The freelanced HO Scale Strathcona Division models the Canadian Pacific in British Columbia
THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RY. STRATHCONA DIVISION is an HO scale model railroad set in a fictional location. But the locomotives, rolling stock, and scenery all resemble those of southeastern British Columbia in 1967, Canada’s centennial year.
Work on the model railroad began in the late 1980s and is now virtually complete. It includes a mix of large cities, smaller towns, rural scenes, and rugged mountains. Construction began in the Horseshoe Bay area and then progressed to other sections, but the main line was completed before I moved on to a lot of the scenery.
Scenery was completed in stages and didn’t always stay focused in one location. If one part became frustrating or boring, then I would switch to another area to continue progress on the major project. The last unfinished area was completed late in 2020.
My priority for the layout is to represent the real world with as much realistic detail as possible. I’ve been inspired by the work of a variety of respected modelers, such as John Allen, George Sellios, Chuck Hitchcock, Eric Brooman, and Dave Frary.
This view from near the entrance of the train room shows most of Bill Smienk’s HO scale Canadian Pacific Ry., Strathcona Division. The town of Megantar is in the foreground. The coal mine at Matthews is in the top center of the photo, and Johnstown is in the distance. The roundhouse at Strathcona is at left.
Layout Design
The railroad room has a suspended tile ceiling and fluorescent LED lighting. There are also LED track lights to spotlight specific scenes. The overall track plan is a continuous loop with an option for point-to-loop or point-to-point operation. It’s a walk-in style with no duck-unders. This provides a comfortable space for four to six operators or two operators and six spectators.
Another priority was to have as much of the main line to be in arm’s reach, which for me is about 30". Most of this was accomplished, although there are two small access openings. The design also includes a staging yard which is accessed via a wye at one end of the plan. This yard is stub ended and shares space with my small workshop. In retrospect, I should have included a staging yard at the Horseshoe Bay end, as well, but the layout nonetheless works well for operations. The passing sidings only allow for fairly short train lengths of about fourteen 40-foot cars. The main yard has limited capacity but includes a substantial yard lead, which I see as a must-have for an effective yard. Strathcona and Suville visually appear to be one single location but are two separate destinations for trains in operating sessions.
The benchwork consists of an open grid of 1 x 4 lumber with 1 x 4 risers for the roadbed. The roadbed is 1 ⁄2" plywood, and cork or poster board is installed on top before the track is installed. The elevation changes are minor, with a maximum grade of 2.5 percent.