First anniversary of work on my urban layout

[markalan]

 A year ago I worked out a plan for my first effort at building a layout.  I'd thought about starting for years but always felt intimidated because the idea of a room full of trains was just too complex.  So, finally, I decided to start small, following the style of layouts often done in England.  My goals were to gain skills in benchwork, laying track, ballasting, DCC operation/wiring, building structures, and detailing plus installing a decoder or two.  Here's where am now.

This is the 6 foot by 2 foot track plan to which I've since added 4 feet of staging at each end.  I've made some changes in the arrangement of the buildings.

 

Here's the general idea for the "stage" or "shadow box."

 

This is looking from the east end looking west.

And, the east end looking west.

These are a little closer.

The Portland Terminal S-3 has my first decoder in it, a Lok Sound.

 

Next comes finishing a few background flats, detailing buildings, adding signs, road surfaces, weathering buildings and ballasting track.  I have a few minor irritations in track work with my small diesels with my Peco code 75 track, turnouts and crossings that I hope to figure out.  I'm talking to a friend who could paint a back ground for this urban setting.

I might be done in another year.  And, I'm now thinking I can tackle a second layout in a 14 x 14 foot room and have some ideas about what I might want.  More importantly, I'm confident I can take on a layout that size.

Thanks,

Mark

 

 

[loathar]

Your buildings look GREAT! They fit together in the scene very nicely. Can't wait to see it with some track and trains on it.

[CSXDixieLine]

Happy layout anniversary! You have given new meaning to the phrase "Quality over Quantity"....looks great! Regardless of the size, you have definitely capured "the feel" in my opinion. Jamie

[steinjr]

 Mark --

 Your Portland Terminal layout looks great!

 Also, you have been a great forum poster. You have posted several excellent posts during the layout planning and building process - both on your track planning, building the shadow box, how to get the right 3D look, making cardboard placeholder buildings, and painting the buildings.

 Too bad that the forum search function on the new forum software still doesn't get posts older than september 2008 - I felt like going back to look at your older posts tonight to compare your finaly buildings with your cardboard mockup plans, and to see how the street with overpass look you were considering in one of your earliest posts turned out in the end.

 Anyways - how about - when/if you can find the time - a wee description of how you selected andd kitbashed your urban buildings ? I recognize parts from several Walther's Cornerstone, Walther's Modular and DPM buildings, but you have created a very believable whole here.

 Again - an inspiring job!

 Smile,
 Stein

 

 

[markalan]

 Lothar and Jamie,
Thanks for your compliments.

steinjr,

Thank you for your reply.  I'll answer your questions.

I built the five small structures first.  They are all DPM's with no modifications.  The three in the front all have the second floor install and the interiors will eventually be detailed.  I'm using black photographers tape for a lot of my roofs.  I cut it into strips about 30 scale feet long and then run them lengthwise with just a little overlap.

I built the REA freight station from Walthers next.  The only minor modification I made was to cut out two loading doors so they look like they are open.  I did the same on the other side so the viewer can see box cars or passing trains on the other side.  I plan to light this building using micro led's in gooseneck fixtures over the loading doors and hanging fixtures inside.  The tall building next to it is the City Classics Ohio Street building   It's there to hide the entrance from the left staging area.

The building on the far right is from the Walthers Creamery collection.  I wanted the east end to be at street level to represent the office part of the building.  Eventually, the viewer should be able to look in an upper window and see the manager working at his desk by lamp light.

Behind it are two Walthers Heritage Furniture Buildings combined into one long structure.  I started using black foam core board on this because I found the long plastic walls from the creamery to be more fragile than I liked.  When the walls are reinforced with the foam core, they are really strong.  Here's a link to a Ken Spranza's web site that I found helpful:

http://www.horailroad.com/clinic2/cl2_005.htm.

I've tried hot glue as he does and it works well.  I've also used CA and it works as well.  The furniture building still needs a foam core back so you can't see through it.  Another advantage to foam core for such a big back is that is it less expensive than the same size piece of styrene.

Next came the grey and white building.  It's my first scratch built structure.  It was inspired by a similar building on Jerry Singleterry's Reading in Philadelphia layout shown in Great Model Railroads 2003.  

Finally I built the long warehouse and finished it about a week ago.  It's two Walther's Front Street Warehouses combined end to end.  It's 180 scale feet long.  Again, using the foam core board made the long front wall very stable.  I combined the two roof window sections into one long one.  This building has a foam core back and east end.

You asked about painting brick and mortar.  I've messed around with lots of techniques I've read about here on the forum and in other places and in John Pryke's book on urban scenery.  I've settled on washes.  So I paint the walls the brick color I want.  I've used Pollyscale Box Car Red and Mineral Oxide Red.  I've also used spray cans from Home Depot.  The furniture building is a textured Sandstone color.  The creamery is a rust colored primer.  

Initially, I found whatever type wash I used dulled the brick color more than I liked.  I'd try to wipe some of the wash off as it dried or after it dried and found I'd be wiping off some of the base color or changing its color a little.  So I now give the walls a coat or two of dull coat before washing the mortar, thinking that when I wipe off the wash that remains on the brick surface, I'll be wiping against dull coat and not paint.  It seems to work well and doesn't add much time to the effort at all.

My mortar wash is similar to John Pryke's.  I've tried various combinations to get the results I like.  I don't want the mortar lines to be too glaring or stark.  If anything, my recent efforts may be a little to light.  Earlier buildings are a little too bold.  The wash I'm now using has four parts.  I came up with this mixture by trial and error.  First is the mortar color itself.  I use Pollyscale acrylics.  Next is Liquitex Flow Aide for acylic paint ( it's a surrfactant that decreases surface tension and helps the mixture spread out more ), then 70% isopropyl alchohol and finally water.  The ratio is 1:2:3:4.  (Easy to remember.)  So, 1 paint, 2 Flow Aide, 3 alcohol, and 4 water.  I wash it on the walls while they are flat on my table.  I let them dry and then wipe the brick surface as needed with a soft cloth sprayed with a little Windex.  A second coat adds more mortar and contrast between it and the brick.  A third or more could be added or you could use two parts paint instead of 1 in the basic ratio.

Again, thanks for your feedback,
Mark
markalan

[steinjr]

 Mark --

 That was an excellent summary!  

 I kept referring back and forth to your pictures, looking up the building kits you used, and read Ken Spranza's online clinic on using foamcore buildings with a veneer of brick styrene on the outside - brilliant concept!

 I think I am also going to dig up my copy of GMR and look at the buildings Jerry (Strangarity, wasn't it?) had on the city part of his Reading Railroad - I remember admiring that track plan and that urban scenery, too.

 Your post (and Ken's web site) are now in the favorites list in my web browser!

 Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions!

 Smile,
 Stein

 

[myowngod]

Great looking layout.  I really like the urban feel you accomplished.  I am hoping to get that feeling on the layout I'm working on.

[Last Chance]

 That is some very good work there!

I particularly enjoyed your modular industry building with the cut down office without a foundation. The Town is very well done, not garish or wild. Overall I think you did very well.

Now I will have to say it... where is the train? LOL. Just teasing in good spirit.

What a difference a year makes. I myself was just a loop of track on a bare carpet (Against all rules I know...) running a train a year ago.

I look forward to your progress!

[ChrisNH]

markalan

So I now give the walls a coat or two of dull coat before washing the mortar, thinking that when I wipe off the wash that remains on the brick surface, I'll be wiping against dull coat and not paint.

 

Thats a great idea! I am using delta ceramcoat craft paint mostly and have trouble wiping off the mortar wash without getting into the paint underneath. I will give that a try on my next brick building after I have the brick color down. I use "red oxide" mostly, sometimes with a little black mixed in to bring the color down.

Chris

[markalan]

Thanks Chris,

The dull coat has worked well.  You can still rub through it but it takes more effort so the whole job is easier.  I've used red oxide too.  With the number of buildings I have, I want a little variation but not too much to make the whole thing looked chopped up.

 

Also, Last Chance asked where the trains are and that is a good question.  I have made the bench work lower because of the track plan.  If it was a 48" or higher, Last Chance is correct.  You'd almost never see a train.  Not to mention uncoupling would require a ladder!  So with the lower bench work you have more of a birds eye view.

Mark

[nbrodar]

 Wow!  Great looking layout.   Amazing progress for a year.  Can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Nick

[doctorwayne]

Nice modelling, Mark, with a real "urban" feel to it.  I like the size of the buildings, too. 

Wayne