Irwin Mockup

Jack was over this week and more creative ideas were flowing. First, we finally got some resolution around Herminie Hill, the only real hill on the layout. No pictures yet because I want to get more of the base scenery done but the rough shape is taking form and I was really pleased.

I think Jack would agree that the operating session was a disaster ... or at least we had more problems than ever before. I think this was largely because I had too many trains the the west (Pittsburgh) and east (Greensburg) staging yards and not enough cars in the Irwin yard to keep me busy while Jack ran the trains back and forth. A couple times we had to stop and figure out how to get one train out of the way from another.

On the plus side, we started talking about downtown Irwin. Originally I had envisioned a passenger station and a freight station. Well I am not really much of a passenger car fan and I was not really excited about putting trains with 80' cars together. Three cars and the trains would look huge on my layout and still not look like a true Pennsy passenger train.

In the photo above, the passenger siding has a couple of 1890s Overton passenger cars - the right length, wrong era. I was telling Jack my ideas for how I wanted downtown Irwin to look busy, not crammed with a couple of streets but still need to reach back to the switchthrow to the siding. We tossed around several ideas. I kept mulling over it the next day and decided I just had to mock up downtown Irwin.

The first photo shows the new industry on the left that will replace the passenger and freight station. I may still have a freight station tucked behind the siding for some less-that-carload (LCL) traffic, we'll see. Notice the cut building in front? I think I will detail the inside and make it look like the scene is cut right through. I moved a new building I got for Christmas to place the second road of downtown. I think opposite the factory I will have The Lamp movie theater with a moving light sign.

The original road, on the right and in the foreground below, has been there for a couple of years and the building on the far right will be Isaly's, a definite Irwin marking. In the view below, you are looking at Kay's Bookstore (after my mom) which will also have A. Saunders Financial Services (after Angie, studying Finance/Accounting in school) and Joe's Music next to it.

I really like how this is looking!