Chicago in the 1990's (Now with a track plan)

[RSWController]

Hello again everyone! I know it's been a while but life has a funny way of getting in the way of model railroading. About 18 months ago I accepted a job transfer. It took the motivation right away as I knew I'd be eventually moving and I wasn't sure how the layout would survive. However, it turned out to be a positive... although in the short term moving cross state lines with two kids and a wife isn't exactly fun. But, our new house had a bit larger, climate controlled layout room in a nice finished basement. Long story short, we moved a week before Xmas and I've spent the last little bit getting the layout back up and put together. It actually made it through a couple days in a moving truck pretty well; just an occasional ding or track issue. The best part is I was able to expand a few select scenes and add a few feet of mainline track. Anyway, here are a few grab shots I took with the phone.

This is Pine Junction, on the west side of Gary, one of those new scenes I was able to add. I did a quick scenic treatment but it still needs details. The street crossing is Clark Road. The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern is in the background. Pine yard is a small interchange yard between Conrail and the EJE. Then the double track main lines of Conrail and then CSX.





Here is a CP Rail train coming under the EJE. The CP had trackage rights thru Chicago into Michigan.



By my era of 1995, the Gary Union Station was long abandoned. I wanted to incorporate this scene into the layout and it's the last modeled scene. It also breaks up the curve that leads into staging.





A scene I was able to expand was Hohman tower, where the IHB crosses the Norfolk Southern ex-NKP line into Chicago. The tower is obviously in progress.



Another scene I was able to expand was Dolton Junction.



All in all I'm happy with how everything went back together. I still haven't redid the backdrops. And I haven't figured out why I added a booster and can't get it to work. But hopefully, knock on wood, I'll be here south of Atlanta for a while and won't have to take the layout apart for the foreseeable future. This is the first time I've posted directly from an iPhone so hope the size of the pics isn't overwhelming.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh man, that's incredibly hot!

[TLOC]

Spent a lot of time at Dolton Jct in the 1970's. Those diamonds feel so right. You have taken me home, great job.

TomO

[Cajonpassfan]

Very cool, I love it! Congrats on your move and the new place to build/play trains!
I love your concept and implementation...the only thing I struggle with is the overhead trusses dying into he backdrop...it there a plan to camouflage it? Trees, buildings, or?
Regards, Otto K.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Great work. Spent many an hour or three at all of the locations on your layout during visits to our head office in Chicago. I was at Dolton tower for it's 100 year celebration with one of the tower operator and some good friends. You have taken me back there. Now I'll just go and get out my old pics and reminisce.
Keep up the good work.
Rod from down under.

[James Costello]

This is still one of my most favourite layout threads here on TRW. Please keep the updates and photos coming!

New scenes look great.

[OldEastRR]

Nice preliminary "abandonment look" on the station. Has the prototype roof also collapsed in places, leaving just the structural beams?

[GaryHinshaw]

Good to see this thread resurfacing!   So just how many diamonds do you have on your pike?  I don't think I've ever seen a layout with more.

[mcjaco]

Nice preliminary "abandonment look" on the station. Has the prototype roof also collapsed in places, leaving just the structural beams?

Quick Google search: http://lostindiana.net/2001/05/01/union-station-gary/

[Trainmaster247]

That looks like a great layout I definitely see a lot of crossings in it though

[RSWController]

Very cool, I love it! Congrats on your move and the new place to build/play trains!
I love your concept and implementation...the only thing I struggle with is the overhead trusses dying into he backdrop...it there a plan to camouflage it? Trees, buildings, or?
Regards, Otto K.

Thanks. Not sure how I am going to handle the bridges. Like I said, the backdrops are going to be redone but I am putting off tackling that as I don't like it haha. I've fooled around with some preliminary photo backdrops but it's tougher than I imagined, especially for someone who isn't too computer savvy like myself.

[RSWController]

Good to see this thread resurfacing!   So just how many diamonds do you have on your pike?  I don't think I've ever seen a layout with more.

Thanks. While all of my diamonds are only for show; i.e., only one route is active and the other is just for the scene, I do have a lot of them. On the current layout, I have four at Blue Island, 10 at Dolton, four at Hohman Ave, two at Graselli, four at Calumet, and three at CP 502. And actually I have sixteen that didn't make my current design at Brighton Park and Ash Street.





One of the main goals of my layout is to showcase the railroad mecca that is Chicago. I wanted to build as many junctions and crossings to get a feel for the coolness of the dozens of lines and different railroads that served Chicago. I also wanted to get a feel for the congestion and variety. When I first started railfanning/modeling 20 years ago, I loved all the railroads and couldn't settle on one line to model. So being that I lived 90 minutes from Chicago and that's where I began my early trainwatching expeditions, I decided to model all of them!!  While I model 1995, I can only imagine what it was like in the 70s and 80s. But the early 1990's was a great time to be around the railroad.

I appreciate everyone's nice comments.

[Cajonpassfan]

Yea, all these cosmetic junctions and crossings are very Chicago....and something not modeled very much. Exciting.
A question: shouldn't the signal in the pic below be located before the tracks cross your mainline, rather than just past it? Seems wrong ...
Otto K.

[Missaberoad]

Yea, all these cosmetic junctions and crossings are very Chicago....and something not modeled very much. Exciting.
A question: shouldn't the signal in the pic below be located before the tracks cross your mainline, rather than just past it? Seems wrong ...
Otto K.

Looking at this picture he has it right on... 
http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/00/51/98/73_big.jpg

[Cajonpassfan]

Dang, I love it when a proto photo shows up to prove me wrong!
It *looks* wrong, but is right
Nice going...
Otto K.