Northern Rails

Canadian Pacific

Owner: Mathew

The N Scale Kootenay Division is a multi-level cerebral take on CP's southern mainline in the 1970s. Featuring CLC power fighting rugged terrain, it covers the Nelson and Boundary subdivisions from Cranbrook to Midway. It runs for 10 scale miles along the rocky shores of Kootenay Lake and the tree-clad Monashees over Farron summit, with both freight and passenger operations from a single unit wayfreight to SD40-2s hauling high priority freights approaching 2500' in length. Ruling grade on the Nelson sub is 1.8%, and the Boundary has a whopping 2.7%, meaning pusher operations are not out of the question!

The layout has a dispatcher and phone system and uses Time Table and Train Order to control train movements, with train crews taking up the role of engineer, conductor, as well as station operator. Car control is achieved through JMRI, and most trains will have a switch list. Assignments range from an 'easy' through freight to a busy yard crew to genuine switching puzzles that take hours to complete. In addition to the dispatcher, there are spots for 1-2 yard crews and 3-6 road crews. It is a DCC equipped layout run with NCE, and both NCE throttles and withrottle are available for operators.

Having recently undergone a structural change, it is currently approximately 25% scenicked, with most trackage in operation. All locations have as many elements of the prototype as possible, whether that means a water tower, a curve in the track, or a notable bridge - if you know the area, you should know where you are!