Looking through the current issue, in the article on the cutters - being from Philly, that’s a fabulous row of houses, though most of Philly has three story row houses, not two.
EXCEPT… the front steps are wrong. Follow me here: you walk up the steps, knock on the door, and someone opens the door.
And it smashes into your shins.
All front steps have a landing at the top, wide enough that you can stand on without being hit by the foor…
Hello, and — [#welcome]
I can relate to what you are saying and the only thing I can offer is that nearly everything designed and used in our model world has been subjected to “selective compression” out of necessity.
Most layout builders have to settle on a degree of reduction and substitution. Anyone who has tried to fit a steel mill or other large industry on an average layout has felt the effects.
Good luck, Ed
I think that is a fair nit to pick. About the door in particular (eliminating floors as Ed says is a time honored form of selective compression so long as the general idea of the structure is communicated, which it is).
What’s missing is what I’d call a “landing” and again selective compression would allow one to be small, maybe impossibly or laughably small, but there should be something.
Dave Nelson
For me, less is more. I would rather have properly scaled items on the layout and if it means having fewer other things on the layout so be it. Even then I need to make tough decisions like all modelers do.
Another thing that is not for me is having things that end at the edge of the world like bridges and rivers. This is not meant to be a criticism, it is a choice. Things that end at the edge of the world instantly catch my eye and take away from the other details a layout may have to offer. Others may not think twice about it.
This has to be a Pennsylvania fire law thing, like the deadbolts that retract the second time you work the lever from the inside, like BMW doors… what a bright idea for priority egress… or priority ingress, after you break the sidelight, and reach around…
I have never lived in a house where the inside door, the main door, didn’t hinge to the inside. Storm doors, screen doors: those hinge out, but if you are caught by one of those it’s not like there was no warning. Heaven knows that’s not the case with many row homes, though! I musta had a sheltered upbringing…
You sure about that?
I just checked a couple spots around Phillie and the second place I picked at random, 2335 S Chadwick St., were all 2 story row homes with no “landing” at the top step (except where the owner modified it). Third place I checked, 407 Daly St, same thing, 2 stories, no landing. I then went up to Pt Richmond, 3041 Almond St and same thing, 2 stories, no landing. Zoomed up to Manyunk, hit one spot that had 3 stories and landings, but the next spot, 4520 Smick St, 2 storeis and no landing.
I would say that in the older parts of Phillie with narrow streets, 2 stories and no landing is quite common.
Down here we only have one front door, not an inside and outside door.
As far as I have seen, nearly all “Category 5” doors hinge to the outside. Older doors hinged to the inside.
My new front door (cat-5) opens outward. That change took a little while to get used to.
-Kevin
Lawn care is a breeze. Parking — not so much.
Another popular model RRer’s saying — There’s a prototype for everything.
Cheers, Ed
Speaking of the Craft Cutter article, I was very disappointed to read that the stupid things still won’t cut all the way through .020" styrene. While I certainly liked what the author did to make fine details pieces such as trusses and car doors, I prefer to make my structures from .040" styrene for strength and to control warping. Yes, I could layer up to .040" using .010" and .020" styrene but I won’t be purchasing ANY craft cutter until the manufacturer claims it will reliably cut all the way through .040" styrene in ALL of their product literature. I know that model railroading does not fall into the craft hobby these cutting machines target, but I suspect a lot more cutters would be sold to modeler railroaders if these cutters could reliably and accurately cut through .040" styrene.
I don’t mind nit-pickers so much so long as they provide examples from their own layouts on how they did it right…
Except that very rarely happens and the nit-picking goes on and on.
Just saying, there are better ways to educate on a topic if it’s that important than by starting out with taking someone else’s efforts down a couple of notches.
Out swing door, is it under a porch? That simply does not work in places with winter weather. Only commercial buildings normally have out swing doors here.
I know Baltimore real well, and Philly and DC moderately well, and there are lots of row house steps without landings…
On new construction today, the IRC requires landings, EXCEPT on the exterior side of an inswing door served by steps containing no more than two risers.
And it specificly allows screen and storm doors to open over the stairs.
Existing buildings are exempt from these requirements, especially these ones were the steps are on the public sidewalk…
Sheldon
My parents owned a row home on Friendship St. In Mayfair area. Those houses had a garage and small basement at ground level and two stories above there was a small yard out front with a terrace and flat area at the top so you enter at the first floor level. I still remember some people still having coal delivered through a window on the front of the house into the basement. My father could bank a fire for overnight heat and could probably have fired a steam engine
So this is a post about being “nit picky” It is Philly not Phillie. [:)]
Happens sometimes, not in others. The author’s models look plausible based on variations found on the prototype.
You’ll notice none of those doors above have storm doors. Those buildings could be 100 years old. Long before OSHA.
First, OSHA has nothing to do with residential building codes.
Second, in the top picture, 50% of the doors which can be clearly seen do have storm doors.
Third, the IRC (International Residential Code), specificly allows those storm doors, as I sited above, on steps that meet its current guildlines.
The houses in the top picture are in Baltimore, within a street or two I know where that is from the TV transmission tower in the background.
Those houses are indeed 100 years old or more, it is after all a 300 year old city. And those houses are exempt from current new construction codes.
100 year old houses are a specialty of mine, I restore them for a living.
Sheldon
I’m confused. A doors hinges are always on the side of the door swing; thus outside doors swings in, the hinges being on the inside. There is method in this madness. If the outside door of a house swings out, the hinges would be on the outside and any fool could simply remove the pins from the hinge and remove the door; no picking locks, breading doors down, busting glass, etc.
Ray
Ray
I may have been thinking of storm doors… However, consider this: you’re standing a step or so down, and reaching up to unlock the door. Esp. in rain or snow… Anyway, a sample:
https://www.phillymag.com/property/2017/02/03/philadelphia-rowhome-lessons/
Ray,
With old school hinges, that’s right.
Modern doors have other means. I’m sure Kevin’s hurricane-rated door doesn’t make it easy on looters after it’s protected your house from the wind, for instance.
I’m not an expert, so if I’m wrong, someone can correct.
From what I’ve heard, the hurricane doors have hinge pins that are not easily removed.
Doors that open outward, especially double doors which normally are weaker, are much more resistant to wind pressure.
