The Depot

Just in time for the holiday travel peak, Hill City is getting a depot.  The lot has been graded and leveled, blueprints finalized, and construction of the foundation has begun.  The depot will sit in the front-right corner of the layout, where one of the tracks appears to disappear through the backdrop.

I'm hoping to loosely capture the feel of this scene:

I love the way the tracks curve away out of sight beyond the depot, but I'm not thrilled with the actual depot itself.  I want a depot that will stand out on the layout, a nice 2-story structure.  Turns out, such depots were common in Minnesota, such as this one that existed in Lawler, MN, about 40 miles southeast of Hill City, built by the SOO Line.

Even more fortunate for me, the March issue of NMRA Magazine features plans for just such a depot.

I started construction of the foundation and platform this evening.  By the end of the weekend, I should have a good portion of the flooring installed.  With a 5-day weekend coming up, followed by a 4-day weekend, AND the wife out of town, I should really put a dent in this thing.