Split Personality

With the track plan complete for the Jersey City Industrial (yes, that's the new name), I confronted the issue of temporal setting. I was quite torn: part of me wanted to set it in the 30s-40s; and part of me favored the 70s-80s. A lively discussion ensued on the Railwire, and someone suggested building two complete layouts, stacked on top of one another. Given the height of some buildings, and given that it would double everything—time, cost, effort—I nixed the idea.

But then it dawned on me: what if I modeled both time periods on one layout, such that it appeared 30s-40s when viewed from one side, and 70s-80s when the layout was rotated 180 degrees? The large buildings that lined a street running diagonally the length of the layout more or less created an adequate view block to prevent the eras from intermingling too much. The idea was received well by the Railwire Asshats, so that more or less settled it.

Except... I confess I'm not yet 100% sold on the idea. Doubts started creeping in as I got started with the benchwork: using a full-sized print of the plan, I'd begun plotting out precise building arrangements. And that's when my resolve started to weaken. It's not that I don't think I'm capable of pulling it off, it's that I really prefer the more modern setting, given my penchant for things in decay. But I've not yet given up; I really wanted to have an 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 switcher hauling wooden boxcars around the layout, and that's mighty hard to justify in 1977.

Thankfully my indecision doesn't impede layout construction at this point. I have all of the track I need, a fresh supply of Gatorfoam is on order, and I've selected nearly all of the structure kits to bash. Obviously I'll need to decide sometime relatively soon, but I'm not going to let it slow me down just yet. I'm having too much fun!

That Was Easy...

After I'd bailed on the narrow gauge project, I figured I'd be tinkering with a new urban industrial track plan for weeks on end. Surprise! I sat down at the old PC last night, started assembling some switches, and before I knew it, I was done. It came as something of a surprise, and I just sat there staring at the plan trying to figure out what needed fixing. Failing to come up with any reason to tweak it (which is highly unusual for me), I promptly exported it as an image so I could post it online. And here it is:



Yes, it's a roundy-round (it's my tranquilizer of choice). And yes, the curves are quite sharp—9 inch minimum. But given the setting, I don't think the curves are out of place. And speaking of the setting, the following images served as inspiration, and should provide a good idea of what's in store:



















While they may seem boring or mundane to others, these images speak directly to my modeling soul. I feel quite fortunate that I'll be able to incorporate so many key elements in my limited space. I do have one problem, though: the name. I don't think White River and Northern suits this sort of setting very well. It was perfect for the defunct narrow gauge railroad, but for this layout I'm inclined to break with my tradition of keeping the name alive. It may take me longer to name the thing than build it!

Pass the Syrup

What's going on with the narrow gauge project? Nothing! While this is due in large part to me getting hammered with work to do, it's also because I've been having serious second thoughts. Challenging trackwork aside, it's simply losing its appeal. Although I've always had a soft spot for quirky old backwoods stuff, it's nowhere near as big of a draw for me as things (literally and figuratively) much closer to home: urban industrial.

One of the catalysts for this change of heart has been the steady stream of track planning that I've been doing for other modelers. One plan in particular, a switching layout inspired in part by the CNJ Bronx Terminal (brilliantly brought to life by Tim Warris), has been nagging at me ever since I drafted it for a RailWire member back in August of last year. Recently the plan was dusted off as the modeler was at last ready to start building it, and helping him work out the arrangement of industries and other structures pretty much did me in.



While I don't have the space for this plan (it's designed for a 36-inch hollow core door), I may be able to adapt it—or part of it, at least—to my available layout area of two by for feet. The planning part ought to keep me busy for a month or three, so don't expect a steady stream of fresh blog posts anytime soon...