Modelling Maine Railroads

The wooden benchwork part of layout consturction is about three quartes done on the Machias section. Benchwork construction began in early April and is close to finished. The benchwork was nothing special, with 1x3s making up the sides and ends of flat frames and 2x3s making up the interior supports. 2x3s were also used for the legs. My Dad and I have worked on the benchwork off and on for the last few weeks, and it has not been at all difficult to construct. The following pictures document the construction better than I can describe it in writing. The pile of lumber awaiting the start of benchwork construction. One of the frames during assembly. My cat, Tofu, decided to help out with construction of the benchwork. A pair of legs with bracing atached to stabilize the layout. A section of benchork with wood construction finished.

I stopped at the Machais Station in September 2015 during a trip through Washinngton County and took some pictures of the station as it looked then. It has been preserved in some function (I'm not quite sure what), and is still in fairly good shape. The colors are not the original colors, as it was painted solid light gray in the 1960s and was probably standard Maine Central station colors of light gray and and dark green in the 1950s. The track side of the Station, with the agent's bay window. An overall view of the track side of the station. The end of the station facing the Machais River. An old Maine Central boxcar is preserved behind the station. The street side of the station

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 shou