Empire City Station Part 2

Greetings All,

Work continues on the Empire City Station project and here are the latest developments.

Here is Empire City Station as last seen in PCCM 60.

I used some cardstock from a cereal box to mock up the support going over the tracks. I had this in place for awhile but started to dislike the support piece on the platform separating the two left tracks.

The other side shows has a similar support on the platform separating the tracks which are now on your right. These will both be removed as the project progresses. 

I was unsure what to do below station level and ultimately chose to add some foam board shapes that looked like either stairs or an escalator.  

You really have to crane your neck to see this area and the stair shapes supporting the center of the station are unseen from normal viewing angles.

I've cut the end walls out of foam core and opened up the tunnel between the two tracks on the left.
The base portion of the project is starting to come together. Note the stairs / escalator supports are barely if at all visible. 

John Bruce of Model Railroad Miscellany fame complimented the structure in EC Station part 1 saying it reminded him of Penn Station Baltimore. I googled photos of this and noted among other cool items a cut for taxicabs to access the front of the station. I've mocked that up here. Thanks for the heads up John!!

The area across from Penn Station Baltimore is a nice open space with some greenery. I had a Woodland Scenics Memorial Park kit under the layout for over ten years waiting to be built and added to the layout. This looks like the perfect place for it. I've assembled the picnic benches and painted the metal castings rattle can gray.

Here is the newly installed Memorial Park. A perfect place to relax, BBQ and enjoy the hustle and bustle of Empire City Station. 

The roads and some of the sidewalks are now in place. Still lots to do though.  

The park has been populated and the scene is coming to life. Now I need to paint all these unpainted figures. Ugh.... Not my favorite part of the hobby.

One other thing I noted in the Penn Station Baltimore photos was a number of food trucks surrounding the open area. Hmm... 

It's Food Truck Friday!!!

So there's plenty more to do and I hope to have the scene pretty much completed within the next week. I'll post a Part 3 blog entry showing the mostly finished scene later this week if all goes well. Special thanks to John B. for the heads up on the Penn Station Baltimore and all that has evolved from that.        

Thanks for reading!!!

See ya soon!!!