There Aren't Traffic Jams Everywhere

It's easy to make your layout's city street scenes look more authentic just by placing vehicles in realistic positions.

Instead of loading up every inch of pavement with autos, here are a few tips for adding realism.

1. While there may be peak commuting times where city streets are at gridlock, traffic jams are not typically the norm. In the mid-1960s commercial district scene here, midday or early afternoon scenes might look more like this. Cars parked in front of businesses, a few cars on the street and a delivery van in the alley between the railroad grade and the bank.
2. For late evening and early morning scenes, there are likely to be fewer vehicles on the street, perhaps a bus, a taxi by the theater and maybe a car in the distance.
3. Use a good mix of vehicles. Different model years (but the newest can't be newer than your modeling era), different types such as sedans, station wagons, buses and trucks, plus service vehicles help to make scenes more "typical." Not every auto can be a sports car!