Erie Railroad Mahoning division HCD

[davefoxx]

@Chris333,

Seriously, I love what you have done in this corner of the layout in the photo above.  The angled streets disguise that the railroad is on a sharp curve, avoid the sin of being parallel with the table edges, and really add interest and make great use of what would otherwise be wasted space.  I especially like the intersection near the corner, establishing the different angle of the streets as opposed to the other side of the tracks- maybe justifies the curve of the trackage through town.  Very realistic.

Oh, and, on the other side of the layout, I vote for the Showcase Miniatures Bartlett building:


DFF

[wazzou]

If you're going to use the Bartlett, I would turn it 90 degrees so the dock faces the road, just my opinion. 

[Spades]

If you're going to use the Bartlett, I would turn it 90 degrees so the dock faces the road, just my opinion. 

And tie up through traffic?

[wazzou]

And tie up through traffic?

There appears to be plenty of land to accommodate the vehicles of the period Chris models without encroaching.

[Chris333]

Bartlett fits sideways:


But it's a little fugly out back that would be towards me.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I don't like the Bartlett. It looks too back woodsy for that spot.

[wazzou]

Bartlett fits sideways:
But it's a little fugly out back that would be towards me.

Stand on the other side of it so you look towards the front.   
I love the Bartlett, but I'm still in the Service Station camp.

One thing that I'm sure you already know...when you get that WS kit, it's still going to have all of the annoying holes where the details get plugged into, like the floating Harley.

[OldEastRR]

Oh, YEAH! I love that scrumbly-jumbly scene on the far right of that picture, right across the road! Unidentifiable junk piled haphazardly (including tires), an old wooden shed, a building missing a wall ... yep, a reminder that being right upside a busy railroad track is not the most desirable property in town, so no fancy stuff was there. It seems like you and Dave Vollmer have strict anti-littering laws and anti-blight ordinances in your towns because they are so spic and span  , but somewhere should be a trashed-out semi-working business, no?
Unless you run only clean, unweathered locos and cars, then it all fits. 

[Chris333]

Everything on the layout is weathered or waiting to be weathered. I don't go overboard with rust streaks over everything, but really nothing you see is just paint. It is all toned down with washes and dry brushing to bring out the details. You are just looking at general overhead photos. I just don't think things were that run down in 1948. I barely even have a whole layout together and you are looking for trash cans behind every building, give it time.

Think I will get those guys playing checkers figures and have them find their way into every photo from now on 

fresh paint:

Weathered:

[Lemosteam]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mP81C5Q5tts/VvBYPZIj1aI/AAAAAAAAPNg/679x77amJuIeIkxYSO4DsMLR2QBj00H9gCCo/s800-Ic42/IMG_5680.JPG[/img]

You may think that looks ugly from this vantage, but I see an amazing opportunity to load that backside with action which would turn that into a scene unto itself.

[GimpLizard]

You may think that looks ugly from this vantage, but I see an amazing opportunity to load that backside with action which would turn that into a scene unto itself.

Ditto.

Grow some tall weeds. Throw around a little trash. (pallets, 55gal drums, rusty sink, etc.) Maybe a dilapidated out-building, of some sort. You know, spruce the place up some... junk style.

[OldEastRR]

 I'm curious about the construction of the outer wall on that mill building (the gray one). It almost looks like clearance for a RR car or some large vehicle. Is there a loading chute under there?

[Chris333]

I'm curious about the construction of the outer wall on that mill building (the gray one). It almost looks like clearance for a RR car or some large vehicle. Is there a loading chute under there?

Nothing under there, just made to look like a building that was added on to. I'd bet there was an exact prototype for it somewhere.


Anyways, photo dump.

Was thinking of using a truck body to make a shed/cooler next to the gas station. This is to hide the large side window that I don't like.


Got some ballast down here:

But not before running a train 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This layout truly is a masterpiece in the making.

I bet that gas station would look better after a new paint job, too.

[wm3798]

Go with Bartletts, turned to the road, then build an awesome retaining wall out of timber cribbing so the rear part of the building isn't falling into the river.