Lee,
I am impressed that you have accomplished so much in a little over a year. We never finish our layouts because we continue to fine tune them. Looking at other layouts can give you ideas on how to fill in the details. I can't wait to see what you do in the next year.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Looking good. The layout has the ability to get better and you have the drive to make it better. Keep us posted of your progress.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
First off, you have a really good start there. Kind of plain right now, but you said that you knew that. I like the lay of the land a lot.
OK, here goes with some comments. But first, I have always been told that if you are going to comment on some ones work and it needs improvement, also tell them how to improve it. Looking at your layout in photographs will show you things that you miss by seeing it and working on it in person, so if you have a digital camera, take photos often and look for things that don't make sense or stand out.
The first thing that popped out at me was how black the ties on the track were, and how silver the rails are. You need to do something about them. Where the track is already ballasted, you can't do much with the ties, but you can paint the rails. On the other parts, paint the ties at least a medium brown color. Paint the rails with a color called Roof Brown. It will look like dark rust. It really doesn't matter what type of paint to use. Be careful not to paint where the points contact the stock rails. Also paint the plastic frogs and guard rails on the turnouts. If you want, you can airbrush the track and ties the same color, but it should be a little lighter than the Roof Brown. Of course you will have to remove the paint from the tops of the rails.
I don't know what area of the country you are modeling, but the large open almost flat area behind the water tank would really look good with a farm there. Not just a house and a barn, but that and other out-buildings and pastures and fences with horses and cows, and a couple of windmills etc. Some plowed fields with a crop or two also. Fill the whole area with it. Build a couple of wood road bridges so you can drive to it from town. A couple of rows of trees to separate it from the mountain behind it. (You might be able to put two farms in there, giving more oportunities for details.)
Water. To me, the water looks to light blue. To much turquoise. Water reflects the color of the sky, and I think it should be darker. I don't know what you have on the surface, but you should be able to paint it and add another layer of whatever medium you use to make it glossy. If you can't paint it, you might be able to mix up some Realistic Water or Envirotex Lite and tint it dark blue and pour it over what you have now.
The parking lot at the front edge of the layout looks too glossy to me. Can you paint it with Matt Medium? Or some other type of clear flat or Dull Coat?
Remember, EVERYTHING is a model. From the track to the mountains and rivers as well as the buildings and trains..
You can see some photos of my last layout here > http://www.ttscale.com/layouts/ewm/tsm_mrr.htm
Hope this helps.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
BlueHillsCPR Lee, The layout looks great! If I were to offer constructive advice I would say it looks a bit too perfect in places to be real but it still looks great, IMO. Keep up the good work!
The layout looks great! If I were to offer constructive advice I would say it looks a bit too perfect in places to be real but it still looks great, IMO. Keep up the good work!
Yes I agree it's plain. I just have to get the basics finished and then I will start with the details, debris, tall grass, and trees. Thanks for the encouragement.
Happy railroading.
Lee
Very nice layout. Can't wait until I get a chance to start one myself.
Mike
Mike Kingsbury
Hello MRR'ers This is my first time at any type of modeling. Comments are welcome. I have a thick skin. I've worked on the layout a year plus. It started as a 4'x 12' and grew by stages to 4' and 5' x 19', Since I'm recuperating from surgery I thought I would work on my posting and photography. I have the basics established and will work on the details next.control tower.
Aspen bluffs
Industrial area.
Sheep herders cabin.
MOW headed uphill for track work.
Inbound freight.
Horse farm.
Look both ways.
I hope everyone enjoys a first timers attempt. Lee