A tale of two modules...

by Tom Carr

On October 18, 1987 TraiNgang members Brian, Craig, John, Phil and Wayne got together with Tim Horton and built two modules with track plans modelled after the waterfront dock area of Squamish, BC on the BC Rail main line. Unfortunately the two modules were not finished, changed hands at least once and ended up in storage for many years.

Some 17 years later, in late 2004 current TraiNgang members Tom Carr and Patrick Schafli acquired the two unfinished modules, took them out of storage and decided to finish them.

This module features lots of track word, with room for industries and some interesting switching.

This module features less track, but has more room for expansion. Both modules can be operated together or separately.

Since these modules were built The TraiNgang had adopted the Mountain Division for all it's modules. So the first order of business was to add the Mountain Division to both modules. While this looks relatively simple it can certainly prove to be a challenge for the novice module builder.

Fortunately all the original track on both modules had been wired when it was laid, so just the new Mountain Division had to wired. This was relatively easy, especially with the help of Don Slee, our club's resident expert on wiring.

The work started in early 2005 at Bob Berbeck's home in Maple Ridge. Fortunately Bob is a very experienced module builder and has the tools and equipment necessary to make the job go relatively smoothly. Unfortunately January is not exactly the warmest month of the year in British Columbia, and working in an open garage can be somewhat chilly. However the work went well and the mountain divisions were soon in place.

Next came the really challenging part, the scenery. This part had to wait until the weather improved somewhat and so the modules "went home" until the summer months.

Several workshops were held in Bob's garage over the summer of 2005 as Tom and Patrick got their modules ready for their official debut, at TRAINS 2005 as part of the largest TraiNgang layout of the year.

With the basic scenery planned and laid out in Bob's garage Tom and Patrick were on their own to finish things off. This image shows Tom's module after the basic "landscaping" has been done.

Still to come is track ballasting and trees. Track ballasting may look easy, but a beginner can soon discover what a little too much ballast can do to a switch, and why it is important to use a wetting agent before applying the glue. A 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water applied with an eye dropper will keep the ballast nice and moist and allow the glue to saturate it properly. Take care that the glue isn't too thick or it won't saturate properly and your ballast will dry in clumps.

Almost ready to run. The next photograph shows Tom Carr adding joiner tracks between the two modules prior to the opening of TRAINS 2005 on November 11th.

A long way from the first two photographs, both modules are now fully sceniced to represent anwhere in Southern BC around the transistion era, 1950's and early 1960's. The two modules don't look anything even close to their originally intended design, but after 18 years in the making they are a part of The TraiNgang.

"Somewhere in Southern BC" on Patrick Schafli's module.

Both Tom and Patrick would like to thank TraiNgang Coordinator Bob Berbeck and all the members of The TraiNgang who offered their support, assistance and help with their first modules. It has been fun and a great learning experience.