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Mountain backdrop is up!!!

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  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Denver, CO
  • 3,576 posts
Mountain backdrop is up!!!
Posted by Motley on Friday, May 21, 2010 7:03 PM

I just got my mountain backdrop back from printing. I hooked up with a local forum member here, and he has a professional printing setup at his art gallery shop. His name is John and he's a really cool guy. He only charged me for the cost of the paper/ink which came to $50. Before I met John, I was going to take it to a professional graphics shop and it would have easily cost over $200.

Thanks John!! and also many thanks to Hamltnblue (I still don't know your name) who helped me with the stitching the panorama together.

It was a royal pain in the rear to get installed, becuase of my mountain tunnel already in place. It's not perfect, there's a few wrinkles, but overall I think it came out good.

As you can see, I started planting the trees, but I had to stop until I got the backdrop up first.

Some pics:

 

Michael


CEO-
Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

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Posted by selector on Friday, May 21, 2010 7:19 PM

It looks really good, Michael.  You should get a lot of use from this, particularly if you should decide to image your layout.  Well done!

-Crandell

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Posted by Hamltnblue on Friday, May 21, 2010 7:21 PM

 It turned out great!!. What did you use for backing?  Good Luck with it.

Jim

 

Springfield PA

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Posted by Motley on Friday, May 21, 2010 7:37 PM

Thanks guys, I appreciate the good feedback. I can't believe how good it turned out myself. Now the next backdrop is going to be a cornfield on the other wall, where my ethanol plant & farm scene will be.

All I did was use two sided tape and put it straight on the wall.

Michael


CEO-
Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

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Posted by mikelhh on Friday, May 21, 2010 8:54 PM

 That's a great result! Nice job.

 

Mike

Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0

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Posted by CSX_road_slug on Friday, May 21, 2010 9:04 PM

Exquisito! Bow Your Rio Grande trains will look right at home with those mountains looming in the distance.

I was wondering though...about that tunnel mountain covering the end loop,  does it lift up easily if you need to fix a derailment under there?

-Ken in Maryland  (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Denver, CO
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Posted by Motley on Friday, May 21, 2010 9:38 PM

CSX_road_slug

Exquisito! Bow Your Rio Grande trains will look right at home with those mountains looming in the distance.

I was wondering though...about that tunnel mountain covering the end loop,  does it lift up easily if you need to fix a derailment under there?

 

I have two pieces of the side wall that remove for access to any where in the tunnel. I need to find a way to hide the cracks, with some trees or something.

You mean like this? Yes my new D&RGW feels right at home. Wink


Michael


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Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

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Posted by Allegheny2-6-6-6 on Friday, May 21, 2010 10:31 PM

 Very nice job, I've been searching photo backdrops for the last couple of weeks or so  but when I saw yours my first impression was wow who's site did that come from and how did I miss it. Reading further into your post I saw where you hooked up with John and your end result is something we all like to have something totally unique to your railroad very nice.

Just my 2 cents worth, I spent the rest on trains. If you choked a Smurf what color would he turn?
  • Member since
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  • From: Denver, CO
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Posted by Motley on Friday, May 21, 2010 10:56 PM

Thanks. Ya it was really easy, once I got hooked up with the right people. Lot's of great people here willing help out.

I searched for alot of backdrops too and couldn't find anthing that would fit right.

But thanks to Jim (Hamltnblue), he posted how he did his backdrop, and that came out amazing. So I said what the heck, I'll give it a shot, and it WORKED!!

Michael


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Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

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Posted by misterconsister on Saturday, May 22, 2010 3:30 AM

Well that's a mighty fine backdrop.

I've hiked and climbed among those rocks.  Rocks in the third picture on the right are the Flatirons, just SW of Boulder CO where I went to school.  Distant snow-clad peak is in the Front Range along the Continental DIvide.  May be Arapahoe Peak (~13,000) but I can't remember as I left in 1985.  Canyon to the left in the fifth picture is El Dorado canyon, a funky town, climbing mecca and witness to D&RGW SD40T-2s pulling freights westbound out of Denver, the tracks tunneling among the rocks just above town.  I've walked some of those tunnels.  My girlfriend lived behind the Flatirons and opposite the tracks across El Dorado Canyon.  I got to see and hear the hard-working consists on the climb regularly.

Cool backdrop.

Eric   

I'm kinda likin this stuff

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 22, 2010 4:08 AM

 A backdrop can make or break a layout.

Yours is very well chosen, Mike!

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Posted by jacon12 on Saturday, May 22, 2010 9:05 AM

Lookin' good!  But just wait until you get the scenery done in front of it, it's gonna be mighty fine then...  Smile

Jarrell

 HO Scale DCC Modeler of 1950, give or take 30 years.
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Posted by jwhitten on Saturday, May 22, 2010 2:56 PM

Motley

 

 

Kudos on the backdrop!!

I'm curious what you're using there for the rock and ground-- is that expanding foam (the green part) ??

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
  • Member since
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Posted by Motley on Saturday, May 22, 2010 3:25 PM

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the great feedback.

Yes that is expanding insulation foam.

Michael


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Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

  • Member since
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Posted by PRRT1MAN on Saturday, May 22, 2010 8:09 PM

Really nice!  Keep showing the photos as the progress is made!

Sam Vastano

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