Today, I started some more modeling on my On30 mini layout of the 1920 Haitian Sugar Train.
I have been working on the rural Leogoane section. After the completion of the Rhum distillery I thought I should focus on a little more salvation than damnation.
My good friend Father Andre Augustin is the Pastor of a Parish with outlying Chapels in the area of Ranquitte Haiti. Here are some photos of the St Paul's Chapel in the Haitian hinterland.
It is a nice simple structure and I have been setting in the footprint of the model I will make of this Chapel with the selective compression I have used on all the structures of this small layout.
Taking cues from the prototype pictures earlier I proceeded to build up the interesting side steps to the St Paul's Chapel.
Then I proceeded to paint a light brown/yellow similar to the painted concrete in the photos.
This foundation will be planted in to the existing scenery next and then the Chapel itself will be constructed.
I found some Arttista figures of Catholic Priests and should be fun to juxtapose these good folks with the guys working in the Rhum Distillery next door.
I have been able to do a little more work on the mini layout. The concrete foundation and stairs to St Paul's Chapel have been "planted" in the scenery.
The styrene structure is started and test fitted. Really compressing the structure to fit in the tight space.
I had to trim some of the jungle back to get the building nestled in place.
Tight clearances mean that when the sugar train rumbles by it is going to wake up anyone dozing at the sermon after a hard work week.
I have been doing a little more work on the mini this nice long Thanksgiving weekend.
The St Paul's Chapel project continues to slowly evolve. I did use photos from the Internet to make the ornamental concrete windows for ventilation.
I think it does look pretty close to the prototype.
I realized that the trim pieces,doors and windows on the prototype were either poorly painted or not at all.
I am trying to replicate this look on the model.
Eventual weathering and dry brushing will also enhance this detail.
A rural parish in Haiti is lucky to collect $50 US a month from its Sunday collections. That is why the main church buildings and outlying chapels always appear unfinished or in need of repair.
OK so ROOFING plan A just did not work or look right so it was time for plan B.
Here is St Paul's Chapel with the correctly scaled corrugated metal.
Looks like they are just starting to cut cane. Sugar cane once cut deteriorates rapidly and that is why rail roads are needed to this day to get the cane to the mill quickly.
Getting very heavy barrels of rum to the wharf at Port au Prince required a heavy duty flat car. The stock On30 B.mann flat was cut down to 15 feet in length and 5.5 width to negotiate the streets of the city and the tight curves out in the countryside.
The rum will be offloaded on to a ship for transport north to thirsty American and English customers.
Maybe it will add a kick to a favorite Christmas beverage.
After an electrical misadventure that had 220 volts going to my train shed (a very embarrassing story for another time) my electrical control of the mini layout was fried.
I took the plunge and got a Digitrax Zephyr to power the layout in DCC. My very first non- DC layout. It has worked very well. I just got this decoder equipped Porter off Amazon.com as a Christmas gift. I am amazed at how smooth these new offerings run.
I am looking forward to getting some DCC sound going. I am looking at the Digitrax "Sound Bug" to put in a trailing tender to bring a few steam engine sounds to the layout.