If you think Amsterdam is bad, you should stay away from Copenhagen Denmark. Whorehouses and porn stores outnumber restaurants easily.
And this topic is related to model railroading how?
I hit the wrong button when attempting to reply to the “House of Ill Repute” topic on the general discussion area. sorry bout that.
That’s funny
In case you haven’t noticed where the Proto Type runs it’s “Right Of Way” take a look around the surronding area, the next time you pay visit to the local Yard. Most RR Facilities are still on the “wrong side of town”. It’s one of those little “FACTS OF LIFE”.
Hey emeraldisle, I think you have that backward. The trains were there first. Railroads never built their track through towns. Towns built themselves around the tracks, making the part of town near the tracks the oldest. Then those parts become the most run down, and seedy. Finally the railroad leaves, and the yuppies move in and renovate the area, and the undesirable element has to find a new home. Urban renewal 101.
After posting this, I had second thoughts. My point of view is very western. In the eastern US the cities were al least partially there before the trains. But trains went to where the industries of the day were. And it was those industrial workers, including railroad workers, who needed entertaining. Keep in mind that during the steam era especially, it wasn’t the highest value real estate near the tracks. I believe the term “wrong side of the tracks” had to do with the down wind side that recieved the smoke and soot from passing trains.
Point of view is very understandable and well taken and I believe your probably correct about the Eastern towns and cities. Either way, Railroads just naturally attract the bad element in the yards and adjacent properties. Of course, the post 9-11 environment has had a big influence on the bad element today and how far they get on the properties and what they do. I personally, like to model the late 20’s thru the mid 50’s, run down, filthy, coal burning, big cities and all.
I think Maxx’s explanation was more than sufficient. I’ve yet to see a cathouse located near a yard or main line, not even on my recent trips over BNSF into Balmer Yard (Interbay) in Seattle, or Auburn, Pasco, Vancouver or Wenatchee for that matter. In other words, what you’re referring to is a stereotype/cliché. Chill.
Thats a good possibility. In many parts of the country, urban renewal has taken hold, but there are still many big cities and smaller towns, where the wrong side of town is still RR Right of Way. The time period modeled will also dictate whether or not you see such as this. You certainly would, back in the 20’s to the 50’s. After that, many large cities started to clean up their image. I would imagine too, that the RR’s have tried to clean up adjacent properties by buying them up as Right of Way.