Jan/Feb 2022It’s an early summer morning in the hinterlands of Northern Maine. The sun is just clearing the stand of old growth pines across the line from the Day’s Crossing lilliputian station.
An early riser, the little 2-foot gauge railway has been up for a couple of hours and the hamlet in the woods is now buzzing with activity.
Last year, like many of you, I found extra modeling time at hand. There’s an upside to every challenge. Over the past six or seven years most of my modeling time and effort has been spent building a O gauge Down East short line. The pike is loosely based on the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad. With the extra time, and a desire to take a break from the big layout, I thought I would do something I’ve been itching to do for years. It was time to build a scene in ½-inch 2-foot gauge (1/2n2). Since the early 1980s I had built and collaborated on creating several larger scale Maine 2-foot models. My first ½-inch scale models were from assembling kits offered by Ted Stintson of Wiscasset, Maine. Ted eventually dropped the ½-inch scale line in favor of G scale, a scale that was gaining traction in North America by the late 1980s.
A few years later I was lucky to acquire a scratchbuilt Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes #1 by Joe Murphy. Around the same time, I tracked down and made the acquaintance of Herman Mitchell living not far from the Old Sandy River right of way in New Vineyard, Maine. “Mitch” a pattern maker by trade was a true craftsman. Along with his HOn30 & On2 work for a number of clients, he developed a series of patterns for 1/2n2. It was this line that enabled me to really move forward with my 1/2n models.
I’ve always had a soft spot for funky little rail cars (in any scale!) and the short utilitarian rolling stock of the 2-foot gauge Monson Railroad. With the help of Mark Hall, Brian Love and more recently, James Hilton, I’ve been able to assemble a modest fleet of 1/2n2 Monson models. After 35 years, it was time to put them all together into a scene.
Now with time on hand, I had a serious dilemma. Where would I find room to build a large scene? I had pretty well maxed out my available space with the O gauge layout. What to do? After considerable pondering, and measuring, I decided to create a 10½ x 3½-foot “mezzanine level” above one end of the O gauge layout. This added level would hold the ½-inch scene. Because I had built the existing layout at a height of 47-inches, the height of the new mezzanine level was going to put the new scene up in the nosebleed section. After hitting the “go button,” my first purchase was a good step ladder.
Construction was straight forward. After installing the frame, I laid and glued 2-inch-thick rigid foam to wood slats. The track was hand laid using stained sugar pine ties followed by spiking down Code 100 rail. The stub turnout, like those used on the Monson, was hand built. Once the rail sections were installed, I cut 9½-inch foam scenic sections to fit in between the track. These sections were 90 percent landscaped prior to being installed.
Additional scenery and trees were installed after the scenery sections were placed. All the sections including the track, are floating on the 2-inch rigid foam. Structures were scratchbuilt and are very close to prototypes once found on the Monson Railroad. Details and SLM figures were hand painted. The photos in this article were simple point & shoot, captured with my iPhone. To enhance the photos, my son Graeme laid in a few early morning skies. The mezzanine layout will play host to the ½-inch scene for another year or two, but already I’ve started building components for an On3 logging line. This backwoods outfit will feed the hungry mills on the O gauge layout and the mezzanine level will provide a good place to let that change take place. As a wise man once said, the only thing that is permanent is change.
