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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005 Hey emeraldisle, I think you have that backward. The trains were there first. Railroads never built their track through towns. Towns built themselves around the tracks, making the part of town near the tracks the oldest. Then those parts become the most run down, and seedy. Finally the railroad leaves, and the yuppies move in and renovate the area, and the undesirable element has to find a new home. Urban renewal 101. After posting this, I had second thoughts. My point of view is very western. In the eastern US the cities were al least partially there before the trains. But trains went to where the industries of the day were. And it was those industrial workers, including railroad workers, who needed entertaining. Keep in mind that during the steam era especially, it wasn't the highest value real estate near the tracks. I believe the term "wrong side of the tracks" had to do with the down wind side that recieved the smoke and soot from passing trains. [/quote]Point of view is very understandable and well taken and I believe your probably correct about the Eastern towns and cities. Either way, Railroads just naturally attract the bad element in the yards and adjacent properties. Of course, the post 9-11 environment has had a big influence on the bad element today and how far they get on the properties and what they do. I personally, like to model the late 20's thru the mid 50's, run down, filthy, coal burning, big cities and all.
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