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Model Railroading
as a living, interactive and interpretive medium
A series of miniature interpretive, interactive and operating displays
with moving trains and historically accurate models showing the more
significant eras of rail development in the city and the region will have
educational and entertainment value to residents of the region and
to visitors that could be attracted from all over North America.
 It
also brings to life the past, present and future of the area and how
the railway served in the past and continues to serve in the present
as a major catalyst in economic prosperity.
It is estimated that there are 500,000 railway modellers and
hobbyists on the continent. In addition, there are thousands of rail
fans and railway historians that are attracted to good quality model
exhibits. And children are always attracted to trains.
 A
representative layout could be done in as little as 1,500 sq. ft.
but a minimum of 3,500 sq. ft. would be necessary to make it
world-class and a viable tourist attraction.
A multi-scale, multi-era, 3,500 sq. ft. (or more) historical model
rail museum is rare on this continent and practically non-existent
in Canada.
Model railroading has evolved from toy trains aimed primarily for
children to a replication or representation of real railroads for
adults. As a result, the hobby has developed with increasing
accuracy in trains themselves to structures and scenery.
 The
most popular rail modelling size is HO or 1:87 scale
(max. car height 3.5"). It developed initially in the 1930s for
hobbyists wanting a less toy-like train system. At least half of
modellers work in that size partly because it offers a good
compromise between having reasonable detail plus the ability to
model an interesting layout in a relatively small space and as a
result there is a wide variety of supplies available at a reasonable
cost.
Some modellers use a modular system that can interconnect with other
modules made by other modellers using the same standard. The Alberta
Central Historical Model Rail Project proposes using the Freemo modular
system for part of the ultimate exhibit which could be expanded easily during meets or conventions
with modules from all over Alberta and beyond.
 The
second most popular size is N or 1:160 scale (max. car height 2")
which developed in the 1970s. It's primary advantage is that much more railroad
can be created in
much less space making longer trains and spectacular scenery
possible. It is anticipated that a portion of the Alberta Central
Historical Rail Project will be in N scale, part of which may also
be modular using a system such as oNeTrack.
An even smaller model size is Z or 1:220 scale (max. car height
1.5") developed in the 1980s. Very recently, an even smaller size
has been created.
On the other end of the spectrum, larger than HO, is O or 1:48 scale (max. car height 6.5")
considered best for
really detailed modelling but requires considerable space to run
trains.
 Larger
still is G (Garden) or 1:22.5 scale which may also be
represented as part of the historical model rail project as part of an atrium or garden setting.
There are
also larger scales, best suited for outdoor railways and capable of
carrying passengers including 1-1/2" Live Steam (1:8). A
replication of Jubilee 3001 'The Chinook' may be done in this scale
rather than full size if the full size replication is proven to be
impractical or far too costly.
To make the historical model rail project truly interesting and attract the greatest range
of visitors, various parts of the project would be built in
different scales and changed annually.
Some of the miniature replications would be quite massive but very
impressive if recreated exactly to scale.
The ACR/CPR Mintlaw steel trestle
over the Red Deer River would be 13' long in N scale and 22' long in HO
scale.
The
former downtown Red Deer CPR railyards, if recreated exactly, would
need 24' in N scale and that would not include the lead track and
the bridge across the Red Deer River. In HO scale, the yard would
need a length of about 42'.
Although some selective compression may be necessary to model any extensive rail facility,
the goal is recreate an area as accurately as possible, including
other historic buildings in proximity that represent architecture of
the period.
Complimenting the operating model railroad displays would be dioramas,
local railroad memorabilia, historic photographs, videos and other
interpretive displays either within the model museum itself or in
another part of the overall complex.
A necessary component of the project is a workshop area for working
on future displays and for hands-on seminars about various aspects
of model building and heritage preservation that would be
particularly educational for youth.
Other
world-class model rail museums
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