weekend photo fun 7/13/7-7/15/7

[loathar]

WCfan- Great pictures!

[pcarrell]

Incredible work folks....as usual!

For once, I have something to throw down in here.  Nothing like what you all are sporting, but it's all mine.

Finally, after 10 months of construction, the Autumns Ridge Railway & Navigation Co. is back in business! 

It's not much, but one lone loco was seen passing through the staging yard and out to the interchange and back all under it's own power just this afternoon.  Little else happened today, but that was a monumentous occasion.  A local photographer caught this low quality video of the event.

Plans are now underway to test all track and to fine tune it before the next stage of construction begins; more track and electrical work!  There's some "close the edge" issues to deal with too, but those are no big deal to fix.

I probably should let you all in on the "Grand Master Plan".  This plan was almost a year in the making and it's slowly beginning to take shape now.

The RR is in N scale and it's based in 1920-30's coastal and intercoastal Maine. It's a fictional road called the Autumns Ridge Railway & Navigation Company. It's based on the real life Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR (for more info see here: http://alstom.proboards78.com/index.cgi?board=gsd&action=display&thread=1175564169&page=1 ).

It's a double decked plan with staging under the bottom deck. The staging and the lower sceniced level share the same benchwork. The upper deck has it's own benchwork. Towns are staggered so one town is not on top of another. This makes it so that people can switch any town with tripping over somebody else.

Train control is a Digitrax Super Chief radio equipped setup with a DT400R and a UT4R for throttles. I'll probably get more as funds allow.

The door to the room is in the upper right. The upper left contains a 20 and 22 inch radius double track helix. The helix rises to a bit higher then the top level so that the run down to the port on the far end of the upper level is a downhill run. The lower level contains an interchange with a class 1 RR that serves as the connection to the outside world. The outside world is represented by the staging tracks that contain all of the class 1 trains. The only time an ARR&Nav Co. train is out of sight is when it's in the helix.

But enough of me talking. Here's the staging area. I may add some holding tracks to it.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Track%20Plans/My%20Plan/Blank3004-1R1Keeper-1.jpg

This part of the plan shows the lower sceniced level along with the interchange.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Track%20Plans/My%20Plan/Blank3004-2Keeper-1.jpg

This is the upper deck. It has the port scene with a car ferry and scales, and the largest town on the layout, the small seaport of Autumns Ridge.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Track%20Plans/My%20Plan/Blank3004-3Keeper.jpg

That's the tour of the future Autumns Ridge Railway & Navigation Company.  If you see any areas for improvement, I'd love to hear it as much of the layout is not done yet and changes can still be made.

[jacon12]

No, it's 100% photo.  Only the 'frame' is applied in Photoshop.  Of course, all my photos are color balanced (as best I can), cropped and sharpened... twice.. once at full size and a slight sharpening after they're resized down for the web.  Most of the problem I see with pictures displayed on the forum result from those 3 things... cropping, color balance and proper sharpening.  BUT.... this is a model train forum.. not a photography forum, so considering that the pictures here... overall.. are pretty good.

Jarrell

 

 

I think you're meaning the little shadow all around the photo and onto the background, right?  It's called a 'drop shadow' and it's done in Photoshop. 

So it isn't 100% a photo, but had a little bit of dark-room magic applied.

[gear-jammer]

Sue,

Very nice weathering. How did your husband do that? I'm very interested to learn.

Well, this is second hand, but I will try.  In the beginning he used black alcohol washes to cover the shine.  He now uses india ink alcohol washes.  The black tended to be globby.  He originally rusted with rust washes, but now uses hull red.  Any rivet could be rusted.  It is so subjective because it takes many many coats. He finishes with india ink washes.  This is not his favorite car but I really like it.

Sue

[johnnyx]

well everything looks awsome!!!     I dont have a layout yet but took this video of the real thing.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOxfgwBjCpM

 

 

[snagletooth]

 Looking sweeet, WCfan!

[WCfan]

Nice work guys! looks good. Yes I'm still wroking on my SW1500. The parts finally came in and I've attached them.

[myred02]

Thought I'd join in the fun this week with my newest HO toys.I can't take the credit for these beauties but my Mastercard can.

CSX RDMT 2248 and her mothership CSX GP40-2 6388 haulin the freight on GVR trackage.

Catt, wow! Where did you get that Mother/Slug set? I've been looking for a set like that to use as power for a local on my HO scale CSX layout. Nice weathering, too!

-Brandon

[Robby P.]

You know the sad thing is.  Everything I weather goes on Ebay, and nothing for myself.  I do have a NS covered hopper that I will probably keep.  Hey...... You could alway's bid on it to get to your house.  

[Gandy Dancer]

I think you're meaning the little shadow all around the photo and onto the background, right?  It's called a 'drop shadow' and it's done in Photoshop. 

So it isn't 100% a photo, but had a little bit of dark-room magic applied.

[soumodeler]

I guess this is part of the weekend photo fun.  It took me all week to do.  I think it look's pretty good.  I am a HUGE NS fan, and I was going to keep it....But I guess you can say, it's made it's way on Ebay. 

Nooooo!!!! How could you? At least send it to my house.... 

[Robby P.]

I guess this is part of the weekend photo fun.  It took me all week to do.  I think it look's pretty good.  I am a HUGE NS fan, and I was going to keep it....But I guess you can say, it's made it's way on Ebay. 

[tomkat-13]

NP box car & 44 ton power.

 

[jacon12]

Hey there Rick!  I think you're meaning the little shadow all around the photo and onto the background, right?  It's called a 'drop shadow' and it's done in Photoshop.  There's probably other programs that do it but I'm not sure.  Kinda gives the picture a little 3D effect.

Jarrell

 

 

jacon12 how did you get your pictures with the background sillouette, that really brings the picture to life. 

[Rick Bradley]

jacon12 how did you get your pictures with the background sillouette, that really brings the picture to life. 

[simon1966]

Frank

Thanks for hosting the thread this week.  I always like to see NP represented.  Looks like lots of detail

I thought that I would include another NP that my husband Larry weathered. It would be cool if we could get a bunch of NP stuff this weekend.

Sue

Sue and Larry, that is one fantastic weathering job.  IMO it looks very realistic.

[jacon12]

Simon, it looks great!  I'd say your skill at shooting through 1:87 windows is pretty darned good!

Jarrell

 

 

Jarrell, those are some excellent mini-scenes and very well photographed.  Are the gas pumps some of the JL Innovative line?

Speaking of which, I have been playing around with the interior scene for the JL Innovative Ice-cream parlor today.

I have made a module that slides inside the model and am putting the interior scenes into it.

The floor and table cloth are just an MS Word table dumped into MS Paint and colored as checkerboards.  The shelving unit is a Rusty Stumps detail filled with images of cans and things that I took off the web.

Not too good a shooting through the windows, but this is what it looks like installed.

 

[jacon12]

I almost forgot 'Catfish', named after a 1:1 character I knew as a kid called Catfish Davis.  He was a ner-do-well that fished all the time, never did seem to have a job.  If the fish weren't biting he'd get out his harmonica and play a little.  Claimed the fish would gather around to listen (and as a six year old I believed him).  Anyway, here's my 'Catfish' playing a little tune while loitering around the depot.

Thank you all for the kind words on the photos.  When I was young I joined the Navy and wound up, of all places, in photography school.  After getting out, for many years, I photographed weddings as a part time job.  When digital photography came along I immediately got into that and learned all I could about Adobe Photoshop, which took a couple of years. 

The gas station is one of Woodland Scenics.  If I was HALF the skilled modeler you fellas are I'd have scratch built one, but I'm not and never will be.  Simons interiors are great and Jon's scenes look like the real thing.  I'd love to photograph his layout.  Thanks Crandell, you always encourage me to do the best I can.

 

Jarrell

[C&O Fan]

Great Scene Jon

Love the old Pickup

[jon grant]

A couple from this week's projects.

Jon

[SteamFreak]

Fantastic work everybody! I think I'll get my car topped off at Jarrell's service station, then mosey on over to Simon's ice-crea parlor for a chocolate shake.

Soumodeler, you really have to reduce the filesize on those photos. Even my computer stutters when I scroll past them, and that's a first. 

[Anonymous]

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL

[selector]

It just gets betterer and betterer, Simon.

[simon1966]

Jarrell, those are some excellent mini-scenes and very well photographed.  Are the gas pumps some of the JL Innovative line?

Speaking of which, I have been playing around with the interior scene for the JL Innovative Ice-cream parlor today.

I have made a module that slides inside the model and am putting the interior scenes into it.

The floor and table cloth are just an MS Word table dumped into MS Paint and colored as checkerboards.  The shelving unit is a Rusty Stumps detail filled with images of cans and things that I took off the web.

Not too good a shooting through the windows, but this is what it looks like installed.

 

[PFS]

I second that Jarrell, your photography/lighting is pro.

 

Just an FYI; soumodeler your images are over 1 MB , the dial-ups will have to stay up very late to see them.

 

 

[selector]

JaRRell....those are sweeeeet!   I love the caboose and the jalopy.  I also noticed your fine ballasting and pavement.....way cool.

Did you study photography?

[jacon12]

Some mini scenes from my layout

gotta get that pavement or gravel down at the fillin' station

Jarrell

 

[Catt]

Thought I'd join in the fun this week with my newest HO toys.I can't take the credit for these beauties but my Mastercard can.

CSX RDMT 2248 and her mothership CSX GP40-2 6388 haulin the freight on GVR trackage.

[snagletooth]

I agree.  Great job on that D&RGW!  It coulda happened.

I also agree. Sweet! But I doubt it would've happened. tehGrande was a devout EMD fan. Most likely it would have been a fleet of GP60's and SD70MAC's,
with the GP40's backing up the 60's, secondaries and locals, and the TM's relegated to Craig Branch-Denver coal trains.