Decisions

At some point I'll have to settle on what industries will appear along the industrial siding. I've actually been evaluating my options from the very beginning of the project, and it's not an easy process. Even if I scratchbuilt everything, there would still be a myriad of options; there's no one "right way" of doing it since, as you'll see, this aspect of the Gorre & Daphetid saw numerous changes.

First, a little early history. Before there was an industrial siding, or even a turntable and enginehouse, there was... nothing. In the very early image above, we can see a number of really interesting features. First, note that John placed a lumber yard and some storage tanks right along the mainline—likely temporarily. Also see how he'd tacked on a thin slice of wood to the edge of the layout to provide a little more turf along the siding there, which originally had its ties flush with the edge of the layout. Note, too, his control panel was installed. And finally, that clutter of benchwork lumber at the back right was the beginnings of the aborted branchline loop.

Once John had decided to extend the front of the layout, he built the industrial siding, and from that point onward there was a nearly continuous stream of tweaks, revisions, variations and what have you. Things started out with just a little factory (Central Valley Model Works, in consideration of his photography contract with that company), a lumber yard and a cattle pen. Later came some storage tanks; the factory got rotated 90 degrees—a couple of times—and it acquired some tanks and additions. At one point, for a brief time, the lumber yard was gone.

After moving to Monterey, the original G&D continued to morph. Another industry replaced the cattle pen, a substantial industry replaced the storage tanks, and what looks like an oil derrick was erected behind the lumber yard. Later, Central Valley Model Works and the big building behind it disappeared, replaced by a cattle pen and a new assortment of storage tanks. Over the years, the storage tank population changed, and industries next to the lumber yard came and went. John was the recipient of many structure "gifts" from other modelers, and the industrial siding may have been his showcase for some of them.

With so many options, it's difficult to make choices. Still, despite the seemingly endless variations, the lumber yard has been a fixture throughout much of the G&D's history; since there's no comparable kit, this will have to be scratchbuilt—fortunately it's a very simple structure. Also, storage tanks figure prominently in the majority of photos, so I may swipe a few from BAZ Models' A.J. Slick kit. I like the general lines of that "swayback" building in the first color image, and I believe Paw of a Bear's Curtis Bros. Plumbing Supply kit would make a good substitute. Finally, I've always felt that the Central Valley Model Works factory looked out of place, so I'll probably omit it and use a Micro-Trains cattle pen. Basically, that first color image is pretty much what I'm after.

These decisions are hardly final; this is a "rough draft," and will almost certainly be revised as the project progresses. Almost any options I choose, however, will entail a minor track plan change: the angle of the industrial siding is too shallow, and hardly anything will fit in the wedge between the siding and foreground mainline. This will only entail cutting a new curved piece—not a big deal at all.

Original Gorre & Daphetid images courtesy of Peter T. Prunka.

Back < Index > Next

Copyright © 2011-2021 by David K. Smith. All Rights Reserved.