Dave Campbell returns with another update on his HO scale Minster branch of the Nickel Plate Road. Here he is with the details.
Construction of the Minster Branch has proceeded nicely and I’ve completed more during the hot weather than I expected.
To date I’ve accomplished:
- Built and installed the basic benchwork
- Installed foam and ceiling tiles
- Painted and installed the hardboard backdrops
- Completed the drop-down extension for staging
- Built the corner lift-out section
- Installed the upper shelving (the layout lid) and the lighting
I’ve taken a few photos to document the layout progress.
Here’s the staging area with the extension raised
This long stretch will be East Saint Marys with the Saint Marys Foundry, the Auglaize Box Board Company, and the bridge over the Miami-Erie Canal tentatively located. A cigar factory is under construction.
The slide-in corner section for the wye at the start of the branch. This will be the location of the passenger and freight depots.
This first section after the corner will represent South Saint Marys. Industries include a cannery, a power generating station, and the Bluffton Stone Co.
Rounding the bend into the busy community of New Bremen we will find more customers. The Streine Tool and Manufacturing Company, maker of the Stamco line of sheet metal stamping and forming tools, the New Bremen Broom Company, and the Auglaize Furniture Company, will be the key New Bremen shippers, plus a few other rail customers.
The line proceeds around another bend to arrive at Minster. Customers here will include another cannery, Minster Machine and Manufacturing, and the Star Beverage Company. In the photo above, you can see the East Saint Marys layout section. The two Minster sections are removeable, as are the two staging sections.
Landscaping
I’ve been advised that adding static grass and other landscaping elements next to the backdrop can be a problem. Since I’m using two layers of ceiling tile, I left a gap in the top layer next to the backdrop.
When I’m landscaping, I’ll add the ground cover and static grass to the piece of ceiling tile which I removed to form the gap and then install it back in place. This sounds like a good plan, but we’ll see how it works in practice!
Adding width
Because of the aisle-side industries at the towns, I’ll need additional layout width at certain locations. I have plenty of room at East and South Saint Marys and at New Bremen to install bump outs to the existing benchwork that increase the layout width by eight to twelve inches. The bumps installed for Minster industries will need to be removable. These two sections are roll outs that are tucked away when the car occupies the garage.
I’m considering reworking in the wye sections at the start of the branch. I want a bit more room for an oil dealer that was there in my era.
I can now turn my attention to the FUN STUFF with almost all of the benchwork basics completed!
Next steps
- Engineer and build the improvements noted above
- Develop the final track plan, building locations, and scenery plan at each town
- Build and finish the layout one scene at a time
- Contour the tile
- Install, paint, weather, and ballast track
- Build and install structures
- Print and install the photo backdrop
- Add the scenic elements layer-by-layer
The next update will feature the industries and the buildings that housed them. I see quite a bit of kit bashing and scratch building in my future!
Thank you, Dave Campbell, for sharing your new layout progress. I’m looking forward to the next report!
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