I mulled over the problem of the depot as I watched the Minnesota Vikings stumble to another miserable defeat at the hands of "Da Bears". Scanning through photos of models that might work in that tiny, cramped location, I was intrigued by the Banta Modelworks Crossing shanty. Intrigued enough to mock up a model of it and try it out. A quick mock up of a small structure like this is no more than 10 minutes work. Sadly, I was disappointed with my interpretation of the view.
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| 1. The location is so tight that the structure has to sit right up tight against the side wall of the cabinet |
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| 2. Obscuring the building with a tree helps. But why put a building there to hide it? |
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| 3. Clearances are just too tight. When the railcar runs past the depot building, it almost touches it. |
Disappointed, I took the structure out and pouted as I stared at the embryonic model.
"What was I going to do?"
Then it hit me like a bolt out of the blue.
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| Eureka! |
With no depot there, the layout becomes about the mine itself. Which, lets face it, it should be. If I'm going to the trouble of making the loading work, that should be the focus. The line breaks out of the trees into a clearing where the mine is. A grade crossing there with a road leading to the mine building makes sense too.
This could be it. I could be set to go.
I'll leave it a couple of days. Come back, and if I still like it I'll go with it.
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