The first part of my new layout is going to be a representation of Chicago Union Station. On my old layout I used the Walthers kit and butterfly platforms but now I want to do something more ambitious. Has anyone seen a layout with a good representation of Union Station? I'm not looking for something to scale or an exact replica, just a building that has sufficient size and mass to capture the feel of Union Station. I have a number of 10 car passenger trains that I want to run into/under the station so was thinking that the building should be 5-6 feet in length to keep from being dwarfed by the trains. Any ideas? The best I can come up with at the moment is combining a couple of Walthers Union Stations and Bailey Savings and Loans. Are there other kits that would fit this marble block pattern which I could kitbash into these?
Thanks.
Brad
whitman500 The first part of my new layout is going to be a representation of Chicago Union Station. On my old layout I used the Walthers kit and butterfly platforms but now I want to do something more ambitious. Has anyone seen a layout with a good representation of Union Station? I'm not looking for something to scale or an exact replica, just a building that has sufficient size and mass to capture the feel of Union Station. I have a number of 10 car passenger trains that I want to run into/under the station so was thinking that the building should be 5-6 feet in length to keep from being dwarfed by the trains. Any ideas? The best I can come up with at the moment is combining a couple of Walthers Union Stations and Bailey Savings and Loans. Are there other kits that would fit this marble block pattern which I could kitbash into these? Thanks. Brad
Brad, I cannot point you to a layout that models Chicago Union Station or something similar. However, I will suggest that the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station is a good model of Chicago Union Station. If you want to be faithful to the prototype though, you will need to kitbash a second floor to the structure. If you start with the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station, I see no need to purchase Bailey Savings and loan. Use your money instead to kitbash the second floor onto the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station.
Don't forget that Chicago Union Station was actually a 2 building complex, the Great Hall on the west side of Canal Street and the Concourse (now demolished) on the east side of Canal Street.
Here is an old photo of the 2 structures.
Rich
Edit Note: Brad, after I posted this reply, I got to thinking that you could use Bailey Savings and Loan as the start of a kitbash to build the Concourse structure while using the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station as the start of a kitbash to build the Great Hall.
Alton Junction
There might be one on the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry layout. I really don't remember.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
The modelrailroad club of Kiel (Germany) has N scale layout of Chicago. Might be you can get some inspiration. Their home page is in English language available.
http://www.mec-kiel.de/us_index.htm
Reinhard
faraway The modelrailroad club of Kiel (Germany) has N scale layout of Chicago. Might be you can get some inspiration. Their home page is in English language available. http://www.mec-kiel.de/us_index.htm
Reinhard, there are some beautiful photos of the N scale recreation of Grand Central Station and the Great Train Shed. But, alas, none of Union Station. Thanks for the link.
Here is not a very good shot taken at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry a couple of months ago.
If you want to see an amazing ambitious station project check out this video of the New Orleans terminal in HO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmKq4wZYB8g
there is a photo gallery on the construction of this amazing model on Cliff Powers web site
http://www.magnoliaroute.com/magnolia_route_135.htm
This gallery will give you and idea of what you might expect in a project of this magnitude.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
In the future i was planing to build the same station. The walthers union station will work but you will need a good amount of kits to make it work. To build the station you will use the middle of the kit the most (the piller parts the most). All the sides are mostly pillers. I sugest you find a way to copy these pillers to cut down on the kits involved.
Now the station is actualy on top of the tracks. I was in chicago a couple weeks ago and i got a good look at it. the tracks actualy run under city. The station is actualy 1 block wide but the tracks run under ground for about 3 - 4 blocks to the station. So you will have part of a city and the station over the tracks.
richhotrain Brad, I cannot point you to a layout that models Chicago Union Station or something similar. However, I will suggest that the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station is a good model of Chicago Union Station. If you want to be faithful to the prototype though, you will need to kitbash a second floor to the structure. If you start with the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station, I see no need to purchase Bailey Savings and loan. Use your money instead to kitbash the second floor onto the Walthers Cornerstone Union Station. Don't forget that Chicago Union Station was actually a 2 building complex, the Great Hall on the west side of Canal Street and the Concourse (now demolished) on the east side of Canal Street. Here is an old photo of the 2 structures. Rich
Now in modern day the building in front is gone replaced by a modern one. I believe the modern part is about 10 stories. Rich is right the layout in the science and industry does have the station. I will look through my canera for a pic of the station and a pic of the modeled one. i got pics of both when i was down in chicago. I know the one in the science and industry was scratched built. It looks close to the real thing.
When i get home tonight from work i will look for the pics.
justin
Brad:
Check out the following link to the NMRA Operations Special Interest Group. This months feature article is by a gentleman in the NW Chicago Suburbs Modeling the South End of Union Station. I told him someone was asking about CUS and he adivsed I pass this along. You can PM me if you wish and I may be able to put you in contact with him.
www.opsig.org
Mike Tyl
Here's a link that takes you directly to the CUS article.
http://www.opsig.org/DOpages/Fred%20Soop%20DO%20Vol17%20No3.pdf
It also depends on what part of Chicago Union Station you are also interested in representing. The building itself has been covered in the previous posts. What I was going to add is that the track arrangement is a bit different than most Union Stations. Chicago Union Station is like two stub end stations one for west bound traffic (north part of the building) and one for east bound traffic (south part of the building). So none of the tracks trains pull through under the station. There are only a couple of through bypass tracks on the east connecting the two sets of stubs. They are not used for on/off boarding passengers.
It's been awhile since we have heard from whitman500, the OP.
Sorry for the slow reply to all the great suggestions.
From looking at the Walthers Union Station kit, I think there is enough here to cobble together a lower story of the real thing (though it will take a number of kits). I was thinking of doing this along a shelf so I would just need one really long wall and two pretty short ones.
What I am still trying to find is a kit to use for the second story. I flipped through the Walthers catalog the other night and didn't see anything obvious. One of the cmrtrains kits may work (I have a number of them) but if anyone has any suggestions on this it would be great.
In terms of the track layout, I need a setup that can handle at least 4 10-12 car passenger trains since I have the Denver Zephyr, Empire Builder, North Coast Limited and the Hiawatha. So I was thinking of a Union Station that is perhaps a few feet long and then a few office buildings from cmrtrains.
whitman500 What I am still trying to find is a kit to use for the second story. I flipped through the Walthers catalog the other night and didn't see anything obvious. One of the cmrtrains kits may work (I have a number of them) but if anyone has any suggestions on this it would be great.
You may want to consider the Walthers Modular Walls and Windows for the second story:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3723
whitman500In terms of the track layout, I need a setup that can handle at least 4 10-12 car passenger trains since I have the Denver Zephyr, Empire Builder, North Coast Limited and the Hiawatha. So I was thinking of a Union Station that is perhaps a few feet long and then a few office buildings from cmrtrains.
Actually, Milwaukee Road used the north tracks of Chicago Union Station, and the CB&Q, PRR, and GM&O used the south tracks. GN and NP passenger trains were hauled into Chicago with Burlington E-units.
There were a couple of through tracks next to the river. Amtrak has used them for through trains from Milwaukee to St Louis. The rest of the tracks are stub.
That said, I would use modelers license to fit you layout area.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
This seemed like a good kitbash for the upper level and the big arches at the ends. What do you guys think?
http://www.custommodelrailroads.com/thegorham.aspx
whitman500 This seemed like a good kitbash for the upper level and the big arches at the ends. What do you guys think? http://www.custommodelrailroads.com/thegorham.aspx
The Gorham is a good looking building to kitbash onto the upper stories of a Chicago Union Station. But, yikes, that is going to be a pricey solution. Oh, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Make sure to keep us updated and post photos of your work.
Do you plan to build the Concourse as well or just the Great Hall?
Texas Zepher It also depends on what part of Chicago Union Station you are also interested in representing. The building itself has been covered in the previous posts. What I was going to add is that the track arrangement is a bit different than most Union Stations. Chicago Union Station is like two stub end stations one for west bound traffic (north part of the building) and one for east bound traffic (south part of the building). So none of the tracks trains pull through under the station. There are only a couple of through bypass tracks on the east connecting the two sets of stubs. They are not used for on/off boarding passengers.
Here is a link to the track diagram for Chicago Union station under Amtrak:
http://web.me.com/willvdv/chirailfan/tstcus.html
Given all the money I spent on my passenger trains (two are from Walthers and two are brass), I should build them a decent home.
I think I am just going to build the Great Hall. From the photos, the Concourse actually looks more difficult to replicate. It would also make for a very wide shelf to get both of them in there so I think I'll cheat and just have the trains run under the Great Hall.
Hell Whitman500.
I spent a lot o time in CUS when I was in my youth because I grew up on the Burlington west of Chicago. I did travel on CB&Q, PRR, and MILW tp/from CUS.
Good luck with your project. Feel free to provide progress reports.
whitman500 Given all the money I spent on my passenger trains (two are from Walthers and two are brass), I should build them a decent home. I think I am just going to build the Great Hall. From the photos, the Concourse actually looks more difficult to replicate. It would also make for a very wide shelf to get both of them in there so I think I'll cheat and just have the trains run under the Great Hall.
Too bad about that limited space requirement. The Concourse would look real cool, and it really doesn't look that much more complicated to build than the Great Hall.
Havings said that, your plan is a good one. Look forward, hopefully, to photos of your progress.
Don't know if my previous message was posted on this thread. If it is sorry. The most recent edition of layout design sig journal has a great plan for South Concourse of Chicago Union Station. There is an entire book on Chicago Union Station which I also have. Also RMC a few years ago had an N-scale layout based on Chicago Union Station.
Fred