by Lance Mindheim/photos by the author
“Miami is a strange place. It’s a bit of a tropical paradise, a third-world country, an amazing mix of cultures and history. It isn’t for everybody. It’s also unlike pretty much any other place in the country.” That quote, which appeared decades ago on one of the forums, sums up why I chose to model it. Railroads don’t exist in a vacuum. They are interwoven amongst backdrops of geography, culture, and man-made elements. The themes we pick, and how adeptly we modify them for our always-too-small spaces, determine how effective we ultimately are in feeling transported to a miniature version of the prototype experience.
Like much of the country, I was captivated by the ground-breaking approach Michael Mann took with the TV show “Miami Vice.” What set it apart was its style, sound, and attitude. Leading filmmakers are well aware that the filming locations they choose, and how they’re portrayed, play an instrumental role in ultimate success.
ABOVE: With the mandatory buffer car in place, three tanks of chlorine are shoved toward Sentry Industries, a pool chemical supplier.
That hard-to-describe, visceral, “Miami Vice” experience is something I’ve tried to capture in miniature form. For several years, finding the right prototype theme was a challenge for me. Fortunately, I eventually met some retired CSX employees who pointed me in the right direction and followed up with plenty of backstories and research material.
As Seaboard Air Line Railroad (later Seaboard Coast Line and then CSX) approached Miami, a vast labyrinth of industrial parks began sprouting from the main like branches from a tree trunk. Among them were West Rail, The Downtown Spur, and Miami Gardens, to name a few. And then there is East Rail, an unassuming half-mile-square industrial park named for the unimaginative reason that it was simply on the east side of the main line. The appeal wasn’t some standout feature because there was none. It was totally run-of-the-mill, something you’d drive by without even noticing. What I liked about it was that it was so representative of the region, so “Miami.” Its small size made modeling at least a portion of it achievable.
ABOVE: Customer selection plays a significant role in how much operational play value you get from your layout. Logistics warehouses are ideal candidates with a number of tenants getting incoming cars that need to be spotted at the appropriate loading bay. OMNI Logistics typically sees reefers, boxcars of lumber, and boxcars of other commodities. Because of the complex coloring of the graffiti, I used photos of the prototype and laminated them over a styrene core.
Model railroad plans are strategies. They aren’t designs. Having an over arching strategy needs to come before a pencil is laid to paper to draw a track plan. The challenge is capturing a subject’s essence and doing so in a way that isn’t a caricature, that isn’t toy-like or overly cramped. The temptation is always to slip into what I call “element”-driven design. This means the natural tendency to pick our modeling subjects — like structures and scenery — based on their individual appeal or “coolness.” The end result is what I call the “1970s Model Railroady Look” of elements combined to make a generic railroad. Tempting as it is, it doesn’t work in terms of creating an effective overall composition.
Capturing the look of a place isn’t easy. It involves careful study to try to understand what makes it what it is. You’re looking to capture the whole, not individual parts. The true masters of this process are well-represented in the art world by the likes of Hopper, Whistler, and Vermeer; all of whom would spend days studying a subject before picking up a brush.
ABOVE: Weed-choked spurs in industrial parks are often used for car storage. In this image the local retrieves a tank car from said storage to take it back to the yard.
Miami is characterized by low-lying stucco-covered, cinder block structures. In modern times the vast majority are occupied by tenants that aren’t rail customers. Most are tagged with graffiti. Gravel parking lots and palm trees are signature features. Narrow drainage canals crisscross town. The climate fades everything. Weeds are everywhere, well-nourished by the combination of frequent downpours followed immediately by tropical sun. My overall goal was to capture that look and feel.
I also enjoy urban switching operations. When most model railroads are designed, there is often an underlying anxiety that there won’t be enough industries for operational interest…
