The other towns on the BS&T seemed to almost fall into place as far as building and street locations are concerned.  Once those things are determined the rest of the scenery just happens.  Chappellton, however, continues be a challenge.  It has gone through many changes since the layout was constructed as I tried to find track and street arrangements that I was happy with.  I am happy with it to this point, but I wanted to try something different here.  I wanted to have part of the town raised above the railroad with the station building on the raised portion and the passenger platform below.

So, I’m trying some things to see how I can go about doing that, but they all lead to one fact.  I have to move the tracks, yet again!  There is not enough room between the main line and the station siding for the walls and other structures required to support a raised section of town.  So, one of these evenings when I go into the room to do some work I know I’ll be tackling that project.

If you’ve been a very observant regular reader of this blog you might notice there are several “new” structures in Chappellton (the row of buildings just left of center in the first photo).  I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when we were at the Truro train show a few weeks ago and bought several structures from Dara at a great price.  These will certainly help to make the town look a little less barren.

The second photo shows two other structures (the large brick and the sand colored building near the center of the photo) that were built for the 5th Street Industrial District UMG modules.  They may as well be on my layout between shows rather than collecting dust somewhere.  Plus there’s a greater chance they’ll get finished than if there were packed away.

Next time I’ll have an update on a recent operating session on the BS&T.  Until then…

Scott

Chappellton Harbour got a new addition over the weekend – a 45′ Tug from Frenchman River Model Works.

You can read about assembling this kit at the Scratchbuilder’s Guild.

I needed a tug for the car float in Chappellton and this kit looked like a great choice. However, after I placed it in position it looks very small next to what I was going to use as a starting point for the car float. So, I either need a larger tug, or a smaller car float.

It might not be so bad after I pour the epoxy to simulate water. I will leave the float where it is and remove the tug. I’ll pour the water to about 1/4″ thickness. Hopefully the tug will appear larger next to the float when I put it back in place.

What do you think?

Scott

Well, someday. I’ve been working on and off on a Builders in Scale lighthouse kit for the harbour in Chappellton. It will be called MacLellan’s Point Lighthouse.

This picture was taken on December 30. The paper shell is attached, but that’s about it. The pewter bits were just set in place for the picture. The shingles, windows in the main structure and light housing, and the entry still need to be added.

Here’s a picture as the building looks now…

I must appologize for the picture quality. I took it last evening when I realized I hadn’t taken pictures to post in a while. It was after our operating session (late) so I didn’t take much time to set things up. I’ll have better ones later.

The Builders in Scale shingles were quite easy to work with. Unlike the Campbell shingles they are on a self adhesive sheet, like labels, and can be easily stained and weathered before being applied to the structure. This makes for a much more random look to the shingles.

The most frustrating part of construction was the windows around the light housing. The pattern to cut and scribe the “glass” is just a hair too big. Also, the “glass” provided in the kit was very brittle and broke along the score lines. Fortunately I have some other window material that worked well. You can see some of the rejects in the box in the lower right.

There are still a few more details to add and I have to construct the walkway leading to the entrance. Then I’ll have to figure out where the lighthouse should be to guide ships safely into the harbour. Then there’s the harbour to complete, and the scenery around the lighthouse, and the water, waves, ships…..

Scott