Wow! What a difference a Backdrop makes!!

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
Just wanted to tell all of you who have not put a Backdrop behind your layout, what a Huge difference it makes. We just painted the wall about a foot up from the layout Sky Blue and now the set really jumps out at you. It gives it a real 3-d effect if you know what I mean. Will add some clouds soon, and then perhaps a flat city scape of some sort.
We have been working on the layout for a couple of years just now and than, but I wish I did this a long time ago![:D]

[Fergmiester]

Couldn't agree with you more as I added a backdrop to three walls last year after 8 years of white. Got inspired by Tony Koester's article in MR a year and a half ago

[tomwatkins]

Makes a huge difference. The cool thing is that are a million different ways to do it. It can be very simple or very detailed, depending on what you want. Either way, you're right. It will add tremendously to the appearance of the layout.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[vsmith]

I was planning to install those printed backdrops from Walthers but could never figure out a way to install them out in the garage in a way that not bubble or ripple over time, being in the garage and exposed to summer heat, humidity, and winter cold, so i simply painted to MDF boards that make up the backdrop "Sky Blue". I thought about having the Walthers backdrops professionally mounted to a backing board then cutting out the sky and placing that on the layout. Might try that just to see how it looks, but least weekend I saw a backdrop at a train show where they had simply cut the sky from the landscape and mounted the landscape and it looked TERRIBLE. So we'll see....

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

I was planning to install those printed backdrops from Walthers but could never figure out a way to install them out in the garage in a way that not bubble or ripple over time, being in the garage and exposed to summer heat, humidity, and winter cold, so i simply painted to MDF boards that make up the backdrop "Sky Blue". I thought about having the Walthers backdrops professionally mounted to a backing board then cutting out the sky and placing that on the layout. Might try that just to see how it looks, but least weekend I saw a backdrop at a train show where they had simply cut the sky from the landscape and mounted the landscape and it looked TERRIBLE. So we'll see....

There are some excellent wallpaper glues on the market that might allow you to "paper" your backdrop on the wall, without having to worry about bubbling. Your local paint and wallpaper shop maybe able to help.

[Jetrock]

Indeed, just a sheet of Masonite spray-painted sky blue made a heck of a difference--I think part of it is just the consciousness of having blue "sky" in the background, plus lights look better when they're bouncing off the light-colored backdrop and onto the layout, vs. the unfinished wood of my garage wall.

I'm still covering my backdrop with buildings, and trees are next--that will take some time but be worth it in the long run. A backdrop adds the "third dimension" and a great deal of depth to one's layout--your eyes no longer have to do the work of "editing" out the non-railroad things on the far side of the layout and can take in the whole scene more easily.

[tree68]

The shading technique - light at the bottom and darker at the top - is easy to do and very effective. I'm glad I did it to mine. I may add a few clouds eventually. Anything is better than panelling as a backdrop, though....