The primary Miami Taxi Meter building is now done. Atlas’ hairpin fencing worked out very well for the window security bars. I uploaded the roofing file to the photo wallpaper section if anybody wants to use it. I think it’s safe to say that the prototype was never nominated for any architectural awards! It’s certainly not a beauty queen for sure. Next up is adding the surrounding scenery, fencing, and details. For lack of a better word, this building is actually part of a “compound” of several structures. I need to think about whether to model those.
Located at the corner of 38th Avenue and 36th Street in Miami is (or was, may it RIP) one of the most non-descript, utterly forgettable structures one could image, Miami Taxi Meter (one of numerous businesses located there over the years). It’s not something that would spring to mind when picking a subject to model. While the architecture wasn’t notable, it’s location was significant. Situated at the junction of The Downtown Spur and CSX main, it’s where railfans would typically park their cars and set up their cameras for “money shots”. In times gone by the spur was the SAL double track main leading to the passenger station downtown. If you let your mind wander to all of the trains that have passed in front of Miami Taxi Meter, all of the photos taken from beside it, spanning seven or eight decades, this “nothing” structure is seen in a different light and takes on some sentimental value.
In this vintage photo, likely taken in the late ’50’s, the yard switcher pulls a SAL passenger train eastward, towards the passenger station downtown on what is now The Downtown Spur. At that time, Miami Taxi Meter was a Ford dealer (lower left portion of photo).
Here’s a closer look at the structure as it looked in 2014. It was demolished sometime around 2018 and is now a taxi cab parking lot.
By the early 2000’s I had learned the hard way never to take a rail subject’s future existence for granted and began documenting anything I had an inkling I might want to model in the future. This shot was from 2012.
As of this weekend I have the core of the structure and the photo wallpaper files finished. There’s still lots of work to be done though.
The new CSX main with concrete ties is now down, replacing the old cruddy effort. Much better! I used the color technique outlined HERE in my how to section.
The turnout is a heavily modified and detailed Atlas product soldered into the diverging position for reliability.
In this image we are looking south down the CSX “Main” towards The Miami River. Note the high level of maintenance and concrete ties. Diverging to the left is the much rattier Downtown Spur running through the weeds on wood ties.
The Downtown Spur splits off of the CSX main line just before crossing The Miami River. The main carries passenger traffic and, heavier and more frequent, freight traffic. To accommodate that traffic, the rail is on concrete ties. A number of years ago I made a so-so attempt at modeling the concrete tries by modifying Atlas code 83 flex track. I was never satisfied with the look and it always grated on me.
Eventually it bugged me enough that I decided to rip the track out and do it right with Micro Engineering’s concrete tie flex track. In the image above I have the old track out and have begun fitting the replacement Micro Engineering rail.
It’s nice having a layout that’s about three quarters of the way to being complete. For me that’s the sweet spot. You have something you can look at, operate, and enjoy. At the same time the pressure is off and you can double back and do re-work, renovation, and just take your time fiddling with projects at a slow pace.
