Hello everyone! I am going to begin construction on my layout for my condo in a few days! Finaly! It has had to be postponed because of a death in the family. However I am now on the road at a hotel in Montgomery, and will arrive in Ft. Myers Tomorrow. I built all the benchwork in MN and it is all in the back of my car!
I hope to post pictures of the process from time to time on this thread. I will upload some photos of the assembled benchwork soon. (Assuming I can get photos to be visible) Expect that this thread will be resurrected over the next few months. Hope you all can enjoy!
JJF
Prototypically modeling the Great Northern in Minnesota with just a hint of freelancing.
Yesterday is History.
Tomorrow is a Mystery.
But today is a Gift, that is why it is called the Present.
I am always keen to see what others are doing, and encourage them to share when they think of it. I wish you great success and much pleasure.
JDawgExpect that this thread will be resurrected over the next few months. Hope you all can enjoy!
Can't wait to see your build!
JDawgWill arrive in Ft. Myers Tomorrow. I built all the benchwork in MN and it is all in the back of my car!
If you need to trim benchwork or use power tools you don't have in Fort Myers, send me a message. I am usually off work on Thursday and Friday, and can help out.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 JDawg Expect that this thread will be resurrected over the next few months. Hope you all can enjoy! Can't wait to see your build! JDawg Will arrive in Ft. Myers Tomorrow. I built all the benchwork in MN and it is all in the back of my car! If you need to trim benchwork or use power tools you don't have in Fort Myers, send me a message. I am usually off work on Thursday and Friday, and can help out. -Kevin
JDawg Expect that this thread will be resurrected over the next few months. Hope you all can enjoy!
JDawg Will arrive in Ft. Myers Tomorrow. I built all the benchwork in MN and it is all in the back of my car!
Thanks Kevin. Hopefully none of that will be neccisary. I think I took accurate measurements on everything. Time will tell!
Hi jdawg,
I'm eager to see your progress!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Benchwork is in! It all fit nicely. A perfect tribute to "meausre twice, cut once"!
P.S. On a more historic note, I was able to post pictures to the forum!
JDawgBenchwork is in! It all fit nicely. A perfect tribute to "meausre twice, cut once"!
Very cool.
But we need details. What scale are you going to be modeling? What part of the country is your layout set in? What is your era? What roadname(s) will you be modeling. Do you plan floor to ceiling scenery?
Tell us your story.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
SpaceMouse JDawg Benchwork is in! It all fit nicely. A perfect tribute to "meausre twice, cut once"! Very cool. But we need details. What scale are you going to be modeling? What part of the country is your layout set in? What is your era? What roadname(s) will you be modeling. Do you plan floor to ceiling scenery? Tell us your story.
JDawg Benchwork is in! It all fit nicely. A perfect tribute to "meausre twice, cut once"!
Well, I was born on a cool spring morning way back in... oh, you meant...
I model ho scale. I have a room sized layout in my MN residence. I model the GN in MN, in MN. This layout will also be GN, but totally freelanced. It will have no specific locale, and little adherence to prototype track arrangement, just gonna let my imagination take the wheel.
This layout will be set in a slightly earlier era than my larger MN layout. I model the early 60's in MN, but the mid to late 50's will be the focus of this layout. That way I have an excuse to run some small steam power! (Looking for a Bachmann 4-4-0, GN, preferabley with sound. PM me if you have/know of one.)
I am going to run a loop around the outside edges, and then model either the Blandin paper mill from Grand Rapids MN, or simply a smallish town with some assorted Industries.
Hi all. This is the track-plan I have come up with for this layout. I am open to helpful sugesstions, and very little is set in stone. Some non negotiable things include the rear, hidden staging, and the continuous operation loop. Most everything else is fair game.
On the left you will see the Blandin Paper Company Complex. The multiple tracks include chemical recieving, clay receving, pulpwood unloading, and of course a shipping house with two tracks. I may expand the shipping area to include 3 tracks. The track will all be Peco, a change for me, but I have been very impressed with their flextrack. I almost prefer it to Atlas for a few reasons, which I won't get into right now. Anyway, feel free to offer your praises, critisims, whatever!
JDawg Some non negotiable things include the rear, hidden staging, and the continuous operation loop
Actually the staging is something I would change. You have a short piece of track to the right of the first staging track with a crossing. I would eliminate that. You would get more use out of extending the second staging track the instead. You could use it as a caboose track or for engine storage.
SpaceMouse JDawg Some non negotiable things include the rear, hidden staging, and the continuous operation loop Actually the staging is something I would change. You have a short piece of track to the right of the first staging track with a crossing. I would eliminate that. You would get more use out of extending the second staging track the instead. You could use it as a caboose track or for engine storage.
So, those two "tails" are for a reason. With those tails, I can back a train into them from either way. I gain an extra few car lengths. I want to be able to have a train come from either direction and have somewhere to go. It is a bit unconventional I know, but with the limited space I felt it neccisary.
The longest staging track that has the crossover, holds a small passenger train. That train will be run on the loop when I am working in my office, which is on the other side of the room. So I can park cars on the crossover during operations, and then move them when I want to run the passenger set.
JDawgHi all. This is the track-plan I have come up with for this layout. I am open to helpful sugesstions, and very little is set in stone.
My first concern would be access to the "hidden" staging track and especially, turnouts. Murphy says when you have a derailment it WILL be in an unaccessable point on your layout. Is it possible to fix casters on the support legs to move the layout away from the wall even just a little so you can get in there for maintenance and retrieval of "wrecks"?
You could even use straight wheels which would roll easier than swivel casters just to allow you to pull the layout away from the back wall even if only 18" or so?
Regards, Ed
I agree about the reach issue. I wonder about the streets. Having streets that "hit" the divider will be hard to model. I would just remove these portions of the streets.
Simon
So, hypothetically speaking, if a derailment occured in staging, it is a very easy reach for me to grab the car. I am 6' 3", and have made sure I can reach all parts of the staging area over the divider.
As to the streets ending at the backdrop, I'm not sure what you mean by that. You will have to elaborate. I'm a bit slow this Monday!
JDawg I model ho scale. I have a room sized layout in my MN residence. I model the GN in MN, in MN. This layout will also be GN, but totally freelanced. It will have no specific locale, and little adherence to prototype track arrangement, just gonna let my imagination take the wheel. This layout will be set in a slightly earlier era than my larger MN layout. I model the early 60's in MN, but the mid to late 50's will be the focus of this layout. That way I have an excuse to run some small steam power! (Looking for a Bachmann 4-4-0, GN, preferabley with sound. PM me if you have/know of one.) I am going to run a loop around the outside edges, and then model either the Blandin paper mill from Grand Rapids MN, or simply a smallish town with some assorted Industries.
I say, do it your way, and see what you like and dislike, what works and doesn't work. I am anxious to see what you come up with. Keep us posted on your progress.
Rich
Alton Junction
Lastspikemike Streets reaching the backdrop have nowhere to go, so to speak. Various techniques seem to be used from just ignoring the abrupt horizon to painting a perspective continuation of the street vertically on the backdrop but using real artistic talent to create the perspective (or old fashioned drafting skills if you learned any drafting in school) or even fitting a mirror strategically to reflect back creating a sort of automatic perspective. That last would be tricky to get right I should think. The preference suggested is to not have any streets reaching the backdrop divider. That's the easiest way to deal with the foreshortened horizon problem all backdrops present to the modeller.
Streets reaching the backdrop have nowhere to go, so to speak. Various techniques seem to be used from just ignoring the abrupt horizon to painting a perspective continuation of the street vertically on the backdrop but using real artistic talent to create the perspective (or old fashioned drafting skills if you learned any drafting in school) or even fitting a mirror strategically to reflect back creating a sort of automatic perspective. That last would be tricky to get right I should think.
The preference suggested is to not have any streets reaching the backdrop divider. That's the easiest way to deal with the foreshortened horizon problem all backdrops present to the modeller.
Ok. I see what you guys are saying. I did learn basic drafting in high school, so I could try to do something like that. I don't know if I can totaly avoid streets intersecting the backdrop, but I can see what I can come up with. Thanks for the tips.
JDawg I don't know if I can totaly avoid streets intersecting the backdrop, but I can see what I can come up with. Thanks for the tips.
Streets touching backdrops is not a big problem. You did not say how high your layout is, but judging from your pictures it looks about 40 inches. As layouts get higher, or your viewpoint gets lower, streets hitting backdrops becomes less and less of a problem.
Garry has one on his beautiful layout that was handled with forced perspective that is fantastic. Another person on here made it look like the road dipped away as it hit the backdrop and this was also effective.
My favorite technique was to have the road curve as it touched the backdrop and conceal the transition with a hedge line.
Most likely, you will be the only person to see it except for invited guests and photographs you share. A road hitting a backdrop is not much of an eyesore in person. It is only in photographs where it becomes more obvious.
What I am saying is "build it as you want it".
Techniques for dealing with this could be an interesting new thread.
SeeYou190 JDawg I don't know if I can totaly avoid streets intersecting the backdrop, but I can see what I can come up with. Thanks for the tips. Streets touching backdrops is not a big problem. You did not say how high your layout is, but judging from your pictures it looks about 40 inches. As layouts get higher, or your viewpoint gets lower, streets hitting backdrops becomes less and less of a problem. Garry has one on his beautiful layout that was handled with forced perspective that is fantastic. Another person on here made it look like the road dipped away as it hit the backdrop and this was also effective. My favorite technique was to have the road curve as it touched the backdrop and conceal the transition with a hedge line. Most likely, you will be the only person to see it except for invited guests and photographs you share. A road hitting a backdrop is not much of an eyesore in person. It is only in photographs where it becomes more obvious. What I am saying is "build it as you want it". Techniques for dealing with this could be an interesting new thread. -Kevin
You were pretty much right on the money. 42 inches is the height.
I went ahead and revised the plan to remove the street intersecting with the backdrop. I will post it below.
JDawgYou were pretty much right on the money. 42 inches is the height.
That is exactly what the planned track level is for my layout!
Simple tricks i use ---
Putting a vehicle against the backscene blocks the view of where road and backscene meet.
Beyond the fence is backscene
And again
Not perfect I know, but seen from the control area --
Good enough for me.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
JDawg
Hey Dawg-
I like your plausible representation of the long fourdrenier paper machine building. I've seen many layouts with paper mills that either significantly shortchange this important structure or omit it entirely. Do you plan to include a pulp chest at the head of the building? I used a mayonnaise jar turned upside down on its lid as a stand in until I can scratch-build one. Atlas has a decent enough model, but it is a little undersized.
I like the re-arranged road layout.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
ROBERT PETRICK JDawg Hey Dawg- I like your plausible representation of the long fourdrenier paper machine building. I've seen many layouts with paper mills that either significantly shortchange this important structure or omit it entirely. Do you plan to include a pulp chest at the head of the building? I used a mayonnaise jar turned upside down on its lid as a stand in until I can scratch-build one. Atlas has a decent enough model, but it is a little undersized. I like the re-arranged road layout. Robert
In my reasearch of Blandin, I saw no such structure. Blandin made high quality gloss paper, for a magazine type publication. This factory is set back in the 50's, but even the modern day Blandin factory lacks a pulp tank. So no, I was not planning for this detail, though I do have the room for it if I chose. I will be adding a water tower, pulp wood stacks, and chip piles.
Here is what it looks like the final trackplan will shape up to be. If anything changes it will be the placement and number of spurs leading into downtown. I will see what shakes out during construction.
If you are going to have deep corners, just keep in mind that you will have to finish the unreachable first. Also you won't want to run a rail in the unreachable area unless it's absolutely bullet proof, ahh who am I kidding, but you will want to have the scenery done in those deep corners first.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
wickman If you are going to have deep corners, just keep in mind that you will have to finish the unreachable first. Also you won't want to run a rail in the unreachable area unless it's absolutely bullet proof, ahh who am I kidding, but you will want to have the scenery done in those deep corners first.
Thank you for the tip, but I'm not sure which corner you are referring to. The deepest point on the layout is 3' 3". So I can easily reach any part of the layout. I purposely built it that way. Of course, I will build everything from the back out, but even if a derailment occurs, I can clear it by hand.
Well, here is the final trackplan. I have redistributed some things to gain a bit of operational intrest twords the front of the layout.
JDawgWell, here is the final trackplan.
That sure looks like a lot of fun in a smaller space.
I am terrible at track planning, but I sure can admire the work of people that are good at it.