Updated July 25:
I am working on multiple layout projects, sort of a small, medium, and large approach. The small project is traffic signals (posted separately in the Scenery forum). The Strip Steel Mill is my medium-sized one, and the City of Weirton module is the large project.
Here are some updates for the Strip Steel. That's the building in the photo above with the "Weirton Steel Co." sign on it. The prototype has tracks entering it from the rear. On my layout, I will model the front as it appears in the photo, but add a spur (already installed).
Last night I focused on planning the look of the building and its use of the spur track. On my layout, the spur is straight up to the point where it curves into the building. (The spur was built well before I knew exactly what building would be served by it).
- I taped together a paper mock-up of the front of the Strip Steel building (7 scale sheet drawings of each brick wall and its two bordering pilasters) and propped it up on the building framework (already in place). From that I learned that the spur will enter the building at exactly the wrong spot - a pilaster. This will look pretty bad.
- My first alternative, widening the area between pilasters to accomodate the spur entrance, will also look goofy and ruin the symmetry of the building (see my photo above).
- So the only real choice was to alter the position of the spur. I experimented with the placement of the curve using a spare piece of O42 GarGraves track. Starting the curve 2" sooner will cause the track to curve nicely into the area between 2 pilasters. I'll have to rip up some of the spur that's already in place, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
I'm really glad I did this with a paper template. This is probably going to change what goes in some of these wall areas. Jockeying a partially-built 43" wide building front to try to solve this would have been a major pain.
George
