Passenger Train Idea #1

I would be more likely to ride on an Amtrak train if I didn't have to get to the central depot in the big city. Such as Denver Union Station. That station is just fine for its purpose but what if Amtrak made a short stop on either side of town in addition to the centrally located station? Maybe this isn't practical in Denver given the route of the Zephyr but in some cities it might work.

Imagine a train that ran through Denver from Wyoming all the way south to Colorado Springs and farther. It would make perfect sense for such a train to make a stop in Denver's suburbs of, let's say, Littleton and Westminster.

Lights

I just finished adding lights to several buildings on my HO train layout. Sounds easy but this project has complications. For instance, it is easy enough to stick a light in a 4 story building. However, now that the building is lit up inside, you can easily tell that it is a hollow shell of a building with a light bulb inside. One of the tricks is to put intermediate floors in the structure using cardboard so that the light only lights up some of the building. It's also good to ensure that the light bulb is not easily visible. It looks more interesting if these tricks are used.

I was also concerend with having the lights not be too bright. If the light is too bright, it doesn't look natural espacially with the room lights off. You can make the bulbs shine less bright by wiring two of them in series. This trick was very effective as well in improving the appearance of the buildings.

I am going to continue this project since there are still numerous buildings with no lights. I also need to add some additional street lights to increase realism.

All I need is a bunch of bulbs and some more wire. There must be a mile of wire under the layout now. Why not add some more?