New HBS Banner

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I took a few moments to create a banner for the railroad for use in forum signatures. I just wanted to get something out there to start building an identity for the railroad. Ironically, it took a similar form of the later GE 44 tonners paint scheme for #700 and #701 that used yellow lettering over green field. Totally done by accident, but I had just looked at my photo collection that includes images of these locomotives. Careful what you look at - it is going to influence you.

Hand drawn HBS plan revisited

So I revisited my original plan for my Hoboken Shore Railroad, and I believe I may like it the best. After doing an article on the RO-RO staging device in LDJ38, I very much like the idea that it can act as the connection to Croxton Yard and provide all the Erie Railroad traffic to and from Weehawken Yard. Six foot long trains are plenty long enough for the amount of room I can dedicate to the yard.
I also like the way the track plan mimics many of the twists and turns that the prototype took. The HBS yard has the same curved track as the real railroad that lead around the waterfront to the service yard and Seatrain docks.
I am becoming enamored with the idea of having the Bethlehem Steel facility almost completely modeled on the large bump-out. I have found photos at the Historic American Builds online site that detail a few of the buildings which would make scratchbuilding much easier.
Every spot is accounted for in this plan for the entire railroad, which is one of the things that got me interested in the railroad to begin with. It also has provision for that Dial-A-Yard idea that would allow me to have several other yards.
What to do next
I'll need to work into the plan my office and a guest bed or two somehow. The bench work will be need to be high (50"+) so I can fit desks and beds below. There will probably be bookshelves below, but there is also an opportunity to have a couple of shelves at the ceiling line because of the 9' ceilings. This could provide the foundation for valence and lighting, too.
To progress the plan, I'll start on a SketchUp! model soon. I'm inspired by the work of Alan Cooper, whom I saw a few photos of his SketchUp! work on his own layout from the last convention. Since space is critical, and some innovative solutions will be called upon to solve specific space issues, I don't have any problem spending a good deal of time working up a detailed vitual model first. I might also make a physical model to double-check what kind of clearances and access I will have to the additional functions in the room.
I will post progress on these plan developments...
Original web postings on the LDSIG web site.

LDJ 38 has mailed.

The latest issue of of the LDJ is on the way. This is the last in the "over-sized" format that was voted out by the Board of Directors at the NMRA national convention in July. The format will return to the old and outdated 8-1/2 x 11 look and feel that the members are more comfortable with.