Sometime just after the Summerland project was completed and the new timing circuits were designed and installed a single, simple flash of nonsense occurred while I was on a visit to Arnold Stoffer’s place. The conversation turned to trolleys. Of which I have no knowledge at all. Then Nelson BC. Then our own kind’a hidden ‘Nelson’ at the museum layout. Then my desire to make it a much better scene for public viewing.
Next thing I knew I was hunting on line for a trolley, buying a trolley and painting a trolley. I was also searching for a stop/go reversing circuit for a trolley display and new buildings to recreate a proper down town area complete with streetlights and neon signs and all of that.
…..and so it starts.
This is Nelson today. A long empty yard hidden behind an old church organ on the west wall of the museum. The place after all was a church before it was resurrected so to speak. Apart from John Green’s beautiful custom-made engine shop at the far north end it is just tracks and switches seen here following the installation of Max hailstones new poles that are just set in place. The siding that they serve will be now dedicated to the reversing DC trolley except for operating evenings when, with a flick of a switch, it will have DCC and be a part of the game once again.
On the south end of the yard, just visible in the photo above, there are a few small, nondescript buildings and a photo backdrop peeking out from behind the organ where the tracks headed up to Brookmere. Because it was essentially hidden from the public and an EOT storage area, we made no attempt to dress it up and show it off. Now we have public access to that part of the museum and so things have to change.
Our little trolley, painted and lettered #23, is on site and being used as a measure for the trolley poles. Some simple buildings of various designs are being toyed with to create intersections that welcome well-lit vehicles of all kinds. We will also spring for neon signs and fancy billboards that really grab your attention
Something more on the trolley: We have used parts from our junk drawer to create a two relay cct that will control the trolley for the public. One timer relay will establish the operating period for the trolley. Out from behind the organ, down the track about 25 feet, stop for about 10 seconds, and return to behind the organ. The second relay will apply a DC voltage to the track, start the trolley and run it to the EOT. After a delay it will reverse the DC voltage and return the trolley to home. Works smooth every time.
The old sawmill that populated the partly visible south end of the yard will probably be shifted around a little. It had no prototype anyway, apart from some early photos of Merritt, and it was only there to offer colour for the trains as they moved on a narrow shelf around the long outside loop in the building. I can quickly repaint the backdrop creating something that blends into the new scene
As the old main line approached Brookmere members had populated the ‘dead’ space by building a covered loading dock, on the right, similar to one that existed in Merritt about 60 years ago. We also got our hands on a odd looking ‘station’ that was somehow just too interesting to sell off or toss out. It was home here for the past ten years now and has done well. We added streetlights, landscaping, and even provided telephone service. It was a nice place to live.
But time waits for no man and so we will have to find it a new home closer to New Nelson if we can. The goal is to build up a concentrated urban center that stands alone scenery wise. The tracks between Nelson and Brookmere will revert to a purely rural vista.
http://www.sceniking.com/ can do that for us.
More to follow.