North of Carcross…
Long before it’s current incarnation as a tourist railroad, during the 1950s until the line closed in 1982 the White Pass and Yukon was all about freight. The expansion and growth in traffic led the railway to dieselise early, the result, the famed Class 90…
Arriving from 1954 the 9 GE shovelnose diesels with their Alco prime movers served the railway well until the late 1960s when continuing traffic growth led to the purchase of seven MLW built DL535E road switchers, in a more traditional albeit cut down outline. North of Carcross the railway crossed the sub-Arctic tundra for nearly 100 miles before reaching Whitehorse. This long slog lacked the mountain scenery and heavy grades but the trains of ore and containerised freight with 4-5 locomotives in multiple ran in all weather all year. Quite the show…
This model is 2.6mm/ft scale to fit on a N gauge donor mechanism, which of course means it’s not a true 3ft gauge model. However, the compromise allows me to have it in my collection. I’ve another to build at some point, promising myself a blue white and red one ever since I used to pore over my childhood best friend Tim’s LGB catalog under a tree in his garden… memories. I’ve recently re-scanned my Canada slides and have uploaded a WP&Y selection to a Flickr album here.
Until next time, more soon…
WOW!
ReplyDeleteYou'd mentioned this in conversation but to see it, it looks amazing!!!!
Of all the various scale and gauge combinations I've waded into TTn3 or 3mm on 9mm gauge track always felt like the one I found exciting for the way it worked out. So many things in N scale were always a little bit overscale and suited the slightly larger 1:120 or 1:100 scales just that much better.
Can you imagine a White Pass layout in this scale?! Talk about really being able to place these models into their landscape.
Wow!
Chris
Thanks Chris, yes, it’s a neat little thing. The body isn’t bad, I used etched grills I designed, but the handrails are a little thick, the glazing isn’t great and the black dividing line quite poor… I’m also not convinced the slope on the cab front is right either, despite working from scale drawings! Oh well.
DeleteI did ponder a layout, you’d need a basement empire the size of the Southern Alberta, and even viewing windows 2-3ft deep all you’d see is mountain side…
However, the idea of the scale does appeal… as I’ve said to you before the idea of a Newfoundland take on a British branchline terminus with G8, 40ft box car and combine would be sublime. One day, if I have space to store it…