I have already moved buildings around to make sure they are placed to show off their detail. They will probably be moved again until I feel they are placed just right or because I have purchased new buildings. The wiring can be tedious, working underneath the layout and looking up. I do as much prewiring at my work bench minimizing the amount of time under the layout. This way I can push the wires down to the bus wires that have been installed for just this purpose and connect the lights quickly by using 3M Scotchlok Connectors UG. I have begun using LED lighting by Woodland Scemics Plug and Play prewired bulbs that are ready to use in conjunction with the standard 12 volt bulbs from Miniatronics to light the buildings. Since the time of starting this section of the layout, and adding it to my website, I have had time to rethink the way I want the downtown to look and how to achieve it. I have changed the layout of the buildings, thrown out some ideas along with adding some new tricks I have learned.
For the streets I had used AMI Instant Roadbed. It is a great product, but unfortunately, is not being made anymore. It is easily cut and formed to make my city streets, grade crossings and any kind of paved area. I was able to obtain more of the product by placing a watch on eBay. However, once laying out all the streets, I found I had to put all the buildings on a pad of the same product in order to install the sidewalks at the proper height. So I made the decision to tear up all the streets and paint them directly on the layout board. I used Woodland Scenics Stone Gray C1218 paint. It let some of the wood grain show through which gave the streets a more textured look. I will add strips and grease stains as I go along.
When building a layout, change is always going on. I have adjusted my track plan, adding a third loop. This changed the yard where I had the icing platforms. They took up to much space and I have done away with them.
I wanted to add a lot of height to my layout getting away from the two and three story buildings by Woodland Scenics and the old Design Preservation Models. Spending hours searching for taller buildings on the internet, I came across a company called Custom Model Railroads that builds complete layouts and has a great selection of high rise buildings kits for sale.
I first looked at the kits, I was very intimated. I started off with the Saint Paul Building. What is so great about these models is you can purchase add on floors to give you the desired height you are looking for. I stayed with the basic model which is seven stories tall. While a bit pricey, they go together quickly and have great detail. I then purchased the Midtown Apartments and finally the Gorham building. Since my purchases, CMR has added many new buildings, wish I had more space.
In order to show off the detail on the fronts of the new buildings, I would have to create a second city block. This would have required me to move the existing yard down to the left to allow for the size of the new buildings. It was either that or moving the entire downtown district closer to the front of the layout. I went with the latter. This did require me to move some track. It actually worked out for the best. I now had the room to add a third loop letting me run three complete trains at once without worry about collision and take out a winding curve that had been giving me a lot of issues. As all model railroaders know, you are always making changes and improvements to your layout. With the exception of some more detail work, the center of town is pretty much finished.