The Layout Concept-Machais, Maine
I have started construction on the first phase of my layout. This section is modelling the town of Machias, Maine. Machias is a town of around 3000 people and is one of the major towns of Washington County, the easternmost county in the United States. It is the first town of any importance to the Maine Central on the Calais branch in Washington County, and is about halfway along the Calais branch. During the 1950s, it was also a crew change point on the branch.
On the layout, Machias will take up most of one 18 foot long layout section, and will extend around a corner and will cross the machais river on a causeway that also contains U.S. Route 1. The track will then cross route 1 and will follow the side of the river for around 8 real feet. In this section, there will be somewhat steep hills on one side of the track and the river on the other side. The river, which is tidal, will be modelled at low tide as large expanses of mudflats, a feature that I have never seen modelled and should help establish that the layout is located along a tidal river that is off the Bay of Fundy with its extreme tides that are unique to the area.
Anyway, the layout will cross an inlet off the river on a causeway for the next 4 or 5 real feet, and will cross a small wooden bridge on that section. From here, it will eventually continue around peninsula end modelling the line towards Calais, but fo now it will loop acrooss the aisle back to the entrance to Machais. This feature is not going to be permanent, but with what has been built so farit is not yet really feasible to operate point to point as Machias wa mainly a station that trains passed through and never really had trains specifically serving it, as far as I know.
On the Machais side of the layout, there will be a station, a freighthouse, a small warehouse, probably for the laoding of canned sardines, a major industry at the time in Washington County, a team track, and pulpwood loading. There will also be a few houses, but there will overall not be many structure, as Machais is a fairly small and spread out community, and I want to keep the sense of space there was when I visited the town.
On the layout, Machias will take up most of one 18 foot long layout section, and will extend around a corner and will cross the machais river on a causeway that also contains U.S. Route 1. The track will then cross route 1 and will follow the side of the river for around 8 real feet. In this section, there will be somewhat steep hills on one side of the track and the river on the other side. The river, which is tidal, will be modelled at low tide as large expanses of mudflats, a feature that I have never seen modelled and should help establish that the layout is located along a tidal river that is off the Bay of Fundy with its extreme tides that are unique to the area.
Anyway, the layout will cross an inlet off the river on a causeway for the next 4 or 5 real feet, and will cross a small wooden bridge on that section. From here, it will eventually continue around peninsula end modelling the line towards Calais, but fo now it will loop acrooss the aisle back to the entrance to Machais. This feature is not going to be permanent, but with what has been built so farit is not yet really feasible to operate point to point as Machias wa mainly a station that trains passed through and never really had trains specifically serving it, as far as I know.
On the Machais side of the layout, there will be a station, a freighthouse, a small warehouse, probably for the laoding of canned sardines, a major industry at the time in Washington County, a team track, and pulpwood loading. There will also be a few houses, but there will overall not be many structure, as Machais is a fairly small and spread out community, and I want to keep the sense of space there was when I visited the town.
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