Thurso and Nation Valley Railway...
Whilst researching the Prince Edward Island themed layout, I began looking at motive power, the GE70t and then their history...
Steve Boyko has compiled a great resource on the examples used on the island and their subsequent history - which was a great use in deciding which one I wanted to model (No. 35 in the end, as it wore the same livery for 20 odd years, with the large noodle - I digress). However, it also introduced me to the Thurso and Nation Valley Railway, and another rabbit hole...
A true rarity, a forestry railway in Eastern Canada and one that adopted diesel power relatively early with GE 44 tonners and a single 70 tanner. A collection of second hand and home made equipment, log carriers, crew cars, cranes, tanks etc... and later a number of second hand 70t joined the roster (where the ex CN units come in). It's this 1960s-70s period that I find most evocative, a hard working industrial railway, adapting to it's own needs and conditions.
In it's last throws it became home to the Bytown Railway Society and hosted numerous fan trips which meant there are surviving videos and lovely evocative photos of this period. Closed, lifted and replaced by a logging road in 1986.
I thoroughly recommend a read of Colin Churcher's website and a browse of his Flickr album. YouTube will also furnish you with plenty of inspiration. I have visions of a lovely room sized layout from mill and shops to the tree loading station. It would work well in H0, but perhaps even better in N gauge. The twisting and roller coaster lightly laid track would lend itself to a lighter rail than the Peco Code 83 I'm using on the PEI micro, but perhaps hand laid or the new Code 73 might be the way to go...
I hope you're not as drawn in as I have been, this seems to be happening a lot recently! I'm watching a GE44t on eBay, and have dug out a few of Dad's old H0 scale logging models that might be used on such a layout...
One closing point, something that strikes me is the availability of prototype information - in the UK the line would have had a lovely 'Wild Swan' type line history written about it (but perhaps lack the volume of online material) and be a well known inspiration for a variety of layouts large and small. There are some excellent Canadian books about, but I've not found anything of the same quality and depth, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place, or perhaps their just isn't the level of interest?
I hope this diversion has been of some interest, I do enjoy discovering new lines and prototypes, from all over the world, perhaps you have some you'd like to share with me? Until next time, more soon...
I don't recall seeing any books about the T&V. I think there are a lot of little railways like that in Canada that aren't well documented, alas.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, I’ve had a few ‘booklet’ style magazine books of narrow gauge systems in various parts. It’s a shame, as some of the photos are lovely and work really nicely in a large quality book.
ReplyDeleteHi James, I've been intrigued by your use of adaptation of the Terra Transport image for your Halifax Southwestern, but I just found this post on the TNVR. Back in the early 1980s I spent two days riding up and down the full 70 mile length of the line (with permission and cooperation of the paper company and railroad) photographing operations and equipment with the aim of writing an article on it for Railfan Magazine. Alas, the article never came to pass as the b&w film was damaged during processing, but I have great memories of triple headed GE 70-tonners doubling loaded pulpwood cars up a particularly steep grade deep in the bush miles from the nearest road. It was a real gem of a railroad and not at all widely known.
ReplyDeleteJim, thanks for the comment, and what a terrible shame your photographs didn’t survive. If you have any notes I’d love to see them, I’m sure we can find a way of making the, more widely available, as you say, when I began looking there seemed to be so little information on what felt like a fascinating railway.
DeleteThe TerraTransport alternative history is available, in different chapters /blog posts if you click on ‘Terratransport’ in blue at the bottom of one of the posts it brings them all up.
Hi James, yes, I've read all your posts on the Terra Transport project. It's a clever adaptation of what-if history, and the TT livery looks great on the HS SW1500, U18B and GP9u. Well done!
DeleteI still have the TNVR film. The problem was a temperature jump during the final wash, which made the gelatin emulsion swell and then crack as it dried in the classic reticulated pattern. They are still usable, though, just not at high enough res for use in a magazine. They would probably look just fine at small size and 72 ppi for web presentation. I'll have to dig them out and fire up my new film scanner, which I haven't set up yet. If I can get some good scans I will let you know.
Let me know Jim, I’d be happy to give them an airing and home here on the blog, along with your narrative. I’d love to see them in any case!
Delete