlimited, this company supplies various goodies to the S scale market – including passenger car diaphragms and, at one time, a brass gas electric.
  • Scenic Express The hobby’s one-stop shop for scenery materials – including many suitable for S scale.
  • Smoky Mountain Model Works Jim King offers a number of resin kits for rolling stock, plus a couple of locomotives and other neat things for the 1:64 enthusiast.
  • Sunset Valley Railroad This supplier of neat stuff for garden railways is the source of the brass switch stands I use to bend the iron on my layout.
  • Tam Valley Depot Nifty electronics for the modeller, including the Frog Juicer for controlling polarity on DCC-equipped layouts.
  • Tichy Another terrific source for windows and doors, plus bits of hardware – and phosphor bronze wire in various diameters, which I seem to use all the time…
  • Yarmouth Model Works This manufacturer of high-quality HO scale resin rolling stock kits is entering the S scale market. I’m excited!

What others are doing

  • Algoma Central in HO Chris van der Heide has a nifty blog about modelling this interesting Ontario regional railroad.
  • Algonquin Railway My friend Ryan Mendell’s blog about his freelanced regional railway, set in Northern Ontario in April of 1977 and built in a 12′ x 12′ room.
  • AT&SF San Jacinto in 1:64 Philippe Cousyn is an excellent modeller. He lives in the Paris (France) area, but models the Perris (California) area in 1:64.
  • B&O Old Main Line Jim Fawcett is building a layout based on a neat prototype: The Baltimore and Ohio’s 65-mile Old Main Line from Baltimore to Point of Rocks. He’s modelling a 20-mile stretch of the subdivision and blogging about it here.
  • bobcatt's 2 bits A blog written by my friend Chris Abbott, who frequently helps with the building of my layout.
  • Bogong and Geehi Railway Australian modeller Murray Scholz is building a lovely Australian narrow gauge layout in O scale.
  • Border District Australian railways are neat – and the models are too. This one, an HO scale proto-freelanced layout being built by Anthony Palmer, caught my eye…
  • Cardigan Bay Coastal Railroad An On30 layout featuring scenery work by Martin Welberg.
  • Central Vermont Railway An interesting blog by my friend Marty McGuirk about his Central Vermont Railway – and other things.
  • CNR Branchline Modelling in S Scale My friend Andy Malette is building an S scale layout based on Owen Sound, Wiarton, and the junction at Parkhead that connected them – and he’s blogging about it here.
  • CNR Fergus Sub Andreas Keller is building a great, achievable HO scale layout set in the mid-1980s and based on a 14-mile segment of the Canadian National in southern Ontario. You can read about Andreas’ layout on John Longhurst’s blog.
  • CNR Waterloo Spur My friend Robin Talukdar blogs about his plans to re-create the CNR line between Kitchener and Elmira, Ontario. He’s also building an exhibition layout based on the CNR Pine Street Spur, serving a paper mill in Thorold, Ontario.
  • Colorado & Southern in Sn3 Darel Leedy’s blog documents his rendition of this iconic narrow gauge line in 1:64.
  • CP Rail Manitoba and Minnesota Division John Longhurst blogs about his HO scale layout, and other neat stuff. He’s even interviewed Jim Martin and me about The Model Railway Show.
  • D&RGW Sonjora Branch The beautiful On3 layout built by my friend Dave Burroughs
  • Dawson Station Kenneth Olson’s N scale switching layout is tiny, but his ideas are really interesting. I especially like how he’s taken the layout to Maker Faires.
  • Delaware Lackawana RR in Proto:48 A blog written by my friend Jim Lincoln about his Proto:48 modelling.
  • Designing, Building, Operating Eric Hansmann’s blog is full of neat ideas as he builds an achievable layout focused on a freight terminal and team track yard.
  • Dominion and New England Railway Wayne Slaughter is building a neat, “achievable layout” in Proto:48, and blogs about it here.
  • Eastport Branch Ben Brown was building a Maine Central branch in Proto:48. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could finish it, but (for now) his layout lives on, online.
  • Elgin Car Shops blog My friend Pierre Oliver regularly updates his blog with information on rolling stock he’s building for customers, the HO scale rolling stock in his own line of kits, and – most importantly – his Southern Pacific layout.
  • Erie Railroad Harlem Station A classic New York City “pocket terminal” in HO scale.
  • Erratic and Wandering Journey An interesting blog by fellow S scale enthusiast Simon Dunkley.
  • Fillmore Avenue Roundhouse My friend Rick De Candido has built a terrific layout based on an unusual theme: a New York Central engine service terminal in Buffalo. This was featured in the 2015 edition of Model Railroad Planning magazine.
  • G&W Quebec Gatineau Railway My friend Bernard Hellen is building an HO scale layout based on a modern-day short line in Quebec. He blogs about it here.
  • Gene's P48 Modeling Eugene Deimling’s blog about his Proto:48 layout and modeling
  • Grimstad Line An interesting blog by Tore Hjellest, who lives in Norway and models a Norwegian branch line, circa 1965.
  • Guelph Spur in P48 My friend Robin Talukdar – mentioned elsewhere in these links – is modelling the OSR/GEXR Guelph Spur in Proto:48 – and blogs about it here.
  • Hedley Junction Three modellers – Louis-Marie, Matthieu and Jérôme – are building a nice, achievable layout that represents a portion of Québec City circa 1975
  • Hills Line, The James McNab has torn out his Grimes Line layout and is building a new version of the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
  • Hopedale & Barre RR My friend Chester Louis does great work in Proto:48. Here’s his blog.
  • Industrial Lead Seattle-area hobbyist Greg Amer blogs about his modern-era HO scale switching layout, based on the prototype industries he works as a BNSF locomotive engineer.
  • Inverness and Richmond Railway Drew Bunn is building a proto-lanced version of the CNR’s Inverness Sub in N scale.
  • Iowa Interstate – Milan branch Scott Thornton is building a lovely HO scale rendition of a branch of the Iowa Interstate Railroad. It’s exactly the sort of layout I advocate on my Achievable Layouts blog.
  • Iowa Interstate Grimes Line James McNab is building a delightful, prototype-based, modern-era short line operation in HO scale – exactly the sort of subject I advocate on my Achievable Layouts blog. Here’s a link to his blog at Model Railroad Hobbyist.
  • Louisiana Central Jack Shall’s HO scale railroad, linking the Texas and Pacific with the Mississippi Central through the Tunica Hills.
  • Metaline Falls Terminal Railroad Matt Forcum’s blog documents his work on a very nicely done modern layout set in Washington State.
  • Midland Railway On his blog, Steve Lucas describes how he’s modelling a Canadian independent railway in October, 1956, based around the operations in Lindsay, Ontario.
  • Model Meander, A My friend Mark Zagrodney is working on a Proto:48 layout and blogs about it here.
  • Model Railroad Imagineerings My friend Herbert “Matt” Matthews has an interesting blog about the hobby.
  • Modeling Maine in Narrow Gauge George Dutka’s blog about his adventures in Maine two-foot modelling, in On30.
  • Modeling the NYO&W Bill Schneider (“Old Woman in The Back Bedroom”) has a blog about modeling the New York Ontario & Western. This layout was scrapped in 2013.
  • Modeling the SP The always thoughtful blog by freight car historian and Signature Press publisher Tony Thompson.
  • Morpeth in O scale Trevor Hodges is a great modeller in Australia, working in 7mm scale. There are many ideas on his blog that are useful regardless of scale, gauge, or part of the world one models.
  • MrDan's Model Musings Dan DI’Uo’s blog on his model and prototype interests.
  • Musings On My Model Railroading Addiction My friend Stephen J Gardiner blogs about his rail fanning, railway museum work, and model building.
  • New Castle Industrial Railroad Real railroad conductor Jack Hill writes about his O scale modern switching layout. Lots to learn on this blog, but unfortunately it has been dormant for quite some time.
  • Niagara Branch Hunter Hughson blogs about his home layout – Penn Central’s connection to Canada in HO scale.
  • No Two Alike Interesting blog by A R Pollard, a UK modeller whose prototype of choice is a classic North American interurban.
  • Northeast Kingdom Mike McNamara’s blog on his HO layout set in the St. Johnsbury VT area.
  • Off The Beaten Track Geoff Forster’s work is always inspiring. Have a look…
  • Ontario in HO Scale Hunter Hughson blogs about his involvement in the hobby – mostly expressed through his activities with the remarkable Waterloo Regional Model Railroad Club.
  • Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad Nick Lisica is modelling a California short line sugar railroad in N scale. His work is wonderful – check it out.
  • Peter's Vanvliet's Model Railroading Peter Vanvliet has built a number of layouts. His site is well worth exploring.
  • Prince Street Terminal The always thoughtful Chris Mears on his model railway projects, and the prototypes that inspire him.
  • Prototype Railroad Topics Ted Culotta is an excellent prototype researcher and modeller, and writes this thought-provoking blog.
  • Quebec Gatineau (G&W) My friend Bernard Hellen is modelling a modern Canadian short line. Here’s his website about it.
  • Quebec South Shore Railway My friend Matthieu Lachance has a blog about modelling a great subject for a model railway – a Canadian branch line facing abandonment in the 1980s.
  • Railroad Prototype Modeler by John Golden John organizes the St. Louis RPM. He also writes this nifty blog about his interests in the hobby.
  • Scarborough Spur I helped design an achievable layout for my friend Regan Johnson, and he’s blogging about it here.
  • Signal Station 199 My friend Joe Smith is building a beautiful rendition of the New Haven in and around Danbury. Very inspiring modelling!
  • Sn2 Modeler My friend David Keith’s blog about his S scale layout, depicting the two-foot gauge Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes circa 1912.
  • South Paris Switcher My friend Ryan Mendell is planning a new layout based on the Grand Trunk Railway in Maine. Here’s his blog.
  • Station Studios Barry Cott’s railway pages – covering a variety of scales, gauges and themes.
  • Stockton & Copperopolis Railroad How can you not love a name like that? Don Ball blogs about his HO layout, set in the Central Valley and foothills of California in 1895.
  • Temiscouata Railway in S My friend Matthieu Lachance has started a blog on a great subject for a model railway – one of my favourite prototypes, too!
  • The Valley Local Chris Adams is building a really neat HO scale layout based on the New Haven’s Connecticut Valley Line, and blogging about it here.
  • Topdown & Drywater Vera Sepulveda’s blog about various adventures in model railroading.
  • Tuscarora Railroad Kevin Strong wrote about his 1:20.3 scale garden railroad in a series for Garden Railways magazine. Here’s his blog about his Tuscarora Railroad.
  • US Military Railroad – 1863 Bernie Kempinski’s blog about his wonderful 1:48 Civil War era military railroad and other goings on.
  • Waterloo Region Model Railway Club At the opposite end of the spectrum from the layout I’m building, this group is constructing a massive layout that accurately models the CP Rail Sudbury Division in the 1970s. This club is southern Ontario’s answer to La Mesa and the NEB&W.
  • White River Division George Dutka’s blog about his beautiful New England layout – and other things.

X The Social Side X

  • Big Fat Burrito Quick and filling lunches in Kensington Market.
  • Cook's Illustrated When friends gather for a work session or operating night, a good meal goes a long way towards making it memorable. But what if you’re puzzled by pans? Cook’s Illustrated is the geek’s answer to great cooking – check it out!
  • Harbord House My local pub. My second home.
  • Harvest Kitchen Great food and a fun room.
  • Her Father's Cider Bar + Kitchen Yes – a cider bar!
  • The Caledonian A terrific Scottish pub: fine food and a dram.

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