Large Scale Central

A long, long time ago

… the Toronto Swiss Club decided to bring in a large segmental layout from NYC to be displayed during the International Caravan. They needed someone to keep the trains running and do the required maintenance. That’s where the networking usually begins, someone knows someone who knows someone else who is into trains in this case yours truly. Just so happened that the Swiss National Tourist Office, Toronto was also part of the Swiss Pavillion, one of the staff musing about how nice it would be to have a small display like that - mountains, snow, running trains - in their display window in the T-D Center passage (major traffic to and from the subway). That’s how I landed my first commercial diorama job Theme: Swiss Federal Railway line in the snow covered mountains Dimensions: 96" long, 48" high and 16" deep Automatic point to point of a SBB push-pull consist Waaaaaaaaaaay back during Christmas/NewYears season of '79/'80

It’s amazing all the “stuff” one comes across when sorting and scanning old pictures from way back when! :wink: :slight_smile: :wink:

Good looking …and catenary also , neato .

Dennis Paulson said:
Good looking ..........and catenary also , neato .
I will model spring, summer or fall, but six months of winter is enough without modelling it too!

Great job HJ, way back when !
I believe Winter is by far the hardest to model. And you pulled it off in grand style.
Ralph

Bravo Zulu! HJ, well done! Was that catenary live?

Thank you, Gentlemen. In the more recent past one of my nieces had a “train period” (1993). What “Princess” wants, “Princess” gets. Her dad stipulated that there was a certain amount of hours to be “invested” by her, painting building kits, assembling them etc. etc. Need I mention that the “trains” wore off rather quickly? It wasn’t just “I want this” it was doing some of it. Anyway, the project was left for me to finish and sell to someone else. The track plan etc. was from one of the MR project layouts - guess how I found out that trusting MRs trackplans by faithfully transferring them to 1:1 was a fallacy ?!? :wink: :slight_smile: - featuring Fall on the one side and Winter on the other. All of this on a 4x8 - the concept works quite nicely, provided the layout is far enough off the floor to prevent seeing all of it at once. Not the real McCoy for a kid, but nifty for a run and show layout or to stage and take pictures; it could also be expanded. Anyway

(http://www.easternmountainmodels.com/F-PIX/WinterFall01_s.jpg)

(http://www.easternmountainmodels.com/F-PIX/WinterFall02_s.jpg)

(http://www.easternmountainmodels.com/F-PIX/WinterFall05_s.jpg)

(http://www.easternmountainmodels.com/F-PIX/WinterFall04_s.jpg)

The buildings were left in the colour scheme my niece picked, competing with the Fall colours of Southern Ontario. :wink: :slight_smile: BTW the track arrangement in the town combined with those particular industries provided a nice challenge for the uninitiated. :smiley: