UP2CSX wrote:We want more layout photos! Not just the good, we want the bad and the ugly too. Let us see how a real layout room looks with work in progress.
Careful what you ask for <LOL>....!
My layout has all these view-dividers so it doesn't really lend itself to ariel views, but here are some more wide-angle, under-construction shots of the mill area.
A harbor-side view of the coke ovens and blast furnace, before scenery was applied:
Moving slightly toward the right, we see the ore dock with a lake boat being unloaded. This was a temporarily-staged scene where I put some brownish-gray painted Dow board under cellophane, to make it look like an actual river:
When the photo-shoot was finished, I removed the Dow board to restore a 2ft-wide aisle. The cellophane just hangs down until the next time I want to stage some photos.
This is my track plan. The solid-black areas are permanently off-limits to my trains; the blue track is for staging, the teal-colored areas are walkways, and the cyan stripes are the view-dividers. The two yellow-background sections toward the right are lift-outs, but I usually just duck underneath them.
-Ken in Maryland (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)
Tom, even the bad and ugly look good. . I really like the way the loggin camp islaid out - looks like it will have a lot of area for scenery when it's done. I like the labor dispute too although the cops better get between those two groups before they start belting each other with 2x4's.
Ken, we were just posting on the ore boat thread and I'm glad to see more of your layout. As I wrote, I worked on an ore boat for a summer and that dock looks like the real thing to me. Between the boat and the dock, you must have spent hundreds of hours scratch building and it shows. How did you get interested in ore boats? I think yours is the only layout I've seen with a real unloading dock.
Jim, thanx for the kind words!
My interest in ore boats came from my childhood in a suburb of Detroit. My family often took Sunday drives over the Ambassador Bridge and back; my 4th-grade class went on a field trip to the Ford Motor Co. steel mill (now Severstal Steel) in Dearborn and, being a pyromaniac, I fell in love with the place. Fire + heavy machinery + ships, a magic combo! Later, I watched an ore boat being unloaded by one of these bridge cranes while sailing on a Bob-Lo excursion boat past Great Lakes Steel. [In fact, my ore bridge is a compressed model of one of the Zug Island machines.]
I spent roughly a year of evenings and weekends on the ore bridge; 6 months on the enlarged version of the Walthers blast furnace; and another 6 mos. on the kitbashed ore boat. Then it occurred to me, I should probably build a layout to put these on <LOL>. That took another 18 months.
Here is my world. This picture is about a year old. I really need to update it. Soon as it stops being a 112, I will get out there!
This is more current shot of the KVR Shops. The MOW train has been pulled out of the back of the yard getting prepped for some work.
Best Regards, Big John
Kiva Valley Railway- Freelanced road in central Arizona. Visit the link to see my MR forum thread on The Building of the Whitton Branch on the Kiva Valley Railway
Here's an overhead view of Hawksbill Yard from a year ago. Sadly, it still looks this way!
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!
I really hate posting shots when I have a mess but I thought this "aerial shot" idea was kinda of cool and it would be interesting. I have about 6 ft more space on the left side where my workbench is. Then to the bottom and right of the picture is another 6ft or so. That island is 10 ft long x 5 ft wide to give an idea of size. It's HO. Just started on scenery in the far back corner. I have a l o n g way to go.
There has been several discussions on lighting. This overhead really shows the difference. The back side by the garage door is lit with daylight (6500K) pigtail 75 equivalent watt CFs. The forefront has the soft white CFs, also 75 watt equivalents. Note the yellow tinge. I'm slowly replacing the soft white lights.
Regards,
Tom
I know it's not exactly what you meant but I couldn't resist when you said "aerial views"!
Jim Policastro
Here's an overhead shot of my yard after the tearout and rebuild.....
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
jimsrpo wrote: I know it's not exactly what you meant but I couldn't resist when you said "aerial views"! Jim Policastro
Thats a cool looking perspective. You almost had me looking for spiderman there
I can"t believe that I missed this thread. You guys have some great layouts.
Tom, Great shot of the logging landing. BC would be a good reason to have some logging.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
I'm brand new to this forum and am having trouble trying to figure out how to post photos. Can anyone please help or point me in the right direction so I can figure out how to do this?
Thanks,
Wayne
Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.
Wayne, the easiest way to post photos here is to join a site like
photobucket
It's free and easy to use, just follow their step-by-step instructions for placing your photos there in your own albums. When you want to place one of those photos into a post here, simply "Copy" the "img" line below your picture in photobucket, then "Paste" it into your post here.
This picture shows my latest work. Scenery, some ballast for this segment and Woodland green. More at my blog .
This picture shows also the urgent need for a new background.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
Here's an overall shot of the Notyme & Munee
Jim
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious. -Stephen Wright
BATMAN wrote:Tom it's lookin good. What did you use to mount your backdrop on and was it easy to make that curve? Also what is your curved facia board made out of and what is it screwed onto. ThanksBrentPS; Is that whole in the benchwork for a turntable?
Brent, backdrop is mounted against the garage wall - used caulk to hold it. Along the garage door wall it is glued to some 1x2 uprights.
Was the curve hard to make ? All credit goes to Don Z for the bench work. His arms were sore kerfing that entire 8ft piece.
Curved facia is 1/4" masonite. Hole is for the turntable.
mononguy63 wrote:Here's an overall shot of the Notyme & MuneeJim
Printer wrote:I have that same baby walker in my house for my new Grandson!BTW, this a basement of garage setup?
Thanks for the compliment, Printer. That baby equipment is in Deep Archival Storage - with 4 kids, I've caught my limit!
And the layout's in a basement that's been for sale since April. Given the current housing market, I figure the house will sell just about the time I'm preparing to plant the final tree...
I'm having way too much trouble trying to post photos on the forum, but here goes.
I'm modeling a micro layout "Mower Lumber Company" Cass, WV designed by Carl Ardent. We live in an apartment in San Francisco so space is at a premium. I'm trying to post an aerial view of the layout in general and then one of the first of two staging areas.
You got it! And welcome aboard!
The pictures are coming through just fine.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Who wanted to see ugly? I have got some for you. Frist I must explain I was in to HO Slot cars and that is what this bench strated out as. That will explain why the bench is not well bulit and I used cheap green out door carpet. Slot cars that I have will run up a wall so a 2% grade, well what was that. Carpet all so looked fine under the black track as well, all I was doing was trying to get off the plywood.
This was sort of the starting point but was bigger before I went the way of the train. It was while I was adding a nother section comming toward the PIC that I bought my frist train set, cheap Life Like with pancake motor off E-bay. I will add up to this point I thought Train People where idots! How fun could it be watching a train go around and around and around some more? (well I may still be right, I am not that smart)
Well I found my self enjoying the train, all the HO Slot car track was off the bench so I could add the carpet. Found out about flex track and started to add.
There is not 300 feet of slot car track under the bench in boxes.
Some of the folks from the slot car site tried to help me the best they could. Road Bed was never talked about much, never talked about grade and I slugged on getting bigger and bigger with no real plan.
Now for today, am I proud of by bench? No, but with all it short cominngs toward eye apell it works great. For what it lacks in quality it makes up in sizes. Has two main line that can be ran indepent of each other so 1 side can be DC and Other DCC. Right now both are DCC. Plus I have some good looking bulids for the town and better than avarge Engines
This will be the town, unless I change my mind. This section is 8' X 5' and is the worst part of the bech. 2 X 4 are wrapped and there is a 1.5% grade plus that I can not level out. Besides replacing it I may take the wall out as well.
This is my command center view point. I am about 5 foot to 20 feet from the track.
For lack of better words this is my repair shop. Saw this at a now closed HLS and had to have it! They wanted $200.00 but I finaly got it for $90.00. All the lines work but do not use it much. All so found ballast and carpet do not like each other.
This shows both the A Line and B line passing tracks and cross over from B to the A line at two driffrent points. Note the Big Boy, it is a PCM. Coal train is 31 cars long and being pulled by a BLI M1a. How about all the tyco Old dutch Hopper That is around half of the ones I have. All to standers with PK 2000 wheels and Kadee couplers, dont as why but I have 33 of them?
This Pic shows where the passing track and the B line meets, Class J is on the main line and the coal train is on the passing siding.
Now before you folks think I am total a lost cause I have been reading and learing. I know from the PIC I have posted so far it does not seem like it but I have.
This is the new section it is 5' X 9.5' and will be K-10 Mining named after K-10 Trains the Best LHS one could ask for. Still up in the air about what I want it to look like but I have supplys!
I did no cleaning up of junk for the PIC, but you can tell that. I would have stood on a ladder but 90% chances I would have fell down and gone to the ER. I will add I will be using some of the Great ideas I have seen.
Cuda Ken child like but working rail road.
I hate Rust
I enjoy looking at the views here, gives an idea of what everyone is doing. Here are a few of mine, I could not get it all in one pic so I took several and posted the best. Hope you like them. Mike
cudaken wrote: Who wanted to see ugly? I have got some for you. Frist I must explain I was in to HO Slot cars and that is what this bench strated out as. That will explain why the bench is not well bulit and I used cheap green out door carpet. Slot cars that I have will run up a wall so a 2% grade, well what was that. Carpet all so looked fine under the black track as well, all I was doing was trying to get off the plywood. This was sort of the starting point but was bigger before I went the way of the train. It was while I was adding a nother section comming toward the PIC that I bought my frist train set, cheap Life Like with pancake motor off E-bay. I will add up to this point I thought Train People where idots! How fun could it be watching a train go around and around and around some more? (well I may still be right, I am not that smart) Well I found my self enjoying the train, all the HO Slot car track was off the bench so I could add the carpet. Found out about flex track and started to add. There is not 300 feet of slot car track under the bench in boxes. Some of the folks from the slot car site tried to help me the best they could. Road Bed was never talked about much, never talked about grade and I slugged on getting bigger and bigger with no real plan. Now for today, am I proud of by bench? No, but with all it short cominngs toward eye apell it works great. For what it lacks in quality it makes up in sizes. Has two main line that can be ran indepent of each other so 1 side can be DC and Other DCC. Right now both are DCC. Plus I have some good looking bulids for the town and better than avarge Engines This will be the town, unless I change my mind. This section is 8' X 5' and is the worst part of the bech. 2 X 4 are wrapped and there is a 1.5% grade plus that I can not level out. Besides replacing it I may take the wall out as well. This is my command center view point. I am about 5 foot to 20 feet from the track. For lack of better words this is my repair shop. Saw this at a now closed HLS and had to have it! They wanted $200.00 but I finaly got it for $90.00. All the lines work but do not use it much. All so found ballast and carpet do not like each other. This shows both the A Line and B line passing tracks and cross over from B to the A line at two driffrent points. Note the Big Boy, it is a PCM. Coal train is 31 cars long and being pulled by a BLI M1a. How about all the tyco Old dutch Hopper That is around half of the ones I have. All to standers with PK 2000 wheels and Kadee couplers, dont as why but I have 33 of them? This Pic shows where the passing track and the B line meets, Class J is on the main line and the coal train is on the passing siding. Now before you folks think I am total a lost cause I have been reading and learing. I know from the PIC I have posted so far it does not seem like it but I have. This is the new section it is 5' X 9.5' and will be K-10 Mining named after K-10 Trains the Best LHS one could ask for. Still up in the air about what I want it to look like but I have supplys! I did no cleaning up of junk for the PIC, but you can tell that. I would have stood on a ladder but 90% chances I would have fell down and gone to the ER. I will add I will be using some of the Great ideas I have seen. Cuda Ken child like but working rail road.
Cuda Ken, I miss the playboy pictures you had over your old layout. Umm....was that you?
Anyway, I do see a lot of progress you have made since you first started. Thats one heck of a nice looking repair shop you got there.
The only critisizm I have is don't ever let OSHA into your garage. If they see those electrical cords hanging all over the place like that, they'd shut your railroad down in a heartbeat.
mikesmowers wrote: I enjoy looking at the views here, gives an idea of what everyone is doing. Here are a few of mine, I could not get it all in one pic so I took several and posted the best. Hope you like them. Mike
Mike,
This shot is phenomenal! You've captured the evening glow of a typical small town! The sunset still lights the sky while darkness settles across the village. Streetlights are coming on. Lights are appearing in homes and businesses. It feels so warm and inviting, like a Thomas Kincaid painting. Wow!
These have been posted before but I thought I could participate here.
Here is a shot of the yard. As you can see I painted the rail grimy black but have yet to start applying any soil and details.
Here is a view from the other side so you can see the industry tracks adjascent the yard.(out of focus)
This shot is from the L in the layout like the first photo. You can see Victoreville on the right with passing track and three sidingd to work. Th upper track on the far left is the Summit passing track, and in the far right distance is a canyon where a steal trestle will be installed.
Here you get a better view of the canyon with the descending( on a trestle ) from Summit track and Victorville with train waiting to depart int staging.
These are old Photo's but when it gets over 95 in Riverside I generally don't work on the layout at all. Maybe around Thanksgiving or Christmass I may have some progress photo's.
P.S. don't hesitate to critisize the photo's and suggest a better aproach.
John
Ken, you've come a long way since your slot car days. Looks like the new section coming along nicely.
Mike, I'm a sucker for night shots also and yours look particularly good. I like the way the buildings blends into the track and background. I was looking at the site of a famous model railroader. He had beautiful structures and the backdrop work was amazing. He spent lots of time getting realistic power poles and wiring. The more I stared at his pictures, the more I knew somethng was missing. One was my usual sloppy level of work but the other was - no streetlights. Not one. Even if they are dummies, they are so much a part of a typical town that I don't know how you can think you hae a realistic scene without them. I'm up to 54 streetlights and 10 structure lights and I've got another 10 or so to go before I think a night scene will look convincing. After seeing some of the work here, I'm also going to need to get some lighted store signs as that now stands out like a sore thumb.
John, I lived in that area for about 30 years and the general contours and colors look just about right to me. Looks like a very ambitious track plan. The only question I have is what's you're plan for a trestle in that bottom picture? Some sort of steel structure would be prototypical in the modern era. Did you already have something in mind?
Here's my contribution. It covers about 3/4 of the layout. First up is the town of Mountain Gap.
Next is the town of Adobe Flats.
The part not shown is a somewhat mountainous area that I'm not really satisfied with yet.
BTW, the number board in the background is from a CNW GP-9.
Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!
Go Big Red!
PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"
UP2CSX wrote: John, I lived in that area for about 30 years and the general contours and colors look just about right to me. Looks like a very ambitious track plan. The only question I have is what's you're plan for a trestle in that bottom picture? Some sort of steel structure would be prototypical in the modern era. Did you already have something in mind?
Here is a photo of the canyon. I know the Cajon area does not have any high trestles but having seen one in person along the coast I just have to have one. It will be black instead of silver, and I have enough kits for three bents.
Only PIC on the wall is Joan Jett and Jessica Rabbit. Not counting Car Pic's.
Yes I have came a long way but looking at the other PIC I have a Looooooong Way to go. But I have fun with it ever day.
Cuda Ken
John,
No, there are no trestles up in the Cajon Pass buy who ever let a little thing like that stop us when we wanted to put something on our layouts. Both the SP and Santa Fe have some nice trestles along the coast but the SD&AE really have some nice ones. I don't know if you've ever seen the Campo Creek Trestle but there's a picture at http://www.sdrm.org/history/sda/photos/stony.jpg . It looks like it would be perfect for what you want to do.