On October 18, 2013, Gay Dubery slowly maneuvered her walker through the throng of reporters and local politicians that included her son-in-law Doug Craig, the long-time Mayor of Cambridge, Ontario. Always close by, Ginny handed her mother her cane and gently pushed the walker out of the way. Gay wanted to manage the last 20 feet or so without it and she clearly didn't want any help along the way. Ginny sighed and followed quietly behind her.
With his grandmother safely in place behind the red ribbon, Mike Craig handled the crowd as effortlessly as his father would. You could hear the pride in his voice as he introduced Gay and invited her to cut the thick, red ribbon in front of the layout. Gay struggled with the scissors that were clearly far less sharp than she was. Todd Cowan, Mayor of Woolwich lent a hand and the pieces of ribbon fell to the ground amidst cheers. This was the moment she had been waiting for for a very long time and her smile was a wonder to see. "Frank would be so, so proud," she said a few minutes later, grasping the handles of her walker with cold, frail fingers. "And to see his grandson up there...." She trailed off with a faint smile on her face as she pushed slowly by. Enough said.
Local politicians and grandson, Mike Craig (right), stand by as Gay Dubery cuts the ribbon at the opening of the St. Jacobs location.
An overview of the model railway taken from the control room.
Map of the layout.
St. Jacobs &Aberfoyle Model Railway
Facts and Figures
Total length of track: 2400 feet
Hand-laid track (by Frank Dubery): 1600 feet
Hand-made ties: 43,000 (27/foot)
Hand-made switches: 164
Structures on the layout: 150 (mostly scratch-built)
Scratch-built locomotives: 19 (11 built by Chuck Bard - 400 hours/locomotive)
Scratch-built passenger trains: 3 sets of CN, 2 sets of CPR (total of 56 fully-detailed cars built by Craig Webb - 45 hours per car)
Kit-built box cars and tankers: approximately 200
Trees: over 2000
Moveable pieces (cranes, turntables, etc.): 12
Cameras in ceiling: 31
Monitors in control room: 11
Wiring (#14 and #12)
50,000 feet in total
Wellington 12,000 feet
Kelso 12,000 feet
Westport 8,000 feet
CN Main 9,000 feet
CP Main 6,000 feet
Misc. 3,000 feet
Wiring for 8-Minute Night Scene
#18 wire 10,000 feet
Number of circuits: 64
Number of miniature lights: 400
EPILOGUE
After spending so many wonderful hours watching and getting to know the remarkable individuals at Aberfoyle Junction, I came away with the same sense of wonder and awe with which I started my journey. Looking back on my first impression of the layout in October 2011 in the decomposing Quonset building out on the side of Brock Road, I was overcome by so many emotions and, oddly, so many memories. It was as if the sound of the whistle in the still of Chuck's night scene had awoken a sleeping child inside. It was a magical experience and I could tell by the tears in the eyes of the strangers beside me that I was not the only one who felt it. An experience like that can be transformational.
I found myself wondering at the beauty of this little world, so much like our own, and yet so very, very different in the most fundamental of ways. Aberfoyle's world is about a single moment in time that goes on and on forever — a moment when everything is precisely as it should be. There are no planes flying into the sides of skyscrapers or car bombs going off in the streets. This is a peaceful, magical moment where everything is under control and everyone is absolutely, intrinsically safe. Could that have been the impetus behind the model railway's creation? To produce a miniature world where the most pressing problem encountered is parallel parking?
One day at the layout, I asked Chuck this very thing. I shared my thoughts about the World Trade Center and how, if a miniature plane were ever to fly through the skies above Aberfoyle Junction and crash into one of the buildings, that building could simply be brushed off, glued back together, and the little people put back onto the top floors to carry on with their make-believe day. I asked him if the need to have absolute control over this one aspect of their lives was why the group had set about to create this moment in time. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and said, "Well, I suppose. But you could never have buildings as tall as the World Trade Center here. If you did, they would go right up through the ceiling tiles." And he pointed to the ceiling and explained to me again about scale and gauge and I realized my opportunity had passed — if it had ever been there at all.
Then there is the mystery of the woman standing behind the window of the model of Craig's small Hamilton bungalow that he constructed for the tiny subdivision of Willow Grove. I have often found myself wondering who she is and what she might be staring at. Her hands are at her sides; she has a soft, almost resigned expression on her face. And then it occurred to me, not for the first time, that I am the one creating stories. Perhaps the window just looked too bare and Craig thought adding a figure would create some interest. I only got a shrug and a smile when I asked him directly.
There is the miniature wedding party at the side of Craig's exquisite model of the King George V Hotel. The group are just about to go in for the evening's celebration. They are a joyful bunch, you can almost hear them clambering up the stairs. Chuck and Gwen were married in 1957, but when I ask if the miniature couple is meant to be them, they both look at me genuinely confused for a moment and then Gwen says, "Well, we thought a wedding party would be fun to put there, but I suppose it could be us."
Wayne is far more interested in movement, in the actual running of the trains. While he enjoys the stories on the layout, he would much rather be up in the control room hitching and unhitching, entertaining the crowds and the young children who run from one side of the layout to the other following the path of his trains. I get another bemused look when I ask about the magic surrounding the train tracks.
Sometimes when I am slowly wandering past Eastport Beach or getting lost in the wonderland of the city of Wellington, Frank Dubery's presence is so strong, so powerful I can almost see him there, bent over the track, a look of intense concentration on his face as he studies the thin rails for any tiny imperfection. I imagine if I could ask him the same questions I asked the others he would only look up at me and smile before going back to his work. Perhaps he is the only one who really knows.
After the honour of spending time with this unique and wonderful group of artists, it occurred to me that each of them are very similar in character to the trains they have spent a lifetime modelling. Trains by their very nature follow a set of tracks. They don't veer off, abandon the journey, or decide to go somewhere else. They don't get lost along the way. You can depend on them. They are one of the few things in life designed in such a way that they won't let you down. A train is like a promise.
It was a twist of fate that brought this remarkable group together, each with their unique talent, energy and goal for the layout that resulted in the magic of the St. Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway. Chuck, Gwen, Craig, Wayne and Gay certainly don't seem to think a deeper explanation is necessary, and so I often wonder why I do. Perhaps I have been trying to define the indefinable. Perhaps it is enough to stand back in wonder and take it all in while we can.
The Story of St Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway Page 5