Bob Smaus Article

Great to see Bob's byline again. Been a fan since his first article in MR back in Dec. 1990. Followed his peregrination from a 2.5X6' module of the Los Angeles port to a 17x19' garage layout to the current 14.4 X 4'. When he moved out of SoCal I thought we S•P fans had lost him. One question: what's his secret for the realistic ballasting on the yard and industrial trackage?  

Great to see Bob's byline again.

Yep, I read all his stuff back in the day , when the SP still had gyralights and was UP free. Maybe there is something to this good old days being better theory after all? ....DaveB

Love This!

I can remember as a kid, taking trips through Lower Downtown Denver, (now revitalized as LoDo) where all the warehouses were rail served, with track running in front of each building and through the automobile parking spaces. I can remember parking on the tracks, with boxcars spotted on either side of us. All the switching was done at night, according to my dad, who worked for the Rio Grande as a programmer.

All those tracks are long gone, and the entire area has been turned into craft beer bars, and has become quite the night spot. Still, I love the idea of having a city siding with spots hidden from direct view, both in building docks, and down alleys between close buildings.

This is a really inspiring article.

Very neat work in this

Very neat work in this article!

It reminds me of this video I stumbled upon on YouTube.

Bob does it again!

It's great to see Bob's work -- it's always first rate. I remember visiting his home layout in Los Angeles many years ago. He really has captured the "look" of the gritty part of L.A. during the golden age of railroading.

Glad to see Bob Smaus is

Glad to see Bob Smaus is still active in the hobby. As always, his perception and solutions to creating a realistic urban scene is excellent. He captures the LA downtown business area like no one else. If only he could model the Coca-Cola bottling plant on Central Ave...

Big Fan

Have been a big fan of Bob Smaus since seeing his 3x10 layout and Port of LA project in MR (whatever became of those layouts, Bob??).  Lots of great inspiration for my own urban layout.

More please!

Welcome Back

It is great to have Bob back as he is a great inspiration. I just happen to be in the middle of modeling Alameda St. in Los Angeles, (based on his old layout). His article is extremely timely. We hope to see his progress on this great railroad.

K9usaf

El Tarasco RR SP/PE/ATSF

Hello, Bob!

More on the Haas warehouse

I found a link to a great set of photos of the Haas warehouse. It was also called the Haas Baruch & Co. warehouse in later years, and the company also had warehouses in other cities. The photos aren't the greatest, but good enough, with lots of detail shots that make scratchbuilders squeal. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/echo_29/sets/72157600264793965/with/523150058/ or go to Flickr and type in "Haas, Baruch, & Co. 1988" in the search box.  I've also posted a few photos to my Flickr account of what may be the Mission Furniture warehouse that Bob is referring. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55273381@N06/                                                                                                                                                                                        

Love Bob's work

I have always enjoyed Bob's modeling. I don't model that era, RR, area or such, but I always enjoy his articles for how he makes me feel like I have visited these places he models in that time period. He also usually has some good tips and modeling techniques. Thanks for sharing Bob!

Mike McNamara

Delran, NJ