Since my layout is entirely urban, I realized placement of the various buildings determines where the roads can and should be placed. But, the roads and sidewalks need to be in place before the buildings can be set down. I want to get my roads built while I'm building my structures but I realized that with as many buildings as I have, it could be a long time until I have all the major structures ready. So, I decided to make mockups from corrugated cardboard and white glue using a technique an architect friend showed me. Here's what I've done so far.
I've placed some cars and trucks and plastic strips to get a sense of perspective. I had plans for building placement when I drew up the layout but being able to shift them around has made a big difference. I've decided to build the structure in the front right as a mirror image of what I built of cardboard. That will put the higher portion of it on the street. It also helped to figure out what to do with the road after it crosses the tracks. I decided it has to just keep going straight into the back drop. I'll have to figure out exactly how to do that but I see the new MR: How To Build Realistic Layouts: Trackside town and city scenery coming out in the spring has a couple of articles on exactly this issue. I can work on the front half and the left half and save that portion for last.
If any one has suggestions for changes, I'd appreciate hearing them. While I'm working on the road and some of the small buildings in front, everything is still very changeable.
mark
Wow marakalan ,
Those cardboard buildings look great!
Neat way to plan where things might end up!
TheK4Kid
Cardboard mock-ups are great for working out building placement and relationships with other scenery. Some of my structures were built with foamcore board; others were built with home-made plaster castings. Some of them turned out almost good enough to keep! LOL
For your roadway between the buildings, you may be able to disguise the backdrop by building a walkway between the two buildings closest to the backdrop and installing a mirror. It will make the road look like it continues off the layout. Here is your picture that I modified to give you an idea of what you could do and what it might look like:
These kind of tricks are done all the time. Although he wasn't the first to use mirrors, John Allen was a master at disguising them!
Just a suggestion. Use it if you want. Hope it helps.
Darrell, quiet...for now
Now that is just awesome! Here I was going to mock up buildings by getting all fancy and photoshopping some stuff, printing on white cardstock, and assembling. Who knew corrugated could look so good?
Can't say I have any suggestions for improvement. I like the walkway idea for disguising the road exit into the backdrop...might have to go at a slight angle so you don't see your face peeping in when you look at it straight on though. Is the center set of buildings representing some sort of retail location?
Also, if you ever have time to post it I'd love to hear your technique for building the mock-ups. Don't know if you're doing anything special but it sounds like your architect friend might have given you some tips that could be helpful (I'd assume they'd apply to foamcore and such).M
markalan wrote: Since my layout is entirely urban, I realized placement of the various buildings determines where the roads can and should be placed. But, the roads and sidewalks need to be in place before the buildings can be set down. I want to get my roads built while I'm building my structures but I realized that with as many buildings as I have, it could be a long time until I have all the major structures ready. So, I decided to make mockups from corrugated cardboard and white glue using a technique an architect friend showed me. Here's what I've done so far.<images not quoted> If any one has suggestions for changes, I'd appreciate hearing them. While I'm working on the road and some of the small buildings in front, everything is still very changeable.
<images not quoted>
Mark - your cardboard mockups (and plan) looks really attractive!
I agree with dgwinup who suggested connecting with an elevated walkway the two buildings on either side of the street on the rear right, to hide that the street is ending at the back wall. Not sure about that mirror, though. Mirrors probably work better where they can be placed at an angle relative to viewer, so you don't see your own image in mirror when looking down the street. But by all means - try it out and see if it works for you.
Another option would be an T-shaped intersection here - building straight ahead, streets supposedly going left and right behind the two buildings on either side of the street. Might be hard to pull off nicely, though. Maybe just saying that the street goes down a hillside beyond the end of the layout, and leave it as it is
Btw - I like the way you have used cars to show proportions. Looks good.
Btw2 - building styles and sizes, as well as window styles, sizes and placement looks very natural. Are you working from pictures of prototype buildings, or do you just have a natural sense for architecture ?
Any special tips you'd care to share on how you designed and made the cardboard mockups ?
Smile, Stein
I wonder if MR will do a project railroad called the Cardboard Central? I think you will eventually get tired of reaching over those foreground buildings to switch cars into and out of the sidings if they have them. It is also hard to see the trains from the angle of the photo. now if it will be lower then that angle so you can see into the canyon that may not be a problem. My immediate thought is to move the front buildings a little closer to the front of the layout to allow a better line of sight in the concrete canyon. Nice buildings though. My solution in a similar situation is to make plexiglass or clear styrene buildings with the windows and doors scribed in and slip them in slots in the front edge of the layout. Then i can just slip them out if there is s derailment and will be able to see the trains better.
mearrin69 wondered how I made the corrugated cardboard mockups for my PTRR layout. My architect friend showed me how he does it and it's pretty simple. Corrugated cardboard, any old cardboard box if you want, has three layers. There is an inside facing, an outside facing and between, the corrugation. Cut the pieces of the mockup to size. If you are making a copy of a kit building, just use that for measurements. Then, to create a clean corner, cut through the outside facing and the corrugation leaving just enough room for another piece of cardboard to butt up against this one layer. This takes a little care, but isn't difficult. Then pull those two layers off.
This works best cutting across the corrugations.
Now just start gluing the various pieces together with white glue. Obviously only one piece of each joint requires the cuts. I found trying to keep things square was close to hopeless, but my mockups turned out square enough. After all, they are mockups.
Then cut a roof to fit and glue it in place. For some of my larger structures I put some internal bracing and roof supports on the inside. They turn out to be pretty strong.
Of course you can do more if you want. I added a loading dock to one building with three extra pieces of cardboard. I also cut out the openings along the tracks in one building just as the kit is designed. Lastly, you can draw windows and door with a marker, either copying from the kit pieces or just free style.
Thanks for the feedback,
Thanks for the feedback on the mockups and the layout structures in general.
I've thought of the idea of a connection between the buildings on either side of the road. I hadn't thought of a mirror though I've seen photos of the technique. Thanks, that might be an easy solution. Thanks, too for the time it took to create the simulation.
I was aware, too, of the depth of the "canyons" on the left side. I think the issue is the height of the wedge shaped building in the middle. I'm considering building it on two levels, making it shorter on the right end and thus, I hope, (another mockup will help) allow both access and view of the tracks on either side of it.
reklein wrote:
One thing bothers me a little though, the veiw of the trains is almost nil.
You're correct. This is an issue but I think my photos are somewhat misleading. This is going to be a layout that cannot be viewed at eye level. I'm probably going to set it on 36 inch legs so the viewer will be looking over roof tops and down into most of the spaces between the buildings, particularly if I lower the right side of the wedge shaped building in the middle on the left.