Layout Tours

About
Each year the RMMBC committee selects a set of local layouts that are willing to host visitors. Layout selection is determined by attempting to keep them in reasonable proximity to each other and by finding new layouts as much as we can (or ones that we have not seen for some years).

When
The layout tour typically takes place the Friday evening of the in-person meet.
(Refer to the meet schedule for details).

How to Participate
Registration for the layout tour is part of the meet registration process. There is no extra charge for the layout tour but you must be registered.

The tour is self-driving. Detailed google map instructions will be provided. Car pooling is encouraged.

Willing to be a Layout Host
We are always interested in expanding our list of potential layout hosts. Your layout need not be “the world’s best layout”. Visitors tell us that they learn as much (sometimes even more) from seeing a layout in midst of completion as they do from visiting a “finished” layout.

Your layout can be any scale, can be large (fills a room) or small (fits on a shelf). Perhaps the only constraint is that your room or display area must be able to accommodate a reasonable number of visitors.

Most of our layouts are N or HO, so we are very interested in layouts in other scales.

If you are willing to consider hosting your layout, please contact our Layout Coordinator for information.

Layout Tours Overview 2026

We have attempted to keep driving distances between layouts reasonable.

Layout Descriptions

Matthew Buchanan – Vancouver Terminal Railway

The Vancouver Terminal Railway is situated on top of the wet bar in Matthew’s basement rec room. It has been slowly under construction for three years. It features a couple real life locations, Vancouver’s CP Waterfront station tracks, and the BC Sugar Refinery.

The layout is made up of three modules which can be taken out, with two more planned. It is in a point to point configuration, but he might install a lift out for continuous operation. For track it has one switch and a few pieces of flex track attached. Wiring has started, with a lot of track laying to come. There is one partially completed building and no scenery yet. 

He is looking forward to having the three modules connected by operating track by May and having a bit of scenery and some mocked up buildings.

Prototype

The Layout

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Marc Simpson – CN Hudson Bay RR Flin Flon Subdivision

A little background on the prototype

The Hudson Bay Railway (HBR), owned by Omnitrax and later the Northern Gateway Group, took over Canadian National’s lines to Flin Flon (Flin Flon Subdivision), Lynn Lake, Thompson and Churchill Manitoba in 1997. These lines were originally built to access northern Manitoba’s mineral wealth and forest products. The Flin Flon Subdivision was completed in 1928, the line to the Port of Churchill in 1929, Lynn Lake in 1953 and Thompson in 1958. Another line to Snow Lake was built in 1960 and abandoned in the late 1980’s.

Major traffic generators for the northern Manitoba lines include outbound concentrates and ingots from Flin Flon, Lynn Lake and Thompson, predominantly Copper, Zinc and Nickel. As well, inbound concentrates, mill and smelter supplies for the smelters and concentrators at these mining centers is shipped by rail. There are raw logs and chemicals going to, and finished wood and paper products coming from, The Pas lumber mill and pulp mill. 

Significant  grain traffic going to and grain empties coming from Churchill is seasonal, as grain is only shipped when the port in Churchill is ice free in the summer and fall. Fuel, LPG and other supplies to the various northern communities is shipped year round. As well Manitoba Hydro had several northern hydroelectric dams under construction or under renewal during the modeled time frame which added to the rail traffic mix.

Some of the last mixed trains in Canada continue to operate in northern Manitoba. In the layout’s time frame the Lynn Lake mixed, Snow Lake mixed and Churchill mixed trains were operating. As well there was RDC service to The Pas from Saskatoon.

Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting’s mine and smelter complex in Flin Flon was completed in 1929-1930. The plant and numerous mines in the area have been active ever since. HBM&S had an extensive railway system at the smelter and to the outlying mines, all operated with electric operations until the early 1970’s. Rebuilt steeple cab electric locomotives were used in slag haulage until 1999. Archbar trucks (many with roller bearings!) were in regular use under slag cars and wood bodied truss rod flatcars until 2008. There were many other anachronisms throughout the smelter operation, adding to its attraction from a modeling standpoint.

The Modelled Railway

The HO scale Hudson Bay Railway Flin Flon Subdivision is currently being constructed to represent the line between The Pas (southern terminus of the HBR) and Flin Flon, with particular focus on the mining and smelting operations of the HBM&S, circa 1981 to 1983. The early 1980’s timeframe is attractive as there was ample freight and passenger traffic from all northern areas, heavy reefer and refrigerator traffic to and from northern destinations, and significant railway facilities in The Pas. I have access to a sizable slide collection from that era to help with modelling. There is a lesser secondary focus on the Omnitrax operations between 1995-1999. 

A lower level five track staging yard is used to represent northern destinations (Lynn Lake, Thompson, Churchill) on the HBR system. Upper level staging will represent southern destinations (Canora, Winnipeg, etc.).  Upper level staging will be two tracks in the helix.

Prototype

The Layout

The Lower Deck

The Upper Deck

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Gordon Mitchell – BCS Grassland Sub

A little background on the prototype

The BCS is a freelance system, very much influenced by life experiences.  It reaches from the Vancouver Lower Mainland to Calgary, Spokane and the Okanogan.  It was formed by acquiring lines as other railways lost interest and it also built some of its own routes.  The Grassland sub was built to better compete with the big two between the Lower Mainland and Kamloops.  It roughly follows Highway 5A from Grassland Junction to South Kamloops.

The Layout Itself

The layout is 24’8” X 10’6”, HO scale in a former garage, accessed by stairs, and under construction since late 2021.  Track is ready made or hand laid.  Where possible, I have reused parts of previous layouts.  It has two levels and will have a third staging level.  The upper level is close to being able to host operating sessions.  The Nicola Sub will be visible for 65 feet.  The Grassland sub will take 180 feet to reach South Kamloops.  There will be three 20+ foot sidings.  The staging area will have seven up to 40 foot staging tracks plus two tracks for passenger trains and a reversing loop.  A continuous loop to loop route can be set for 410 foot run.  I estimate the layout will take a crew of six including an RTC.

The major yard is at Quilchena with smaller yards at Shumway and South Kamloops.  There are interchanges with the Capilano Western at Stump Lake and the CN and CP at South Kamloops.  South Kamloops traffic is mixed products whereas the rest of the line serves mining and forest products.  The main reason for the line’s continued existence is the paper mill at Shumway.  The main shop is at Quilchena with a minor facility at South Kamloops.  I think there will be around 400 cars on the completed layout. 

It is set some time in the 90’s or early 2000’s although I am sometimes replicating practices going back to the late 70’s or equipment that is after this era.  Car forwarding is by car cards.  Random distribution of common car types is done using a spread sheet, assigning appropriate car supply and loaded waybills.

The layout is DCC, with breaker districts.  I am working towards full CTC control, using Digitrax signalling equipment.  Until all my equipment has resistance axles and the signals are installed, I will use an Occupancy Control System also worked up from a spread sheet.

Let’s see how far I get by the time you visit!

Prototype

The Layout

Back to Layout Overview