Last Monday...

Last Monday morning Don Janes and I visited with Pierre Oliver in St. Thomas, Ontario, a short drive from London to check out his layout and workshop. Pierre models a 60 mile section of the Wabash called the Wabash Buffalo Division from Aylmer to Simcoe, Ontario. His layout is a double deck affair. Pierre currently is working full time at his business Elgin Car Shops, a custom model building services. Pierre is an awesome rolling stock builder and had done numerous kit reviews for RMC. He also is great at bench work construction. His construction talents being put to use as a set builder for theatres in the past.

Pierre models the Wabash in 1951. I have some timetable from the 1960's in my collection which shows this line.

The Wabash stations and scheduled trains in 1961.

On our visit it was work day on the layout and a group from the Toronto area were on hand working hard building track work, structures and scenery. The semi-regular work crew included Rich Chrysler, Trevor Marshall, Brian Dickey and John Mellow. Don and I had e-mailed Trevor many times over the years but have never met. So it was a treat to spend some time together. Trevor had on hand his S scale 10-wheeler, CNR 1532 built by Simon Parent from his own kits. The engine has a Tsunami decoder and two speakers - one in the tender, a second in the boiler. As I am not that knowledgeable about S scale it was interesting to see first hand. Pierre also showed us a couple of S scale CNR cabooses that he is building and painting for Trevor. As Trevor notes "people are always quite impressed by the presence of S, enjoying its heft advantages over HO while noting that it’s not as overpowering as O," and that is true.

Trevor's finished S scale CNR 10-wheeler model that he brought along for all of us to see. Trevor is currently building an S scale home layout reflecting the CNR Port Rowen branch.

 

S scale CNR caboose model built by Pierre from a Ridgehill Scale Models resin and photo etch kit with Black Cat decals.

 Pierre gave us the royal tour. The layout, paint shop, assembly area and his many finished models. Pierre can build and finish a craftsman kit in one day. To see his fine work first hand, Pierre will be set up at the Springfield, Mass. Model Railway Show near the end of January 2012 with a nice size display. Well by the time Don and I left I think we had cut into the work process as the gang was hoping to possibly have a main line link from the ends Trevor and Rich were each working from. Sorry guys if we delayed the gold spike ceremony.


On our way back to London I was thinking wow that was an impressive group of talented Canadian modellers that had gathered in Pierre's basement that morning. Each modeller  present that day brings to the table variable interests with high levels of talent and priorities not to mention the numerous articles that the combined group have had published in the modeller's press and historical societies over the years.

A great day had...thanks Pierre.

1948 Poster...

 Christmas tree deliveries on a 1948 poster.

The picture above which I had discovered is of a new Studebaker delivering Christmas trees in a 1948 poster...enjoy...George Dutka