SUMMERSIDE - As the train chugs through Stevenville, the engineer feels tempted to get off and stay awhile.
His mouth waters thinking of a tasty burger from Banjo Bob's bar and grill. He could catch the latest Bogart flick at Loew's Theatre. He wouldn't even mind helping that couple he spots changing a tire on this sunny afternoon.
But instead, he must pick up a car from Picard Packers. Then it's on to Derwin's Drop, Kenville, right to Chappellton.
It's a busy day on the railway even though it's only in Scott Jay's basement.
"My imaginary world," Jay calls it. "This is where I spend a lot of evenings."
Bayside and Tidewater railway runs in a 12-ft. by 31-ft. room in this Summerside home. A middle wall basically cuts the room in half. The train leaves Bayside Yard on the near side of that wall, circles the room counterclockwise and eventually ends up on the opposite side of the wall.
Along the way, the train passes by communities, industries from forestry to fish processing, miniature people going about their business, wooded areas and railyards.
"It's the challenge of recreating something that looks real in a smaller space," Jay explains.
He hand-painted the tiny bricks on the Picard Packers headquarters in Stevenville. Chemical Hazard Inc. in Derwin's Drop boasts a property where little green grows (apparently their disposal practices are questionable). His Jay Forest Products sawmill in Kenville has little wooden logs and a man working hard to shovel sawdust.
Spruce and fir trees near the mill have been crafted from wooden dowels, scratched and painted to look like trunks, and greenery made from painted furnace filter.
"It's been years doing scenery and finishing touches," Jay says. "I am still not done of those finishing touches. I probably never will be."
Brian Chappell, whose railway boasts a barge system to take cars across to an island, enjoys the camaraderie of the hobby.
"Everybody wants to help everybody make theirs better," says the Summerside man.
Jay and Chappell participate in a local railroaders group where meetings don't just involve watching trains go around. They actually simulate real freight operations, by following work instructions about what cars need to go where.
Fellow member Derwin Cole, whose own track in Spring Valley features a river scene and communities named after son Ashton (Ashtown) and wife Shelley (Shellville), says operating the track brings a sense of calm.
"Just the sound of it running around is kind of soothing or relaxing. Mellows me out. Some people have a cigarette. I use trains."
Check out the model railways
Public show
Maritime Federation
of Model Railroaders
- Saturday, May 23
- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club
- $3 per person
- 10 and under free
- More than a half-dozen model railroads.
- Couple of railway museum exhibits.
- Vendors
Check out these railway blogs:
Scott Jay: www.bs-and-t.com
Derwin Cole: www.canadislerail1.blogspot.com
Brian Chappell: www.theneverdonerailway.blogspot.com
