The subject refers to the two questions.
Does anyone using this forum use Marklin/Trix systems, track or trains? I feel very left out as the only German manufacturer user on this forum. Please respond if you do.
Who models New York City? Please respond as well. I’m actually wondering, which railroad controls the rails of New York City currently. Conrail used to, until it split into NS and CSX. Do either of these railroads serve New York City? Or is it a smaller one? Or possibly none at all?
Gavriel,
I"m pretty sure CSX and NS both have links to NYC for freight. Grand Central Terminal is still in use with passenger traffic handled by Amtrak for long haul and Metro North for commuter traffic with trains being run also by Conndot along the shoreline and Connecticut interior commuter routes. The LIRR handles commuter traffic on and off Long Island.
The Connecticut commuter traffic uses a combination of Metro North and Conndot power with some of the Conndot units in New Haven livery and still including some of the old FL-9’s in original New Haven colors. The Metro North units include at least one EMD E-unit as well as the more modern wedge of cheese power. Many of the trains in and out of New York with Amtrak still use the old famous names Maple Leaf, Montrealler, etc, but the cache of traveling is style is pretty much gone replaced by the concept of utilitarian public transportation. J.R.
CSX handles most of the freight traffic in the Bronx, on their own and with trackage rights on Metro-North lines - most of the freight is in the Southern Bronx, a lot around the Hunt’s Point area.
New York & Atlantic Handles most freight in Brooklyn and Queens, since 1996 or so (LIRR trackage rights) - lots of traffic on the Bushwick, and in the Glendale/Maspeth area (not so much in Long Island City, although 40 years ago that was a humming place for rail freight; not much freight in Eastern Queens). P&W hauls a rock-train to Fresh Pond via Hells Gate, and NY&A hauls that out to LI. NYRR handles some Brooklyn freight on the Waterfront around 2nd Ave 30s through 50s, and of course the float operation (connected to the Bay Ridge Branch - NY&A again) - the purpose-built-by the-city-float-yard at 65th street stands mostly unused, although CP tried to have a go at it a number of years back.
Staten Island has no freight as of this time, as the PA, NYCEDC, NY DOS, NY Container Yard and NS/CSX are still arguing after 7 or 8 years in regards to handling freight on the completely restored lines (Arlington yard, Travis Branch, AK lift) - they seriously need their heads smacked together ala Moe Howard.
Manhattan, of course, has had no freight service since 1980 or so, and the High Line is being converted into a park, and the 60th street Yards are being converted into Trump Condos and a park, so you can safely assume Manhattan won’t have freight for the forseeable future.
I plan on modeling several German cities and have the current Marklin catalog as well as Brawa. Since I am returning to model trains my budget needs to be adjusted some but I have already started purchasing some O guage Lionel for that series and already had lots of HO trains which I plan to base my German layout on.
There’s very few frieght opertations in NYC proper. Perhaps have something on the Jersey side and have the NYC skyline as a backdrop? Also, if one models NYC, the most ubiquitous form of rail transportation in the city - the subway - is a must.
The Soup Nazi from “Seinfeld.”
-Ed
That actually would be a rather poor idea, as the best (former) railway views in Hudson county have been completely rebuilt as commercial and residental space, and indeed these Jersey City towers sort of block. Rail freight exists in Jersey City mostly west of Tonnelle Ave (Rte 1/9). All is not completely lost, as South of Liberty Park there is a small industrial area w/ a few rail served industries (last time I was there was a Concrete/building material distributor, and the NY Daily News printing plant). South of that came some former well known rail yards (Caven Point) which are now luxury housing developments (Port Liberte), then south of that is Greenville yards, which has the Tropicana plant, NYRR float yards, a large scrap yard, and other points of rail interest, then Port Jersey (where finally you have a decent amount of rail served industries, thanks to the Port Jersey RR). Next came the rather cool Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, which is now the rather uncool Pennisular at Bayonne (Bayonne is obsessed with replacing everything with more crappy luxury housing) - I think it also serves as port for a few ocean liners. Finally you get to Constable Hook, which does have a lot of interesting railroading thanks to the East Jersey Railroad - of course, Bayonne is sticking a golf course on the shore here, just because they can.
Anyway, it is quite stunning how much rail operation has literally disappeared from North Jersey in general, and Hudson County in particular, since ConRail - I guess it did have the most to lose, with wall to wall railway yards, float yards, and intricate sidings and spur trackage (multi-level no less), but lose it did… BTW, the Statue of Liberty is more or less in line with the Southern Border of Liberty State park, or the northern boundary of the above description, so you can get
I model the Black Forest of Germany. My locos and rolling stock are mostly Fleischmann and Roco.
Here are some photos of layout. It is currently in a partially dismantled state (sigh) until we move to our new house. Once we move I plan to expand with the narrow gauge branchline.
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/davezeurorail/album?.dir=/9843&.src=ph&.tok=phsXBUDBhfAFzUSK
davezeurorail
Some 35 years ago, I modeled a city scene based loosely on West Berlin in N scale with a double track DB loop and a non-working elevated S-Bahn.
Layout was 27" x 34". (approximately 675 x 850mm for you metric types.) Long gone, sold it with all equipment.
While my town of Moose Bay isn’t exactly New York, the subway system is mostly modelled on my memories of the NY stations and trains I remember from my younger days. The Life-Like (now Walthers) subway train sets are based on NY prototypes.
I’m Modelling New York City, so far it has taken 17 years to model all the buildings in Queens, next area is Long Island (another 15 years) then Brooklyn and still many other boroughs to do, don’t know when I will get to the railroad part of the project, Gee, there sure are a lot of buildings in new York eh??? How are things going in Berlin???