AC&Y - Ohio's Road of Service

[LKOrailroad]

Yes, I grew up in the area. Lived on Barder Rd next to the bridge over the ACY main until 1963 and then on Gibbs Rd near Strickland's until 1974. Had relatives that lived on the first block of Spade.

I absolutely remember the spray ponds. Along with a spray pond, what rubber factory scene would be complete without a tire dump. Massive piles of tires containing more mosquitoes than there are numbers to count. Make sure to put a coating of black soot on everything and I do mean everything.

Here's a pic of the New Era for you.

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[SAH]

Oh my.  I think I'll have to find a spot for the original New Era on the layout.  Thanks for the photo.  I see that paprikash was a specialty back then, as it still is today.
Piles of tires:  Fortunately we have an expert at scrap tire production in our midst.  I was figuring Ed K's method would show up in more than place on the layout.
Steve

[SAH]

The Mogadore Valley Industrial District comes off the east end of Brittain Yard.  There was not much out there in 1960 but I'll use some imagineering based on a riff of what's there today to provide some traffic.  Unlike Brittain and Spur 4 there are no "completed" sections for MVID but I have a few bare sections ready to go and will build the rest.  I'm liking the possibilities here.


Despite all the high tech planning tools available, sometimes getting down on your hands and knees making cardboard templates works best.

[SAH]

Reached a milestone today:  The top level benchwork is up.
Here's the business end of Brittain Yard.  I've repaired the hillside that backs the yard.


I've figured out how to get The New Era diner onto the layout.  East Market St. runs at a diagonal just beyond the ACY SHOPS bridge crossing the Little Cuyahoga.  Standard Rubber Products is on E. Market right across from Massillon Rd and the New Era is on the corner of E Market and Massillon.  Right now you'll have to squint to see it.  Thanks to @LKOrailroad for the early New Era photo.  Should be a neat little scene.


Coming out of the "mixer" is General Tire, the transition curve and the Standard/Harwick/Coal storage section.



Here's the really hacked up old Goodyear section.  It's about 12" narrower than v1.  It will serve as the East end of Goodyear.  Then the West end of Goodyear on a new section.  I'm playing with track layout in the photo.  This should be an interesting build.  I'll dedicate a post to the design process when I get it more refined.  Some mock-ups will be in order.



A repurposed section will host a latex plant, a nod to the extensive chemical operations Goodyear had in Akron.  Beyond is the end of the Mogadore section of the Mogadore Valley Industrial District.  I can get some roundy running in.  Not a bad thing IMO.


I'll outline the MVID side of Brittain in another post later
Steve

[MDW]

Looking great!
Just curious how high the top of your benchwork is off the floor?

Michel

[SAH]

The top of rail is 56" at Brittain, 58" at Mogadore/Goodyear Latex owing to basement floor slope for drainage.

Looking great!
Just curious how high the top of your benchwork is off the floor?

Michel

[LKOrailroad]

I've figured out how to get The New Era diner onto the layout.  East Market St. runs at a diagonal just beyond the ACY SHOPS bridge crossing the Little Cuyahoga.  Standard Rubber Products is on E. Market right across from Massillon Rd and the New Era is on the corner of E Market and Massillon.  Right now you'll have to squint to see it.  Thanks to @LKOrailroad for the early New Era photo.  Should be a neat little scene.

The rubber shop at E. Market and Massilon Rd intersection is RCA Rubber. Their primary product was stair runners. (and polluting the Little Cuyahoga river)
After seeing your spectacular rendition of the General plant I can't wait to see what you do with RCA.

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[LKOrailroad]

Some additional clarification about the New Era for you...

I spoke to my sister-in-law who is 10 years my senior and also worked at the New Era for a short time. She said that while the building when viewed from Massillon Rd did indeed appear to be L shaped, in fact it was a long rectangle inside. The building had been constructed tight against the building that bordered Spur 4. The short leg of the L was not part of the New Era, it just appeared that way from the outside. The fact that the parking lot was between the legs of the L further supported the illusion.

Should make modeling easier. It's a rectangle.

[SAH]

That the New Era was a rectangle is good news as I won't have much room for more than that.  Thanks for the clarification Alan.  And for the correction regarding RCA.  I should know better than that.  A local Akron woman offered for sale some photo flats a few years back.  One of them was the view you posted of RCA, which will give me a head start with the model.  The building today is looking pretty ragged but still a going concern.  I have proof that as late as 1979 they were a rail-served customer.  A box car of carbon black in containers.  I'm afraid I've no room to fit that feature in though.
Steve

[LKOrailroad]

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[SAH]

Nice reference photos Alan.  Thanks for posting them.
Continuing East on the Mogadore Valley Industrial District (or Spur as I've discovered it was called in the 50's).  In the late 20's or early 30's a viaduct was built to cross the tracks at the West end of Brittain.  I'll include the Roxbury Ave. viaduct to serve as a visual break between the yard and the start of MVID.


I don't have the room to model much of Copley, OH, where I planned to include the Multibase plastics plant.  However, at about the large open spot shown below is a current SAINT-GOBAIN plastics plant, and historically (1980's) a Norton plastics plant (purchased by SAINT-GOBAIN I believe).  Given the plastics industry was in it's infancy circa 1960 and I'm stretching reality anyway I'll include a good sized polymer facility here.  Should be a fun build.


I have about 11 feet of shelf to fill out with various warehouse and manufacturing customers.  The N&W track diagrams (1980) I found at the U of Akron archives last week have pulled together the bits and pieces of info I currently have.  Plenty of interesting business and structures to build.  Not the standard concrete and sheet metal siding of today.


The stretch of railroad between the MVID and Mogadore is rather rural, even if it's only a mile or so in length.  I'll cut in a deck girder bridge to cross the Little Cuyahoga (yet again) on the part with scenery and then install a rock transfer siding, the Gilchrist Rd. crossing and then on into Mogadore proper just as the AC&Y did.


I think I've figured out how to plausibly include the W&LE (NKP) Mogadore depot in the scene along with the Carter-Jones Lumber spur and the W&LE transfer tracks.  The track will poke through the backdrop separating Mogadore from Goodyear Latex and allow continuous running for kicks.


Since these photos were taken I've given the pink foam a coat of earth brown and begun figuring out the General to Harwick/Standard connector layout.  I'm liking how it's coming together so far.

Thanks for Looking
Steve

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is such an exciting stage.

I'm looking forward toward it coming together.

What's your plan for lighting?

[MDW]

Yep.....really exciting.
It’s very cool to follow your process of repurposing benchwork & modules, mocking up different ideas & plowing forward.   I’m jealous of the pace you’ve set!

Michel

[SAH]

Lighting for this level will follow my tried and true valance system with CFL or LED lamps every 18" or so.  It provides LOTS of light, a feature I really like.  And did I to mention that I have about a half ton of hardware and wiring salvaged from previous layout(s) lighting, plus plywood dunnage from the section crates to work with?  I've been leaving a slot at the bottom of the section fascia on this level for strip LEDs to light the next level, should I somehow make it to that point.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the ride.  So am I.

Steve

[SAH]

I finished the track work between the General Tire and Harwick/Standard section and the Brittain shops, through the hidden section to General Tire.

Here's what I'll call the "East Market Street" area.  The AC&Y main (MILW box car in the photo) ducks behind backdrop and will pop out out of view to the left of the brown backdrop on it's way to staging.  Spur 4 crosses the Little Cuyahoga, East Market St, goes through the Akron Expressway support columns, across Massillon Road and through the backdrop to get to General Tire.  The Main and Spur 4 cross (not prototypical) out of sight behind the backdrop.  East Market Street cuts through the scene on a diagonal, with RCA Rubber on the right, New Era Restaurant at the corner of E. Mkt and Massillon and some other as yet undetermined building filling out the left side of East Mkt.  The Akron Expressway will hug the left backdrop.  This little scene could take on a life of its own if I'm not careful.


I roughed in the Little Cuyahoga on the transition curve, General Tire to the right, Harwick/Standard to the left.  From the upper right:  General Tire power house coal in / fly ash out, General Tire outbound siding against the backdrop.  The rectangular block front and right of center is the spray pond with the associated pump house, access road etc.  This should be a fun build. 


Next up is adding the feeder wire drops and other general under layout wiring for these sections.  I'm getting the itch to see something run.

Thanks for looking
Steve