Stars of the Show – 2
Continuing the occasional feature of layouts that have come to the show, this time we cross the Atlantic to New York.
59th and Rust was brought to the show from Cumbria by Ray O’Neil and I was fortunate to help Ray and his regular helper Dave Bechelli for the weekend. I was impressed with the quality of the modelling and the attention to detail. Operationally it didn’t disappoint either.
Over to Ray:
It was 2015 when the Stafford exhibition manager Colin Hill asked me if I would like to attend their 2017 show with 59th and Rust and the rest they say is history.
The layout went down well with lots of interest, especially in my operating card system, which consists of 8 cards with instructions where to spot and pick up cars.
Once you get to card 8 everything should be in place to start again. Each card usually takes between 30-40 mins, which gives the two operators time for breaks and a look round the show.
I’d like to thank Colin and all the crew for the invite and putting on a cracking show, well done to you all.
The layout has received acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic having been featured in Continental Modeller magazine here in the UK and Railroad Model Craftsman and Model Railroader magazines in the USA.
As I said earlier, I was impressed with the level of detail – weeds, rubbish, weathering on the buildings, open windows. Study the following photos to see for yourself.
Track plan:
Below is an example of the operating cards. In the left hand column it tells you what to deliver. This is the train as it starts in the fiddle yard. The middle column tells you where to deliver. The right hand column tells you what to pick up and that forms the train back to the fiddle yard.
The black number is the card number (8 in total) and the red numbers are operational instructions which add another dimension. See below:
