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Ontario Historic Ottawa Valley Logging and Mining

Travel back to the 1950s when steam and diesel rolled on the same tracks through Canada’s capital; logging and mining were the main industries and Ottawa featured a train station as part of its largest hotel.

This layout was inspired by a 1911 painting of Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier Hotel which depicts a train station on the lower level covered by a broad terrace and roadway. The train runs beside the historic Rideau canal locks that played a key role in helping Canada defeat the United States in the War of 1812 (true story). Head north; crossing the Ottawa River you quickly arrive in dense forest with early autumn showing the colours that will later blaze to full glory before being covered by up to 4 feet of snow. Logging, mining and even match making factories, await your exploration.

Inspiration also came from only remaining train water tower, in Barry’s Bay, and a restored log slide near Combermere. Today our family still enjoys the 1970 cottage that was built on Lake Kamaniskeg that allows us to take our boat up the Madawaska River to Combermere for ice cream.

Recommended Activities:
• Jump in the cab of the CPR Royal Hudson luxury steam train, ride north at speed 4 and watch the scenery unfold before you
• After you return to the station, find one switch that will allow the Royal to eventually return to the station traveling southbound on the same track
• Leave the Royal running clockwise and set the CPR F7 Canadian train at speed 4 to go north on the other main line track, so that the two trains eventually pass each other at some point going in opposite directions. Only the bridge crossing the Ottawa is a single line so timing is important to avoid a terrible crash
• One more switch change will let you re-coal the Royal at Bancroft on your way back to Ottawa
• After returning the Royal to the train station and the F7 Canadian train to the marshalling yard, time to get some work done
• Marshall two CN SW 1200’s near the hotel, pick up 3 empty flat cars, 4 ore hoppers and don’t forget the caboose
• Head north to find the logging clear cut turn off and swap the empty flat cars for the one full fo logs
• Bring the 3 full log cars to the sawmill crane and leave them for unloading
• Exchange the 4 hoppers for the Uranium containment cars and the box cars at the Faraday mine before returning the cars to the main marshalling yard
• Send out two more locomotives to retrieve 3 empty and 3 full lumber flat beds at the sawmill , btw BoCo warns the NG cars need special track but they seem to work ok IDK

I hope you enjoy the layout. Comments, especially encouraging ones are always appreciated.

Mods Featured in this layout:
Pain’s - A Train awesome CN SW1200’s – Recently released just in time for this layout
https://rollinglinemodding.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=872

Super Crane (sorry I don’t remember who built it) {LINK REMOVED}http://www.mediafire.com/file/576k1rneg1ai58q/Kran_alpha_v1.rar/file

William train777 Brown CN 3 Bay Hopper
https://rollinglinemodding.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=457&p=1441&hilit=hopper#p1441

BoCo’s new NG Flat Bed and NG Flat Bed with Lumber
https://rollinglinemodding.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=777&p=2464&hilit=boco#p2464

The last mod you need to get the mod and then add a CN Caboose Skin
Station Master SP Caboose (mods distributed by Ben Garner)
https://rollinglinemodding.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=508
CN Caboose Skin- (not sure where I got this skin, sorry)
https://rollinglinemodding.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=877&p=3176#p3176

For Reference:

Features that are now gone forever:
• E.B. Eddy Match Company – (Saw mill also but there is one in Palmer Rapids)
• Tram rail in front of Chateau Laurier Hotel
• Train bridge over Ottawa River
• Most of the rail lines

Features you can still visit/see:
• Chateau Laurier Hotel (train station is gone however)
• Rideau Canal Locks
• Barry’s Bay and Bancroft Train stations – both converted to tourist offices
• Arnprior Generating Station
• Crooked Slide Park
• Faraday Uranium Mine (closed)
• Parliament Hill and Canada’s Legislative Buildings (much nicer in RL than in the model)