Building An Avenue In HO Scale

In many cities great and small, the railroad once ran in the middle of the streets.

The 11th Avenue (above) in New York was sometimes referred to as Death Avenue, due to the perceived danger of the slow trains. The small, most likely 0-6-0 steam engine is enclosed, perhaps not to scare the horses?

My plan is to model a similar stretch of road and rail, with building modules lining the street. The whole thing will also double as a background for taking photos of model cars, trains and much more.

Even in the relatively small scale of 1:87 such an avenue would take up a lot of space, thus requiring it to be modelled in smaller sections. This has the advantage that the elements can be arranged in new ways for new photos.

At the same time, the modular diorama will be easier to store and transport. It will also be easier to keep interest in the project, when it will be consisting of several smaller dioramas that together forms a model empire!