Modular NYC subway layout - Times Square Station

Jet-Spray orange and grape drink machines for the luncheonette. Mission Orange and Nu-Grape Soda ("A Flavor You Can't Forget") are the brands offered.

An unexpected development: the Mod Podge in the drink reservoirs has continued to cure, and has become more transparent, but the color has also changed. What looked like orange drink now looks like Jell-o. Oh, well... 😄

Drake's Fruit Pies, Hostess Twinkies and Tastycake Donuts available for purchase at the luncheonette.

Check bag pay lockers (long since gone from the subways due to anti-terrorism measures).

Coffee urn for luncheonette.

@West Side Joe posted:

Jet-Spray orange and grape drink machines for the luncheonette. Mission Orange and Nu-Grape Soda ("A Flavor You Can't Forget") are the brands offered.

Ah, Nu-Grape! I used to love getting glass bottles of it from a vending machine at a local museum near where I grew up, as a kid. Loved grape sodas ever since.

I won't derail your thread by posting my own photos, but I have a Nu-Grape sign from the 1930s on the outside wall of a country store on my own layout, out of love for the brand.

As for your earlier comment about modelling the subways as you wanted to remember them as clean, I totally get that. I think we all model something we wish had been so, and often not as it really was, but it's no less special or impressive that way.

I love your work with all this, it's quite amazing!

Thanks. I appreciate the props. I have decided to include a homeless man asking for change on my mezzanine. The only figure I could find, though, was of a homeless vet. I ordered it, but I don't want to insult any vets who might see my layout, so I don't know if I should paint over the part of his sign that mentions he's a vet. See what happens when real life intrudes upon my fairy tale world? 🙄

@West Side Joe posted:

Thanks. I appreciate the props. I have decided to include a homeless man asking for change on my mezzanine. The only figure I could find, though, was of a homeless vet. I ordered it, but I don't want to insult any vets who might see my layout, so I don't know if I should paint over the part of his sign that mentions he's a vet. See what happens when real life intrudes upon my fairy tale world? 🙄

I'm a vet and it wouldn't insult me in the least. I would bet that many of those with those signs never served a day in their life anyway. I used to work in a copy shop in college, where most of the homeless folks would beg us minimum-wage workers for money, which is why I don't have much sympathy for people asking for money, to this day because of that experience.

Thanks.

@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.

Nice work.  Kind of surprised that Continental Modeller would be interested since it's not European prototype, but very glad it was printed.  Do you have any plans to submit it to OGR or another American magazine?

Joe as stated before the level of detail you have included is incredible. The "texture" of the magazines and stacks of newspapers on the news stand definitely complete the 3D visual.  What astounds me the most is your ability to fabricate and decorate the many intricate detail pieces, clock box, gum machines, hot dog roller, Jet Spray drink machine, even the kitchen.

As for the Nu-Grape and orange drink, I didn't have a favorite, the drink of choice was always spur of the moment.  I loved the taste of both, enhanced by the lack of carbination bubbles.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Nice work.  Kind of surprised that Continental Modeller would be interested since it's not European prototype, but very glad it was printed.  Do you have any plans to submit it to OGR or another American magazine?

CM has featured layouts depicting Indian, South American, North American, Caribbean and Japanese practice in addition to "continental" examples. When I finish the second module, I intend to first ask CM if they are interested in doing a sequel to the October 2020 article. Of course, it would be awesome to include it in an American publication, maybe it there's interest after I take the first two modules to a train show, which was one of the reasons I made it "portable".

Coach Joe, thanks for the kind words. I have amazed myself with the things I have scratch built on this layout. I never was a scratch builder, always looking for pre-built items. But so little exists along the lines of a NYC subway station, that it's impossible to do a half-way decent job without scratch building. I think the gum machines may be my best effort so far. They are so unique and distinctive that they can't be mistaken for anything else.  The coffee urn, on the other hand, looks more like a re-purposed Star Wars droid, but I try to do the best I can, and then move on. 😊

@West Side Joe posted:

CM has featured layouts depicting Indian, South American, North American, Caribbean and Japanese practice in addition to "continental" examples. When I finish the second module, I intend to first ask CM if they are interested in doing a sequel to the October 2020 article. Of course, it would be awesome to include it in an American publication, maybe it there's interest after I take the first two modules to a train show, which was one of the reasons I made it "portable".

Send an email to Allan Miller - he's always looking for material for OGR.

Thanks.

As usual - W S Joe -- what more can I saw   25 STARS out of 25 STARS -- especially so on all those many small details !!

Regards - Joe F

Coming along slowly. These details are SO tiny. 😊

@West Side Joe posted:

Coming along slowly. These details are SO tiny. 😊

-but so rewarding when you get them right like this.

Thank you.

@West Side Joe posted:

Coming along slowly. These details are SO tiny. 😊

Excellent work on your part.  Maybe one day I will try to do my own, maybe do the snack stand at Grand Central that was featured in the French Connection movie... and that I also was a patron of back in the day.

Yes! And maybe include figures of Popeye Doyle and Alain Charnier! 😊

Luncheonette essentially finished, except for a few figures on order to pose as customers, and the illuminated marquee, which should be a pretty interesting project in itself.

In my youth, I used to ride the NY subways with my parents to mid-town, Coney Island, and other parts of NYC and environs (I grew up in Hoboken), and also the Hudson Tubes, which became PATH. My first job out of high school was working in the mail room at AT&T, and we’d sometimes have to deliver mail in person to staff around NYC.

Joe, your incredible modeling brings me right back to those days, especially the gum machines!

Experimenting with ways to illuminate the luncheonette marquee sign.

First part of marquee support structure constructed.

What I was trying for, and what I ended up making. After stabbing myself in the hand today with an Xacto knife, I think I'm done.😄

This belongs in the NYC Transit Museum in Brooklyn...Outstanding detail and work!

Have to say it again, amazing work.

That marquee sign makes me want to sit down and order a hamburger... along with a grape drink (aka Popeye Doyle)

WSJ - wow you continue to do amazing work. I cannot remember how many times I have accidentally stabbed a finger with a sharp exacto blade. Good thing I am not yet on blood thinners, I still clot really well.

Where did you get those red and white fiber optic lights in photo 3? They look so cool.  OOPS is guess they are wires.  I don't mean to be snarky with the comment, but there are side emitting fiber optics that give the effect of neon lighting.  Given the period I wonder if they would have used them.

Scouting Dad, yeah, those are wires. I have to tidy them up and put them in conduit. I just was anxious to set everything up to see how it looked with the lights on.

I'm pretty sure the luncheonettes used fluorescent lighting by the early 1960's. It was all the rage, the latest thing, "cool-white", a plus in the subway when incandescent lights added to the overwhelming heat in the subway on a hot day.

Amazing detail..you have a gift my friend...I enjoy your updates..

Thank you.

AH 'the smell of the onions on the grill, the dogs, the burgers cooking.. I can't decide between a dog or a burger'... I'll have  a grape nedicks though, while I'm deciding'...

Excellent work'... Joe'.. I love it'.....Great scene'....👍👌⭐✔🥤🍔🌭

@Mallard4468 posted:

Do you have any plans to submit it to OGR or another American magazine?

Definitely would be interested in doing a full feature when Joe is ready. I'm easy to reach by email (in my profile) and would be delighted to help to spark more interest in subway modeling.

Allan,

If you look on the Subway forum, as well as Facebook and YouTube, you’ll see that there’s a lot of interest in subway only layouts  for those of us who grew up or live in NY and other large cities.

I sold off all of my mainline rolling stock a few years ago to focus on a subway based layout and it’s a different type of build.

Wires tucked away. Waitstaff glued in place. I really liked this little project. Thanks for bearing with me.

WSJ - I assume you know I was kidding about the red and white wires. The build is awesome. I am having all kinds of problems painting a simple soda machine the right color of red. So I really appreciate the detailing you have created. 

Joe, sorry to hear about the X-acto incident.  But you really nailed the luncheonette.  Hit right on the head you did.

@ScoutingDad posted:

WSJ - I assume you know I was kidding about the red and white wires.

Yeah, but they DID produce an interesting psychedelic effect over the luncheonette. 😂

@Allan Miller posted:

Definitely would be interested in doing a full feature when Joe is ready. I'm easy to reach by email (in my profile) and would be delighted to help to spark more interest in subway modeling.

I can't wait for that collaboration.

As for sparking (so to speak) interest, I'd never even thought of a subway layout until seeing this project. I'd bet it would motivate several people to try something like this.