Ok so I ordered all my backdrops (a total of 5) paid $900 for them. I placed the order 5 weeks ago, and finally received them last week. I've been installing all the mountain backdrops the past few days, all them were fine.
Now I have a city backdrop that is 12ft long. I was installing that today and find out its defective. Ok I understand when I placed the order there was a bunch of orders so they told me they were behind. Should have taken two weeks.
What I'm not happy about is why would they ship this obviously defective (expensive) print.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
I was looking at backdrops just yesterday and I have a hard time imagining that I would pick the right perspective, direction of sunlight and selection of buildings.
You convinced me to stop thinking about it.
At least the error they made is not debatable.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I just talked to Norm at backdrop warehouse. He was telling me its not defective, and its the curved arch in St Lous. I didn't notice that when I ordered it.
I don't like the way it looks, just weird to me. But I'm gonna have to live with it. I paid $250 for this print.
Why would they even offer for sale this curved weird concrete thing is beyond me.
This is the image from their site, didn't even notice it.
Where's the rest of the arch? They must have "chopped" it off while editing their photos.
They wouldn't do anything about it? That's crazy!
I bought my backdrops from them, about 8 years ago.
Any way you can use the scene on either side of the arch? Hide it with trees?
I just seen the picture from their site. The other leg is on the other side, it's even shorter.
Mike.
My You Tube
The arch under construction? That's terrible. That makes it a very date specific background. I would want the whole arch or nothing.
Nope they wouldn't do anything about it. Said that that image is on their website. I asked him why he would sell something like this, he said other people like it? WTF seriously.
Not happy. Will have to find anoher city backdrop (not from them).
Well I actually just found some Denver city backdrops at railroadbackdrops.com I didn't even know they had Denver, which was what I need anyways. I'll be ordering that tomorrow.
At least the mountain backdrops look good.
five backdrops for $900, ?? wow ... and i wonder how i spent $100 on thirty feet ??
Stainless steel. The arch is made of Stainless, not concrete.
See the History Guy's video on the very subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHlhVJP9s2k
Hlafway built or all there, either way it both dates the view AND makes it very specific that it's St Louis and not some other city. Now, if you are trying to model the St Louis area, that's one thing...
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
BigDaddy The arch under construction? That's terrible. That makes it a very date specific background. I would want the whole arch or nothing.
Oh my, that's bad. And as bad as this is as an idea (locking you into a single year in the 60s), the worst part hasn't been mentioned here: the actual perspective (for those who know what St. Louis actually looks like and the orientation of the arch and downtown high-rises) puts your train running right down the middle of the Mississippi river. The arch is literally on the water's edge ... unless you want to jump the river and model the east side of the Mississippi. You know, East St. Louis.
Andy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/
The Milwaukee Road WarriorThe arch is literally on the water's edge ... unless you want to jump the river and model the east side of the Mississippi.
There are actually tracks between the river and the arch:
Gateway by Edmund, on Flickr
They were, in fact, quite a controversy. Eero Saarinen threatened to pull his design if the TRRA/MoPac tracks were not removed or tunneled.
Gateway_June-1965 by Edmund, on Flickr
Creative Commons
Regards, Ed
Motley Nope they wouldn't do anything about it. Said that that image is on their website. I asked him why he would sell something like this, he said other people like it? WTF seriously. Not happy. Will have to find anoher city backdrop (not from them).
Ouch and UGH. I agree that is a terrible design, but it is on the picture so I guess you're stuck. It may be aesthetically unpleasing (and I certainly think it is) but it is not a defect.
Is there no way you could order a building flat from somewhere and cover it up?
Alternatively, with the large building next to it stretching to the sky, I could almost see a way that it it could be spliced to take the section with the arch completely out.
Visit the Chicago Valley Railroad for Chicago Trainspotting and Budget Model Railroading.
Wow, I just had to take a look at their web site after reading this.
That is a enough to make you dizzy........not sure I could even figure all that out....
A real quick estimate put my new layout in the $1500 range - no thank you.
I don't guess there are any printed backdrops from them in my future, but honestly it has never been something I thought much about.
My last layout was double decked, and viewing angles made printed backdrops unnecessary in many ways. Upper deck was high enough that all you saw was the foreground, lower deck background largely blocked by upper deck. One of the reasons I did not like it.
My next layout will return me to my roots in this hobby with a single level and scenes 3-5 feet deep, no more narrow "shelf" layouts for me.
I want to return to a better mix of non railroad scenery as well as the railroad "features".
So I think a blue sky background with a couple gallons of paint will do just fine.
Sheldon
gmpullman There are actually tracks between the river and the arch:
Well I'll be! I stand corrected. Last time I was at the arch was summer of 1993 and the water *was* literally up to the base of the arch due to flooding. Never even saw the tracks lol.
In any event, East St. Louis is still there to be modeled (such as it is...)
Going once, twice....
Assuming it represents the arch in construction I may have to slightly revise my earlier assesment about it not being defective as the 1965 date of the arch construction clearly conflicts with the modern buildings in the adjacent skyline.
Holy crap! Backdrop Warehouse are out of my budget.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Eilif Is there no way you could order a building flat from somewhere and cover it up?
I wonder about this too. What about a couple of thin-profile buildings strategically placed to eliminate the arch?
Eilif Assuming it represents the arch in construction I may have to slightly revise my earlier assesment about it not being defective as the 1965 date of the arch construction clearly conflicts with the modern buildings in the adjacent skyline.
When I first saw it looked like the leaning tower of Pisa.
Definately not under construction. He said something about when he resizes it to HO scale it cuts of part of the arch. You'd think he would crop it out. Who would pay for that and be ok with it is beyond me.
Their website and how you order is the most reduculous thing I have delt with. You can't even add things to your cart.
I guess I know where not to buy my back drops.
Mark B.
Mark BI guess I know where not to buy my back drops.
Or, take a close look at what your buying. The tower "stubs" are clearly shown on BDW's web site.
mbinsewi Mark B I guess I know where not to buy my back drops. Or, take a close look at what your buying. The tower "stubs" are clearly shown on BDW's web site. Mike.
Mark B I guess I know where not to buy my back drops.
I just can't get over the $900 part...........
Yeah, it doesn't look like its under construction, especially since the buildings appear to be newer than late 1960s.
Edit: There is another stub on the left side. It looks like the top of the arch is simply missing, not under construction, IMO. If the arch was complete, it would be a lot better.
Its a poor execution, IMO. Its a poor-execution that he is selling anyway but is half-heartedly disclosing it by showing exactly what you get on his website.
That practice, and the prices in general, would steer me away from the products.
Thanks for posting.
BTW, he wouldn't let you exchange it for something else if you paid shipping?
- Douglas
Crazy that the company charges so much for commercial backdrops. The arch is awful in the photo. I get how/why you're annoyed.
I would just want generic trees and low rolling hills to fit my layout. In such a case, there are places to get printed backdrops a whole lot cheaper. Unless I was modeling the area, I have no need for pictures of a specific city - looks like he offers St Louis and Manhatten. Both very specific and recognizeable and unsuitable for what I would ever need.
If their software crops off part of a picture when scaling it, that's some pretty poor software. Either put the whole arch in there, or leave the whole thing off. Leaving it off would not be great, since it's now exactly St Louis but missing the arch. But it would look better than just the stubs sticking up. I can't imagine anyone actually liking it like that.
I have always used the good old Walthers backdrops that date back to the 1970s.
.
The have a certain charm that just says "Model Railroading" to me.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Thanks I was going to just eat it. But you are correct that it looks so bad he shouldn't be selling that.
I just called them waiting for a call back, and left mesage that I created this thread here on the MRR forums where a lot of people buy backdrops.
If I don't hear back I will dispute the charges on my credit card.