Down on (the real) Beaverbrook…

Over the seasons holidays my good friend Chris visited family in Quebec, driving there and back from his home in Nova Scotia. On the way back he stopped in on Beaverbrook and sent me the following snapshots and words, and has kindly agreed for me to share them here...

It is Chris's influence and friendship that have made Beaverbrook (the layout) the success it has become for me and his photographs through construction have made my life much easier trying to capture a little of the essence of the place. Seeing his white VW makes me smile as I see the parallels between my 1:87 scale world and reality. Anyway, over to Chris...

On the drive home we stopped in at Beaverbrook...

Two cars at Irving. Noting the way they can only receive one at a time so the second sits outside the fence to be worked in by the next train.

A familiar VW?

Maybe with less evidence of driving through storm weather both ways?

No hoppers at the Coop but a truck being unloaded.

I wanted to add a few detail photos from around the railcar unloading bay.

 

 

The sad news: the branch down to Holcim is now cut off from the rest of the railway. The days of seeing a crew work their train, uphill and through this S curve, would appear to be done.

Looking at these photos, despite the weather, takes me trackside to my own layout. Yes, there is an element of compression in my workshop and quite obviously a different season, however I hope you will see some of the same scenes evoked in my own model photographs.

Thank you Chris, for your photograph, inspiration and friendship. Until next time, more soon...