Wow! That water sure looks real The Port Caribou RR ...tbmod.com/rm/Port Caribou MR 1977 Sept.pdfThe...
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Wow! That water sure looks real The Port Caribou RR. & Western Navigation Co. A dandy HOn3 layout with lots of animation BY BOB HEGGE AND THE MA STAFF Generally speaking, our layo ut photo sto- ries in cl ude a track plan , us ually a very de- tailed plan. Th is story was passed over a n umb er of times becaus e it lacked one. Th e layo ut was photograph ed by Bob Hegge in 1970. In 1974 the arti cle was schedul ed for pub- lication and I wrote to th e layout builder for an upda te. Th e letter was returned marked "Moved; not forwardable ." S o, the article's publi cation was scrubbed and it was re- t urned to th e fil e. When I reviewed th e article recently, I saw it from a di ffe rent perspective. Patter- son had modeled a beautiful waterfront scene and he ha d incl uded a lot of anima- tion on hi s layo ut- a s ubject I think de- en •es mo re attention. Thi s time I realized chCJt there is informati on here that is worth sharing u·ith you readers a nd I should stop o _ ing about the track con fi g urati on . S o, l;er ar ome highli ghts of a fine HOn3 1/ oad u· hich has (o r had) some very un- - <:.;o] { ru e . In hopes that the layout still er.•;.; Tt le the article in the present La on. Y OC expec to see move ment on a model railroa d. usua lly tr a in move ment . You don't e xpect to see a rive rboat paddli ng along th rough real water , a roll- ing lift. bri dge t hat opens automaticall y as t he boat appr oaches , a pile driver driv- i ng , a s awmill sawing, a steam shovel shov- eli ng , nor HO people mi!lifig ar ound in fr on t of th e station. And you don't exp ect all this movement to be ac co mpanied by appropriate sounds from a ste r eo system . All this unexpected action , and mo r e, makes a visit to Richard Patte rs on's P ort Caribou RR. & Western Naviga tion Co. trul y me morabl e. The PC& WN is an 8 x 13-foot HOn3 layout ope ra ti ng somewhere in the Nor th - west around the t urn of the century. Reve- nue is suppli ed by a s ilver mine , a quarry, and loggi ng and its · a ssociated sawmill op- erations . When you fir st l oo k at the layout your att e nti on is imme dia tel y drawn to the Aleck Scott , a co mb in at ion rive rboat and car ferr y which is ope rated by We stern Navigation Co . Pat te rson got the idea on how to includ e an ope rating rive rboat on hi s layout after v isiting Disn ey land. He learned during t hat visit to Disney land that the full-size riv erboat there runs on underwate r r ails , so he decided to apply the idea to an HO scale rive rboat. That's the reas on he used r eal wa ter . The bi gges t disad vantage in usi ng real wat er is its weig ht. Wa t er wei ghs appr ox- imatel y 63 pounds per cubic foot. To sup- port tha t wei g ht. Patt erson used 2 x 4 framing with :._.• plywood under the water- front ar ea . A shee t metal fo rm was made for th e wa terfront an d ri ver area. Th e sheet metal form was cove red wit h tar ; th en cement and t{)ne were used to co n- tour the bottom. The cement was co a te d with fi be rg lass resin and fibe rglass cloth. Bef ore the area dried. it wa sprin kl ed with Sakret to gi\'e i tex ur e. If he were to do i again. Patte rson would elim ina te the cement. which add ed about 400 po unds to e layout weight. His light - weight app roach woul d be to make t he ba si c fr ame for e area ou of wood. cover it with wire mesh. and then put on sev - er al layers of fiberg -, clo . An other p blem v.-i '- ing real wa te r is that it doe" · loo real : 1 ·s too cle ar. To overcome tha p ble Parte n added gr ee n and b v.-n dyes e water to give it a prototypic dirty loo and to hide the runn ing r ails for e ferry :\ all cir - cu la t ing pump embed ed e scenery al ong the shoreline eeps ater in mo- tion . After you've admired · e realis: ·c wa e r- fr ont and river. vo a-r.en ·an rums to the beaut iful scene.rv. strUctures. and bac - drop. All of the -see ery was buil before any of the sera chb srrucnu-es were be gun. Therefore . e strUCtureS were de- si gn ed to follow e lay of the land: conse- quently. the layou doesn· ha\'e that fl at appearan ce. In - me cases. such as fo r the passenge r sta ion a Port Caribou. a sec- ti on of th e hillside had to be away fo r the s ta tion si e and a retaining wall had to be b uilt. Th ere are m any thin gs which make this an ou tstan di ng model r ailro ad: the real is- ti c wa terfront. th e anima tion. t he weather ed scr atchbu i lt structures . t he lit - ter sca tte red here and th ere. the beautiful scenery and ba ck dr op, and , of co urse , the model ra i lroad equi pment which fits the time peri od modele d. MORE PHOTOS ON FOLLOWING PAGES overall view of Port Caribou shows the realism that Richard Patterson achieved. The scen e has a lot of depth. This illusion was obtained by placing large trees in the foreground and then progressi ve ly smaller trees toward the backdrop. The riverboat Aleck Scott is docked at Buffalo landing , left. It runs under the li ft bridge, center, to South Shore landing , just barely visible at the extreme right. :II When Port Caribou is viewed from this angle you can see that the river flows off to the right and then behind the town. One of the animations features the motorized windmill, center, which was built from drawings published in MR . 52
Transcript of Wow! That water sure looks real The Port Caribou RR ...tbmod.com/rm/Port Caribou MR 1977 Sept.pdfThe...
Wow! That water sure looks real
The Port Caribou RR. & Western Navigation Co. A dandy HOn3 layout with lots of animation
BY BOB HEGGE AND THE MA STAFF
Generally speaking, our layout photo stories include a track plan, usually a very detailed p lan. Th is story was passed over a number of times because it lacked one. The layout was photographed by Bob H egge in 1970.
In 1974 the article was scheduled for publication and I wrote to the layout builder for an update. The letter was returned marked "Moved; not forwardable ." S o, the article's publication was scrubbed and it was returned to the file.
When I reviewed the article recently, I saw it from a di ffe rent perspective . Patterson had modeled a beautiful waterfront scene and he had included a lot of animation on his layout- a subject I think de-en •es more attention. This time I realized
chCJt there is information here that is worth sharing u·ith you reade rs and I should stop
o _ ing about the track configuration . S o, l;e r ar ome highlights of a fine HOn3
1/ oad u·hich has (or had) some very un- <:.;o] { ru e . In hopes that the layout still er.•;.; Tt le the article in the present
La on.
Y OC expec to see movement on a model railroad. usually tra in movement.
You don't expect to see a riverboat paddling along through real water, a rolling lift. bridge that opens automatically as the boat approaches, a pile driver driving, a sawmill sawing, a steam shovel shoveling, nor HO people mi!lifig around in front of the station . And you don't expect all this movement to be accompan ied by appropriate sounds from a stereo system. All this unexpected action, and more, makes a visit to Richard Patterson's Port Caribou RR. & Western Naviga tion Co. truly memorable.
The PC& WN is an 8 x 13-foot HOn3 layout operating somewhere in the Northwest around the turn of the century. Revenue is supplied by a silver mine, a quarry, and logging and its· associated sawmill operations.
When you first look at the layout your attention is immedia tely drawn to the Aleck Scott, a combination riverboat and car ferry which is operated by Western Navigation Co. Patterson got the idea on how to include an operating riverboat on his layout after visiting Disneyland. He
learned during that visit to Disneyland that the fu ll-size r iverboat there runs on underwater r ails, so he decided to apply the idea to an HO scale riverboat . That's the reason he used real water.
The biggest disadvantage in using real water is its weight. Water weighs approximately 63 pounds per cubic foot . To support that weight. Patterson used 2 x 4 framing with :._.• plywood under the waterfront area. A sheet metal fo rm was made for the waterfront and river area . The sheet metal form was covered with tar; then cement and t{)ne were used to contour t he bottom. The cement was coa ted with fibe rglass resin and fiberglass cloth. Before the area dried. it wa sprinkled with Sakret to gi\'e i tex ure.
If he were to do i again. Patterson would eliminate the cement. which added about 400 pounds to e layout weight. His lightweight approach would be to make t he basic frame for e area ou of wood. cover it with t~· wire mesh. and then put on several layers of fiberg -, clo .
Another p blem v.-i '- ing real wate r is that it doe" · loo real: 1 ·s too clear. To overcome tha p ble Parte n added green and b v.-n dyes e water to give it a prototypic dirty loo and to hide the running rails for e ferry :\ all cir-culat ing pump embed ed e scenery a long the shoreline eeps ater in mo-tion .
After you've admired · e realis: ·c wa e rfront and river. vo a-r.en ·an rums to the beautiful scene.rv. strUctures. and bac -drop. All of the -see ery was buil before any of the sera chb srrucnu-es were begun. Therefore. e strUCtureS were designed to follow e lay of the land: consequently. the layou doesn· ha\'e that fla t appearance. In - me cases. such as fo r the passenger sta ion a Port Caribou. a section of the hillside had to be ""blasted~ away fo r the sta tion si e and a retaining wall had to be built.
There are many things which make this an outstanding mode l railroad: the real is tic waterfront. the animation. the weathered scratchbuilt structures. the litter scattered here and there. the beautiful scenery and backdrop, and, of course, the model ra ilroad equipment which fits the time period modeled.
MORE PHOTOS ON FOLLOWING PAGES
~This overall view of Port Caribou shows the realism that Richard Patterson achieved. The scene has a lot of depth . This illusion was obtained by placing large trees in the foreground and then progressively smaller trees toward the backdrop. The riverboat Aleck Scott is docked at Buffalo landing , left . It runs under the li ft bridge, center, to South Shore landing, just barely visible at the extreme right . :II When Port Caribou is viewed from this angle you can see that the river flows off to the right and then behind the town . One of the animations features the motorized windmill , center, which was built from drawings published in MR.
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A closer look at Port Caribou reveals where a yard and engme sel'VICing facility are located. All of the structures and some of the locomot1ves and cars
All photos: Bob Hegge.
were scratchbuilt by Patterson. The coaling tower chute and water tank spout can be raised and lowered by a 1-r.p.m. motor mounted under the layout.
This pile driver is operated by a frictiontype clutch designed by Patterson. The clutch engages and disengages to raise and drop the pile driver's heavy hammer.
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The Aleck Scott is at her berth at Buffalo Landing. The boat has two sets of 0 scale diesel wheelsets under it which ride on 5" gauge track. The boat's hull was hollowed out for a motor and mechanism that run the paddle wheels . The turning paddle wheels are for show. The Aleck Scott's drive is provided by a Pittman motor coupled through shafts and gears to the wheels. There are smoke units hidden in the stack and the cabins are lighted.
MODEL RAILROADER
The car ferry/riverboat Aleck Scott has cast off from Buffalo Landing. The railroad's main line crosses the river on a rolling lift bridge, pride of Port Caribou. The bridge was scratchbuilt, using Northeastern wood shapes and Strathmore board. "'The riverboat passes under the raised bridge. A motor mounted between the bridge's counterweights drives a pinion gear in a rack at each end. A safety interlocking system wi ll prevent a train from plunging into the water when the bridge is up.
Here is a close look at South Shore Landing during a lull in the activity. The sawmill, left, is operational. The logs are dragged from the water on an endless chain and the carriage takes the logs through the saw. The buzz saw was once a large clock gear which is now powered by a slot car motor. The gantry crane to the right of the sawmill is operational. The crane is driven by three motors: one moves the bridge, another moves the carriage, and the third motor raises and lowers the bucket.
These low-tide shots show the track the riverboat runs on and also some of the underwater detail. Near South Shore Landing, lower right, are the remains of a cattle car which was on the old trestle when it was struck by a river barge years ago.
SEPTEMBER 1977 55
