Northampton Renovations

Now that scheduled operating sessions have resumed on the Carleton Railway, I am noticing things that need to be fixed or improved on the layout.  The community of Northampton has been somewhat neglected; because it is in the furnace room, it is out of sight most of the time, but during the last operating session I watched in frustration as a string of flat cars derailed and I also realized that nothing had been done to make the scenery look "finished."  Since the last session, after investigating the track work, I have made some improvements to the track, including the addition of a guard rail on a troublesome crossover.  I also discovered that two of the flat cars needed some work, and repaired them.  Hopefully the derailments will be fewer at the next session.  

The next project was to make Patterson's Mill in Northampton look like it is actually in business.  The sawdust burner was installed, a large sign was added, roads and level crossings now make the mill accessible to vehicles in the outside world, and the beginnings of a lumber yard (where the ground is covered with sawdust) suggest that the business is prospering.   In the photo below, a truckload of logs has just crossed the tracks en route to the millpond (click on photos to expand).  

In the scene below, stacks of lumber await shipment by rail to customers.  That is the "Dukeshire's Apples" warehouse barely visible in the background behind the box car.  

The Northampton Beverage Company is new to the community.  Its main product is Frostie Root Beer (when I was a child growing up in Carleton County in the 60s, the Frostie plant was just a short distance from our house).

Improvements are also underway on the six Montecello, Maine modules--they will be travelling to the MFMR convention in Halifax in early June.

The next Carleton Railway operating session is scheduled for Friday, May 25.