I like to call this an "O-Gauge interpretation" of Washington DC's Union Station - definitely not an accurate model, but selectively compressed to fit on a 4' x 8' table, and not overwhelm my basement layout.
Planning and computer vector drawings began in early 2004, with the first lasercut styrene elevations arriving from the lasershop in late 2004. A whole set of web pages has been previously dedicated to this multi-year project, and can be found here:
 O Gauge Washington Union Station Model Project
It is comprised mostly of laser-cut and laser-etched styrene sheets, painted and lightly weathered and then assembled with square wooden dowels.
About a quarter of the way into the project, Mike Casatelli influenced me to proceed with a finished interior. I'm glad he did, because I've had a lot more fun with it.
There are 24 white LED platform lights along the edge of each track gully behind the station. These blink (dim to bright) when a train is behind the station, and then remain dim (unblinking) when the train leaves. This is modeled after the subway stations in Washington DC, but the real Union Station does not have them. The effect was achieved using a 555 timer chip, and a special solid-state relay. A more complete article on this sub-project can be found here: Blinking Platform Lights
Because I don't yet have a "permanent" layout to really flesh out, I've been spending my time and effort on modular projects like big city buildings, Conway Bridge, and this monster train station. Someday I have to figure out how to integrate all of these creations together to form a cohesive train layout...
John
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