Hello from Kootenays/BC

[rentren]

And hello from that part of Kaslo/BC where the old K & S left its traces.
After long period of inactivity I return to railway modelling. Had a little Z-scale 'empire', exhibit some Bemo RhB beneath the RhB calendar, and now into G scale. My current computer desktop image tells some but when it comes to scale, I actually have 2 1/2 ft or 760mm gear running and the line is a never completed connection between North Tyrol (Landeck) and the Engadine (Scuol/Schuls-Tarasp) and for good measure I invent a junction 'Ramosch da suot' from which trains could connect to South Tyrol (Mals/Malles).
A scant 130 sqft beneath a deck makes for a beginning. The yard tho' is sizeable ...next year!
Greetings -- rentren/Renard

 

[Rhinochugger]

Hello and welcome. You'll find a few Rhb fans here.

The K&S is new to me, as an Fn3 modeller, I've been trying to find some pictures.

 

[rentren]

Hello and welcome. You'll find a few Rhb fans here.

The K&S is new to me, as an Fn3 modeller, I've been trying to find some pictures.

Check this in wikipedia for a start and here.
Informative book (out of print but used ...expensive) The Skyline Limited. K&S was 3ft and didn't make it very long. CP acquired parts and added some and until ca. 1952 there was a rail link Kaslo-Three Forks-New Denver-Nakusp. All that's left from the old mining engendered 'days of glory' is the Kootenay Lake sternwheeler 'Moyie' as Heritage site in Kaslo.
I walked the line from the summit lakes on Hwy 31A to New Denver. The spectacle at Payne Bluff is considerably less these days as the forest has much regrown.
Various places with track left behind (hard to get it down!). Sandon at the end of competing narrow gauge and standard gauge is a rather sad sight these days. The upper end at Cody is barely recognizable. There was a very nice bridge just before Cody (can't access BCARS BC archive at this time).
At the Moyie Heritage Site there's a model Nn3 of Kaslo Bay and rail climbing at 3.25% onto the Upper Kaslo plateau where I'm at). Decades ago exhibited in Calgary with a friend an attempt at the Sandon situation with both K&S (Z scale) and CP (N scale) end stations. It's an attractive setting and a rough history (CP shed pulled down with cable to K&S locomotive and down she comes ...)
Best -- rentren

 

[Rhinochugger]

Check this in wikipedia for a start and here.
Informative book (out of print but used ...expensive) The Skyline Limited. K&S was 3ft and didn't make it very long. CP acquired parts and added some and until ca. 1952 there was a rail link Kaslo-Three Forks-New Denver-Nakusp. All that's left from the old mining engendered 'days of glory' is the Kootenay Lake sternwheeler 'Moyie' as Heritage site in Kaslo.
I walked the line from the summit lakes on Hwy 31A to New Denver. The spectacle at Payne Bluff is considerably less these days as the forest has much regrown.
Various places with track left behind (hard to get it down!). Sandon at the end of competing narrow gauge and standard gauge is a rather sad sight these days. The upper end at Cody is barely recognizable. There was a very nice bridge just before Cody (can't access BCARS BC archive at this time).
At the Moyie Heritage Site there's a model Nn3 of Kaslo Bay and rail climbing at 3.25% onto the Upper Kaslo plateau where I'm at). Decades ago exhibited in Calgary with a friend an attempt at the Sandon situation with both K&S (Z scale) and CP (N scale) end stations. It's an attractive setting and a rough history (CP shed pulled down with cable to K&S locomotive and down she comes ...)
Best -- rentren

I'd found the Wiki entry, but the other site has some interesting pictures. So is Kaslo on a river, did the SS Moyie ply a river or a large lake?

 

[rentren]

I'd found the Wiki entry, but the other site has some interesting pictures. So is Kaslo on a river, did the SS Moyie ply a river or a large lake?

The lower part of Kaslo is on the delta of the Kaslo River where it issues into Kootenay Lake. The summit of BC Hwy 31A features some small lakes (almost swallowed by the violet road line) which was also the summit for the K&S which kept the level and thus ran ever higher above the valley which leads to New Denver on Slocan Lake.
Not to upset © feelings, here's Open Street Map with terrain indication for Kaslo-Sandon, GooMap terrain is better.

 

[Rhinochugger]

The lower part of Kaslo is on the delta of the Kaslo River where it issues into Kootenay Lake. The summit of BC Hwy 31A features some small lakes (almost swallowed by the violet road line) which was also the summit for the K&S which kept the level and thus ran ever higher above the valley which leads to New Denver on Slocan Lake.
Not to upset © feelings, here's Open Street Map with terrain indication for Kaslo-Sandon, GooMap terrain is better.
View attachment 272251

OK, so weren't that far away when we came through on the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff

 

[rentren]

OK, so weren't that far away when we came through on the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff

Closest to Kaslo (wrt road connections) would be Revelstoke (big CPR yard, museum too) and another ferry ride across Galena Bay, all in all about 4 hrs (car).

 

[Paul M]

Welcome to the forum, there's plenty of Canadian folk already on here, what part of Canada do you come from?

 

[rentren]

The West, BC to be more precise, but BC is large, so, the Kootenays. That'd be more or less along the other highway, not TCH but the Crowsnest route in the south, Hwy 3.
The area sported all sorts of rail developments 100+ years ago and then beginning in the seventies a lot of chop-chop, Kettle Valley & Coquihalla, Great Western, Slocan. Today only traffic to Trail (smelter). The triangular station of Castlegar looks a sad amputee. K&S, Kaslo & Slocan, long gone (except some roadbed at the western edge of our yard).
OTOH and across the Atlantic into the Alps, some lines planned and never built like linking Lower Engadine with North Tyrol (Landeck, Austria) or South Tyrol (Mals/Malles, Italy). That'd be closer to where I originally come from while the Kootenays is where I'm at these days.

 

[idlemarvel]

Welcome on board. I like your back story to accommodate your favourite railways.

I was due to visit your neck of the woods on a vacation to the Canadian Rockies in May, but that got canned due to the dreaded Covid-19. :-(

 

[Paul M]

The West, BC to be more precise, but BC is large, so, the Kootenays. That'd be more or less along the other highway, not TCH but the Crowsnest route in the south, Hwy 3.
The area sported all sorts of rail developments 100+ years ago and then beginning in the seventies a lot of chop-chop, Kettle Valley & Coquihalla, Great Western, Slocan. Today only traffic to Trail (smelter). The triangular station of Castlegar looks a sad amputee. K&S, Kaslo & Slocan, long gone (except some roadbed at the western edge of our yard).
OTOH and across the Atlantic into the Alps, some lines planned and never built like linking Lower Engadine with North Tyrol (Landeck, Austria) or South Tyrol (Mals/Malles, Italy). That'd be closer to where I originally come from while the Kootenays is where I'm at these days.

If better look at a map of Canada

 

[dunnyrail]

Welcome to the forum, lots to see and learn on here.

 

[PhilP]

Welcome to the Forum!
I didn't understand much of that, so went away, got the atlas (paper! ) and did a little reading..
Now a little better educated..

 

[dunnyrail]

If my Google Earth search got the right place I reckon “Skookumchuck” that was quite nearby would be a great name for a Station.

 

[rentren]

Some to reply after a night's sleep and across the Atlantic it's roughly tea time. The Central and West Kootenays are GMT -8, the East Kootenays are GMT -7 as is neighbouring Alberta.

To facilitate orientation and gain a sense of the size of it all, two maps. When I came to the BIG place (Canada) from the small place (Switzerland) 50 years ago, I took the train from Montreal to Toronto and then from TO to Edmonton/AB with a last leg by Greyhound south to Calgary. On the ride south along Alberta Hwy #2 I thought every bunch of Grain elevators drawing over the horizon to be the few high rises of Calgary (pop. then 400k). Meanwhile grain elevators have all but disappeared and Calgary sports a good number of high rises and about 1.5M people. Kaslo pop 1000.

Anyway, I came away with an idea of 'vast'. I hope it's not totally uncouth to plonk goodly sized illustrations in along with text (source Open Street map with my additions in red).

The vast


Still big.
You can fit all of Switzerland between Calgary/AB the Okanagan (cities Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon on the map)

 

[rentren]

If my Google Earth search got the right place I reckon “Skookumchuck” that was quite nearby would be a great name for a Station.

First: WOW! What an empire you have! And that Mallet would do nicely to pull my Engadine Express.
Then, right, Skookumchuck makes for a very attractive station name. Aside from native languages the railway builders left some nice ones too like Craigallachie and my first challenge was to get that Scottish term right, it's not Craygle Akie . It's the place of 'the last spike' in the CPR epic across the Rockies and thru several mountain chains more out to Vancouver.
And then I will try a movie from the modesty of my 132sqft.

 

[JimmyB]

Hi Renard, and welcome to the forum, nice to have somebody from West Canada on the boards

 

[rentren]

Thanks again for all the welcomes and now for one of many 'first problems'. Power packs.

The first thing I have a problem with are electrical measures.
From earlier times I still have two MRC power packs, 1300 and 1370. LGB and modellers talk of Watt and minimal/recommended wattage but MRC powerpacks do not give such a figure. OTOH I find “Output” 7VA or 18VA respectively and both power packs deliver 15VDC. I don’t understand how these measures relate or can be converted from VA to the Watt. (Obviously, needs a model railroad power 101 lecture!) Is one or both of these power packs suitable for G scale engines? And what, for the sake of interest, is the wattage relating to the MRC 1370? Do I need a meter to see the actual 'draw' (or whatever the right word) because there is only a maximum wattage which can be given under a certain load for the loco?

So, the second problem, are these power packs suited for G scale at all?
There are two 0-4-0 units (Stainz, steam tramway) and the third unit, Zillerthalbahn 0-6-2’s and its usual train is made up of four 4-axel and one 2 axel cars, and I run it at times with a double motor unit (steam eangine, powerd coal car or a pusher) and a ’sound car’. - Am I due for entirely different equipment (DC, DCC is far away at this time along with much else)?

Thirdly, of course I tried.
The 1300 seems to cut out after a while to protect it’s circuitry, I guess, the 1370 so far did not interrupt power delivery. And then, what would happen to the power packs should I connect them both to one and the same trackage? And lastly, no, I do not plan to power a very few switches from either of these power packs but use a thrid one for AC accessories.

OTR: I mused a bit about a name for my 'mythical' RR (mythical because both grandfathers were connected to RR, RhB in particular). Well, how about leaving it at LGB and the acronym stands for Landeck Graubünden Bahn, the link never built between Tyrol and the Grisons (and never mind 760mm like Zillertal or 1000mm like RhB). It's my 'mythical' train, right?!
Yes, that's closed cell underlay which disgraces my train world. I need time, lots of. And the coal car is very roughly readied from a damaged Playmobil unit.

 

[Paul M]

VA = Volts X Amps which is power (Watts)
So it looks like 0.5 & 0.8 Amps, but that doesn't seem quite right

 

[PhilP]

Lies to children:
'VA' and 'Watts' are the same thing.. - I know, see line 1, but for this exercise it will do.

SO: - the Math..

Small pack 15V x some-Amps = 7VA (we are calling Watts)

re-arrange this; some-Amps = 7 / 15 (roughly 0.5) so your small power-pack will give about 0.5Amps - Not enough!

Big pack 15V x some-Amps = 18VA

Re-arrange this; some-Amps = 18 / 15 so this power-pack will give about 1.2Amps - Better!


Your bigger power-pack will run a single-motor loco.. It will get warm, and might eventually get warm enough it will cut-out.
But hey! It is what you presently have, so enjoy with small loco's, short trains, and for limited running sessions.


You really need more of everything!
More Volts, will give you a better top-speed..
More Amps, will allow you to run longer trains, or loco's with more than one motor..
Example: Any USA Trains big diesel, will easily pull 2.5-3 Amps, before you turn the smoke on.

PhilP.