Modular NYC subway layout - Times Square Station

Nice article and Excellent work, west side!  Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to seeing more posts on your module progress. 

Test measuring platform support columns for subway station module. Door sill has to be slightly above platform level, but not too high. It helps to have crossed that threshold thousands of times in my life!

Great article  The removeable roadway is a great idea

An amazing piece to say the least, modular system is museum quality.

Test fitting assembled platform supports.

Just received my hard copy of CM the other day and read your article Joe, great work! Having grown up in NYC area and being a former commuter, you got it right!

Miketg

@West Side Joe posted:

All the years I've been in this hobby, I've always thought how nice it would be to share my efforts in a modelling publication, but I never had anything worth sharing. It finally happened. My subway layout in the October 2020 issue of Continental Modeller magazine. Hope you like it.

Lov your work Joe subway cars rock 👍

Great work!

Peter

Platform sections cut; vaulting underneath platforms cut and glued prior to painting.

Track ballasted, third rail installed.

Good Stuff !

Platform engraved with pavement joins, and painted.

Slowly building up station "steel".

Stations where subway trains are held by dispatchers to meet other trains or let them pass, have departure signals consisting of three orange bulbs, placed along the platform so the conductors can see them from their positions. When the dispatcher wants the train to leave, the lights are turned on, and the conductor proceeds to close the doors. This is my rendition of a departure signal for my 42nd St. station module.

For 42nd street, which is where your model is re-creating--you would have 'holding lights' which operate the opposite of the way  described--turned on to hold a train in the station, and are turned off when the train is allowed to proceed.

At terminals, yes, I believe such lights are turned on (usually accompanied by a gong) to signal crews of clearance to depart. For both installations, I've never seen them recessed into any sort of enclosure--most of each bulb is visible (the individual bulbs may be shielded by plastic domes, such that standard sized LED's would make for a good replica either way.

---PCJ 

Really nice work West Side Joe - I feel like I've been there!

PCJ, thanks for the clarification. It's been a while since I've ridden the subway due to this pesky virus, so I couldn't remember which way the lights worked. Re: the bulbs themselves, when I do the final installation I will maneuver the flared ends of the fiber optic lines so that they protrude similar to the actual bulbs. I went with fiber optic because I have extra fiber and illuminators, and the fiber is a bit oversized but I'm happy with it.

Testing a representation of fluorescent station lighting using a strip of white led's inside polypropylene IKEA straws.

I love it!

What are you using for lights?

All the mini LED sets I see are too long (35 ft, etc) . The short sets are battery operated and too weak for my taste.

I got them from Murton Scale Miniatures on Ebay. Here is a link to their Ebay store.  http://www.ebaystores.co.uk/Murton-Scale-Miniatures

Thanks, Joe!

I made a couple of trips via subway last week and thought of this post, so I took a couple of pictures:

Holding lights (149th St/3rd Ave, 2/5 line)

Starter lights (205 st terminal, D line)

Hope these are helpful,

---PCJ

Thanks. I'm adding those photos to my set of references for this project. ☺

Seeing as this group rose to the occasion when I was looking for the colors of the subway hamburger stand awning for my Times Square subway module, here is another request: I am looking for photos of the platform newsstands in the subway in the 1960's. These were on the island platforms, not the ones recessed into the station walls. I recall they were rather futuristic looking, with curved ends, and painted a medium blue. If I can't find a pic, I will work from memory, but a photo would be great.

Hi West Side Joe

Here are some pictures I came across .

Thanks. These are contemporary examples. My module is set in the 60's, before the days of graffiti-proof brushed stainless steel surfaces.  These pics are useful to establish overall dimensions.  But I have searched high and low for 1960's - vintage pics of the particular newsstands I recall, without finding one.

You are welcome. Like you I am building my layout, finally, subway and an elevated on top of it. The era I am modeling are the late 50’s to 1970 before the graffiti era.
I have been searching for pictures during those years and have had some mild success. I came across pictures on Pinterest, Forgotten New York and other sites.

This is the closest I've been able to find after looking at hundreds of photos. No rounded ends, and wrong color. Will keep looking.

Getting closer...

A ridiculous amount of fiddly work, a short circuit, a partial melting of the straws containing the led strips, and here's what I have to show for it. Isn't obsession wonderful? 🤗

BTW, there is a mirror at the end of the platform.

Lol! “Isn't obsession wonderful? 🤗” Yes, but what a wonderful distraction from the mundane and disturbing reality around us! Thank gosh we have our little projects to obsess over during these crazy COVID times. Absolutely great work, west side.

Although this format of 6 foot long by 10 inch wide modules has a lot of limitations regarding space available for trains and scenery, one very nice benefit, especially for an old guy with back problems, is how easy it is to gain access to the underside by just tipping the module up onto its end.

A bit of "film noir" atmosphere. 😊

Newsstand under construction.

Bizarre color combinations, I know. I'm working from memory, so find a pic from that era and prove me wrong!😁

Looking good !!!  I am still looking for pictures. We are in the same era.

Joe, love your work! Top shelf. That newsstand is looking good!

I had a thought. You are adding such authentic details, including the outside third rail. How hard would it be to add a third rail pick up to the cars, bypass the center rollers and eliminate the center rail? Of course I realize this would mean redoing the track work, so I guess that ship has sailed. But I wonder if anyone has tried this with the MTH subway cars.

I'm sure there are threads on here on doing exactly that, but you'd have to search. Also, nycmodeltransit.org has a page about modeling third rail:

http://nycmodeltransit.org/third-rail.htm