Looking good Mark.
@Mark Boyce posted:Oh, I forgot the photographs.
Mark, this building set up looks quite fitting. I look forward to your subtle changes.
Gene
Hi Mark- been lurking around for the most part lately but have been following along.
The town is shaping up. The tunnel portal mock-up looks good. Just remember to check clearances, and check them again, and again! 
Bob
Thank you, Darrell, Joe, Gene, Bob!
Bob, your comment about clearance can't be emphasized enough. The B&O SD9 is the most troublesome engine I have in that regard. When I build the finished portal, I'll give it some more room besides this.
I do have a four car set of 18" passenger cars. They don't work on that lower loop track, but do on the lower outer track that leads to the grade up. I purchased them after I put in all the supports for the upper level behind the town. Instead of ripping it all out, I decided to just make that one small section of track restricted from that train.
I am considering what material to use for the streets. I would like some brick streets, since close to 20% of the streets in Butler have never been paved over. Our older daughter lives on a winding brick hill leading into town that I have observed the bricks shift with time and the lines look wavy. That would be challenging and visually not worth the effort. There are a couple blocks near our younger daughter, that one can see where the street car tracks had been located. That is interesting, but a challenge where the tracks had curved to the perpendicular block. @ScoutingDad Jeff described the challenges using an embossing wheel on clay to get the effect on his street car track. I don't think I want to go there. Since the part of the streets that I would make brick are straight, I am considering using the Plastruct brick material I have left over from building the church. At one spot, the street just angles instead of curves. Near our younger daughter's house, there is a street like that. They just cut the bricks to make the angle, much like cutting the Plastruct material. In the photograph below, a few swipes of a sanding block smoothed the sections of scraps and made for smoother bricks that have seen over a century of traffic. I would sand that material some more I think. The curbs here in Butler are all cut sandstone. I don't know if trying to model that instead of concrete would be noticeable. All food for thought.
We live just outside of town, so our road is asphalt. Growing up, our road was just layers of tar and chips over the years. That would be my choice for outside of town.
Attachments
It's sometimes not the front pilot that collides. I can be other parts of the equipment. I had a collision with a portal with the 2nd unit of the MTH Pennsy Centipede since it swung so wide. Keep testing everything.
Mark, from this distance the sanded brick looks very realistic. That's a great idea!
Just a notion... I'm wondering if maybe some sort of darker colored wash applied and wiped off to prior to sanding would give the appearance of road dirt/grime in between the brick joints, if you want that kind of look. Maybe not if you want a cleaner /lighter look like the test pieces are now. I'm definitely no scenery expert. 
