The Woodstock Model Railroad Club invites you to come along with as together we build an empire. Stay tuned for progress updates, tips and techniques. All comments are welcome. Email ljbrinker@yahoo.ca

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Tuesday night at the Huff & Puff


I don't know why Jim is taking a hammer to his hill but he looks happy

Even though we were missing a few regulars, a lot got done.  A couple miles of ballast went down, a large hill went up, rock walls were installed and water flooded Miller Harbour.  We also changed some track work at Heron's Landing and laid more track on the logging branch at Northdale.


Tom and I installed a lot of rock

Rod is ballasting so fast you can't see his hands

Doug is working on the tracks at Miller

Don is making water

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

All purpose stain

Mix about one tbsp of black acrylic paint (I use DecoArt Black Crafter's Acrylic paint) with 500 ML bottle of isopropyl rubbing alcohol 70% solution. This stain can be used to stain wood, highlight rock detail, or weather structures or rolling stock.  Stains of different strengths, colours or combinations can also be made.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Lincoln update

Monday morning, Ralph, Tom and me when to the layout of a couple of hours. Ralph did more work on the branch line, Tom poured more rocks and vacuumed, I painted some more backdrop and moved The Buckley Mill at Lincoln, to the track on the left The right hand track was straightened to make room for the freight transfer building Ralph is making. It needed room for trucks to arrive at the docks on the other side of the building from the track. I may have to add a roof over the truck doors on the mill and make a grain unloading pit under it. Sorry, we had to cut a couple of feeder wires.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Oops by Don Pearce

Oops by Don Pearce. Living in Sweaburg at the time, Ralph Tayler and I, built a somewhat portable layout for a show the local Lions Club was putting on.  We had lots of fun building this but it did not come without some construction problems. One of the issues we had to deal with was a harbour scene that was poured with varnish.  We thought we had let it sit long enough to dry.  So we set it on edge to make room to build other modules.  When we came back to the harbour section to work on it again, we discovered the tide had gone out and the varnish had flowed to one side of the module.  The layout did get finished and it was a learning experience to say the least.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

The Name Game revisited

The group decided the railroad would be a division of the CPR, called The Huff and Puff (thanks Pat).  That's corny enough to fit our personalities and as someone remarked, that's what we are all doing by the time we climb the stairs to the layout room.  After much talk, we decided to name the towns after streets in Woodstock, and in alphabetical order.  This will help when we start operations.  The staging yard will stay as Elsewhere (not a city street), it joins onto the lower loop.  From the lower return loop, the first town, the port, will be aptly called Heron's Landing.  The next city on the lower level and below a rock bluff is Jutland.  Lincoln  is the mid-point on the main line and where the branch line connects. Climbing towards the upper level we come to Springbank (high on a bank above the lower level main line), which has a junction with the CNR.  The siding on the CNR is Tuck (that's where we tuck the cars for the CNR).  The next upper level town is Valleyview, which overlooks the coal mine. The last and major city and past the upper level loop is Wellington.  Back to the branch line which starts at Lincoln, the first town we arrive at is Miller with its lumber mill.  Crossing the lake on the car float we land at Northdale.  Now on code 70 track we pass the siding to the ore yard and arrive at Oxford the first switchback.  Climbing to the next switchback, at Pinehurst, we arrive at the lumber camp.  From there it is a short climb to Ridgewood, and the log loading area.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Double wide tunnel portal


Yes this is made of wood.

Glen McDonald made a double wide tunnel portal for our layout. Trouble is he did such a fine job we asked him to make another one. Editor's note (I didn't even notice until I posted this picture, he even painted the soot marks, great job).

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Tuesday night happenings Oct. 29. 2013


View block has a base coat of paint

Fourteen members formed Tuesdays work crew.  Ballasting continued and a switch was relocated from behind the coal mine.  The view block was painted a base coat as work continued on the branch line.  More wiring was completed and redone (where someone relocated the track). Discussion was held on town names.  All and all, a lot of fun, not to mention how much was completed. Thanks Rick for the bulletin board. A couple of base templates were brough in by some members, guess what, some track and scenery adjustments are in order.

Ballasting crew at work


Harbour scene on the branch is taking shape
Part of Hank's trestle installed on branch