Howdy, folks. There was a thread last week on the clip from September 10's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" about WNEP TV's Talkback segments. At the end of the clip, he introduces "an almost irresponsibly large (train layout) for their backyard weather reports. Mr. Oliver offered it to the TV station. The layout he showed is not suitable to go outside, so people in the area scrambled to find a suitable location. That location is the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum in Scranton, PA. In less than a week, the parts arrived. Today, September 20, we assembled it with help from the people who built it in the first place. It was really intended as an over-the-top prop, and was meant to go in a dumpster. But, with people taking it seriously, we jumped on the idea. Here are some of my photos of the work session.
The layout was cut up and broken into so many parts, it seemed like it could not be put back together.
Bit by bit, it came together. The arched item is a simulation of the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, which is in Nicholson.
As many modelers know, there is a lot of styrofoam involved in the layout, and it is pretty durable to stand on.
We see them installing the waterfall feature in the one corner of the layout.
There is a waterfall feature on the layout, which is being installed here
PJ Carlessimo's face surrounds the tunnel. John Oliver called him the most famous Scrantonian. OK.
The orange foam was inserted in all of the cracks to seal up the whole.
The man on the left is Clem Ojevich, who is instrumental in the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society. He also plans the Pennsylvania Garden Railway meet in February at the Trolley Museum.
This is Roy Pauli. He and a few others of us panted over the foam in order to blend the cut up parts together.
The crown goes on, and buildings are going on the layout.
Two of Scranton's famous buildings on the layout.
Putting the trains in place. On the TV segment, the layout rotates. It will not when it is open for public viewing over this coming weekend.
