In a recent Associated Railroaders of Kingston (ARK) Zoom meeting, we got talking about modelling the current Confederation Park area when it was CP's downtown passenger station, freight shed and yard. It takes about 8-10 feet to do convincingly. I thought about building modules, as ARK member Andrew Jeanes has drawn up plans for. I'm limited by the 2x4 feet peninsula I have available on my Hanley Spur layout peninsula!
As it is now (above). Coming down 'Wellington Street' behind the Bajus Brewery, the CN lead splits to serve the CN freight shed, a phantom track to CLC/Kingston Shipyards, and a team track (right to left, above). This was a 6-8 car (per switching job) traffic generator, and a source of backhaul for empty boxcars from the freight shed. Other than that, the freight shed was gone by my modelled era. Canadian Dredge & Dock took up a lot of real estate, generating minimal traffic inbound (nearly half of the peninsula - below):
I started drawing some 2x4 inch boxes in which to sketch tracks. It was always going to be tight, but I hope to be able to include:
- mutual track 'crossing Ontario Street' with switch tender cabin (build a structure!
- CP station (build a structure!)
- CN track(s) to CLC/Kingston Shipyards
- CP lead to station
- CP unloading ramp/team track/freight shed
- CN feed operation/Crawford coal yard/Fire Hall/Richardson HQ/feed operation (build structures!) on Ontario Street
Little did I know that this repurposing would be a major operational boost for the layout. It would also generate more traffic, result in the building of several required structures, and best of all get me learning more about this very central part of Kingston!
Here are my track plan iterations. I drew eight boxes, but it only took four!
Due to the curvature and placement of the incoming track, I have limited options for the location of other tracks. I've made an effort to document the progress. Structures moved out, CD&D mostly removed. Here's the 2x4 space I had to work in:
Four plus one tracks roughed in. CN feed operation/lead/Crawford's coal yard at left, CN track to CLC, CP freight shed/unloading ramp, CP station lead. I'll need to leave space for one car+one locomotive at the end of the CN lead at left to allow facing-point switching of the CN feed operation/coal yard:
Five plus one tracks. I subsequently changed the CP track arrangement. I took out that wye switch, installed a switch off the CP station lead for that second track. I also added another switch for the unloading ramp track. The two-wire DC power for the whole layout was formerly under the CN team track unloading ramp. I repositioned the wires to now surface above the layout under the CP unloading ramp! I removed any bumpy scenery and painted the surface black/dilute-black craft paint to replicate cinders:
Opposing track-level views before painting and final track installation. My Rapido 'smooth-side' Canadian Pacific coach has made an appearance along with visiting CP officials in their business car.
Overhead views prior to final track installation. I need to fill in that dry dock!
The ex-K&P station is now in place, though the sidewalk/platform needs to be finessed:
This one is for Bill Godkin, who told me bikes from the Harley shop in the basement of the Hanley station (ex-GTR) were often ridden up the CP loading ramp for kicks!
The next steps:
- painting over current scenery to replicate cinder base - done
- initial installation of track (operation began at this point) - done
- paint sides of rails and ties of roughed-in track pieces before installation - done
- final installation of track - done
- building of structures (CP station above, CP gantry crane and Kingston Milling Co. below - done)
- completion of scenicking and detailing
OPERATIONS
Unlike the CN freight shed/team track/CLC-Shipyards lead, this will be a two-railway peninsula. I'd like to be able to include:
- CN feed operation and Crawford's coal on facing-point spur
- CN cars to/from CLC/Shipyards
- CP cars at freight-shed/unloading ramp
- if necessary a 'shared' CN-CP track in between the above for switching.
- CP station lead saw its last passenger service in 1957, so will only host Service equipment or occasional CP business cars carrying officials discussing the extreme-makeover of CP's railway lands to Confederation Park by 1966.
I currently have more empty other-railway house cars from CN customers that get reloaded at the CN freight shed than I have empty other-railway house cars from CP. With the CN freight shed gone, I'm interchanging these house cars to CP here, by virtue of terminal inter-switching rules (!), to allow either road to load empty cars for backhaul.
- Empty CN house cars can still get reloaded for backhaul at Frontenac Floor & Wall Tile or CN Express.
- Empty CP-lettered house cars can still get reloaded for backhaul at Frontenac Floor & Wall Tile or the woolen mill.
For CN or CP to switch these station-yard tracks, there is no run-around, so once trains enter the mutual track, they'll have to leave to run around any cars. This means that CN will have to switch the spurs in both directions. I'm going to experiment with CP, since during this modelled era the small yard and turntable was still active at the foot of North Street. I may isolate the CP station lead so I can stage a switcher there.
DOES THIS MAKE MY LAYOUT LOOK NEW?
For modelled era, the addition of these tracks to my layout necessarily dates the layout to 1966, when the CP tracks were removed, preserved CPR D-10 1095 brought in, and Confederation Park installed, leaving one lone CN lead closest to the lakeshore to reach CLC, which closed and was demolished by 1970. Problem is, the CP Rail multimark debuted in 1968! The acquisition of a CN RS18 in olive/black pushes the 1970 plausibility, too. So, I may re-era the whole layout to 1964 or 1965, unless there's a CP Rail car visible! Of course, many of my signs and vehicles are 1970s prototypes. I think I'll stick with the use of the word 'circa' to precede any discussion of my modelled era!
