Room Color

[smokymtguy]

I have been thinking very hard on this one.  I am going to rebuild my layout, but  before I start a new one I want to repaint the Train Room (former Bedroom).  I can not decided on a color.  The room right now is white.  In the old house the Train room was a bright blue and I got tired of that color fast.  Any color suggestions or picture of any of your Train rooms.  One other thing the Train room can be seen from the family room.

[rtraincollector]

I had a very light blue just about the true color of the sky which worked for me but as anyone will tell you we can't really tell you a color as what you like verse someone else who knows. just a thought for you.

 

 

[Andrew Falconer]

Is this room going to be for an island hobby shop display type of train layout or will the walls serve as a backdrop for a model railroad.

If it is a hobby shop type of display layout try painting the walls sections of bright green and light blue-green.

If the walls are supposed to be a backdrop then paint them a blend of various sky colors of Bright Blue, light blue, Light gray, white, to a pink & orange sunset mix.

Andrew

[Sturgeon-Phish]

I did what was mentioned above, painting the walls a sky blue then the walls the layout was next to, received the mountains and clouds.  I'll try and send a picture later.

Jim

[dknelson]

My own preference was to paint the walls a tough gloss white, and leave the blue sky to the backdrop proper.  The gloss white helps make the most of the room lighting in my opinion.  It was something of a bear to apply but I think the effect was worth it.  That said I am talking basement here, so cinder block walls not wallboard.  Wallboard might be harder to paint gloss white. 

Now if you are really looking for drama then an extremely dark room, perhaps even flat dead black, where all lighting is behind a valance and projects onto the layout proper, while black cloth hangs down to hide the legs and the floor is also dark -- rather in the way natural history museums present their dioramas.  The effect is that the layout is mysteriously suspended in air and all attention is on the trains, not the room.  My own sense is that sound effects (rushing water for streams, chriping crickets for fields, clanging hammers for factories, etc) seem also to work best in that kind of environment.

This means no pictures or railroadiana on the walls, no cases of collected equipment -- a pure, almost art gallery effect.  I have seen it done and it can be a jaw dropper if done right.  Whether such layouts are fun to operate I cannot say, but they are impressive to visit! 

Dave Nelson

[11th Street]

 Unless you have  a passion for the color blue, or you have an agenda to land on the cover of one of the hobby magazines, you certainly should not feel that there is some mandatory requirement to paint your walls blue. In fact blue walls can become as tedious as a green painted plywood train board. Our walls are painted a warm & relaxing sunny yellow. You can contrast sunset sky colors with various shades of blue, purple, gray, green mountains/clouds/grasslands/forests. (You might also want to pay attention to the color temperature of your lighting. Match blue walls + commercial florescent lighting = a  cold, hard industrial look to your layout).