Jade Bight 18: Emden 02
The Jade Bight 18:
Emden 02 -- The South Mole
This week we return to the port city of Emden for another installment. I would rather present the entire city as a whole, but my time has been limited of late -- so I'm afraid it's going to have to be more bits and pieces as they are completed. This time we are going to inspect the South Mole of the harbor.
Emden has long been a thriving commercial port -- roughly, since the 8th Century -- but it's commercial growth began in earnest around 1870. When the ship canal was completed in the late 1800's, the city was connected to the massive industrial capacity of the Ruhr and became the chief port of the region. It has been expanded and modernized over the decades and grew in size and freight handling capability with the construction of new docks and the expansion of older facilities.
SOUTH MOLE:
The South Mole is the result of a massive project involving the construction of seawalls followed by back-filling with rubble and spoil dredged from the bottom of the harbor. A mole is much like a quay in appearance, and yet distinctly different. Docks are, traditionally, a short structure built to extend out from the shore. Piers are long, free-standing platforms built out from the shore. And a quay is usually the reinforced or "improved" bank of a canal, river, or harbor used for loading or mooring purposes. As you can see -- a mole is a much larger and more permanent structure.
As the industrial might of the Ruhr increased, so did the demand on the facilities at Emden. More dredging -- more seawalls -- and more land area was required to host the docks, cranes, warehouses, and other necessary infrastructure. Over time, the shorelines were stabilized with rip-rap walls and masonry embankments, and the mole was built up to include portions of the ship canal and even room for industry.
Extensive facilities were built to handle container vessels in the later half of the 20th Century, and the rail line spur was extended as far as the end of the mole. The Mole was considered ideal for the larger container ships because it required less maneuvering to berth them there.
SOUTH MOLE -- Docks:
Here you see the Vandy Line Shipping docks. This is a break-bulk facility and it is freight-enabled to handle the industrial needs of the city. The main lighthouse sits on the tip of the mole to mark the entrance to the harbor. There is a small gas works storage facility, and the outer side of the mole has been left in a "natural" state to help prevent soil errosion.
This is a Matson Line container ship recently moored and awaiting unloading operations to begin. This is a small container yard meant to accommodate that type of freight -- but nothing on the scale of the container operation to be found in Bremerhaven (more on that in future).
And the SS Ned Lloyd will begin loading containers later this morning.
SOUTH MOLE -- Close-ups
Yo, "raynev" -- thanx again for your assistance. If you notice -- that's a 3x2 "re-lot" of the "gas storage tanks" you pinpointed for me. I also did a 3x1 for smaller places. (There should also be semi-rigs parked on this lot -- should have waited to take the picture!)
You will find many pieces of the NBVC Container Port Kit in these shots. And you will see loads of 1x1 and 1x2 custom filler lots for freight and trucks. There is also an occasional larger filler lot, including some "re-lotted" PEG and Maxis warehouses and industrial buildings. One thing I noticed about seaport lots, is that they include very little in the way of warehouses or attendant infrastructure. I decided to supply the details with small filler lots that could be placed into tight areas to form as large a compound as you might wish. These warehouses have turned out especially well, and T-Wrecks' IRM filler lots have provided much more realistic container stacks.
SHIP CANAL & SOUTH MOLE: Overview
This picture shows how the two areas come together.
HUGHES HEAVY INDUSTRIES:
This is the Hughes Heavy Industries Complex -- Building One and Building Two. I was looking for some very tall industrial buildings (like Hardun Heavy Metals) to use around the harbor, but they seem to be in short supply. After a long search, it was necessary to make do with what could be found, so I "re-lotted" the Maxis "Dead Forest Paper". A few subtle changes and you can create two buildings that make up the core of a large compound. Again, adding in the detail makes all the difference. I also decided to throw in a "catchment pond" just to break up the man-made clutter.
This view of the Hughes Plant shows the extensive use of concrete areas that I have been experimenting with. My previous industrial areas made too much use of trees in what should have been a large expanse of concrete slabs and industrial grunge. Paeng's concrete grunge and diagonal fillers came in very handy. I haven't used them much in the past -- but they have added immeasurably to my "concrete experiment". I also "finessed" a change in elevation from "dock level" to normal "ground level" by using retaining walls to separate the large parking area from the plant. (The first time I have used large parking lots coupled with industry. More realistic -- yes?) And, I incorporated a rail station across the road from the parking lot to accommodate large numbers of commuter workers.
NIGHT SHOTS:
For those of you that enjoy the night shots -- here ya' go !!
We come, again, to the end of the tour. I hope you have enjoyed it.
PLEASE feel free to comment or make suggestions. They are always welcome !!
As has been suggested by "Ln X", I have started experimenting with more "grassland" or "cleared" areas in the other parts of Emden still under construction. I tend to agree -- the heavy forested areas can be a bit overwhelming. So we shall see how that goes. BIG THANX to "Ln X" for the suggestion.
Next week --
Emden -- The East Side.
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