Page 14 - May June 2012

The “Gulf, Atlanta & Eastern” Alastair Reynolds
I’ve been building the “Gulf, Atlanta & Eastern” for about four years now, after a couple of false starts. It’s my first North American layout and also my first in N scale, although I’ve been modelling in British 4 mm for many years – my main interests are the S&D and the Great Western – a bit of a contrast from the southeastern United States. In fact the GA&E shares an 11 × 12 ft spare bedroom with my ongoing S&D layout. Both are built on shelves around the walls, with the GA&E at about chest height and the 4 mm layout near eye- level. When I get bored working on one, I switch to the other – sometimes in the same evening!
The GA&E is entirely freelanced – it’s nominally set somewhere in Georgia but beyond that I’m not too sure. Although Atlanta was the first place I ever visited in the States, my main reason for choosing Southern was a liking for the black/white and green/white diesel liveries – very classy, I thought. The design is a folded dogbone on four walls of the room. This is perhaps a little unusual in that half the mainline trackage is concealed, with the tracks running behind the scenery at the rear of the layout. All the scenery is removable for access to track, although in more than 3 years of operation, I’ve only had to get at it once or twice. The six-road storage yard is also under removable scenery, and monitored by a couple of inexpensive wireless cameras. The layout was wired for cab control DC but I switched to DCC in 2010 and have not looked back. About two-thirds of my locomotives are now decoder-equipped, and I hope to work slowly through the remainder of the fleet over the next few years. Most of my locos are Southern or Central of Georgia, but I have a small amount of Seaboard and ACL equipment for a bit of variety.
My approach to layout building has always been to start developing scenery at a very early stage, and then creep along in fits and starts – this keeps my interest up and gives me something to photograph. So far I have completed about 20 feet of the GA&E to a reasonable standard, but there is still a lot to be done, including a complete engine terminal and yard. I am having great fun, and have found working in N to be really enjoyable and problem-free.
BEANERY
For Sale
• Disposing of materials for abandoned HO Virginian Railway steam/diesel layout. Locomotives (DCC + sound), cars, cabooses, craftsman kit structures, details. For full list and details please contact peter.north@macunlimited.net or telephone 01263 860354
• On30 locos. 3 Bachmann Shays, 1 Bachmann Climax. All detailed for exhibitions with crews, and some Backwoods Miniatures parts. Shays’ trucks hard-wired to chassis to bypass thin-wire pickups. All with Tsunami sound. As exhibited at Halifax GOG 2011 and Warley NEC 2011 on “Wild Creek Lumber” layout. £125 each, discount for all 4. Also all rolling stock. Email or phone for list. Chris Wild 01745 854377. christopher@thewilds2.plus.com
• HO DL&W locos. Tony Honeyborne 01843 229269
• HO models: ATSF, CRIP, CNW, UP, E7, E6, F3, F7, GP7, RS3 diesels. Also Sunset ATSF 3700 4-8-2 factory paint. Streamline
cars, CRIP, UP, ATSF, including Super Chief. Tom Ingrams.
Tel: 01634 814134 Mob: 07757 577484 trings@hotmail.co.uk • HO Lackawanna brass and handbuilt steam, diesels in brass, white metal and plastic, passenger and freight cars. Will consider exchange for PRR items, Eastern region, c.1946–50. Details from Tony Honeyborne 01843 229269 or 07528
111743
Wanted
• N gauge late era ATSF stock; also TT models. Tom Ingrams. Tel: 01634 814134 Mob: 07757 577484 trings@hotmail.co.uk • HO Athearn “shake the box” locos. Liveries wanted: GP9 in NP, CPR and CBQ; SD9 in GN; Trainmaster in CPR; U-Boat in NP. Please advise prices and postage. Contact Jonathan P
James, 8 Dale Rd, Stanley, Ilkeston DE7 6EY
• HO brass or Blue Line UP 4-12-2. Contact John Curtis 01202
579997
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