Columbia & Western Virtual Layout Tour Tomorrow (Sat Dec 12th)

[mark dance]

For anyone interested  -and with a free hour to kill tomorrow - there will be a Virtual Zoom Tour of the C&W tomorrow morning hosted by the 4th Division, PNR of the NMRA. It will follow Bill Busacca’s Sn3 RGS layout. 
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50706466198_a631bd887c_b.jpg

The Zoom call starts at 10:00 AM *PST* and the C&W should be on ~10:45-11:30 .

Zoom Info - Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82244200800?pwd=ZVA3YU1kQkMwUkZzVjBCZzcrbmp4UT09

Meeting ID: 822 4420 0800
Passcode: 090972
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Meeting ID: 822 4420 0800
 

And here are trackplans courtesy of RMC's art department for anyone who attends and wishes to follow along at home!





I hope you can make it!

md

[ednadolski]

Nice! Would it be possible to record, for those who cannot make that time?

Ed

[mark dance]

Nice! Would it be possible to record, for those who cannot make that time?

Ed

Yes I believe that is standard procedure for 4th Div and they post the video to their youtube channel here https://www.youtube.com/c/4DPNRMovies

If that goes as plan I will post the link back to this thread...though you will miss all the excitement of watching me field questions in real time!

md

[CRL]

Wow... talk about squeezing 20 pounds of potatoes into a 10 pound bag.

@mark dance... how in the world did you ever conceptualize this layout in the beginning?

[mark dance]

Wow... talk about squeezing 20 pounds of potatoes into a 10 pound bag.

@mark dance... how in the world did you ever conceptualize this layout in the beginning?

The layout might appear complex, because of its four decks, but it really isn't too bad and during ops you can only see one or two decks at a time...it certainly isn't as complicated/elegant in its use of space as others in my immediate vicinity (not mentioning names )







Here are a few reasons I guess...
- I live in an expensive city so I picked a basic design with proven optimal space efficiency: multi-deck around the walls with a central peninsula. 

- I wasn't worried about using gates or making helices or mushroom benchwork.

- I became smitten by a very modelable prototype and was unwilling to throw any of its cool features away. 

- One unique proto feature was the train barge that bridges the physically isolated Slocan and Kaslo subs mid way in their run.  Without that there is no fourth level...in fact I doubt I would even have had the imagination to dream it up!

- I spent 3 years flying around for work and was not otherwise active in the hobby so had time to sketch ideas.

- Following that, I was extremely fortunate to have the time, resources and energy to get the layout built and 100% operational in about three years before interest waned.

So a bunch of unique and fortuitous situations came together I think...thx for asking!

md

[superchief]

Mark, Thanks for hosting a tour of your RR, I have other commitments in the morning but will wait for the video when posted. Always love to see your fantastic layout!!!
                                                         Gordon Bliss - Santa Fe - All the way

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, I just signed in on the Zoom call, for the first time and with the help of my lovely wife, awaiting the C&W presentation with anticipation. I was fortunate enough to visit the C&W and its gracious owner in person couple of years ago, but the visit was just too short. Thank you Mark for putting this on!
Otto

PS: the Bill Busacca piece is lovely, too.

[GaryHinshaw]

That was nice Mark.  I think you got across the flavour of the layout very well, especially the ingenious use of space in meshing the Slocan sub inside the mushroom with the run over Farron outside.  Sorry I couldn't be there to Help, but glad I could tune in.  That was a good Q&A session afterwards.

[MK]

Is the recorded session up for those who couldn't make it?  Linky?

[GaryHinshaw]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how you built the bulk of the layout in 3 years.  (This was mentioned in the zoom session.)  That's astounding to me.  Did you plan on a 3 year build window, or is that just how it worked out? 

[Cajonpassfan]

Mark, I thoroughly enjoyed it, too, particularly the run across the railroad.
Although, having seen the C&W in person, the video just doesn’t do your modeling justice.
Well done,
Otto

[mark dance]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how you built the bulk of the layout in 3 years.  (This was mentioned in the zoom session.)  That's astounding to me.  Did you plan on a 3 year build window, or is that just how it worked out?

Well kind of a combination.  There was no master plan and schedule and there still isn't.  But I learned professionally that a good technique for me is to make a big, visible, external commitment to motivate progress.  Sometime in 2006 or 2007 Scott Calvert (http://www.cprboundarysub.ca/ ) and I began organizing a gathering of like-minded CPR Boundary Sub modellers to gather for an operating event in Sept '08 - 'Boundary-pooloza" - and that proved mighty motivational indeed!  Then it was just a matter of using a lot of techniques I had picked up professionally to get things done...being in my mid-40's at the time helped a bit as well .

md

[GaryHinshaw]

Interesting - I hadn't heard about Boundary-pooloza before (that was before my time in BC).   Today, Vanrail provides the same impetus for me and TBC, though I have much slimmer achievements to show for it. 

I need to start making a priority list for Vanrail 2021, given that it plausibly might happen next year.

[MK]

So the tour was not recorded for those that missed it? 

[mark dance]

So the tour was not recorded for those that missed it? 

I believe it was recorded but it hasn't been posted yet on the 4th div site ( https://www.youtube.com/c/4DPNRMovies/videos ).  4th Div-PNR is the Seattle/Alaska Div, not the one I am in, and I have no control over when it will be posted.  Hang tight...in the mean time they have lots of great layout tour videos to view!

md