Temiscouata: A Track Plan

While waiting to get 4-4-0 shells from Bachmann, I designed a new version of the Temiscouata layout after getting some new and inspiring information from fellow modeller Trevor Marshall.

The new plan reuse the Connors terminal as it was discussed a few months ago. I think it can hardly be better than that. On the other side of the room, I dared to add the next stop on the line which was a single end siding called Little River Mills. A nice flag stop station lied there and lumber was shipped all over North America from this remote location. I also added the low but long trestle that existed on the river by the station. Wood trestles were a staple on Temiscouata and many still remains to this day supporting a very scenic bike path.

You can find more detail about the discussion here and some interesting comments made by Simon Dunkley. We discussed the possibility to represent Connors at its peak circa 1910 which wouldn't be harder to do than a 1940s layout.

Temiscouata Railway: Building the Fleet

With my Harlem Station project nearing completion, I'm actually in the process of reviving my project of building Connors (and maybe more). That's not in a near future and I don't plan working on it before a year when major home improvements will be done and more space available in my house.

However, I started to sift through my steam locomotives collection and old freight cars. I found out more than I need, including several Intermountain and Accurail cars.

With locomotives I have on hand, I model a few ones with average kitbashing implied.

I have a Bachmann Modern 4-4-0, an old IHC old time 4-4-0 and recently acquired a Bachmann 4-6-0. According to pictures, I'll have to replace most of the cabs with new ones similar to Bachmann 2-6-0 or IHC 2-6-0 ones. Unfortunately, Bachmann doesn't sell the cab individually. On the other hand, I got 3 Bachmann Modern 4-4-0 shells in a recent sale. They will provide parts to upgrade all the locomotives.

In a perfect world, I'll need 4 locomotives to run the layout, including two 4-6-0 for freight trains and two 4-4-0 for passenger/mixed trains. The old 4-4-0 survived up to 1929 and will probably be used on some extra or work trains if I feel like improving it à la Harold Minky.

I'll purchase the locomotives only when I'll find good deals. I'm not in a hurry. All locomotives will be sound equipped, probably Loksound decoders.

On the other hand, I'm also planning to revive the Quebec South Shore Railway switching layout. While not in good shape, the module is still  there. However, I'll improve the trackage to make switching more interesting than my original version.

Don't expect frequent updates, but related projects including rolling stock and locomotive kitbashes will find their way here. I have plenty of time to build the fleet at a leasure pace while focussing my energy on Hedley Junction.