New Layout Photos Posted

[zwbob]

Jim, Great job I'm really impressed how fast track looks with all of the scenery. I think the Ogauge guy in the last picture is out of scale [:o)][:o)]

[Brutus]

Excellent!

[darianj]

Nice pics and layout. Something for me to work towards!

[FJ and G]

"800 lb bear on layout"

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Story to tell: may be a repeat...

About a year ago BB the beagle and I were walking in the woods during a full moon and a black bear appeared. I froze in my tracks.

When I first saw the bear, my first fear was for BB the beagle. I had seen a lot of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie shows and was fully expecting BB to step in between me and the bear to protect me or at least to distract the bear until I put some distance between it and me. It was only a half a second when I glanced down that I saw that white tail bobbing in the distance as she high tailed it back to the house.

When I got back home she gave me that "where have you been" look, if you know what I mean.

[1688torpedo]

Hello All- Jim & Dave- You guys never knew this; I attended the George Burns College of Humor.[;)][:)] They taught Marxism ( Groucho style) & Mark Twain's Humor also. Boy! what a courseload![;)][:)][:P][:o)] Throw in some "Who's on First" & "If at first you don't succede, Laugh,Laugh,again" & Remember Bob Hope came from Cleveland also. So, it could be something in the water.[:D][:)] Actually, I think I got my humor gene from my Father's side of the family. He had a Cousin with a witty sense of humor who was up in his years & could really make you laugh real hard. We would be at a family picnic & he would say " Hey Everyone! Let's have a Race down this Hill. First one finished is the winner!" He is the type of person you would have to get to know first so that you knew where he was coming from. He was a swell guy & has been deceased for many years now. Miss him plenty as well as my father. Anyway. Jim, you sure have a fantastic layout Keep us up to date on any changes. Especially if the 800lb Bear is successful in halting shipments of Grits to the Nawth![;)][:D][:o)]

[Anonymous]

Fantastic........

[Anonymous]

WOW great layout !! [:)] What do you plan on doing next?

[Frank53]

Jim:

Your photography made your already terrific scenes even better.

[dwiemer]

Jim,
Thanks for your reply and great information. It certainly seems easier than most methods I have been thinking of. I am sure I will have more questions as I begin this undertaking.
Dennis

[FJ and G]

It is interesting to note Keith's sense of humor and he always manages to get in everything he wants to say in 3-4 lines consistently. [:D]

[Jumijo]

John,

I sure can milk it for all it's worth, huh? This is probably the last of the photos for a while. The whole other half of the layout needs to be landscaped, etc.

There's a few more photos not posted here at the following link:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v236/jaabat/Trains/

Jim

[jefelectric]

Jim,

Great scenery, it is amazing how many different pictures you can take of your layout. It would seem it has to be much larger.

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwiemer

Jim,
When you do elevations, do you cover the foam with plaster/gauze, or do you just paint and add ground foam? I will be starting my layout very soon, unlike that other guy from the south[;)] and I think you have "shown me the way". Look forward to more photos.
Thanks,
Dennis

Dennis,
Forgive me for not answering sooner. I've got a lot on my mind lately, and somehow didn't manage to see your question until now.

The joints of the foam panels were splined with plaster gauze skimmed over with joint compound. I'm not sure, but that might be contributing to the high noise level when the trains are running. The mountain is also foam pieces covered with gauze, as are the rivers. I only did the rivers that way to make them look more rocky.

Most of the terrain is just foam panels cut to shape with a hacksaw blade, painted, and covered with ground foam. I think the ridgid foam resembles rock especially well. For higher elevated areas, I just glue a few panels together, let them dry, then shape the piece. I usually make the entire area, landscaping, rocks, trees, and all on my kithchen table. It's easier to access the entire piece that way. When it looks good to me, I plunk it down on the layout and glue it in place. Very little touch up needs to be done.

Jim

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1688torpedo

Jim- You have a super layout! It looks very detailed & lots of scenery with trees & buildings. Nice job with the Fastrack also. Oh,Almost forgot! Like your scratchbuilt Little kid.Good Job![;)][:)][8D] P.S. - You need a 800lb Bear for your layout crossing the road while delaying the shipment of Grits to the local country store.[;)][:)][:o)] Take Care.

Thank you, Keith!
I do have an 800 pound bear on the layout. Look closely at the black blob about half way from the bottom on the right side. A bear is wondering down to the river for a drink.

Jim

[1688torpedo]

Jim- You have a super layout! It looks very detailed & lots of scenery with trees & buildings. Nice job with the Fastrack also. Oh,Almost forgot! Like your scratchbuilt Little kid.Good Job![;)][:)][8D] P.S. - You need a 800lb Bear for your layout crossing the road while delaying the shipment of Grits to the local country store.[;)][:)][:o)] Take Care.

[Jumijo]

Thank you, everyone!

Why FasTrack?
I bought a bunch of O27 track and started putting it together. It was hard to get the pieces to go completely together, and hard to keep them together. We had a bunch of FasTrack from sets, I liked the way it went together, and liked the conductivity (each loop only has one connection to the transformer). It looks better than tubular too.

David,
I remember reading about that large layout with the great scenery. You did a great job writing that piece. I've re-read it many times.

Bob,
My layout sits on 2" rigid foam panels glued to plywood. I sealed the seams with joint compound and painted the whole thing beige. Then I drew the road in and painted the middle of it flat white. I masked the center of the road with thin strips of masking tape and painted the road gray. That's all there was to it. When that dried, I made the cracks with a pencil. Nothing exotic by any means. It's just paint.

Frank,
Hindsight being what it is, I now wish I had made the backdrops higher. I painted the large backdrop with dark colors so I could see the smoke from the steamers better as they ran past it. The trick was to match the backdrop colors with the foliage placed in front of it.

Jim

[dwiemer]

Jim,
When you do elevations, do you cover the foam with plaster/gauze, or do you just paint and add ground foam? I will be starting my layout very soon, unlike that other guy from the south[;)] and I think you have "shown me the way". Look forward to more photos.
Thanks,
Dennis

[Anonymous]

Jim -- what a sensational job you've done with your layout, I can only echo the comments of those before me. Great work!

I really like the way you've integrated the FastTrack into the layout.

And your trees (as well as vegetation more generally) are incredible, makes one think you're a landscape architect by profession.

Could you give me a little more detail on the roads? Yours are truly excellent, I've been fiddling with different materials and colors but after 2 months I'm not wild about what I've come up with (speckled black vinyl or rubber) floor tiles. I didn't understand what you meant when you referred to the "foam panels" in your reply to an earlier question.


Thanks for sharing your photos and congrats on the outstanding work.

Bob
Houston

[Frank53]

That's a keeper.

So Jim, here's the deal:

Howsabout you take the wife and kids on a nice Florida vacation.

Bring your paint brushes and whip up a few backdrops and a few hundred trees for my me, and I'll build you a fistful of buildings.

deal?

ps: I offered a similar deal to a fellow about a year ago - all he had to do was build his benchwork and I would build him a switch tower.

Chief?, Chief?

[crip]

Wonderfull layout

[Anonymous]

Excellent photos! You have one fantastic layout!

[thor]

Beautiful layout, looks really realistic, I'm impressed with how good the Fastrack looks. Good job mate!

[FJ and G]

John,

Interesting question you posed. Way back when, CTT ran an article of a tinplate layout (largescale) with incredibly realistic scenery.

No matter which track system or trains you use, realistic scenery is a big plus and is IMO the best way to highlight your trains.

[johnandjulie13]

Hello Jim:

You are truly gifted. I love your landscaping and your attention to detail (like the dirt car tracks coming out onto the asphalt road). I do have a question. As realistic and detailed as your layout is, why fastrack? Why not a railed track with ballast?

Regards,

John O

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by traindaddy1

Jim: You are certainly out of my league! Lots of great ideas for this 'older' guy. Wondering: How big is the layout? Many thanks.

It's L-shaped. 8' x 4.5' one way, and 10' x 4.5' the other.

Jim

[traindaddy1]

Jim: You are certainly out of my league! Lots of great ideas for this 'older' guy. Wondering: How big is the layout? Many thanks.

[Jumijo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Birds

Jim,

Really excellent work!

[?] - What technique, or facing material, did you use to create the surface for the station platform and the wall below the sign?

I know you said the core is foam, but what did you do, or use, to get that detailed a rock look on the foam?

Thanks,
Birds

I carved the joint lines into the foam with a pencil, then painted it.

[Birds]

Jim,

Really excellent work!

[?] - What technique, or facing material, did you use to create the surface for the station platform and the wall below the sign?

I know you said the core is foam, but what did you do, or use, to get that detailed a rock look on the foam?

Thanks,
Birds

[casconi]

Great looking layout!! CTT Quality!