Tom Potthast's S Scale Module
from the S Scale Model Railroading Homepage
Edited by Craig S. O'Connell
The Lewis Street Layout - Photos and text by Tom Potthast - San Antonio, TX
These are some shots of Tom Potthast's new switching layout called "Lewis Street" . This is an intermediate module. In the short term it is one of two modules but longer term four modules will complete the scene totaling 16 feet. Xtrak Cad was used for planning and printed full size. Tom writes, "The modules grew too big for my work table so it was photographed on the floor. The plan is to rememdy that and add some more diagonal bracing on the blind end module."
St. Louis Missouri USA is the location. Lewis Street is just
north of the Arch by a half dozen blocks. Some of the existing structures
can be viewed on Google maps. Much of the track was torn up by the 1980s.
Tom freelanced the track arrangement to serve the prototype structures and
to make this servicable in an 18"x96" space.
Three prototype structures (see below) add a sense of place.
The Module Photos:
XtrakCAD drawing.
The Prototype Photos of Lewis Street:
Thompson Hayward Chemical is on the left hand side to the back. The photo looks south toward the Arch which is not seen on this foggy, rainy day. The rebuit railway high line replaced a double track steel viaduct which the Micro Engineering HO kit was based upon.
This photo looks roughly north. To the right is the temple of sorts to the gods of Union Electric. On the left in the background is St. Louis Refrigerator. Missing on the left side is St. Louis Sugar which was torn down about six years ago after a massive fire.
The last shot includes the coal conveyer to service the power plant. The view looks east across the Mississippi River.
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