What's New on the PRR Panhandle Division?

[G3750]

Updated 12/29/2013:

My 1" sidewalks need to be done in order to assemble the highway overpass. I planned to scribe my sidewalks with expansion joints, but couldn't find my dental pick. So yesterday, I picked up a quilting needle at A.C. Moore as well as some India ink. I will scribe the sidewalk and then wash with a diluted India Ink : isopropyl alcohol : water mix (not sure of the proportions yet).

I studied some sidewalks in order to determine where to place the expansion joints. I have two widths: 4 scale feet (1") and 6 scale feet (1.5"). Here are the section dimensions I came up with:

Sidewalk Drawings v01.jpg (19.53 KiB) Viewed 3305 times

Thoughts?

George

[Roy]

Don't forget, the expansion joints on the curb section expand into the street, so the gutter is on the curb section.

[G3750]

Don't forget, the expansion joints on the curb section expand into the street, so the gutter is on the curb section.

Hmmm. Not quite sure what you mean. Did you mean that the drain is part of the curb? Here are a few photos.

Sidewalk_gutter_01.png (104.65 KiB) Viewed 3255 times

Sidewalk_gutter_02.png (72.08 KiB) Viewed 3257 times

Sidewalk_gutter_03.png (100.44 KiB) Viewed 3255 times

George

[J. S. Bach]

Every city had/has its own standards, you should try to find some pictures from that era of where you are modeling that show what was in place at that time.

[jlong]

I think a few cracks here and there would add to the realism. An exacto knife would be more appropriate. Whatever you stain the sidewalks with should concentrate and darken within the cracks giving the appearance of depth.

[G3750]

Every city had/has its own standards, you should try to find some pictures from that era of where you are modeling that show what was in place at that time.

Good idea and I took your advice. Found out two things:
1) Sewers are built into the sidewalk and water enters the edge of the sidewalk. Possible grate on top. Sewer grate length = roughly 3'.
2) On the bigger sidewalks, the long dimension is across the sidewalk; shorter along length.

George

[G3750]

I think a few cracks here and there would add to the realism. An exacto knife would be more appropriate. Whatever you stain the sidewalks with should concentrate and darken within the cracks giving the appearance of depth.

Yeah, I will try an Exacto knife to create cracks. That's a great idea John. With 20' of sidewalk to work on, I should be out (with time off for good behavior) in 5 years!

George

[jlong]

I think a few cracks here and there would add to the realism. An exacto knife would be more appropriate. Whatever you stain the sidewalks with should concentrate and darken within the cracks giving the appearance of depth.

Yeah, I will try an Exacto knife to create cracks. That's a great idea John. With 20' of sidewalk to work on, I should be out (with time off for good behavior) in 5 years!

George

Well don't forget little sprouts of weeds growing out of those cracks.

[Roy]

George, The second photo you posted shows what I mean the best. The curb sections run out past the gutter (the street-level area immediately next to the vertical part of the curb) to the street paving. In this case, there is another expansion joint next to the drain grate. There's a more typical curb section to the right of the section with the drain.

When the paving gets to a certain height, they'll pave right over the gutter, as seen in your third photo.

[Roy]

...Sewers are built into the sidewalk and water enters the edge of the sidewalk. Possible grate on top...

George, they're not sewers, they're storm drains. Big difference.

[rogruth]

Until the 1960s in the area being modeled a sewer and a storm drain were the same thing.

[jlong]

Until the 1960s in the area being modeled a sewer and a storm drain were the same thing.

Yes, clarifiers were large enough to handle both in some areas before the 60's. Otherwise storm sewer is a proper term. George ain't dumb. He was speaking general terms.

[rogruth]

Clarifiers?No it just ran into the Ohio River back then along with all the junk from the mills,mines and factories.
The fish died.You didn't swim in the river.Water although pure did not taste very good.That's all different now.
The fish have come back,the water tastes much better and you can swim in the river.
Oh yes.The mines,mills and factories are gone and the economy of the area is as bad as it was in the 1930s.

[G3750]

George, The second photo you posted shows what I mean the best. The curb sections run out past the gutter (the street-level area immediately next to the vertical part of the curb) to the street paving. In this case, there is another expansion joint next to the drain grate. There's a more typical curb section to the right of the section with the drain.

When the paving gets to a certain height, they'll pave right over the gutter, as seen in your third photo.

I see Roy, thanks for the heads up. I took a look at the prototype streets some 50+ years later and don't see the drains in the street. In fact even the curbs are worn down pretty badly.

I did misuse the term sewer when I meant storm drain. I didn't know that they were one and the same prior to the 1960s in that area. I did know that lots of raw sewage went into the river. Thanks for the info, Roger!

Weirton got its water from the Ohio, but it was filtered through a very long sandbar upriver of the town and mill before entering the water treatment plant. Nonetheless, the water was very hard as I recall.

George

[jlong]

George, back in the 80's someone made factory smell modules. "Ole Factory Aires" Remember those? Not suggesting, just saying.