"Milepost 15": Downtown Average

I discovered that the revised trackage for the Average interchange wouldn't work. I had added a lengthy drill track, but it wasn't in the right place. While trying to get a cut of cars from the interchange to the yard I realized I had no where to go. The main culprit lay in this collection of turnouts...

Average: Bad Design

I had to fool around with things a while, but this modification seems to work. At least it seems to for the present....

Average: Revised Yard Throat

I've made up a few trains in the yard and switched the interchange without fouling the main or running out of room. The drill track can handle about ten 40' cars and a 2-8-0 locomtive. The industry lead for ACME Corporation is now east of here off the main stem. I added a turnout at the east end of the drill track, essentially creating a run around. The locomotive can now escape if need be. It also serves as an alternate route to the yard....

Average: ACME Corporation

With the yard redesigned I found I now had room to model the town of Average to some extent. It's main drag, Muir Street, parallels the tracks for its entire length. Most of the names are from businesses or people I knew in Philly. Muir Street itself is named for a friend and colleague from my Train Simulator days...

"Downtown" Average

The Studebaker dealer is named for a real one in Forsythe, Georgia. The photo was taken in March of 1955...

Zellner & Howard Studebaker

I just noticed I managed to misspell it on the trackplan :-)

Like the Studebaker dealership, I tried to incorporate things that were once common place but are now just memories. All of the service stations represent oil companies that no longer exist or merged into oblivion. Names like Flying "A", Sinclair and Cities Service were everywhere. Mobil still exists, but its Pegasus symbol is no longer as prominent as it was back in the day...