Grand Hotel

[hecrowell]

Over the past few days, began work on the old Grand Hotel that served DAR passengers for many years. I have been able to get back to 1863 via some pictures I have but cannot determine when the structure was actually built. I do know however that it was demolished in 1967 to make way for the new Rodd Grand Hotel.
Here is a picture of the model as I have it in build mode.



Have placed it in my Yarmouth route as it is and it sure looks good to see that old familiar building and landmark again!

And - here is the completed version

[stem]

You've got a great eye for detail Harold. I can see that you;re getting better and better with each piece you build as well!

Here's a few shots that might help of the Hotel:
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... 1954_a.jpg
http://www.dardpi.ca/wiki/index.php?tit ... 1954_d.jpg

I know I've seen postards of the hotel going back to the 20's at least on eBay as well.

[Evangelineroute]

Harold,

Hope this helps:

"At the same time (1892), in Yarmouth, Mr. L. E. Baker, President of the Yarmouth Steamship Company, was promoting the building of the "Grand Hotel", hailed as "one of the finest hotels in the country."" (1)

The hotel was opened in 1894 (2) (July 1, I think). The Governor General and his party stayed at "The Grand" during their visit to Yarmouth later that summer.

You will recall that Baker was also a major shareholder and the first President of the Western Counties Railway. Both the WCR and the Yarmouth Steamship Company were absorbed into the DAR. The Grand remained under the control of local Yarmouth shareholders until at least 1927. (3)

The (new) Grand Hotel had been open less than one year when I stayed there in early November 1970...so I think your 1967 date is fairly accurate.

Our local library has a book with a fairly good description of the 1894 exterior of the building. Let me know if you would like that information.

Fred

(1) Woodworth Chapter XII, page 143

(2) Jay White NSARM

(3) 1927 Annual Report to Shareholders, Grand Hotel Limited

[hecrowell]

Hi Fred - sorry for the delay in replying and thank yopu very much for your comments and information - now I know when the "Grand" actually opened for business.

I would appreciate very much any information/images on how the old building looked waaaaaaaaaay back when I wasn't even thought of.

[Paul Charland]

Hi Harold,

Go to Google, select images and enter:

grand hotel yarmouth ns

This will produce a bunch of images and some will actually be for what you are searching for! There are a few old shots of the Grand Hotel, looks like some old postcards there as well. I do Google image searches for just about every model I've drawn, sometimes you get lucky and find a shot or two for the era you are modeling.

Paul

[stem]

Why didn't that dawn on me? I tried it and sure came up with some great shots!

[hecrowell]

That is exactly what I did some time ago to get the shots I needed to build this model. So many to chose from, I just picked a few and "did my thing" as closely as I possibly could.

By the way - I just finished the old Cosmos Cotton Co c/w smoking stack. The DAR Passenger service from the "Valley" was just entering the switchyard when I took this shot.



A better shot from within TSM

[stem]

Better and better every time I see it!

Will Paul be able to join what you've done already to his when he releases the next version?

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

Maybe... other then the hundred of miles of missing track between what I have and what Harold has, it may be possible to eventually connect the pieces together.

After all the pissing around I did to get the DAR and separate CN Bedford Subs joined I have a much better understanding of what needs to be done to get two routes together. First thing is to make a back up of both parts before doing anything else!

Paul

[stem]

Amen to backups!

I've had a lot of fun running the Halifax to Kentville section even if it doesn't have a scenerey yet. Even though the buildings aren't present, could it (and all the bare sections) be forested easily just to give it a little less moonscape effect or is that just a waste of time for you?

I understand Harold has the track laid up to Digby. Even if it doesn't actually connect it can still be included could it not?

Just a question from one who has never done a route so I don't know the answer to this.

[Paul Charland]

Hi Steve,

Here's my unofficial goals for my portion of the route.

Phase I

Finish the route to Windsor including about three or four miles north of Windsor to include both gypsum mines and a mile of track north of the Mantua mine so the mixed has a place to spawn. There would also be a mile east of Windsor for trains to spawn as well.

Phase II

Complete Windsor to Windsor Junction, plus a mile north and south of CN's Bedford Sub, and a mile of CN's Dartmouth Sub, enough for CN passenger and freight trains to spawn.

Phase III

Start heading south toward Annapolis Royal, and Harold. Annapolis Royal would be the complete Kentville Sub and I'm guessing a crew change point.

Windsor Junction to Halifax might be laid but when it comes to MS Trainsim is too much in too few tiles. In MSTS you are limited to 1500 objects per tile, the tracks alone in the Halifax Ocean Terminal/Station area are already at about 500 or so, add switchstands and bumpers and you hardly have anything left to try to represent a serious urban area. In real life you can easily see across Bedford Basin and Halifax Harbour and see Dartmouth... this is just a bit too far to see in MSTS. The other reason for not modeling Halifax is the time it takes for what you would get out of it operationally. The RDCs go into the station, sit for twenty minutes and head back out. Freights would head to the same small yard in HOT, switch the same cars to and from the same track, head back to Kentville... the same thing every time.

Might not be 100% prototypical but you could easily start or end a passenger activity while doing the Windsor Junction stop, and a freight activity could make the interchange at Windsor Junction and return to Kentville.

So... that's pretty much my game plan... I'd gladly trade the run into Halifax for a run through the Valley. Berwick, Kingston (Greenwood really), and Middleton would all offer good, daily switching, plus occasional at other locations.

Paul

[hecrowell]

Steve

Thought I had better establish where my part of the route under development presently ends...it is a village named Hectanooga. That is maybe only a third of the way to Digby. It was in my best interest to halt there and get that end of the line somewhat presentable before moving on. As far as paul being able to join on to my work at Annapolis Royal (when I get there) if he can't do it, then nobody can.

For future reference, I believe I will break my route into three phases:

Phase I - Yarmouth to Hectanooga

Phase II - Hectanooga to Weymouth

Phase III - Weymouth to Digby

Phase IV - Digby to Annapolis Royal

Seeing that not a lot of anything is between Hectanooga and weymouth except woods, a couple of small villages, brooks and lakes, I am hopeful I will be able to make good progress there.

Timeline on the phases? I dont have any idea right now..I am learning on the fly and my goal is to do the best that my ability allows in the most timely fashion. I am very hopeful that the good Lord spares me long enough to see my end connected to Paul's.

[stem]

Thanks Harold for the details on your end of the route. That's a great approach to break it into phases like that. Your progress is pretty amazing even though in retrospect you probably started at the hardest end. Never the less, once Yarmouth is completed you will have little problem belting out the rest at having learned so much and done so much. A lot of the structures will be very repeatable and probably none so large as the ones you've built for Yarmouth.

I look forward to each and every installment. I trust you'll be around for quite some time yet too!

[Evangelineroute]

Harold,

Unfortunately, our library no long has the book I mentioned in September, with a description of the exterior of The Grand. Sorry.

Fred