Getting Real Column - 3
most obvious potential area site was the long section of tan-
gent track on the Essex Junction side of the peninsula.
It quickly became obvious the best place for the Williams
Creek bridge was where I had started building a second river
crossing with a through truss bridge, a deep gorge, and lots
3. Here’s how this area of the layout appeared before
the background hills and trees were removed. The
Williams Creek section will end up just beyond the
truss bridge.
3
of trees. But this scene wasn’t looking quite right, and in fact
had sat “almost finished” for more than a year. I just couldn’t
seem to get the various elements to work. In other words,
I’d hit a creative roadblock (“Modeler’s Block” as opposed to
“Writer’s Block?”)
No matter what it’s called, a lack of progress due to such a
block is a sure sign something is amiss. In the end, it seemed
silly to have a complete scene sitting in the storage room
with a less-than-satisfying segment of the layout staring me
in the face.
The template showed the spot was just about the correct
width, and the scene could be dropped into place with only
some minor track rework. The installation of the bridge
section wasn’t quite that simple. After a long afternoon, I
4. After stripping the trees from the hills and removing
the hills themselves, I placed the Williams Creek tem-
plate in what will be its final position. Placing the bridge
fit well with the existing layout benchwork, and more
importantly, didn’t intrude on valuable aisle space.
4
MRH-Jun 2014
