Pembroke Reconstruction Underway

The addition of the new branchline (the Northampton Subdivision) between South Newbridge and Northampton resulted in major changes for the small Carleton County community of Pembroke. The two industrial sidings were removed, and replaced by a single track directly behind the passenger station. A new road will link the station with the community of Grafton, just downriver. An short overpass will facilitate vehicular traffic over the branchline.

More Alco Power for the Railway

A new Alco C420, #2072, freshly painted in Nortondale and on its way to final lettering and handrail installation at the loco shops in Avondale, waits in the siding in Wakefield along with C420 #2010. The new loco is equipped with QSI sound.

Details!

Preparing for a Photo Shoot

Bob Boudreau spent most of this morning taking photos of several scenes along the Carleton Railway. Preparing for the photo shoot was a reminder of the importance of details. For example, the Newbridge Drug Store had no interior, just big frosted windows, which made it look abandoned in photos. The photos below (obviously taken by me, not by Bob) show the result of adding some simple interior details to the storefront. The billiard parlour already had an interior. The top photo shows the importance of having the traffic signal turned on for a realistic photo (compare the dead signal in the top photo with the ooperating traffic signal in the lower photo).

The problem with the scene along the Little Presqu'Isle stream was that the "water" had been cleaned so many times that the surface had become noticeably scratched, and needed a new thin coat of WS "Realistic Water" to look good in the photos.

I also had to clean up stray ballast along the right-of-way and REALLY dust and vacuum the layout. Once Bob lit his 600-watt spot lights, every piece of dust or tiny cobweb showed clearly in the photos!

Thanks Bob for your time, effort, and skill--I'm looking forward to seeing the results. The photo shoot not only produced photos of far better quality than these ones that I have taken, but it improved the detail and the cleanliness of the layout in the process!