Shoofly free-moN module - 3
2a-2b: A simple design, based on Armstrong’s sketch,
set in Sonoma, California (zoom in to study).
was my 2’x4’ Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout (see Model
Railroader for September 2012, and MRH March 2013), which
featured quite a few scratchbuilt wooden structures such as a
Howe truss bridge and causeway trestle, but not much room
for a shoofly scene.
So last year, when Steve Williams of the Silicon Valley Free-
moN group finally talked me into building a Free-moN module,
2a
I knew exactly what scene to create. The Free-moN focus on
a single mainline and realistic scenery and operations made a
shoofly a perfect candidate for a first module, especially since
I wouldn’t have to build a bridge (I was trussed out!), only a
bridge construction scene.
I decided to set “The Shoofly” in the Northern California's
Sonoma Wine Country because it is not only local and beauti-
ful, but also because I wanted to try my hand at making a vine-
yard, as well as the ubiquitous oaks that stand sentinel on the
green and yellow hillsides.
MRH-Nov 2013
