Wow. Great pictures by Dave Hikel & layout by Dr. Muff. I'm glad my post didn't directly follow his! Its all down hill from there
I know you've seen this one before, I know this is cheating, but I thought I would share this doctored up picture anyway. I tired an effect from photoshop called "plastic". And of course I added the halo thing around the picture. I think it really made my backdrop pop!
N Scale
Glenn
dave hikel wrote:
Yowsa! And here I was concerned that my new ping pong table would take up too much basement space!
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
Hi again all,
It really was a wonderful treat to visit Dr. Muffs layout. Thanks for the kind words about the photos. I hope someday to get a chance to photograph the layout when there are fewer people. There were a lot of neat views you just couldn't get because there were people in the frame and of course a tripod would have been nice. I was one of maybe 30 to 40 guests who were all there at the same time. I'd love to get a long exposure at ISO 200 and around f20 so you could really see the details looking down the freight docks and the yard.
CNJ831 wrote: dave hikel wrote: Last week I had an opportunity to visit a very special HO layout in Sedro Woolley, WA (60 mi. N of Seattle). The layout, built by Dr. Nicholas Muff, has been seen in MR and Mainline Modeler Magazine. A few times each year Dr. Muff invites people to visit and see his progress. I was very fortunate to be invited by a local railroad historian who has been visiting Dr. Muff's for several years.Intending absolutely no disrespect toward Dr. Muff nor his pike but being unfamiliar with the layout, considering its level of detailing and its obviously incredibly expensive accessories (that F-unit nose and the car interiors!), I would ask if this is all Dr. Muff's own work, or perhaps largely that of a team of professional layout builders and contractors? Regardless, it is an amazing spectacle!CNJ831
dave hikel wrote: Last week I had an opportunity to visit a very special HO layout in Sedro Woolley, WA (60 mi. N of Seattle). The layout, built by Dr. Nicholas Muff, has been seen in MR and Mainline Modeler Magazine. A few times each year Dr. Muff invites people to visit and see his progress. I was very fortunate to be invited by a local railroad historian who has been visiting Dr. Muff's for several years.
Last week I had an opportunity to visit a very special HO layout in Sedro Woolley, WA (60 mi. N of Seattle). The layout, built by Dr. Nicholas Muff, has been seen in MR and Mainline Modeler Magazine. A few times each year Dr. Muff invites people to visit and see his progress. I was very fortunate to be invited by a local railroad historian who has been visiting Dr. Muff's for several years.
Intending absolutely no disrespect toward Dr. Muff nor his pike but being unfamiliar with the layout, considering its level of detailing and its obviously incredibly expensive accessories (that F-unit nose and the car interiors!), I would ask if this is all Dr. Muff's own work, or perhaps largely that of a team of professional layout builders and contractors? Regardless, it is an amazing spectacle!
CNJ831
As far as I know it's all Dr.Muffs work. This was my first visit and as I said there were a lot of people, but Dr. Muff was very generous with his time. He showed me many of the masters for the resin molds that he has made to cast the KC station and other structures on the layout. He has had the usual kind of help from friends, but it is essentially his work. One friend turned the master for the columns on KC Union Station out of aluminum, but the Dr. added the base and other detail and made the mold.
One item that is still a work in progress is the lighted sign for the Western Auto building. Here's a photo of the real build as it is today.
The Dr. told me of friends who helped by etching a brass base for the sign, but he is assembling the model and its 300+ SMT LED's. Another friend built him a controler that will sequence the LED's just like the real thing.
I'm a professional builder myself. I love to visit layouts to see and share ideas. One thing I've come to realize is that you can pick up on certain short cuts that pro builders have to use to keep the cost down for their client. I really didn't see any such short cuts on Dr. Muff's layout. It's my understanding that this has been a labor of love for around 20 years.
Great photos people.
even though i have one loco currently running, I'm hoping that soon I'll have my other three up and running and add two others, so I think I'll start a small loco terminal (if I can find my turntable lol ).
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
dave hikel wrote: Intending absolutely no disrespect toward Dr. Muff nor his pike but being unfamiliar with the layout, considering its level of detailing and its obviously incredibly expensive accessories (that F-unit nose and the car interiors!), I would ask if this is all Dr. Muff's own work, or perhaps largely that of a team of professional layout builders and contractors? Regardless, it is an amazing spectacle!CNJ831As far as I know it's all Dr.Muffs work.
Intending absolutely no disrespect toward Dr. Muff nor his pike but being unfamiliar with the layout, considering its level of detailing and its obviously incredibly expensive accessories (that F-unit nose and the car interiors!), I would ask if this is all Dr. Muff's own work, or perhaps largely that of a team of professional layout builders and contractors? Regardless, it is an amazing spectacle!CNJ831
As far as I know it's all Dr.Muffs work.
Then truly it is an amazing piece of individual work!
Some great images this weekend already. Lots of good inspiration.
Crandell, looks like you might need some track work repairs after that wreck?
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
overview:
servicing (has GP30) and inbound parts (boxcar) tracks:
open-air storage tracks/shop tracks (basically, not gonna spend on a roundhouse)
There will hopefully be at least some ballast down by next weekend, maybe even tommorow. I also know what parts I need to order from atlas for my other three locos, just gotta wait for the money lol.
"Hey Whisky Jack, if you change your name and your bad habbits, you probably won't see that third rail in the tracks. Now drive this train right, and watch out for that horse ahead!"
"Boy it's hot today. When I'm done working, I'm taking my boat to the river"
"Hey hobo Joe, you smell like you ain't had a shower in a year. Why don't you jump off this boxcar and head over to that waterfall for a dunk!!"
"Hey Judd, it's getting dark early these days. Looks like winter is on the way."
"Maybe Hank, but the bears ain't sleeping yet so we still have some time."
Hi, Simon. Yes, and a locomotive, plus at least a tender side panel and stirrup? We haven't talked to the engineman yet...he jumped at the last minuted, as did the fireman.
Nice downtown scene you have there. Did you install the crossing signal recently, or did I forget you had that in place some time ago? It all looks very realistic.
-Crandell
wmshay06 wrote:
What an Awsome shot. I love the locomotive.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:
Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.
Jules
JulesB wrote:Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.
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jeffrey-wimberly wrote: JulesB wrote: Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.The problem with disguising it is doing it in such a way as not to block the air intake, which is most of the front. It's only a couple of inches from the track.
JulesB wrote: Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.
Problem is everytime a train runs by the air conditioner it blows it off the track which requires an 0-5-0 to get it back on
Driline wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote: JulesB wrote: Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.The problem with disguising it is doing it in such a way as not to block the air intake, which is most of the front. It's only a couple of inches from the track.Problem is everytime a train runs by the air conditioner it blows it off the track which requires an 0-5-0 to get it back on
Have you thought of removing the face plate, spray painting it the same color as the sky, including some clouds, and reinstalling it?
Bright colors tend to minimize your ability to see things behind them. That's why cars have chrome or brightly painted grilles. If you paint your car grille black, you can see the radiator.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Photoshop or Painter, with the click of a mouse can produce nice image modifications like Glenn has posted.
Photoshop or Painter in the hands of an artist can produce what Jarrell has posted.
Jerrell:
I bet you could sell posters or even framed prints on E-Bay.
This is an area I've been working on where most of the rail has been removed from an abandoned section of track.
mononguy63 wrote: dave hikel wrote: Yowsa! And here I was concerned that my new ping pong table would take up too much basement space!Jim
I think I remember Tracks Ahead doing a segment on that guy and his layout. How many guys can have an F unit in their basement??
Westerfield C&EI inside stake coal car - no hopper or discharge doors, gone by 1935
Jon
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jeffrey-wimberly wrote: Driline wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote: JulesB wrote: Jeffery. To bad you couldn't disguise the AC to look like a building. The outflow luvours (did I spell that right?) allmost resemble some sort of windows.The problem with disguising it is doing it in such a way as not to block the air intake, which is most of the front. It's only a couple of inches from the track.Problem is everytime a train runs by the air conditioner it blows it off the track which requires an 0-5-0 to get it back on I don't have any problem with cars being blown off the track. All fast moving air is at the top of the unit.
Jeff what I would do is make a removable backdrop that you could slide in when you took photographs & then remove when you need to run the air. It would make your photos look alot better & give you more angles to shoot from. A stiff section of foam-core board could be a good start, put in the sky ect.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote: This is an area I've been working on where most of the rail has been removed from an abandoned section of track.
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Wow, that's amazing, great job. Love the feeling of the massive engine- You can almost feel it thundering along.
tomkat-13 wrote: Jeff what I would do is make a removable backdrop that you could slide in when you took photographs & then remove when you need to run the air. It would make your photos look alot better & give you more angles to shoot from. A stiff section of foam-core board could be a good start, put in the sky ect.
I think I,ve got the sky and clouds right on this portion of the backdrop. This picture is 3 pictures photostitched together. Thats why it 's running up hill. Next I'll start the mountains.
spectratone wrote: I think I,ve got the sky and clouds right on this portion of the backdrop. This picture is 3 pictures photostitched together. Thats why it 's running up hill. Next I'll start the mountains.Glenn
Impressive. What is the total cost to have this printed? And what's the final size of the backdrop photo?
Driline wrote: spectratone wrote: I think I,ve got the sky and clouds right on this portion of the backdrop. This picture is 3 pictures photostitched together. Thats why it 's running up hill. Next I'll start the mountains.Glenn Impressive. What is the total cost to have this printed? And what's the final size of the backdrop photo?
Printed? Printed you say?? Thank you very much. I'll have you know I spent $14 dollars on supplys and 3 weeks learnin myself how to paint. Printed, peesh. why I otta............
glenn