SCALE: N (1:160)
SIZE: 16′-6″ x 20′-0″
PROTOTYPE: Canadian Pacific
LOCALE: southern British Columbia
PERIOD: 1970
STYLE: multi-deck walkaround with double-
mushroom peninsula
MAINLINE RUN: 230 feet
MINIMUM RADIUS: 18″ (main), 14″ (branch line)
MINIMUM TURNOUT: no. 5
MAXIMUM GRADE: 2.5 percent
BENCHWORK: open grid
HEIGHT: 30″ to 76″
ROADBED: 3 ⁄4″ plywood
TRACK: Peco code 55 flextrack
SCENERY: plaster gauze shell
BACKDROP: hand-painted linoleum
CONTROL: Digitrax Digital Command Control with
JMRI/PanelPro control
Construction started in June 2005 after 3 years of planning. Housed in a two-car garage. Designed for operation.
All built with 3/4″ plywood.
The primary switching area is around 42″ (107cm) off the floor.
Operating
Nearly 20 trains in a normal operating session.
- Nelson West Switching Job – Primary Classification Switching Job for the layout.
- Nelson East Switching Job – Run hostling as well as switching the east end
- East & Westbound Wayfreights over the boundary subdivision
- East & Westbound Orefreights between Phoenix and West Staging and Tabanac and Trail – because of weights and lengths these often require pusher helpers to get up to the summit at Faron.
- Plough Trains
- Kraft Switcher – from Nelson to Castlegar and back
- Slocan Branch
More Information
- Dance, Mark. “Developing an N Scale ‘Mushroom’ Layout.” Great Model Railroads, 2016, pp. 28-37.
- Dance, Mark. “The Columbia & Western.” Railroad Model Craftsman, vol. 81, no. 12, May 2013, pp.54-61.
- Turner, Robert D. “CPR’s Boundary District.” Railroad Model Craftsman, vol. 81, no. 12, May 2013, pp. 47-53.
- Model Railroader August 2016
- Railroad Model Craftsman (February2014)(March 2014)
- Model Railroad Planning (2012)(2016)(2017)
- N Scale magazine
- Canadian Railway Modeller August/September 2012
- Dispatcher’s Office (April 2014)(October 2014)
- Layout Design Journal (#37).