OCTOBER 2000

    Fresh beginnings are exciting in any aspect of life, and the hobby of railway modelling is no exception. Since our move into our new home in July 1999, I have been eagerly anticipating the day when construction would start on my next layout. With the relocation, all vestiges of the old layout, save the buildings, had been destroyed (see the cover story of the September 2000 issue of RailModel Journal for a look at the former Grand River & Northern). It is now time to start anew, and I would like to share some decisions and experiences with you, in the hope that they may inspire your own efforts.

    I believe that having an attractive setting (room) for the layout is more important than a roster of brass engines, command control, elaborate benchwork, realistic operation or any of the other desirable features we associate with a dream layout. The place where we build our model railway should be a comfortable and pleasing environment. To that end, I have foregone allocating financial resources to other aspects of the hobby in the interest of finishing the space first. This takes a bit of self-restraint, but in the end it is worth the anguish. For the past year, I have created a layout room in the basement with 2x4 framed walls with drywall painted sky blue, a suspended ceiling with recessed fluorescent lighting fixtures, power outlets spaced at eight feet, and wall to wall carpet with the best underpad available. Now when friends and family members enter the layout room, they will not be distracted by joists and pipes on the ceiling, bare concrete walls, pink insulation or cold cement under foot. My advice is to devote time, resources and capital to creating an attractive and well-lit space for the layout, however small or large, before beginning construction.

    Moving on to the layout construction itself, I have decided, based on the advice of carpenter and fellow modelling friend Pierre Oliver, to use the best available materials. The new layout will feature open grid construction, using finger joint pine 1x3 framing. I had considered using common grade 1x4 or poplar plywood ripped to 1x3s (both being adequate alternatives), but the combination of lightness and user-friendliness of pine framing with the minimal warping promised by the finger joint material won the day. My own unfortunate experiences and those of too many friends as the result of compromises in benchwork material precluded using anything but the best.

    Two years of deliberating over the theme of the new layout have resulted in a choice of locale, era and season. For a layout to maintain interest over time, it is not good enough simply to choose a track plan. In the concept, there must be something exciting for the layout builder. In company with many other modellers and authors, I have chosen to recreate a section of prototype railway; something that actually existed and had a purpose. When it became necessary to choose which specific piece of railway to replicate, I ran smack dab into the main disadvantage of writing historical railway books as a career: intensive research had revealed that every darned CNR branchline (or CPR for that matter, or any railway line I am sure) would be interesting enough to warrant modelling! I mean that by studying any subject of interest intently for a period of months or years, one becomes attached to the subject. Thus, I discovered that I could happily choose to model the CNR line from Galt to Guelph Junction, Palmerston to Owen Sound, Allandale to Meaford, Allandale to Gravenhurst, Brampton to Kitchener, Bradford to Newmarket...

    Reams of crumpled paper later, it became evident that only the most modest chunk of CNR steam era railway line could be represented in my 22' x 22' L-shaped area. Further self-examination revealed that for me the most interesting aspect of the hobby is creating structures and scenes. I know the talk these days is about operation and time tables and train orders and a large crew, but the basic truth for me is that for 90% of the time operating my future layout will be a one or two person activity. End result: a simple, modest design which can be constructed in a reasonable period of time.

    It was the Allandale Division I started with in my series of books, and so a piece of the Allandale Division it will be with my layout. Now I'm getting back to the point about having an exciting theme. For me, the most captivating time of year on the Allandale lines is autumn. There is something about that concentrated time in September and October, when the fall produce is being shipped out in colourful reefers by the day, which captures my imagination. Thus, I have chosen to feature the busy vegetable shipping centre of Bradford (see Topic of the Month) and the apple shipping region of Grey County (see Topic of the Month). When someone walks into the room, I want them to sense, from the scenery, scenes and equipment, the urgency and purpose that the season represents.

    Now returning to the concept of a simple, achievable design. I examined double-decking, in favour of dynamic operation and a long mainline run. I explored the possibility of devoting the entire space to doing Allandale yard in its entirety. Friend Iain Rice helped conceive a plan for cramming both of these into the room, with elaborate (and frightening) hidden staging. In the end, I chose a single-level design, with four towns (Bradford, Allandale, Collingwood, Meaford) separated by view blocks. Friend Greg Stubbings allayed my fears about limited operating possibilities; he pointed out that I could easily keep four people busy more effectively than many larger layouts.

    So, on Saturday, October 7, 2000, the benchwork for my new layout will be constructed. This is the time to mention the most important aspect of this hobby: the support and assistance of friends and family members. Iain Rice kindly sketched a simple but effective layout plan for me, based on the actual track arrangements. Pierre Oliver is giving a weekend of his time and energy (not to mention weeks of helpful advice) to benchwork design and construction. Roger Winchester and my father, Mac Wilson, will be here to assemble open grid sections and, later, to operate the layout. Rich Chrysler will lend a hand at building spline roadbed. Most importantly of all, my wife Mary-Jo will be as supportive of this endeavour as she has been over the past four years, during which time my dream of writing a series of hardcover books devoted to the steam era in Southern Ontario has materialized. Down the road, my son Spencer will most likely crawl, walk or ride his tricycle into the layout room regularly to see the latest thing his Daddy has been working on in his rendition of the Allandale Division, circa September 1952.

Ian Wilson
October 1, 2000

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