Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

STRATTON AND GILLETTE Project 1: Cardboard 1:1 Mockup

15075 views
44 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    January 2015
  • From: Southern California
  • 1,682 posts
Posted by Lone Wolf and Santa Fe on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 4:04 PM

SeeYou190
Oh well... this has been just as much fun.

Indeed. It looks like it was a lot of fun to build.

Modeling a fictional version of California set in the 1990s Lone Wolf and Santa Fe Railroad
Moderator
  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Waukesha, WI
  • 1,764 posts
Posted by Steven Otte on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 4:13 PM

SeeYou190

Here I am on the last day. I added paint to the cardboard buildings this morning, and now this project is about 99% complete! I finally made it! This has been an exciting rush of work.

All I have left is some touch-up paint, add some loose chunks of stand-in scenery, and take some pictures.

 

Hi, Kevin,

I hope those pictures you took are high-resolution, because I've sent you a PM about possibly writing an article for us. Check your inbox.

--
Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editor
sotte@kalmbach.com

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 7:56 PM

Day 7, Post 2.

.

Well, it is finally done. One of the main concerns was there be ample photo spots on the layout. Here is a quick photo tour of a few scenes.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I believe I have accomplished all my goals for this week.

.

In previous threads I have mentioned how apprehensive I have been about starting this layout, and now all those uneassy feelings have been put to bed. This layout design can be everything I want it to be.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2014
  • 1,500 posts
Posted by ROBERT PETRICK on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 9:08 PM

Nice.

 

LINK to SNSR Blog


  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 9:34 PM

I never understood your apprehensive feelings, but it looks like you have accomplished what you wanted to do.  Good deal! and an invite for an article for MRR magazine !  Good job!  I'll look forward to the future article!

 

 

I used mock-ups for the structures.

The mill and food plant.

The completed structure.

The plastic plant:

The completed structure:

I had the track figured out, after I built the space I needed to store our Tubberware boxes of family / seasonal decoration stuff

Mike.

 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, May 11, 2017 6:25 PM

Steven Otte
Check your inbox.

.

Steven,

.

The email address you provided did not work.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Boise, Idaho
  • 1,036 posts
Posted by E-L man tom on Friday, May 12, 2017 12:54 PM

Absolutely fascinating, Kevin! I wish I had the time to produce a mock-up of a layout on that grand a scale. As a true believer in using mock-ups, this really takes the guesswork out of layout building. it would be great to see an article on this in MR Magazine.  

Tom Modeling the free-lanced Toledo Erie Central switching layout.
  • Member since
    May 2017
  • 7 posts
Posted by The Winter Wolf on Friday, May 12, 2017 9:29 PM

E-L man tom
Absolutely fascinating, Kevin!

Hello, I have known Kevin for about 20 years. This thing he built is fascinating, but it is no where near out of the ordinary for him.

He sent a link to this thread to a whole bunch of his wargamer buddies. He wanted us to know what he was doing while he was not at the convention last weekend.

Kevin is part of our wargaming circle in South Florida. He is an absolute fanatic. He builds things like this all the time, then just tosses them away. He spent about two months building a photograph quality 20 foot long model of the Atlantic wall. We used it once, then he threw it out.

Kevin brought a brand new, fully painted, WW2 army to eight consecutive tournaments in a row one season. Painting eight different armies in one year is insane, but he did it like it was nothing. His workshop is papered with "best painted" awards he has won through the years. Some from very major events.

He claims to be a wargamer, but he is not. He lies. If he was a wargamer he would bother to learn the rules and try to win. Wargaming, like his trains, is just an outlet for this unstoppable need and hunger he has to build things.

I do not understand his trains, nor do I know much about them, but it amazing what he does. He models entire trains at once, just building and building and building.

He has a 1/8 scale engine in his garage he has been woking on for a few years. Supposedly it will be something he can ride, I don't know. It looks like a lot of work.

He built an entire village in 28mm scale for one event, then donated the whole thing to Omniverse Hobbies in Fort Myers. Then, just a few months later, he did it again and donated the second village to Dark Side Comics in Sarasota.

He won the "iron painter" contest six times in a row at Dark Side. This is an event where you paint an entire model unit it 24 hours straight. It is almost impossible to finish, and Kevin won it for three years straight while producing foreground quality models.

You guys have one heck of a talent on these message boards with him. Please do not take hime away from us. Tournaments just are not the same without him.

Respectfully, in health and prosperity, Thomas

Building Terrain & Scenery in Tampa
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, May 15, 2017 6:36 PM

The Winter Wolf
He won the "iron painter" contest six times in a row at Dark Side.

.

Good heavens Dak, do I need to get you a cheerleading outfit? Oh, and welcome to the best forums on the internet. I have been here 4 months and been treated nothing but kind. Not a troll to be found in here.

.

Thank you for the kind comments. Although, that just sounded like a long way of saying "Kevin is a terrible wargamer".

.

Honestly, this cardboard mock up, from start to complete in 7 days is the craziest big project I have ever taken on. This one took 100% commitment to getting it done. Also, I have never completed a project where I learned so much.

.

I wonder why Model Railroad hobby shops don't hold events to get people in the store and spending money? There must be some potential for social hobbying in Model Railroading.

.

Just to be honest, I won Iron Painter six times in four years. I only had five victories consecutively.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 22 posts
Posted by dieseldoc on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 6:34 AM

Kevin, we all know of a model railroad shop that used to be in Tampa and they did exactly what you just mentioned.  Don used to hold two swap meets a year.  Didn't cost a penney for you to come setup a table and buy/sell/trade with other model railroaders.  Don also occasionally had model contests.  He also had a "adult day care center" filled with hobby magazines.  You cold take a brand new magazine off the shelf, sit down and read it cover to cover.  There was also a work area for working on your models and it even included a airbrush paint booth.  Now THAT is how to run a hobby shop.  Unfortunitly the new owner did not see fit to do any of these and as we all know, there is no longer a model train shop in Tampa.

 

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, July 4, 2017 6:54 AM

The Winter Wolf

 

 
E-L man tom
Absolutely fascinating, Kevin!

 

Hello, I have known Kevin for about 20 years. This thing he built is fascinating, but it is no where near out of the ordinary for him.

He sent a link to this thread to a whole bunch of his wargamer buddies. He wanted us to know what he was doing while he was not at the convention last weekend.

Kevin is part of our wargaming circle in South Florida. He is an absolute fanatic. He builds things like this all the time, then just tosses them away. He spent about two months building a photograph quality 20 foot long model of the Atlantic wall. We used it once, then he threw it out.

Kevin brought a brand new, fully painted, WW2 army to eight consecutive tournaments in a row one season. Painting eight different armies in one year is insane, but he did it like it was nothing. His workshop is papered with "best painted" awards he has won through the years. Some from very major events.

He claims to be a wargamer, but he is not. He lies. If he was a wargamer he would bother to learn the rules and try to win. Wargaming, like his trains, is just an outlet for this unstoppable need and hunger he has to build things.

I do not understand his trains, nor do I know much about them, but it amazing what he does. He models entire trains at once, just building and building and building.

He has a 1/8 scale engine in his garage he has been woking on for a few years. Supposedly it will be something he can ride, I don't know. It looks like a lot of work.

He built an entire village in 28mm scale for one event, then donated the whole thing to Omniverse Hobbies in Fort Myers. Then, just a few months later, he did it again and donated the second village to Dark Side Comics in Sarasota.

He won the "iron painter" contest six times in a row at Dark Side. This is an event where you paint an entire model unit it 24 hours straight. It is almost impossible to finish, and Kevin won it for three years straight while producing foreground quality models.

You guys have one heck of a talent on these message boards with him. Please do not take hime away from us. Tournaments just are not the same without him.

Respectfully, in health and prosperity, Thomas

 

I have to admit that when I stumbled onto this thread this morning, I started reading the opening post followed by each of the replies, all the time asking myself, Why?

I decided not to reply but kept asking myself, Why?

Now I know. Kevin is a nut case! Laugh

In all seriousness, though, once you understand the background, as elegantly explained by Thomas, it all makes sense.

Now, the question is, will Kevin write an article for MR mag and, more importantly, will he follow through and build the actual layout?

Keep us posted, Kevin.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 8:06 AM

richhotrain
Kevin is a nut case!

.

You will find very few people who know me that would disagree with you.

.

When I am in hobby-mode I am like a obsessed man on a mission. I have spent days in a row working 16 hours each day on hobby projects when I am motivated.

.

I have found that I can do ANYTHING in 14 days if I set my mind to it. When the girls were teenagers and into CosPlay, boy did we build some fancy outfits. They have benefited from my "nut case" as much as anyone.

.

Off Topic: When Games Workshop released the Tau army about 10 years ago, we bought four "Army Boxes" of them, and my middle daughter, one other guy and I spent four days working 20 hours a day to get them all painted. She showed up at a Game Tournament with a FULLY PAINTED Tau army that had only been released days earlier. It was nuts!

.

My friend Randy and I built an N scale 13 by 8 display layout for the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida annual train show in 1992 in 3 months from a pile of wood to 100% finished, including a transport crate. This was in my dining room for that six months.

.

My wife sees no benefits, but she plays along nicely.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 3:12 PM

SeeYou190
 
richhotrain
Kevin is a nut case!.

You will find very few people who know me that would disagree with you.

 

LOL

And, of course, I was joking when I said that.

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, October 29, 2017 2:57 PM

I added the rest of the buidings and scenery.

.

.

I am so happy with the way this experiment turned out. I cannot wait to build the actual layout now!

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, October 29, 2017 8:48 PM

29/OCT/2017, 9:44 PM.

.

The experimental track planning cardboard layout is no more.

.

This thing came down surprisingly easy. I have removed over a dozen layouts, and none were done in 5 minutes before. Maybe there is something to building a layout out of cardboard.

.

.

.

Now it is on to the next project.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!