Installing Maastrecht's Mill and some roads.

The problem with Maastrecht's Mill is that there was not a space for it on the layout. Logically, it would fit best near water. The only place with running water on the layout is in the Canyon, but the scenery is arider. Not the place you expect to find a flour mill.

The most logical spot was the corner of the layout near Cass and the Sawmill. There was a little wooded hill that rises into the backdrop. Trees could be cut down and space made for the mill. But there was no water. So this site was chosen. After a little thought, I was able to create a little creek in front of the mill for the water from the wheel to drain into to make the mill a better fit.

Unfortunately, this location did not allow for the mill to be serviced by the railroad like Ben King's original model was. However, I made a little road from the mill to the town of Cass and placed a wagon outside the mill to be loaded.

The chosen corner. The little cabin will have to go...

The hillside has been cleared and part of the hillside has been excavated. A wagon road has also been carved toward the left.

The overall completed scene.

Another wagon road was created further along coming out of the forest. This road helped connect the little town of Cass with the sawmill, which is a stone's throw away. Truth be told, I don't have many grade crossings (railway crossings) on the layout. Creating this little road gives me a reason to blow the whistle a bit more.

To help with the illusion that the railroad is the connector of towns and people, the roads don't link to the other towns on the layout.

The scenery went faster than I expected and was mostly completed over two work sessions. The little hillside all along the backdrop was re-grassed using static grass, the trees were replanted. I weeded out the poorly built trees as I didn't need as many now the Mill was taking up some ground.

It has been summer here in New Zealand and I've enjoyed the wildflowers on our families travels. I decided to model some wildflowers in this scene using the Woodland Scenics product. I've mainly used red, orange and yellow flowers in the long grass to bring a little colour.

The road to Maastrecht's Mill. The creekbed is visible to the right of the tracks. The photo was taken before the resin water was poured.

Overall I'm pleased with how the model fits into the scene. All that is left to do now is to connect up the water wheel to the power.