Model Railway Forum

First subway, London 1863.

Latest project is something I've had in mind for the last 25 years, and working on the last two. Took me two years to figure
out this Heathcote system too riddled with bugs to make work. Maybe an electronics guy can unravel the issues with infared
sensors and the rest of it, I finally gave up on it. Did what I should have done in the first place, and got a Bachmann set
with Auto Reverse. My concern such a system would simply toss the powered coach into reverse and this would eventually
damage gearing and/or motor. There is this thing called "Google" on the thing called the "Internet" (you may have heard of it)
and it was quick to surmise that the Bachmann system makes for a nice, easy stop, a built in delay, and then a gentle reverse.
No worry of damaging the drive train. Nicest part was it took all of five minutes to set up and it worked perfectly from the get-go.

Whilst on the subject of mental blocks, it seemed very important to me, when I got the Heathcote affair, (sorry Heathcote, but
you tried, but were unable to get it right the first, or second time) that the tube train stop in the center of its traverse, whilst the
Bachmann system only permits an end to end with no center stop. Dawned on me, a few weeks ago whilst trying to breath life into
the Heathcote, why not simply move the station platform to one end of its tube? No one gives a hoot if it stops in the middle. Undergrounds,
or subways as they are called in NYC, reverse out of termini all the time. No need to worry about a centered stop.

Having enjoyed a perfect success of the nice, simple, reliable Bachmann set, next question was how to build up the platform and get suitable
interior brick and tile work? For this, turning once again to that amazing invention called "Google," I was quickly able to find and print some
tile and brick paper and it looks great. Trying to figure out how to make a styrene platform and how to "bury" the tracks under a layer of
"concrete," it occurred to me to simply cut the box it came in into narrow strips, and paint it gray. Voila!

More to come, as time permits. When complete- commuters, vending machines, newspaper kiosk, and a guy playing the guitar with his case open for
coins, (note to self- advertisements upon the walls, litter, grime) this micro layout, 4 inches by 56 inches, will be transportable to model
train shows, if any ever happen again in this lifetime, and to be hung just below the level of Armadilloville for otherwise permanent display.

Cardboard is such an easy medium to use. I'll glue it in tighter so the platform reaches the lower edge of the door. Either paint a gray concrete, or will see if a free download of tile can be used. I don't well remember the floors of NYC subways, seem to remember a light color grimy concrete with suitable stripes to warn off passengers from getting too close.

For decades, when modeling concrete platforms, or embedded railway, I always felt it necessary to use mediums such as clay, plaster, styrene, balsa,
anything but abundant and free cardstock scrap. The results of all that never really worked out terribly well. Now that I am trying it, I am like wow- time to fill in all those empty track crossings in Henley. I feel like I discovered the Wheel.

A piece of scrap plastic transparency might add to the sense of looking through a window into this miniature subway.

Photographs help me to adjust the position of the brick wall paper. A third rail will be placed to the far side of the track.
From Google photos, it seems the third rail is a, well, rail! That's easy! Plenty of scrap track I can sacrifice for that job.

Thinking of using some cheap clear Christmas lights glued, out of view, along the top of the tunnel for that gloamy florescent look.

In doing a little research, it was interesting to note that London had its first subway in 1863- during the time Washington, D.C. was a quagmire of mud streets and the Civil War raged . First subway came to Boston in 1897.

I like the micro layout concept, and always wanted to do a totally urban layout, and always enjoyed the great efficiency and utility of subways, in both Boston and NYC, so I get to do three things at once without breaking the bank and in a small space. Lot of fun, this. A Walther's Subway Entrance will be affixed above the station, later on. It seems a flat portion of sidewalk will be useful to mount it upon, and perhaps I can squeeze in a little street scene, too boot.

Now modeling any sector of the Moscow Tube System, that would be something...

From my recollection of the NYC subway there were no tube like tunnels on the lines I travelled on. Instead the tunnel sides were usually straight due to the cut and cover method used to construct the lines. Older traditional stations tended to have quite intricate tile work on the walls whilst modernised stations tended to do away with the tiling. Do not know what it is like now since it was the late nineties since we were there.

I did enjoy using the subway to quickly get round NYC as the places you wanted to visit were quite well spread about. The only thing I found disconcerting was the odd carriage with bullet holes in the interconnecting doors

Richard

https://youtu.be/WNw3Rg9Rw9U

I believe you are largely correct about the straight walled fabrication, there may have been the occasional tunnel here and there,
as some of the intersections bore under the other. My essential goal was to create a memory, an impression, a feel for what I
experienced long time ago in a land far, far away. Perhaps soon, Kevlar vests will be available for rental, particularly as the Mayor
and Guvnah are intent upon a kindler, gentler approach to thuggery.

I am dwelling on the notion of adding graffiti. Some enlightened souls regard it as folk art. Myself, I tend to associate it with gang
violence and rampant drug addiction, so am leaning away from adding that in. I did go so far as to model some 1/87th trash and obligatory
grease stains.