Postby fraserm » Mon Sep 07, 2015 8:23 am
I was free-roaming the New York Division-Bergen Line 9.2.3: Meadowlands ! Line and I noticed I was coming through Mahwah, NJ. I had a furnished apartment there for a couple years while I had a contract position in Wayne, about 1/2 hour down Rte. 202. I went to the Camera 2 view and saw a very respectable representation of the apartment complex, the Mall and Starview Apartments. The arrow points to where my apartment would have been WRT the tracks"Fraserm - this is exactly the kind of comment I really enjoy reading! I want the engine driver to believe - if only for a little while - that this is a real place. I learned that replicating what I see is much more appealing and interesting than winging it. There is some great country here and these towns are a huge pain to do when I am working them, but in the end, I look back and go "holy smokes, this looks good". In many many places on the route you can detrain and just go up and down the streets. I highly recommend, the Dundee Spur in Garfield. Since my rule is detail to 1250 feet on each side - I ended up building half of Passiac, NJ! I am glad, I don't have the time for 3D Crafting or I would still be making every gas station, deli and mailbox for this route! It would never get done.
For those that are interested in why the route looks a bit thin from roughly Ramsey to Highland Mills, I will explain. I never built a route before, this is my son's (10 at the time) game. He taught me how to lay track! We did this as a test and never originally planned on going any more than 15 miles. So the route is in 4 phases. Phase 1: We built Suffern and then went to Highland Mills, New York- that was may April to July 2014. Phase 2. July to October 2014, Ramsey to Hawthorn, Phase 3. October 2014 to April 2015. Bergen line from Glen Rock to Garfield. Phase 4. is today May 2015 to September 2015 - Wood-Ridge to Secaucus. While I was working phase 2 I realized that I would need to detail as I went or it would never get it done so from Ramsey, you should notice the work getting better and better. I did take a few scenery detours that cost a month each of work - NYS&W at Passaic Junction, NY&GL RR, in Garfiled (Dundee Spur), the Nabisco Plant in Fair Lawn, and 3 miles of the Pascack Line to Wood-Ridge. Hawthorne became a bit of detour as I really wanted to build the main line through Patterson. I stopped and the Passaic River.
I will save some words and direct you to the beginning of this thread and to our page on Steam. The steam workshop site has all of our build notes - every day we work there is a log of what was done and how long was spent doing it.
In our wildest dreams - we never ever thought we would get the response from so many people. There is a gentleman who worked in East Rutherford at Diamond (Dubois) chemical - he remembers, another who worked the Erie and EL to 1967 - he remembers and a younger one who worked the Newark Branch for Conrail and now CSX and he remembers. And there is my Dad - who drove this route and says I nailed Suffern. And lastly there is me. I rode with my Dad on the EL many times on this line. What you see is my memory of looking out the window sitting in the fireman's chair so many times form about 1972 to 1978.
Fraserm - Thank You for writing and letting us know what you think. We remember our friends and Mahwah is crying for a little lovin. When you lived is Mahwah - what was the Make and Model of the car you drove?
Thanks Guys - and RWA just rocks with support and interest from its members!