Passing on the overpasses

Several years ago I made the decision to forego modeling the South Expressway overpass west (right) of Bluffs Yard in Council Bluffs.  Not only would it have been a space hog that left the surrounding area feeling cramped, but it created access issues both for operations and maintenance.  Since the South Expressway in that area is a free-standing overpass, seeming to float above the scene rather than being a part of it, it's been easy for my brain to dismiss its absence, and I've never regretted doing without it.

Given all that, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to decide to also do without the similarly free-standing I-80 overpasses at the east (left) end of Bluffs Yard.  Here's a Google Maps image showing their orientation to the yard, turntable (lower right corner), and Harry Langdon Blvd. on the prototype.  Note that the Dallas Johnson Greenhouse facility - once located in the large empty lot just to the right of Harry Langdon Blvd. at the top of the photo - was removed after my era.

 Compared to the layout image below, I've obviously had to employ a huge amount of selective compression.  This is especially evident when you note the proximity of the turntable to the Harry Langdon overpass.

Given that, even though the I-80 overpasses are a very recognizable feature of this scene on the prototype, I'm now more clearly seeing how they would (or rather, wouldn't) fit in this scene, and I'm very comfortable doing without them.  Even more than the scenic impact, though, I believe they would have left this end of the yard very difficult for my crews to work and for me to maintain.

Foregoing Overpasses

Joe,  I totally agree with your choice to forego the Interstate Highway overpasses in favor of your yard crew.  Sometimes a real-world element is a bit too much and does not contribute.  That certainly would be the case for your  Bluffs Yard.  

I faced a similar, though smaller scale, choice to forego the Crestview Street overpass of the Oakridge, OR , yard.  Yes, that overpass is in the middle of the yard.  Many photos Including my own) have been taken from it. Nonetheless, it represented a significant blockage for crews seeing what they are doing and me maintaining the track.  I further faced the issue that my selective compression left the potential location of the overpass in a very awkward location.  

So both of us have passed on the overpasses.

Bill Decker

https://espeecascades.blogspot.com

Looking good Joe!

Also looking forward to seeing the finished section again in person sometime.

As for the missing overpasses, knowing what the area looks like from actually being there, it didn't even cross my mind that it wasn't included in your scene when we visited you last summer.

As for most things on our models, if you never say anything in the first place, most will not even notice anything is off or missing.  Some will, but most will not.

Love that bridge scene!

Overpasses

Bill, that's encouraging that you reached the same conclusion.  As prototype modelers, we naturally want to convey our chosen area as accurately as possible, so it can be difficult to discard something substantial like this.  I wonder if it's easier to do away with an overpass since it's suspended above our normal line of sight?  Whatever the case, I've never thought twice about my decision to ignore the aforementioned South Expressway viaduct.

Allen, I really appreciate your feedback.  Great to hear that the lack of the overpass didn't register.  Thanks for your kind words.

Maybe

With the properly chosen angle, would the freeway overpasses work as a distant feature on an IAIS photo backdrop? Visitors to Mr. Decker's tell me the center of his Oakridge is safely out of reach anyway . . .

@Graham Line

GL - I had given some thought to putting I-80 on the backdrop.  It definitely has potential for making it visible from the west (right) end of the yard looking east, which would be nice.  However, viewing the scene from the east end, I'm afraid it'd create perspective issues for both the 3D scene and backdrop.  If it was close enough to scale properly with the Bluffs Yard scene, it'd be too tall to be able to effectively hide the ends.

My ideal solution would be to represent I-80 as a hologram, so my operators could see it in 3D, but would be able to reach right through it.  Anticipating the Walthers Cornerstone Hologram Projector to arrive any day now. 

Beautiful Work as Always

Hey Joe,

That's some beautiful work on the bridge scenes and I completely understand the requirement for selective compression.  I've had to deal with that on numerous occasions on my layout where the initial grand design I had in my head doesn't work so well when compressed.  I often have to remind myself that there's only a handful of people that actually know all the details and track arrangements on the area I'm modeling, so it's not as critical in the grand scheme of things, except to me as the builder.  In any case, the selective compression that you've done looks completely believable.  Must feel great to run some trains through those completed scenes. 

-Neil Schofield

Sometimes leaving things off

Sometimes leaving things off that do not add to the scene do not detract from it either. I think this is one of those times. Folks will see and appreciate the excellent model railroad you have built and enjoy it on its own merits, which are many!

Two thumbs up cause that's all I have.

Neil

Thank you so much Neil!  I really appreciate your encouragement.

Someday soon it'll feel great to run trains through these completed scenes.  For now, though, I haven't fired anything up.  I'm back at work this week, and devoting my free time to gathering materials for that last scenery gap, as well as selling all those Rix Products overpass kits I purchased years ago for I-80.  I can't say I'm sorry to see that project go away! 

Rob

Thanks very much Rob!  The more I compare that satellite photo with the layout pic above, the more I can't believe I ever even considered adding I-80 to that space.

It's funny how I sometimes think that not modeling a key feature like this will hurt the layout's accuracy, when in fact, modeling too many key features will hurt it much more. 

Inspirational

Joe,

Your progress on your railroad is certainly inspirational.  Thanks for all the posts and great photos - keep them coming!

Al Carter

Al

Thank you very much Al!  I really appreciate it.

Dissenting opinion

Sorry Joe. I wish I’d never seen the aerial view as the overpass seems such a prominent feature. Too bad a one-way mirror couldn’t be employed in model railroading to give the Disney simulated hologram effect of objects! 

I like the scene as-is but it misses the mark when compared to the prototype. Now I am not one in a position to judge but since you asked ...

Neil

Fair enough Neil. I really appreciate your honesty, as I often learn a lot from dissenting opinions. If we want to improve in this hobby, I think it’s important to keep an open mind and try to be aware of personal biases. 

I completely understand your feeling of this scene missing the mark without the I-80 overpasses. Some of my fellow IAIS modelers also voted in favor of their inclusion. And I’ve noticed a bit of a trend: Those who were pro-overpass had primarily viewed the scene on-line through satellite images or by passing over the yard on I-80, while those opposed had railfanned the prototype more extensively from ground level. My theory is that when you’re on the ground, your focus is on the rail action around you closer to eye level, and the overpasses are kind of floating above all that in your peripheral vision (if that’s a thing in the vertical plane).

I’m not saying that those in favor of the overpasses are wrong at all, or that their opinions mean less to me, but just that I think each group might be experiencing the prototype differently, and therefore pre-disposed to re-creating it differently.  Also, regardless of our views in that regard, I don’t think there’s any denying the detrimental impact they would have on accessibility, which is a major concern for me.  A few years ago I spent a lot of time narrowing some key scenes on the layout in order to improve access and maintainability, and I'm afraid these overpasses would have been a significant step backward in that regard.

Nice work Joe

Nice work Joe. I really enjoy following your progress. And I also completely understand your reasoning behind not including the bridge. I’ve been faced with something similar on my layout. There is a overhead bridge I did not include as well, and it is a signature scene on the prototype. I really wanted to but that would have meant I would have to give up really valuable yard space. So since Operations is more important I left it off. Some times we just have to make concessions on our condensed versions when it comes to prototype modeling.

Tim

Tim

Thank you Tim!  That's painful to make those compromises when they involve such key structures, isn't it?  It really goes against what I think we tend to strive for with our layouts.

I think the compromises have especially hit me with these last few scenes, from the High Bridge wrapping around the end of the aisle and into Bluffs Yard, as it's an area I'm so familiar with.  I probably drive over that Harry Langdon Blvd. overpass at least a couple times every day.  I've lived in Council Bluffs for almost all of my 51 years, and to see these scenes that are so familiar, and yet so condensed, is taking some time for my brain to adjust to.

Some progress

A bit of progress!  Over the last week or so, I ordered and quickly received my last batch of SuperTrees and static grass from Scenic Express.  Also, this morning I applied all but one of my remaining backdrop photos, shown below. 

The only gap - the LAST backdrop photo to be applied on the entire layout(!) - is the portion behind the Harry Langdon Blvd. overpass.  Assuming I can make that vertical step-up look okay compared to the scenes on either side, that photo will be added, along with the surrounding trees intended to ease that transition, once the bridge itself is complete. 

I hope to have that bridge and highway done this weekend at the latest, after which time my focus will turn to completing the last remaining grass and trees in this corner before sticking a fork in it.

I'm not sure whether to chalk it up to strange timing or poor planning on my part, but just before starting this final scene, I ran out of SuperTrees, both 4mm and 6mm Silflor late summer static grass, and the matte photo paper I use for backdrop pics.  All of which I'd bought in such quantities early on that I thought I'd have plenty to complete the layout.  Fortunately, I'm sure other scenes on the layout will soak up more grass and trees as I complete farm fields and add structures, neither of which were planned for this basic scenery pass.

This Suggestion Is Probably Too Late, But......

Joe:

Looking at the track plan on your gallery, and looking at the aerial photo on the previous page, and the photo of this area on the layout, it would seem that the I-80 overpass could be represented on the backdrop with photos if the area is accessible to take them.  Something like what you did to good effect behind the high bridge.

Just a thought.

Trees

We have been known to selectively thin trees in certain areas when running temporarily short of materials. A little replanting never hurt anyone.

Suggestions

Thanks very much for the suggestion Chuck.  I had given some thought to putting I-80 on the backdrop.  It definitely has potential for making it visible from the west (right) end of the yard looking east, which would be nice.  However, viewing the scene from the east end, I'm afraid it'd create perspective issues for both the 3D scene and backdrop.  If it was close enough to scale properly with the Bluffs Yard scene, it'd be too tall to be able to effectively hide the ends.

Looking at the latest pic above, I-80 would tower over everything else on the backdrop, well above the tree lines to either side.  Given that, I'm not sure how I'd integrate it.

I never thought of that!   Unfortunately, SuperTrees have a certain Velcro-like quality to them.  Once they're in place, the removal of single trees without damage to those around them becomes quite a challenge!

Oh well...I needed more trees around the farm fields, and was afraid to add them before the crops since I thought the latter work would likely subject them to a lot of bumping.  I'll probably end up using far more for those areas than what I expect, and I'm sure I can sell the remainder.

Re: I-80

Let them damned truckers go the long way around! 

Chatfield's 2nd Law

Scott

I can't complain!   Most of my visitors cross my prototype on the way to my house, and some take the time to railfan it.  Keeps me honest!   

I've always had a fondness for modeling local prototypes, but Soo Line modeler Bob Rivard really cemented the idea for me.  I had the pleasure of visiting his layout during a business trip to Minneapolis in the mid-1990s, and on my way, I railfanned a number of the scenes that Bob modeled.  It was really a lot of fun to then walk into his basement and see the phenomenal job he'd done in recreating them. 

My prototype's proximity also makes research much easier.  I often hear of prototype modelers searching for years for a photo of a particular side of a structure, but in my case, there aren't too many things that have disappeared before I've had a chance to document them enough for modeling. 

One that comes to mind, the original Atlantic yard office, was torn down and replaced with a nice new brick structure between my trips there, and while I had several pics of the original structure, I failed to get overall measurements.  Fortunately, a very kind former IAIS employee heard of my predicament and pointed out that the original yard office was a manufactured building that was a Rock Island standard, and that a structure with the same footprint, window and door sizes, etc. still existed as a MOW shack at Earlham, about a half-hour east of Atlantic.  Got my measurements and made a new IAIS friend at the same time. 

Hey Joe....here's a thought....

Since the overpass is primarily on stilts through the area you model, have you thought of making easily removable I-80 sections that you can put in place for open house/photography sections, including an attached photo at the end?   Remove the bridge for operations/maintenance and there is no blockage of the yard.   Possibly you could get the best of both worlds that way.   Just a quick observation here.

BTW.....good to see you here mr sightless canine(i.e. Mr Chatfield)

Loren Casey

Maryville,IL