Dawson Creek: planning in real life...

So it becomes real, it's funny what you find on the internet. I can't believe I found an image of an original share certificate issues by the Detroit Yukon Mining Company, because as an organisation it only lasted a few years...

As well as finding this on the internet this weekend (on an auction site of all places) I also began to move from 2D planning to 3D planning, and the kids and I measured out 1.5x3' on some 4x2 MDF and played about with the points and some buildings to get a feel for the plan. We've decided 3' isn't quite long enough so have added a few inches to one end, to allow more of the dock to be modelled.

What struck me initially was how small it is, what a compact layout is possible with these small Shinohara points! The curves sketched are just over 6" radius, and it produces a really tight neat little layout, with enough play value, yet small enough to be easily stored in my small terrace under a bed (hopefully if I can get the baseboard design strong and rigid yet compact).

The buildings are only indicative at this stage, but give an impression of the size of things we envisage. My 9 year old and I will probably scratchbuild most of them to fit the spaces available, which will be fun and teach her some new modelling skills.

The loop is long enough for one of my small 0-4-0 locomotives and 5-6 small trucks or two short coaches/bogie wagons, which is just what I hoped. The curves mean longer engines are out of the question. My thoughts on the plan for operating were you could have three trains on the board, one in each siding, and a fourth in the loop (not where the Davenport is, the other side). That was you could also move an engine in an out of the engine shed too...

If you compare these photos with the sketches I have done, you'll notice the value in drawing things, as these 'mock ups' are surprisingly close to what I was hoping to achieve. I'm really happy... more soon...