Baton Rouge Southern 3.0 - a Design discussion

[Philip H]

Since I’m getting tire of the blue foam sea of a layout top, I diluted some craft paint and shot it through my airbrush. Yeah yeah I know, every one uses latex misting but this is what I have. Plus acrylic craft paint is really ready to get off rail heads. I also carved in some ditch profile for ballasting. We will have to see whether I add to it tomorrow.

[Philip H]

The track gang started settin  the final alignment for Wizard of the Woods Railworks, a DKS Industry. At this angle there will be enough room out back to put down by programming track.

[Philip H]

I have had this house since my first layout. It needs a facelift:



So grabbed some paint and random details:



And made it a little less 1980 looking:



U also have a couple of walls installed from matte board and am fabricating a base. If I get to it I may add some interior details as well but probably not too much because that would require lighting.

[Bob]

Nice upgrade on the house Philip - impressive what some paint can do!

[mu26aeh]

I see that the mad rush to use Sea Slate as a siding color has made it's way to the 1:160 world as well

Looks great !

[Philip H]

This weekend the local paving company came out to start work on parking lots and roads. The 1mm craft foam needs some paint applications and stripes as well as underpayment to bring some of it up to rail height in a couple of places.

[Philip H]

More Photos:

[amato1969]

Looking good @Philip H .  That DQ is a prime site for watching some switching moves!

  Frank

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm assuming the road along the front is the "main drag", right?

If so, you might want to reorient the DQ to face IT, even if the entrance is from that side road.

You can run the switching lead through the parking lot ala the one in Morrisville PA. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2090599,-74.7721458,3a,75y,253.83h,84.36t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0-kwM5RQkf6jSqSLpupIcw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D0-kwM5RQkf6jSqSLpupIcw%26cb_client%3Dsearch.revgeo_and_fetch.gps%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D352.97815%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[Philip H]

So if I turn the DQ as @Ed Kapuscinski suggests there's not actually room to model the drive thru around back.  The larger lot to the left is the laydown for the Payne HVAC Corporation.  Not only will they have a medium sized warehouse for receiving compressors etc but there will be a large overhead traveling crane that will be overkill for various sheet metal products that will surly need to come off flat cars at some point.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hmm.

I guess my question is: would they build a DQ on a dead end street like that?

[Philip H]

they might, the road below the track sis supposed to be two of the four lanes of US Highway 61.  Plus it represents and industrial district that is an amalgamation of two such areas in Baton Rouge which do have fast food restaurants on the fringe.  Granted, those are Popeye's Fried Chickens not Arby's but you roll with what you have.
 

[Tad_T]

Hmm.

I guess my question is: would they build a DQ on a dead end street like that?

In Louisiana and Arkansas, most of the medium/larger towns that have four lane highways through town actually have divided four lanes with a wide grass/ditch median and two lane “access” roads, they call them frontage roads in some places, on each side of the four lane.  Most of your small businesses and fast food places are on the access roads.

Having grown up in Louisiana and Arkansas, and never having lived anywhere else until I went into the Army, I was pretty amazed at the differences in highway and urban planning in other places.

[Philip H]

In Louisiana and Arkansas, most of the medium/larger towns that have four lane highways through town actually have divided four lanes with a wide grass/ditch median and two lane “access” roads, they call them frontage roads in some places, on each side of the four lane.  Most of your small businesses and fast food places are on the access roads.

Having grown up in Louisiana and Arkansas, and never having lived anywhere else until I went into the Army, I was pretty amazed at the differences in highway and urban planning in other places.

Baton Rouge raised; Mississippi living currently.  And you are very correct.  In Hammond, LA my favorite railfan spot is the McDonalds - where you have to cross the IC/CN mainline to get into the parking lot.

[Vince P]

All of it is looking great so far following with interest