Construction on hold

Until further notice, construction is on hold and the Richelieu Valley won't be present at Exporail 2011.

Benchwork Construction (3)

Pierre and Michel in front of the new fascia

After having put in the «I» beams, we proceeded to put on a fascia board. This is a base fascia put on for aesthetic and security reasons. There will be a permanent fascia of which the material is still to be determined, but it will have the Richelieu Valley look. The type of material will be determined on the base of how we are going to close off the base of the layout: curtains, sliding panels, etc. All to be determined.

The fascia that had been installed was painted the same olive green. The next step in the construction will be to apply styrofoam and start laying track. Please, stay tuned for more on the building of the Richelieu Valley.

Painted fascia and 1st parts of styrofoam

Updated track plan

Here is the updated track plan. Included is the Valley Junction portion at the bottom of the plan. Working is moving along very well. We will have more news on the benchwork very shortly. Something to look forward to.

Benchwork Construction (2)

The bases of the tables have been installed, now we need to prepare for arrival of the railroad. We decided on an “I” beam construction technique. Using the same 4x8 material (see part 1 for details) that was used to do the Benchwork, was also used to make “I” beams. “I” beams are made using 3 pieces of melamine screwed and glued. The length of the beams varied from 4ft to 8ft depending on the needs of the layout. On the photos you will notice that holes have been drilled prior to assembly to allow us to pass electric wires at a future date.

This type of assembly required time and organization, for once in place they will support the layout and would be almost impossible to move.

Each “I” beam uses 2.5 inch #6 screws specific for melamine. Please take note that in certain areas we had to add extra support to stabilize the structure. I can assure you that the structure is strong, we have had to climb on the layout more than once to get to certain areas.

Benchwork construction (1)

Once the space was ready, cleaned, painted, and electrified, etc. We started building the Benchwork for the layout. For starters we had to cut some supports. We took 4x8 sheets and cut them down to 6 inch strips. This simple method allowed us to build our structure. The material used in the construction of the benchwork was sourced from a local woodworking plant. The material we purchased (cheap) was some product that the manufacture could not use and would probably thrown out, remember one persons trash is another persons Benchwork, recycling in action.

As you can see above, we started by laminating several pieces together to add strength so they could support our I beam structure and eventually the finished layout. The legs holding up the structure are made of 4 inch diameter PVC pipe. The height at the lowest point in the layout was established at 48 inches, and having a builder among us we were able to use his laser level to establish a correct measurement, the floor not being all that even.

As you can see on the photo, we painted the Benchwork the same color charcoal as the base of the lower walls.

The end of the year

Here we are at the end of 2010. For the Richelieu Valley, it’s been a year of heavy construction. For those who attended the open house in 2009 and returned this year, were surprised by all the changes.

The Benchwork is done and track placement has started. The day the first trains begin to move is fast approaching and we are looking forward to that moment in time.

Claude is the master of the handlaid switch.

Luc can create sequoia’s in no time at all.

Louis is helping kids and older kids using the timesaver.

The open house on December 4th and 5th , brought many visitors and a large percentage of them found great interest in the workshops given by Claude on handlaid switches, and by Luc who showed us how to make evergreens.
We would like to thank all the visitors that came to visit with us, and for all the kind and encouraging comments. Young or young at heart be sure to join us at next years open house, we are sure you will be pleasantly suprised.

Open House December 4th and 5th, 2010

Come and join us just before Christmas. Come and see how much we have accomplished since our last open house, you may be surprised. Members of the club will be there to greet you, and answer any questions you may have about the developments that have occurred in a year and what will be. We hope to see you in great numbers, remember put it on your calendar the first weekend of December open house Richelieu Valley Railroad. Don't forget.

Pierre L.