James River Branch: Naughtright Mini-Park

Naughtright Mini-Park

The park came about as a result of the changes that took place at the corner of Main Street and Railroad Avenue. This corner has been around since the first version of the layout, and exists solely because I've insisted on keeping the wedge-shaped Triangle Bar on the map.

The first occupant of this corner was F.W. Woolworth, itself the victim of countless design changes since it was started in late 2006. Of all its incarnations, I like this one the best, but it's simply no longer feasible.

By spring of 2009, the corner was being shared by a much smaller version of Woolworth's, and Emma's. In addition to numerous design changes, Emma's also suffered as many moves. But placing both structures on the same odd-angled corner forced one of them to become an awkward-looking trapezoid, and this didn't sit right with me.

Meanwhile, I've had the image of an etched metal accessory from Rolf's in the back of my head for quite a long time: a park bench that wraps around a tree. It was one of those things I'd always wanted to include on a layout, but never found a spot. Ultimately this little detail became the inspiration for a way to deal with the street corner in a visually interesting way: a mini-park. It might also be the ideal place for any number of other details, such as a hot dog vendor...

But revisions didn't stop there. Eventually I reverted back to the angled version of the Woolworth building, which did away with the space for the mini-park altogether. Unwilling to give up this little detail, I moved the park to the empty lot behind O'Malley's Triangle Bar. This move allowed the park to grow well beyond its original dimensions.

This project was last updated on 17 July 2010. More as it happens.

This little detail from Rolf's was part of the inspiration for the mini-park.