Operation on the Seaver Street extension of Main Line Transit has commenced. It connects to the main layout via a single-track turnout facing away from Bay State Junction and passes through the yard module enroute to Humboldt Avenue and Seaver Street.
The prototype of the module sits at the northern edge of Franklin Park in the Roxbury section of Boston. Trolleys ran along Seaver Street until September 1955 between Egleston Square and Mattapan Station in Dorchester. The cars between the loop at Seaver Street and Dudley Station by way of Humboldt Avenue ran until early 1948 when the line was converted to trackless trolley operation. As a little kid, I watched with fascination as the Type 4’s plied their way along Seaver Street and the Type 5’s trundled along Humboldt Avenue, along with the occasional appearance of PCC car 3001, the “Queen Mary”. Indeed, I was overzealous in my 4-year-old enthusiasm, wandering from my grandparents’ home to watch all the trolley action and being unable to find my way back! I still suffer the psychic trauma of returning to Roxbury in the summer of 1948 and seeing no trolley action on Humboldt Avenue. Some things scar you for life! At least I had a chance to ride the trolleys to the magnificent station at Dudley an
The posting is completed. Figures 20 and 21 seem near duplicates, and if Richard issues a correction, it will be posted.
Note that the Loop model module is detachable from the rest of model railroad, can fit the trunk of a standard-sized automobile, and can be a small operating model railroad in itself at shows.
The following are pictures that Richard sent earlier, compared wih the pictures above can show a year’s progress.
Dave, thanks for sharing those layout photos and the interesting back-story to the layout’s construction.
The structures (and details of their construction) are impressive, as is the variety of the traction equipment shown.
Ulrich, thank you for that video link. The attention to detail, especially the figures, along with the background sound track, really add to the busy cityscape. The flawless performance of the equipment doesn’t hurt, either.
My only complaint (although you did mention the layout’s contemporary German flavour) is that a Dutch modeller would omit having Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet, along with the nativity scene. [swg]
Received additional photos from Richard, two new for posting, told him I would add them to the original post, but apparently this Forum only allowed me one chance to edit, and so here is the additional photo that I could not add, another view of the Type 5 turning north from Seaver Street onto Humbolt Avenue, a prototype move when the Seaver Street - Dudley Square via Humbolt Avenue line was a trolley line.
Ulrich, would not more people view your posting of an operating European model railroad if you posted it a second time in the General Forum in a new thread with its own title?
Regarding layout construction, the topic of the Forum, doesn’t Richard’s module suggest the idea can be applied to other types of layouts, not just streetcars and interurbans. Imagine a model of Richmond, VA’s Unions Station with a second, non-prototype, loop track added at the other end, possibly the second loop a separate detachable item, used only when the station model is displayed at shows. Lots of through passenger stations could also serve as a prototype, Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island subway station with its new, beautiful, historic throwback train-shed, Concord, New Hampshire, St. Albans, Vermont, Durango for a Colorado narrow-gauge layout. In Israel, my favorite would be the North Tel Aviv - T. A. University Station. It was not designed by Yamasaki, but looks like one of his designs.
I think I did a few years ago. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little interest in traction modelling theese days. This used to be quite different a few (too many) decades ago. MR ran a reqular column back in those days and Suydam offered a selection of fine brass streetcars. Today, it´s only Bowser and Bachmann with a selection of PCC cars and a Brill trolley. More and more US cities have re-established streetcar lines, but none of the modern streetcar is available as an HO scale model. There is a Czech manufacturer, but I forgot the name of that guy.
In Europe, the picture is slightly different, although traction modelling is also a niche. Quite a few manufacturers have contemporary streetcars in their range of products, even at affordable prices. Some of them could be adapted to resemble Seattle or Portland streetcars.
With sharp curves and mostly single-car operation, traction is a natural for small-space model railroad. Someone looking for something true-to-prototype for a really tiny layout could model New Orleans’ Lee Circle, where inbound and outbound 1929-built regular St. Charles Avenue streetcars reglularly share a short portion of the complete circle track, and deck-roof modern retro-looking Canal Street cars visit to and from Carondale Shops, ditto arch-roof modern retro Riverfront cars, and occasional appearances of the 4-wheeler Ford Bacon and David work car.
The original posting has been edited again, and I think all photos are now in their proper place.
Because of several inquiries, am working on a line drawing of the layout with dimensions. It is 2-5x9 ft. platforms @ 90 degree angle, and the yard which is 3x6 ft is at the end of one of the 5x9’s. In turn the yard is attached to Seaver St. module that I think is also 3x6. I will check all these dimensions and work on the line drawing asap.
There is no mainline railroad-the main layout-all traction-is the two original 5x9’s. The layout has blocks-partly with the blocks in the rail, and the two add-ons, gapped in the overhead.
The yard module is the only one I ever transported to a show and linked with other modules built to East Penn Traction Club standards. The Seaver Street module could do the same, but I am unlikely to do it. When we transport modules, I have used my wife’s Honda CRV. Bob has elaborate bracing and covers for his to protect the overhead. He has a Toyota van.
Open House-I usually host one of the monthly East Penn club meeting each year. We meet in different places. I hosted the June 2018 meeting and will probably host another in Spring, 2019.
Dave, thanks for sharing. Seeing the traction takes me back to childhood in the S.F. east bay area and riding the Key system trains with my grandmother. You’re so correct in that traction can be a perfect set up for a small layout.
Another thanks to Ulrich for sharing the movie, nothing short of fantastic!
The layout drawing mentioned by Richard will be posted tomorrow when I have access to a broadband server to use Imgur. Today I plan on sampling both the new Jerusalem - Ben Gurion electrified line and the new Haifa - Beit Shahn line, going by train Jerusalem - Beit Shahn and return, about twice the distance as directly by bus or auto, and including the T. A. - Haifa main line, ridden many times.
Doctor Allman and I first met at Boston NRHS meetings about 60 years ago. And I rode early all the prototypes of the streetcars and interurban cars he had modeled, including of course all the Boston cars.
A reprt on my trip yesterday to Beit Shahn and return will be on the Trains magazine Passenger forum today or tomorrow.
Error on the track map: Should be Main Line Transit, not Main Line Traction. Hope to have a corrected replacement posted tomorrow morning. Need a wider-band server than the one I am using now to access Imgur for posting.
From East Pen Tracion (Model) Newsletter, eith permision:
Chicago PCC Car 4023
Richard L. Allman
Chicago Surface Lines PCC car 4023 has entered operation on Main Line Transit earlier this summer.
The prototype was ordered for operation on Chicago Surface Lines and delivered from St. Louis Car Company in late 1936. It was one of 83 cars, making Chicago a pioneer in PCC operation. They were the last PCC cars Chicago would acquire until the post-World War 2 era, when 600 more cars would arrive, giving Chicago briefly the largest PCC fleet in the United States, until the rapid conversions of the streetcar lines in the early 1950’s, when most of the post-war cars were stripped of their running gear which then was used for a new generation of Chicago L trains. They differed from other PCC cars by being 50 feet-5 inches long and 9 feet wide, considerably larger than most PCC’s which were 46 ft-5-3/8 in. long and 8 ft. 4 in. wide. The Chicago cars had skirting over the trucks, unlike the cutouts around the trucks typically found on PCC cars. Additionally, they had rear right-sided doors, a unique and distinctive feature. Because of the extreme width of the cars, the bodies were mounted with the bolsters displaced 3 inches to the left to avoid potential sideswipes on double track routes.
