4 New Items from Yarmouth Model Works

The etching elves have been hard at work again, bringing you some new items that I hope you find as exciting as I do.
First up;

Replacement sill steps for the Tangent GSC tankcars. These should withstand layout handling far better than the plastic ones on the cars. $3.00 for a set to do one car.

For all you PRR fans

X29 full side patch panels. With lovely rivet detail. $4.00 a set for one car.
As well as this;

Small patch panels for just adjacent to the doors. As seen in the photo of PRR #94794, in RP Cyc 24, pg 22. $2.00 for a set to do one car.
And after a few requests and a little help from Dennis Storzek (thanks Dennis);

A drilling template for the Kadee ladders. We think that this will be almost as useful as the bracket grab template we created a few years ago.
These items are now in stock and will be listed on the website in a couple of days.
Hope you like them.

I'm out of excuses now.

The shop boxes are all opened.

No doubt some fine tuning will be required.
I'm mostly unhappy about the paint storage setup. I've been teasing my pal Tim Warris of Fast Tracks fame about creating some paint racks with his laser cutter, but it's now feeling like a real need.
Wonder what I should build first?

Ready for Occupancy

So in 8 days, we've gone from this;

To this;

Through to this;

All I have to do now is open boxes and start loading shelves.
I'm rather pleased with how this space is turning out. Even without a window, it's bright. Good colour choice for the walls by my wife.
The work surfaces are looking delightful. The 2 desk height units are from Ikea, their Alex line. Ridiculously affordable. I couldn't buy the basic material for what they sell the full units for. Well designed and lots of drawer space.
And of course, there's lots of Ivar shelving. Did I mention how much I love this low end Ikea stuff? Almost designed with model railroaders in mind. Some of my European Fremo friends are using the Ivar end frames as leg systems for their Fremo modules. Makes sense to me.
The other cabinets are cheap and cheerful units from Home Depot. Lots better, none cheaper. No need to get fancy. No doubt that I'll have paint spills inside a month.
Tomorrow I'll get tools and kits out of boxes and start the organizing of the spaces. With any luck I'll be building models next week, as well as addressing the back orders that have arisen since I packed up for the move.

It's like peeling an onion

Revealing layers upon layers.
For longtime followers of this blog, you'll know that the fate of the Aylmer station has been a bit of a mystery.

In the time frame I model, 1951, the station is gone. Passenger tickets and express freight are handled in the freight shed just south of where the station was. The operator works from the elevated crossing shanty which also protects the level crossing. Train orders are hooped from the crossing tower which had the train order board relocated to, as shown in period surveys.
I've been curious to know when and why the station was removed and the search has been long and varied.
But that's where the web comes in.
My online friend, Jeffery Smith, has come to my aid on this one. Jeff has spent much of his own time uncovering tasty little tidbits for me on the Cayuga Sub. And his latest email to me uncovers part of the Aylmer mystery.
Removal of the station building at Aylmer was authorized by Board of Railway Commissioners of Canada Order 59638, September 10, 1940.
Now we just need to know why. 

Welcome to the new abode!

The new home of Elgin Car Shops, Yarmouth Model Works and the HO scale iteration of the Wabash in Ontario.
3 days, the help of some good friends, one moving van, and countless ascents and descents of staircases carrying far too much stuff culminates in, we're moved in.
And I'm pooped.
Fortunately there's a concert to work on Thursday, so I'll get a day off.
Have a look see.
First the designated layout space.

The first view is looking north and the second looking south. The pool table is leaving Monday. It's 13' x 40' space. Right now the thinking on the layout will call for 3 levels around the walls, single lap helices in opposite corners to help with the climb between levels and some clever work for staging. This idea will allow me to open the distances between the towns and give a better feel of traveling distances. This approach will give me over 300' of mainline, which will approach some 5 scale miles. Not bad.
Next the shop space.

I have to cut a doorway through where the fireplace screen is resting. Have all that nasty plumbing cleaned up. Strap and drywall 3 walls and then bring in a bunch of work surfaces and shelving. I've already acquired much of the cabinets. Where would we be without IKEA?
And lastly.

In the other side of the basement, this is where the office, computer and crew lounge will be located. I'd happily lose the fireplace, but it's holding up the fireplace in the living room and Kate would be irked if that went away.
So the unpacking begins and in a couple of days serious construction to get the shops working again. The layout probably won't get underway for about a year. Time, budget, other projects, etc. But I'm feeling positive.
Stay tuned.

Well that's it then!

This will be the last blog post from this abode.
In less than a week from now, we'll be in the new house. No doubt reeling from the horrors of moving and facing months of unpacking and figuring out where the heck to put stuff.
I'm a tad overwhelmed at the volume of stuff that will come out of the basement alone.

And it all has a purpose.
Hope my knees hold out for all the shlepping that will happen over 3 days next week.
I did take advantage of being in Toronto yesterday. I was visiting my brother and his family and he lives close to one of the 3 IKEA stores in area. So off I went to buy new work surfaces and cabinets for the new shop. There are somethings in IKEA that you can't buy the material for the what they sell the finished product for. You'll see that when the new shop gets built in a couple of weeks.
Stay tuned.

Now I can say I've done something with my life

Yesterdays blog post generated a comment on Facebook that has me tickled and humbled at the same time.
Al Westerfield, mastermind and supreme talent behind Westerfield Models, now retired, commented on Facebook about the 4 latest models I've built for a client.
He said, "Westerfield kits are nice but it takes an expert modeler to make them look so good."

 

I am humbled that a man of Al's talents would describe me in that fashion.
"Thanks, Al." Doesn't even begin to cover it.