What's New on the PRR Panhandle 2.0?

Updated 9/17/2020:



Today I began re-organizing the area around the Steubenville PRR station.

• Created a footprint (white paper) for the new station (30-32" long x 9" wide)
  
• Created a footprint (white paper) for Baker's Market (5"x7"), now restored to it's proper position, the west side of 6th street
  
• Positioned the station and store further east (below the tracks)
  
• Laid out the approximate positions of these items and the tracks on the layout itself
  

More when I know it.

George

Yes.  Only part of the bench work is complete.  It will eventually look like this (even this is only a partial picture).
 

George

Thank you.  There's a lot of fun in just sitting down and building a temporary layout (Christmas, perhaps?) with the pieces available to you.  Seeing how creative you can be with what's available.  Been there and done that;  I certainly appreciate that.  But when modeling a specific time and place, the blueprint becomes critical to success.  And of course, past a certain size you need the guidance of an overall plan.  

Memories are a crucial part of this as well.  The Weirton Area Museum, the Steubenville Library, and other resources (Facebook groups) provide important information about the town and events in and around the area.  It's amazing what useful details these Facebook conversations dredge up.

George

Updated 9/26/2020:

While I wait on the rigid GarGraves to arrive (it's immediate use will be on the eastern approaches to the bridge), I am focused on buildings and scenery in the Steubenville station area. Right now, there are several projects underway:

• I am working on accurately determining the outside dimensions (including the indentations and ornate pilasters) of the Steubenville PRR station using photographs. Once those are right, I will transfer them to a Visio floor plan of the model. Material selection comes after that.
  
• My cut stone arch bridge from Crow River arrived. I washed it to remove any mold release agent. I need to determine its final width and then paint and assemble it. It will be mated with some stone retaining walls near the end of the passenger siding. Precise final positioning is still to be determined (TBD).
  
• The Steubenville hillside directly beyond the passenger siding is still in the concept phase. That's vague but I expect it to solidify soon. Hand in hand with that is the area in the corner which will house the (fake) Gould No. 5 tunnel (inaccurately and conveniently moved very near to the station ). There's a lot of scenery work left in this step.
  

Once all that is done, benchwork construction south of the station can commence. I really don't want to build scenery by popping up out of an access hatch. Might as well do it while the area is open.

George

Thanks.  I'm trying.  Doesn't feel like I'm making much visible progress, though.  I've been trying to size these station dimensions for the better part of 2 days.  Today, I had a break-through.  I managed to use a photolab program to lighten the photographs (originals were dark and had many shadows).  Then I printed them in the best possible resolution using 11"x17" paper.  Now, I'm going over them with a magnifying glass trying to get the dimensions right.  It's all necessary preliminary work, but there isn't any actual model construction taking place.  

Still, I appreciate the encouragement.

George

Thanks Joe.  I know that "perfect" is the enemy of "good".  
And I realize that as model railroaders, "compromise" is our closest companion.  

Your are correct.  My primary focus is on capturing the look and feel.  In fact, proportion is the driving factor here.  It was the same for my bridge.  The real bridge is 1,902' long.  In O scale, that's 39.625'!     Obviously, that's not happening.  So, as long as I retained the proportions of the model, I felt I was OK.  It's been the same for the station.  I am at 2/3's the size of what was, in reality, a huge station.  

I appreciate the encouragement.

George

Hey George, you can make beautiful curves by bending GarGrave's around a hot water tank. Small or large curves are easily achieved.

Gary.