Hi people
I am happy to present some results of my work. I've been working on this layout for around 8 months now. It is a 17x4 island table with a hidden staging yard under it. Now I'm just 29 and I do not have extensive experience such as most of you. But I feel proud of my work, even if it is not finished yet. I am not the owner of the house, I rent it, therefore many things I have done are planned to ultimately recover/salvage for when I move to my own house, one day. Now here are things to consider, that I have to tell you beforehand. I know my layout's flaws.
1- I have not weathered my tracks (for salvage purposes)
2- I have no airbrush.
3- Road asphalt is too dark. Sidewalks are too high
4- No guard rails on bridge.
5- Some visible glue spots.
6- White castle restaurant unfinished.
I would appreciate your comments since I'm not an expert and always trying to learn.
Here are a few specs:
Rails: Atlas NS Code 100 (turnouts are all snap switch #4 (I'm on a budget)Minimum Radius: 18"Powerpack: MRC Tech 4 220 DCTable: 17x4Roadnames: Wisconsin Central, St-Lawrence and Atlantic, CNStyle: Freelanced: continuousPictures!
Waiting for feedback!
Thank you all!
Antoine
Your modeling looks great. I think your photography could use some work. You need to use a small aperature (high f-stop) to increase your depth of field. This will require a tripod or some other form of support for the camera.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
I like it. The urban modeling is particularly good.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Looks like you are off to a good start.
Many folks don't weather their track. You could also use paint markers which are easy to go over spots should you need to after you reconfigure your track.
Just say your roads have just gotten a fresh coat of asphault, they could be nearly black.
I have been in some places that had very high sidewalks, but it's a place to think about making improvements when you move or change the area.
Guard rails, some do, some don't. If the looks bother you, it shouldn't be to hard to take a section of rail, bend the ends a little and glue in place.
Glue spots happen. The more experience you have the fewer will show up.
A layout is never done, as we can always keep making improvements. Granted there is a point where everything is up and running, scenicked and all, many call this finished. You can always go beck, improve areas with improved skills, add details or make changes if desired.
Have fun,
Richard
It looks pretty good to me. A word of caution: Some equipment will not deal well with 18" curves. As long as your circumstances require you to stay with 4 foot depth, Check the minimum curve requirements for any stock or power that you plan to buy.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Thank you! I indeed need to work on my photography haha.
As for the 18 inches curve I've checked. Everything rolls all good in all the curves. I am more concerned about snap switches #4. Ugh..... painful.
:)
Your modeling looks good...way too good for those trees in the second pic...if you get my drift.
- Douglas
Nice job!
I would weather the track some, however. Salvage value will be affected in a very, very minor way, if at all.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Santa Fe all the way!Try not to be too critical of your work (I need to listen to my own advice☺) I think your layout looks fine, remember to enjoy yourself. Keep posting pics.
Ditto.
Keep having fun, Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Doughless Your modeling looks good...way too good for those trees in the second pic...if you get my drift.
Roger Hensley= ECI Railroad - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/eci/eci_new.html == Railroads of Madison County - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/ =
In some places they are hiring goats to eat the Kudzu.
Has anyone tried to model Kudzu?
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kudzu+vine&qpvt=kudzu+vine&FORM=IGRE
Phoebe VetHas anyone tried to model Kudzu?
Alton Brown (Food Network dude) claims it makes a great salad.
Generally, a good looking layout. My only suggestion is that you give your figures a flat finish (dullcote or equivalent) before putting them on the layout. Automobiles can also use some light weathering. Would be glad to see more pictures.
Dan
carl425 Phoebe Vet Has anyone tried to model Kudzu? Alton Brown (Food Network dude) claims it makes a great salad.
Phoebe Vet Has anyone tried to model Kudzu?
Several localities have Kuzu festivals.
http://kudzufest.net/
If you're using Snap Switches - no worries. If your equipment handles the 18" radius curves, it will handle the Snap Switches, because they aren;t really #4, they are curved to fit in as replacements for sectional curves and straights. They are the length of a typical 9" straight track, and with the little extra curve piece they include with them, can repalce an 18" radius curve piece.
The Atlas Custom Line turnouts are the ones with true numbered frogs, #4 and $6, although the actual dimensions on the #4 make it really a #4.5, and the tightest part of it, the closure rail radius, is approximately 22", so when using Custom Line #4's, the tightest curves will still be the 18: radius curve tracks, not the turnouts.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thank you everyone for your comments, I appreciate the feedback. I am not sure about the kudzu part haha.
I will apply dull coat it's a good idea. As for the turnouts, I already have issue with some cars and locos badly handling the frog even if the turnouts are in perfect shape. all my cars have intermountain metal wheels, therefore I only suspect the curves after the turnout to be a bit banked, unoticeable, and it pulls the car in the frog. I don't know, I'll have to either live with it for now and have better trackwork in the next layout, or work on these right now and have fun with the layout while it lasts.
Not all the tracks are soldered together for salavage purpose, that's why I don't want to weather them since i'll solder them on the next layout.
By the way, atlas code 100, do they have an interesting longevity?
Thank you everyone.
antoine
Antoine L. Thank you everyone for your comments, I appreciate the feedback. I am not sure about the kudzu part haha. I will apply dull coat it's a good idea. As for the turnouts, I already have issue with some cars and locos badly handling the frog even if the turnouts are in perfect shape. all my cars have intermountain metal wheels, therefore I only suspect the curves after the turnout to be a bit banked, unoticeable, and it pulls the car in the frog. I don't know, I'll have to either live with it for now and have better trackwork in the next layout, or work on these right now and have fun with the layout while it lasts.
Could be that, though I recall that the frogs & guardrails on the snap switches are pretty loose with the NMRA guidelines (and sometimes not all that "flat") -- check them out with a track gauge and file/shim them as necessary to get the clearances a little tighter.
Some slop is OK, but too much, and things won't get aligned properly.
Antoine L. Not all the tracks are soldered together for salavage purpose, that's why I don't want to weather them since i'll solder them on the next layout. By the way, atlas code 100, do they have an interesting longevity?
c100 will last forever and a day. Though, on your next layout, you might find that you prefer c83 (or even c70) as it's closer to scale size rail (somewhat dependant on era, although a shortline such as the WSOR may continue running on existing 90 or 100 pound rail even though class 1 railroads are currently using 130+ pound rail on their mainlines.)
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
On your people trim off all most all of the clear square base just leaving their shoes then use Aleene's Tacky glue to stand them. This glue makes it easy to move them if you want to.
Very nice but maybe you should think of placing lights on the outside of the buildings. For instance, a row of lights along the dock underneath the awning. And lights above the garage door or smaller door. And make that dock a working dock with employees and crates etc. Here, this is an example of what I mean. I posted this a while back. Highlight the link then right click and then select "go to http............
Joe C
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/m/mrr-layouts/2197507.aspx
dominic c Link
Link
Thanks
I tried so hard but just couldnt figured it out. I dont want to throw the tread in aother direction, but how do you make the link work?
Antoine L. Thank you everyone for your comments, I appreciate the feedback. I am not sure about the kudzu part haha. I will apply dull coat it's a good idea. As for the turnouts, I already have issue with some cars and locos badly handling the frog even if the turnouts are in perfect shape. all my cars have intermountain metal wheels, therefore I only suspect the curves after the turnout to be a bit banked, unoticeable, and it pulls the car in the frog. I don't know, I'll have to either live with it for now and have better trackwork in the next layout, or work on these right now and have fun with the layout while it lasts. Not all the tracks are soldered together for salavage purpose, that's why I don't want to weather them since i'll solder them on the next layout. By the way, atlas code 100, do they have an interesting longevity? Thank you everyone. antoine
dominic c Thanks I tried so hard but just couldnt figured it out. I dont want to throw the tread in aother direction, but how do you make the link work? Joe C
There's probably a couple of different ways witht htese forums, but I like writing out the tags myself ...
take the URL (e.g. "www.trains.com") and wrap it in the [ url ] tags like this:
[ url="http://www.trains.com" ] Link Text [ /url] ... now, I added the spaces so you could see what I meant. Doing it "right" does this -- Link Text
And to get back on topic ...
Before shimming, etc. with the turnouts, check all the clearances with your NMRA gauge, and then compare what you're seeing against the NMRA RP dimensions (link takes you to the index -- you'll need 13.x and maybe a few others) and fix as necessary.
As I recall, way back around 84, MR did an article on modeling the SR Murphy Branch where they did try to model kudzu for the cover shot and had a short article on how they did it.
rrebellNow is your chance to learn how to make turnouts work perfectly, even yours. You can always file and add thin styrene till you get them right. I use Shinohara turnouts and I had an old one that I didn't notice and being code 70, I had to trim all the spike heads as ones being made at this time were too tall by a hair. Had a buddy rebuild the frog of an Atlas with styrene.
Yes, indeed. I did some work on my faulty snap switch yesterday and it seems to be working better but still not perfect.
This is mostly a learning project. I am sooooooo eager to buy a house. I can't wait. But I do not have the money yet so bascially I'm not putting any more money into the layout and will salvage most of it. I may keep the snap switches for a staging yard but I will definetely go for better turnouts such as Peco for the next layout. Also it won't be an island. I had to build an island style layout in my current place because the walls in the basement are rocks and the cement is dry and falling apart (old place). I didn't want to cover the walls to make a background, nor have cement crumbling all over the tracks... even if it would kind of add some dramatic effect!
Thanks!
Very Nice