WM Western Lines Engineering Report

[wm3798]

The Public Works Department up in Cumberland was hard at work today laying out Baltimore Street and environs.  I'm using a benchwork technique I experimented with down at the Delmarva Club, which worked out pretty well.



I start with a masonite framework that follows the street grid.  Since there's a lot of railroading going on below decks, I'm limited to how many risers I can use.  Don't want to block access to the staging level or the flying hidden siding on the Connellsville line.  By establishing the location and grade of the streets, I can accomplish that, as well as use the cut outs as the foundations for the city blocks.


The above shows the basic configuration of the buildings on the rectangular block against the backdrop.  With the foundation in place, I can use shims to elevate each building slightly to have them properly climb the grade. 

I made the main drag a total of 4" wide, which happily is the exact size of the styrene vertical window blinds I accumulated for the finished paving.  This allows two traffic lanes, two parking lanes, and enough "lip" to support the sidewalks, which will be attached to the block modules.



I also solved the riddle of how to get Baltimore Street to disappear at the back of the scene.


On the north end of town, the old B&O Grafton line crosses Wills Creek, several roads and the WM on the City Viaduct.  It's a crumbly old concrete affair with broad arches.  Rummaging around in the junk box, I came across this plaster tunnel portal I've had for at least 30 years...



So now I have a one-arch homage to the great viaduct...  This is in the back, and will be surrounded by urban clutter, so I'm hoping it just blends in nicely with its environment.



The next piece of business will be bracing this off with some risers, then I can start working on the city blocks in earnest.
Until then!
Lee

[MVW]

Vertical window blinds! Haven't heard that one before ... but it sounds like a great idea.

Lee, is that a common source for roads (or styrene) I've just never run across before, or something you dreamed up at the ReStore?

(Always enjoy the updates, BTW.)

Jim

[sizemore]

Lee

*drool*

The S.

[wm3798]

Jim,
I work at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, so I see all kinds of material come through that piques my interest as a modeler.  We took in a whole pile of vertical blinds a few months ago, not the fancy type you'd have in a home... those are usually textured or covered with fabric.  These are the cheesy kind you'd see in a government office.  The strips are an off-white styrene, 4" wide, and the set I got were 48" long.

I could almost use them with just a little weathering and some scribed expansion joints to make concrete pavement.

Again, given the depth of this part of the layout, the best part is I can paint and otherwise prep the pavement off site, then install it in place.  I'll try to pop some pictures of the paving material tonight or tomorrow.  But for now, it's off to the ReStore to see if I have any other fun stuff for the layout!

Lee

[wm3798]

Resetting the ReStore has been keeping me on the go the last few days, but I've been able to get a little bit of tinkering time in.  I've been working on painting the new buildings for Cumberland...  Here's a little progress report...

Before:


And After:


A couple of more touch ups, and this one will be ready for some lighting.

Lee

[MichaelWinicki]

I like the color combination.

I was going to ask if you were going to show any mortar lines but it appears the orginal building doesn't show any.

[wm3798]

I may throw a dark wash over it.  Not all mortar is white or tan, you know!!

It would be nice if the brick detail around the arch was a little more refined, but this will be tucked back in a block about 3' from the aisle, so I'm not losing sleep over it.  I even detailed the windows, even though the building will be wedged in between two others.

Lee

[MichaelWinicki]

I may throw a dark wash over it.  Not all mortar is white or tan, you know!!

It would be nice if the brick detail around the arch was a little more refined, but this will be tucked back in a block about 3' from the aisle, so I'm not losing sleep over it.  I even detailed the windows, even though the building will be wedged in between two others.

Lee

Correcto about mortar not having to be white or tan.

I've looked at a lot of brick buildings around here and there's a great many where you can't easily see the mortar. 

[wm3798]

The sign of a true artisan when it comes to brick laying...

[wm3798]

In between leaning on their brooms and taking coffee breaks, the Cumberland Highway Department continued its good work today, completing the subroadbed for Baltimore Street, as well as installing the real estate needed for the Western Maryland Station.  This also included establishing the line of U.S. 48, which will cross much of the scene on a bridge...



This overview shows the scene west of the station, with Baltimore Street, the concrete flood channel for Wills Creek, and the station laid in.  You can also see some minor progress back at Hinshaw Bridge, where I've extended some foam downstream a little. 

I'm using the sheets of plastic salvaged from a cheap set of vertical blinds.  They're exactly 4" wide, perfect for a main street with two traffic lanes and two parking lanes.  The sidewalks will overlap the outside edges to clean up the overall look.

Also, I'll be adding a road on top of the blue foam in the foreground that runs along the west bank of Wills Creek.  It'll be handy for my little kid visitors who like to push automobiles back and forth.



This overview gives you a better look at the plastic sheet.  Once I have it painted, I'll install it on the masonite frame with some spray adhesive.  You can see the station is a little worse for wear.  I started that almost 8 years ago, if you believe the photo uploads.  I'm going to try to rehab it so it's at least the right shape for placement purposes, and hope that something better comes along.



This view shows the entire scene, including the "cross town bridge" carrying US48 (now I-68) across the background industries, the station tracks, and the creek.  Again, a single slice of vertical blind provides for 4 lanes of high speed traffic quite comfortably.

Tomorrow I'm going to finish a couple of lingering track wiring issues around the glass plant and the station tracks, then I can go full tilt making this installation more precise and permanent from below.

Lee

[Philip H]

So Lee, are ya gonna put in the hairpin exit ramp from 48/68 to street level after crossing the crick?

[wm3798]

I toyed with the idea, but I'm don't think I'll have room for it.  I'll put up a big green sign to indicate that the ramp is just off stage...

Lee

[DKS]

Looking great, Lee. Small suggestion: try tapering the roads slightly narrower as the recede in the distance to add a little forced perspective.

[Philip H]

Looking great, Lee. Small suggestion: try tapering the roads slightly narrower as the recede in the distance to add a little forced perspective.

He'll have to taper the cars too . . .

[wm3798]

David, I cogitated on that, and it may yet come to pass, but this section is about 4' deep, so the actual distance should do the trick.

Also, on the freeway bridge, I'd have a time tapering the guardrails, and as Phil said, the vehicles.  I'll see how it plays out.  I've got a million of those blinds slats, so it's not like I'll be wasting any material!!

Lee