Jersey City Industrial Railroad Micro-Layout

[DKS]

Based on this photo (and many others)--



--I merged six DPM kits, plus a bunch of random scraps, to make this:



Build article here: http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/chapter_9d.htm

[pwnj]

Fantastically boring! Magnificently mundane! Much better than Cats! 

Keep it comin', DKS!

[peteski]

Fantastically boring! Magnificently mundane! Much better than Cats! 

Keep it comin', DKS!

DKS, building looks similar to a model I've seen on the GHQ forum.


Full thread:
http://www.ghqmodels.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3349

[DKS]

Two more boring buildings added to the menagerie:



Build articles:

http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/chapter_9e.htm

http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/chapter_9f.htm

[Ian MacMillan]

I really like that row house. Fits perfectly.

[sizemore]

Why are they not done yet, slacker?!?


The S.

[DKS]

Why are they not done yet, slacker?!?

Ask Scott Lupia and Bryan Busséy. 

[DKS]

Made some headway on another boring building, although this one's a little less boring by virtue of its shape:





Build article: http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/chapter_9f.htm

[wm3798]

I drank beer in a building much like that in Portland.  It had been a car dealership in the 1920s, all those 1st floor windows being the showroom.
If you knock out one of the wall panels below the big window and make it look like a large pair of doors, (where the autos would be rolled in and out) you could add some more interest to this dull shack.  Back it up with a plain block building with a garage door to represent the old service department, and you'll have an interesting little scenette...

Lee

[DKS]

...you'll have an interesting little scenette...

Trouble is, that would not be something commonly (or even uncommonly) seen in JC. "Dull shack" describes 90% of the buildings there. Also, I can't add anything to it as it backs up against the tracks.

When I chose JC as the setting, I more or less had to accept the fact that I'd need to dial back my normal inclination to dress up buildings and create scenes.

If I was modeling JC as it is today, I'd have a lot more room for creativity, as the city is enjoying some revitalization (or parts of it, anyway), and consequently acquiring more character. About as creative as I can get is to add a lot of period signage (for the 30s-40s side) and ghost signs (for the 70s-80s side).

[DKS]

Did a little photo study this morning. What's encouraging is how big structures can work on such a small layout. Photos also show progress on the main industry--Rearden, the tall brick building (a bashed Middlesex Mfg) with a Cornerstone somethingorother grafted onto one corner.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is shaping up really nicely (as I expected)!

[wm3798]

That is bad

You're building the layout I want to build.

[GaryHinshaw]

Very nice!  Does Pacific Ave feature actual street running, or are the tracks adjacent to the street?  (Is that the street with the former el?)

I have to say, I love that shot at the top of the page.  Something about the 40s really appeals to me: a time when most city people actually still lived in the inner cities.

[DKS]

You're building the layout I want to build.

Well, why not build one, too? It's only 24 x 48 inches--you can practically tuck it under your arm.

Does Pacific Ave feature actual street running, or are the tracks adjacent to the street?  (Is that the street with the former el?)

The tracks run adjacent to the street for the most part. And yes, that's the street with the el. This updated plan shows the el route: