I need help starting an "real" industry?

[EngineerKyle]

Hey there Crew!


You might have noticed my layout so far is quite fanciful but I am beginning to admire models that are more practical with realistic industries. To that end, I’d like to model a Michigan Alkali yard and maybe an Alpena mine. I live in Michigan, and during the war years Michigan Alkali (now part of BASF) based in Wyandotte was a very big industry. I have some MI Alky tank cars by Athrean already and more on order. Apparently the RR ran about four hours north to Alpena to haul raw material from the mines that still operate there on the shores of Lake Huron. In addition, MI Alky mined the salt that was, and still is, in abundance under the streets of SW Detroit.

I guess it is time to tap the forum for anything and everything you might know about Michigan Alkali, what would make this industry “real” on my 5x10 section…. and general modeling tips regarding accurate modeling of industries.

Thanks in advance,

 

[Russ Bellinis]

On a 5 x 8 you can probably model the mine or the yard. Either one will have to be selsctively compressed. You might be able to model both by putting a backdrop down the center of the table with the mine scene on one side and the yard on the other side. Both will hve to be compressed with the yard and mine continueing onto the back drop.