SP's East Portland "Produce Row"

[GaryHinshaw]

Sounds cool.  Just remember to make sure there is a plausible reason for such a long bridge, as opposed to a shorter bridge with fill.  So either an already-developed area that needed to be crossed, or maybe part industrial / part wetland.  Sounds like you have plenty of ideas to fill the space.

[pdx1955]

This roadway in Portland was one of the two main north-south routes out of the city (OR99E/ Pacific Hwy East). The viaduct crosses an already built up area and eliminated crossings with the SP, street car tracks, industrial spurs and a lot of intersections when it was built in the mid-1920's. There were at least 60 transfers plus 10+ passenger trains every day through here on the double track which represented a lot of interference (and probably lots of grade crossing incidents). In a few years, starting in 1958 the construction would begin on I-5 which would take take that title away and forever change the eastside waterfront. The real structure had 4-lanes , but that would be a bit too much in my space since I want to generally represent this area north of Brooklyn Yard. I'd love to have 6-8' more feet here to model more of the residential and commercial area but I'm maxed out in my half of the garage, so I'm picking out  a few blocks to focus on.

[pdx1955]

Tonight I finished up adding the viaduct railings and fashioned the roadway approach while getting the final position settled. I had to make up a retaining wall/rail combination to hold up the sidewalk on the fill. I still need to permanently attach the approach and paint/weather the whole assembly.

[sirenwerks]

Sounds cool.  Just remember to make sure there is a plausible reason for such a long bridge, as opposed to a shorter bridge with fill.  So either an already-developed area that needed to be crossed, or maybe part industrial / part wetland.  Sounds like you have plenty of ideas to fill the space.

All Peter needs to do is point out the location of his prototype, Portland - City of Bridges. You can't throw a rock around here without hitting a bridge or trestle, and there are many long ones.

[pdx1955]

Finished weathering the highway viaduct, so all is left to do is to tie in the scenery on the far abutment and maybe add a couple signs. Also Copeland Lumber with its characteristic "black cat" logo and the bright orange colors is almost open for business once the local streets get finished, which will be one of my next tasks.



I also got the 2nd Street spur realigned and extended under the viaduct to serve the loading dock at Copeland Lumber.This is is kind of a memory from where I grew up instead of modeling the large lumberyards in the area as the local Copeland just had a small retail building, a lumber shed and a spur just long enough to hold one 50' car. After the glue dries, I'll add feeders to the new section as it extends onto another module section as I like to have all sections of tracks with feeders as rail joiners tend to be unreliable over the long haul. Soon I will get the street poured and some more basic ground cover in to keep eliminating the plywood view - hopefully before it gets too cold in the garage.

[pdx1955]

The colder weather did push me out of the garage a bit early so I have been "hibernating" at the inside workbench assembling structures. I would have gotten further along had I not been rear-ended in November, but at least now the last of the follow-up appointments and the insurance settlements are done with so I can get back to normal activities.

I did manage to weather the 2nd St spur extension and paint the plywood with the last of the brown paint that I have been working on for years (I'll need to get a new quart in a lighter shade to finish the rest off). I just completed the Messal Bag Company complex (this was a burlap bag manufacturer that was operating out of what used to be a flour mill) . It's a combination of a couple Walther's kits, a Rix grain bin and a MT laser-cut kit. The structures are generally sitting where I think they will be permanently but minor adjustments will occur when the scenery is completed.



This a "under the viaduct" street view from the other direction...

[pdx1955]

Started actively working on the next building as part of the industrial building Modeling Challenge. This is the Oregon Liquor Control Commission warehouse (ex Ford Model T assembly plant)  that will go to the left of the viaduct against the backdrop in the previous posts.

[OldEastRR]

I'm trying to locate the present-day location of your layout's 1955 creation. Is it the area around the Oregon Rail Hertage Center?

[pdx1955]

Bingo! The ORHC would be located today just to the right of the viaduct in the above pictures. The layout goes from this point north on the east side of the river up to the Steel Bridge then over to Union Station. I consider this the "core" of the layout. South (going to the left of the viaduct) is a bit more fanciful as it's a compressed section leading into Brooklyn Yard (now a UP TOFC facility) .

[pdx1955]

Today I completed the Ford Building (OLCC Warehouse) as part of the 1st Railwire Challenge and got it placed! Definitely has a nice feeling to get something like this done especially a scratch-built prototype structure. The elevator tower is so tall on the prototype because Ford used to store excess Model T's on the roof when this assembly plant was active.



Here's a "top of the (future) seed warehouse" view looking south...about 2/3's of the structures in this view are built now except for the one/two story warehouses that will be on the left side.

[SSW7771]

Looking Good!

[pdx1955]

I finally got my first wooden structure painted up in SP company colors. This one is a shed/garage unit that will take its place in the Brooklyn shops area along with many others. I had originally built this to accompany a house to go near the OR99E viaduct, but after fitting the recent structures in, there just isn't enough room for a small neighborhood there as planned. That place will just become a empty lot - a good space to try out the static grass applicator. The paint is craft paint over spray paint gray primer to seal the wood. I did some comparing and buying a number of colors on-line and picking the ones that were the closest from the Folk-Art (green) and Delta (Colonial yellow and dark brown) lines that looked good to my eye. I have an airbrush and a compressor but I always seem to be finding ways not to use them...

[pdx1955]

I've been working in the Brooklyn Shops area putting together the engine terminal structures. Many of the structures here are straight or modified kits and I thought I'd reduce the backload of these before getting into heavy duty building of the turntable and roundhouse. I weathered up a built-up water tower, built the yard office (I cut off the basement) and a blacksmith/machine shop/boiler house combination from a modified Walther's Vulcan Manufacturing kit. The white concrete block office building will be the Pacific Motor Trucking TOFC office.

[pdx1955]

Over the past week, I've continued to plow though the structure kit pile getting the water tank, fuel tanks, sand pit & drying shed, shop storehouses, caboose service facilities, and an assortment of pumphouses completed. I still have a few smaller sheds and misc items to go such as the roundhouse foreman's office, the oil/water separator, etc. The ice plant is now under construction as I move into the terminal "industry" area (stock pen, team track, TOFC ramp, etc.)

[coldriver]

I really like the way this is progressing!  Looking forward to seeing all the cool vintage SP power populating the engine terminal!