Blubber Bay, Texada Island…

Probably the most random layout design I’ve shared to date, this small corner shelf scheme was developed with the idea of my partner’s small corner desk and adjacent bookshelf in mind…

The basic premise is the ’layout’ sits in the corner, above either more shelving or on top of a work area. The fiddleyard disappears behind books, or is a simple straight of track on the bookshelf. Clean and neat presentation, simple DC operation with a walk about controller stowed away not in use, manual turnouts with polarity changing on the frogs via toggle switches. This layout would require a clean and neat underside, and a minimal footprint, so if using softwood framing I would add a ‘cover’ underneath once wired up, but enough of the practicalities, let’s consider the scheme…

Briefly, Texada Island is in the Strait of Georgia, off Canada’s west coast north of Vancouver, and sheltered from the North Pacific by the massive Vancouver Island. Within this waterway are several large islands and, as with the coast of mainland Canada, these were exploited in the 19th and early 20th century for timber, minerals and later other materials as in the case at Blubber Bay where British Columbia Cement opened a limestone quarry in the late 1920s. A 3ft gauge tramway was built in the late 1930s to connect the quarries with the sheltered harbour, operated by a variety of 2 axle gas mechanicals from Plymouth and Vulcan. Trains were short and utilised contractor style side tipping wooden bodied wagons to bring the limestone to the crusher built at the harbour, there was one passing loop approximately half way between the quarry and harbour, and possibly a release loop at both the quarry and crusher.

My scheme utilises 009, 1/76 scale on 9mm gauge track to represent 2’3” gauge as the stock can be assembled from ready to run and kit models. The locomotive could be well represented by the Minitrains Plymouth and the stock from WD Models ‘WDLR Class L’ wagons. Space saving Y turnouts would be an option, at least for the left hand example where the lines diverge to crusher and quay. The gradient here need not be severe, if the fiddleyard exit is perhaps half an inch above the quay, the crusher an inch, things would have enough vertical interest to suggest the prototype. The operation is simplified to propelling loaded trucks up to the crusher. Occasional loads from supply ships would require switching the quay spur, locomotives would be serviced at the workshop centre stage. The compact nature of the layout would suit a cameo presentation with inbuilt lighting, and be finished to a high standard. The basic premise of a quayside processing plant and workshop could be adapted to other prototypes, perhaps coal mining, timber or precious metals? With more space standard gauge or 0n30 could be substituted. 

Sometimes we find inspiration in the most unlikely places, and a lot of these prospector style railways and railroads on the Pacific North West coast would make great subjects or inspiration for a layout. I hope my humble scheme has opened your eyes to possibilities beyond the more conventional ‘Welsh slate’ or ‘Colorado mine’ style. Until next time, more soon…

References

R Ken Bradley, Southern, K. and British Columbia Railway Historical Association (2000). Powell River’s railway era : an account of the eighteen individual railways operating at various times in the era from the middle 1890’s until 1954. Victoria, B.C.: British Columbia Railway Historical Association.

‌www.texadaheritagesociety.com. (n.d.). Texada Heritage Society, Texada Island, British Columbia, Canada. [online] Available at: http://www.texadaheritagesociety.com/texada-heritage-society-gallery-quarrying.htm [Accessed 30 Nov. 2021].