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John Mitchell’s
Canada Southern Railway
The Canada Southern is designed to represent
the NYC high-speed double main track through South Western Ontario in the
mid-fifties. The upper level models the Windsor yard and icing facilities,
the Detroit passenger terminal, the Detroit River Tunnel and the branch to
the Heinz cannery in Leamington. The
lower level represents the small western Ontario town of West Lorne and
the division point of St.Thomas.
The layout is prototypical and
operation oriented. It
features NYC luxury passenger trains and high speed through freights as
well as local switching. Two
other railroads are modeled. The
Pere Marquette (C&O) is represented by symbol freights and locals
running their own trackage from Detroit to St. Thomas, while CPR passenger
trains use the Detroit River
Tunnel during the course of their Toronto / Detroit / Chicago routes.
Extensive staging is in place to handle this traffic.
The comprehensive fleet of locomotives, passenger & freight
equipment are all painted accurately for the mid 50’s paint schemes and
weathered extensively. The
Detroit Passenger Terminal and area are well developed scenically, with
most other areas under development with building or mockups in place.
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Scale: |
HO |
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Size: |
20 X 40 feet |
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Prototype: |
CSR (NYC), C&O, CPR |
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Locale: |
Detroit to st. Thomas
Ontario |
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Period: |
Mid 50's |
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Layout style: |
Double level shelf with helix |
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Layout height: |
40 to 58 inches |
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Benchwork: |
Cantilevered
shelf |
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Roadbed: |
Cork on Homosote
and plywood |
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Track: |
ME code 55, 70, 83;
Atlas 100 in staging |
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Turnouts: |
ME code 70 and 83, Atlas 83, Peco 75 and 100 |
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Minimum radius: |
24 inches, most
are substantially largerl |
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Length of main line: |
160 ft. visible,
50 ft in staging, 90 ft. in helix |
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Scenery: |
Carved styrofoam |
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Backdrop: |
Painted masonite, cut
out paper flats |
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Power system: |
Digitrax DCC |
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Operations: |
Switch lists,
dispatcher |
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Typical
Operating Crew: |
3
to 8 |
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Updated with pictures as of December, 2006 |
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| St. Thomas Yard
in front of the station |
Hudson 5343
arrives at the Michigan Central Station in Detroit with the Mail and
Express, Train #13 |
REA trucks
serving the underground express facility |
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| CPR freight in
Chatham with reefers filled with produce from SW Ontario |
NYC fast
freight on the main line near Comber, Ont. |
Ottawa
Valley Associated Railroaders
