Layout Tour #3 - Toronto: Around John Street

     This part of the layout includes two of the structures I wanted to build:  The CBC's (Canadian Brodcasting Cooperation) Canadian Brodcasting Centre and the Toronto Hydro Power Station on the corner of John Street and Wellington St. West.  They are across the street from each other.  They both made it on the layout.  I like the hydro station because of the large fences and the billboards on top.  It really tells you that you're in the middle of a city.  

The trackside entrance to the Toronto Hydro power station.

Danger - High voltage!

Billboards surround the hydro station.  Each billboard displays an advertisement for Blackberry.  I miss my Blackberry.

    The CBC Broadcast Centre is pretty simplified but gets its point across as to what it is.  The first floor of the CBC houses other shops, too.  Here on the corner of John and Front we find a Boston Pizza complete with outdoor terrace.

The Toronto Broadcast Centre is at the corner of Front Street and John Street.  Many CBC employees have lunch on the patio of Boston Pizza just outside of the main entrance.  Boston Pizza is still missing a sign, but one is in the works.

    Next to the CBC is Simcoe Park.  This is a plaza in the heart of several high rises.  I built it in the summer of 2022.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Simcoe Park on a June day

Simcoe Park is a separate piece on the layout.  It can be taken out if something happens to a figure or a tree.  This is a picture of it on the workbench.  I really like the patterns on the walkway.

    A lot of research for the layout is done using Google Maps, especially in the downtown Toronto part of the layout.  More often than not it seems that John Street is under construction between Front Street and Wellington.  This has been an easy detail to model.   A special thanks to Miniprints for making the right looking construction barrels.  I scratch built the trailer that holds the flashing arrow board.

Expect delays if you're driving down John Street.  Hydro crews are digging up the middle of the street, again.

A new scratch-built trailer for a construction arrow panel.  The sign is made by Miniatronics Corp.

    One of the pieces that is missing from this neighborhood is the Toronto Convention Centre.  It's located across Front Street from the CBC.  The convention centre is a very recognizable building in downtown Toronto but remains to be built.  I have a Shell gas station in its place.  I like how this station is located in a very small space between two high rises.  It looks out of place but is also prototypical to big city living.  My wife loves raccoons, so I've included the gas station dumpster.  Toronto is known for its large population of raccoons and they problems they cause.  Case in point.  Again, thank you to Miniprints for making the raccoons and garbage bag details.

A busy Shell gas station and Food Mart convenient store in the heart of Toronto.  The model is produced by Summit Custom Models.

The city of Toronto has tried to combat the over-population of raccoons in the city.  After looking at this picture the city may be losing the battle.