The City of Heartland on my layout is fictional just as my Heartland Division is a fictional division of the old Burlington Route (CB&Q). I began the city about three years ago. The downtown area fills the space inside a reverse loop connection to the end of my double track main line.
The Union Station section is built over a storage yard for freight trains. The Union Station tracks connect with the reverse loop also, and it connects to the loop both clockwise and counter clock wise. I began the Union Station section after completing my scrap yard in 2010, and I gradually worked toward downtown. Downtown was my big project in 2012, and I have added details in recent weeks.
A street car line connects downtown with Union Station with a loop around each. I would like to install the trolley wires to make it look right, and that will be challenging.
Here are some older photos of the Union Station section. I will post photos of downtown as soon as I get these pictures posted.
I will continue with photos of downtown. …
View thread from oldest to newest, please, for correct sequence.
Here is a train which has departed Union Station and is about to enter the reverse loop to move clockwise. The track curving to the left and going under the bridge is part of the reverse loop.
The backdrop in the upper left of the photo has some pictures from the box tops of some of my downtown building kits which are blended in with other backdrop buildings.
This photo has a different angle, and you can see some of the scrap yard and some of the powerhouse in the background.
I changed the camera angle to the left, and you can see downtown.
Now we are looking at downtown from the south side of the city. You can see the food and beverage distributor (Mittelmann’s) in the foreground. The hotel is on the corner with the green Checker Taxi Cab.
Now, we are viewing from the West, and the SD9’s are on the reverse loop track.
Here is the bank viewed from the West.
Another view from the West, and you can see the building supply company at the left.
This view is from the Northwest, and you can see the passenger train headed through the S-curve where it runs behind the powerhouse. It will curve around behind the scrapyard.
Those are by downtown Heartland photos. The downtown buildings are mostly kits from Bachmann, DPM/WS, City classics, IHC. I kitbashed a couple of the buildings, too The industrial buildings were mostly kit built from various manufacturers.
Very impressive. I really like the way the railroad snakes through the highway bridge and other city infrastructures. Also like the way the business and people part of the city is elevated and railroad and industry is below. You’ve captured what I like about urban railroading. Very nice!
That is some real fine modeling, and great photos. I am in the process of building my city scenes, and you gave me some great ideas. with your permission, I would love to use some of them on my layout.
George… When I decided to have trolley car tracks, I realized I needed an upper level for the streets. It worked out okay because many cities did have street level above track level.
Jerry … You’re welcome. Glad to share.
Curt … Believe it or not, I do not have a detailed track plan. I tried using the track planning software, and I became frustrated with my learning curve being so slow. So, I took my old drafting board, tee square, etc. out of storage. I made plans, but did not follow closely as I built the layout. The main thing was to determine boundaries for my minimum radius curves (30"), The main curves are close to original plans, but side tracks, and other things were changed. The downtown is located where my roundhouse and engine terminal were in the original plan. I still do not have a locomotive terminal, and am think of where one might fit in my next layout section.
Rich … I did grow up near Chicago, and have been in Chicago Union Station in the pre-Amtrak era. I recall family trips in other stations too including Santa Fe at Dearborn Station. I recall your post of Dearborn Station, and it was very impressive. … Yes, I used Chooch flexible walls for a lot of the retaining walls.
Sam … I would feel complemented if you used some of my ides. Which ones did you like?
Broadway Lion … A street car is as close as I get to a subway. Thanks for commenting.
Stan … Thanks for the remark. Sure, go ahead if you liked some ideas. What did you like?
Here is another old photo, and it shows the trestle next to the power houes. Going to the right, the track connects with the loop behind the building materials company.
The other end of the trestle has this whimsical scene. Beyond the photo, the track crosses over 3 tracks on its way to Union Station. Passenger cars and locomotives can be turned by going around the reverse loop.
This older photo shows the track crossing 3 others. The scrap yard is behind that track. The passenger train is on the mainline after leaving the city.
Garry, I liked them all, but the one that really impressed me was the one photo # 5 where you used the box top cut outs on some of the backdrops, which gives the allusion of much greater dept in the scene. That’s something I have seen before. Great job.
Great work, thanks for sharing with us. The low overpass is a classic, we’ve got one like that here under the old IC main, gets one every couple of months.[8o|][U][][oops]
I really like the crowded in urban feeling. Two or three projects down the road, I’ve got a plan to do downtown Houghton, Michigan, as a couple of modules, which is like a miniature version of Chicago in old photos. I’m inspired, but probably a couple of decades away from building it.
That is some terrific work,Garry! I’ve gone back through many of the photo’s several times,and each time I see some new detail I missed before…Thanks for posting!
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