There is a Prototype for Everything

That may be true, but I try to keep away from any out-of-the-ordinary stuff. I like to try to make my scenes look “real”, i.e. believable in the eyes of the common man or woman. Even if I dig out a photograph to prove that something exists, that still won’t make my layout look any less toy-like to a visitor.

[LATER EDIT:] Here are some examples of bizarre prototype structures. IIRC, Bachmann based these on businesses that existed along the original Route 66. But I won’t be putting any on my layout.

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-35202

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-35201

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-35203

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-35204

Camp Grayling, MI has a balloon track near the airfield, wrapped around what appears to be a loading facility for gear and/or vehicles. Camp Grayling is a big National Guard facility that hosts training for units throughout the midwest.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grayling,+MI+49738/@44.6726919,-84.7304566,529m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x88201149920433d9:0x5ab91aeeab0c3c3f

The Western Maryland Scenic RR in Cumberland MD has a couple of things. I think this is former B&O trackage. First, a curved plate girder bridge is over the Potomac south of the depot. You can see the cross girders running between the main girders:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Western+Maryland+Scenic+Railroad/@39.6476456,-78.7645239,179m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x443c4bb66b25e462

North of the depot the double track main crosses Wills Creek at an acute angle. The creek is a vertical walled concrete channel. The rails are supported on closely spaced girders that run from the concrete wall to a long skinny pier in the center of the creek. There is a steel walkway next to the rails. Normally we don’t model bridges that are quite this acute to the waterway.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Western+Maryland+Scenic+Railroad/@39.6514971,-78.7642788,92m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x443c4bb66b25e462

Some of my stuff now doesn’t look so weird!

George V.

The Nashville Chattanooga & St Louis had a branch that went to Tracy City that curved off and then crossed back over on a bridge just before the main entered the tunnel south of Cowen. Cowen, which is a pretty small town today was a major helper station back in the day.

Speaking of Camp Grayling, the Detroit and Mckinaw was a giant loop–Bay City to Cheboygan, either up through Grayling or via Alpena.

Pittsburgh’s railroad bridges.

Here is the Atlas-Like Pier overpass I spoke of in the original post.

Don’t know how many here have seen the Atlas pier set.

this is in a yard in Ogden Utah where the Big Boy 4014 passed through.

Thanks to Jeffrey Wimberly for the Photobucket info.

You’re quite welcome.