I am creating a baseball field in HO scale out of green sand paper. I saw it in a layout in Vegas. Only thing is I can't remember what else to use and how to add the dirt and make it look realistic. Also I don't know the measurements. Anyone done this? If not the green sandpaper then what? Thanks a bunch!
If you search for "baseball field dimensions" in Google Images you will get more information than you want. If you want to model a specific stadium, you will probably have to search for that as well.
Professional baseball diamonds are 90 feet between bases with 60' 6" from the pitching mound to home plate.
Little league and softball are much smaller. (I believe softball fields have 60 feet between bases. I don't know what the pitching mound to home plate distance is.)
A reasonable HO scale sandlot baseball field, with minimal bleachers and hot dog stand, will pretty much fill a 4 foot square if modeled to full scale. And, while it may LOOK interesting, it won't generate any freight traffic, and only a few trolley loads of passengers (on game days only.)
Just the infield base 'diamond' is about 12.5 inches square.
IMHO, sports venues, like humongous industries, are best modeled on the backdrop as a photo mural, or in virtual form. I make an exception for my country-village Sumo ring, which is all of 80mm square.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Yup - Wikipedia knows...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_field
And then get the 785-1869, 1870 players from Woodland scenics... Play ball!
Also if you build it they will come.
Springfield PA
As mentioned, sports facilities take up a lot of space. If you prefer it closer than the backdrop, you can model a small part of it, say a backstop, maybe out as far as 1st and 3rd base, a couple of benches or small dugouts, a few fans behind them. Wouldn't have to hit it far to knock it right out of your tiny world.
Oh yes, fine green for the grass, if it is a well kept field, a sand lot the grass might not be so smooth. Fine dirt in the base paths, not to wide going to the bases and a circle around home plate. Sand lot might be all dirt.
Have fun,
Oh I guess I should have mentioned that I am doing a small rural baseball field for my countryside midwest town. As someone mentioned, we have the baseball players and some bleachers. A gift from my inlaws. :) Now to fit it in! :)
Ahhhhh, the dreaded gift from the in-laws. Use it or Else.
tomikawaTT A reasonable HO scale sandlot baseball field, with minimal bleachers and hot dog stand, will pretty much fill a 4 foot square if modeled to full scale. And, while it may LOOK interesting, it won't generate any freight traffic, and only a few trolley loads of passengers (on game days only.)
The fact that you mentioned trolleys made me think of this. I don't know about other parts of the country, but the in the south from the teens up until about WW2, every cotton mill town had it's own baseball team. These were big events and there's a picture in Fetter's book on the Piedmont & Northern advertising special trains (interburban railway for those who don't know the P&N) to carry passengers to and from the ball game. Could make for some interesting "situation" cards for those modeling that era to run ball game specials.
You might try some " tricks with mirrors" and only model half the infield, and a painted or photomural outfield, to compress the scene. This would be a real challenge to squeeze into almost any layout.. Good luck! Please post any results.
Earl
I once caught a train in my pajama's. How it got in my pajama's I'll never know... (sorry, Groucho)
A Little League sized field is doable but even that will take a good amount of space. Typically, the home run fences for such a field would be in the 180' to 200' from home plate, plus you need some extra room for foul territory. At minimum, you would need about a 30" square to do this. I plan on building such a field inside the end of table turn on a peninsula I have planned. The track will have a 36" radius so the outfield fence will fit nicely inside that running roughly parallel with the track. Additional spacing will be needed for bleachers, concession stand, parking, etc., but I think it will be a good fit. Bases are 60' apart in Little League, 2/3 the size of a full sized diamond. The dirt part of the field is typically a radius from the pitcher's rubber and I have to consult a rule book for the recommended distance.
I agree with the observation that a full sized stadium, even a minor league stadium would best be left as a backdrop feature and I plan on including one in my large urban area. I just need to find the right sized panoramic view of a 1950s baseball park. So far, I have not been happy with what I've found searching online.
This is a picture I took at the NMRA show. I thought it was a neat scene however I think I would have done something with the white disks under the players. Anyway this is a good example of a small town ball field. Notice that you can hit a homer and a train at the same time.
Joe
A positive influence for youth was needed in the coal-mining town of Darwin on my Winneshiek & Western RR. A ballfield was thus erected behind the enginehouse with the assistance of the local church.
This ballfield utilizes Woodland Scenics HO figures and groundcover. The bases are just little squares of plastic. My shelf layout is only 2' deep, so the ballfield is directly against the backdrop, with only a little line of "shrubbery" to form a horizon. Using selective compression, it is actually only a scale 35' between the bases, yet the perception of a proper ball field seems to result.
Bill
Thank you Bill and Joe for the pictures! It helps to see them!
Bill, I like the background story for the ballpark!
-Janelle
I think it's a great idea, There was a movie called Brewster s millions with Richard Prior and John Candy where Prior bought the worst team in baseball (the Hackensack Bulls) with the worst stadium that had a train running right through the outfield that would be a hoot to mode that. On a more prototypical note just beyond the outfield at Camden Yards in Baltimore you can see the B&O warehouse. Actually from what I recall it's so big you can't help but see it So you may have to compress it a bit but who cares? Is anyone really going to measure the distance between bases or how far the center field wall is?
joe27 This is a picture I took at the NMRA show. I thought it was a neat scene however I think I would have done something with the white disks under the players. Anyway this is a good example of a small town ball field. Notice that you can hit a homer and a train at the same time. Joe
The home team must really stink - there's hardly anyone in the stands
My home town has high school and semi pro teams that use the full 90' baselines, 60' pitcher's distance, and distances up to around 375' per the full size diamonds. Ther are also some little league and hot stove league fields that just open out into open space with no outfield fences. But, a more practical size is the slow and fast pitch softball fields which have 60' baselines, 44' pitcher's line, and outfield fence usually less than 150', if there are any fences. Also it seems there are some leagues for munchkins that have official diamonds with baselines under 50'. With application of a bit of selective compression, it might be reasonably doable on an empty corner, To save space only the majority of the diamond itself might be modeled, with most of the outfield off the table edge.