I've been working on a diorama featuring the Cuyahoga River viaduct approach, and some of the unique details I've modeled around it. Although it's a work in progress, I brought it out to our local O-scale show last weekend.
If you have ever ridden the rapid transit around downtown, this scene hopefully looks familiar.
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Very nice! Is that a Mercury coach behind the P-motor?
Daniel- That will be an awesome display when you finish it; it looks great already! It brought me back in time to somewhere in the early 60's. My grandmother and 2 aunts
lived on W-114 St. I was about 11-12 years old at the time, and I used to travel to their house to do small chores, yardwork, etc. I would catch the #84 bus on W 14 St to downtown ,and get on the Cleveland RTA rapid transit at the Terminal Tower. My stop was at W117 & Madison, which is currently closed and being refurbished. From there I would walk to grandma's house on W114 St and do whatever they needed done. My Aunt Eileen, who was also my godmother, would drive me home later in the early evening. She was the one who gifted me my first Lionel train set (purchased at the long-gone Hobby House, at 800 Huron Rd in downtown Cleveland. I sure miss that place). For several years after, I could count on receiving something to add to that set every Christmas.
These days I ride the rapid downtown for a far less filling experience- it's the least expensive, and most convenient (for me- and lots of other folks; parking downtown is flat-out highway robbery) way to get to the Browns games (please folks- don't be too hard on me. My Uncle Bob had season tickets since day 1 (1946) and I feel a duty to soldier on).
I was in DT Cleveland for a conference in 2014 and surprisingly enjoyed it. Lots to do downtown. I came from the York show the prior week and rode the Capitol Limited to Cleveland which was walking distance to my hotel. I took the RTA to the airport to get home after the conference. The old CUT cat poles were still in place as I recall. A decent transit system all in all.
Nice looking diorama!
Daniel, I enjoyed seeing your display at the show in Cleveland recently. Great work!
Your diorama is elegant. I hope you'll expand on it. Meanwhile, I remember riding the NYC and later AMTK over CUT in the late 60s and early 70s, seeing the cat towers and wondering what it was like when the wire was up. I also remember the conversion of CUT locomotives for service on the CSS&SB.
I lived in Lakewood from the 1950s to the 1970s and liked to ride the Rapid downtown. Your Cleveland Union approach is right on!
Avon, OH is impressed!!
Nice!
Thank you all for the kind words, and I'm glad i could bring back some memories. Yes that is a Sunset Mercury car. I had to compress to 2-track to put something portable together for display, but am designing a more permanent setup at home.
I've gotten a lot of inquiry on the catenary structures. They are 3D printed from several components, and I released all my design files for them here, as well as my other projects. Feel free to print away, or pay a print farm to do it for you. It's a great time to be in the hobby.
https://github.com/DanielRaibl...D-modeling/tree/main
I also just completed the art deco dwarf signals:
Daniel, you are doing an amazing job!
That is amazing work! Keep the updates coming please!
This is great!! I've wanted to model the New Haven catenary and might reach out to learn more
Which 3d printer do you use?
I am using an Anycubic Photon M3 Max, only because it seems to be the cheapest one out there which can do some very large structural shapes I am also trying to do. You can likely get much better ones, and for less $$ if you go with a smaller printer.
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