The most depressing thing about the Oct MR

[Anonymous]

Or is the guy's layout really awesome?

We have legitimate reason to question it.

I think the author and MR's editors have some 'splainin' to do. Especially about photos # 4 and 6.

[Anonymous]

Interesting - just read the notes above about photo #4 and photo #6. When reading the article the first time, it was obvious to me that the rock on the right hand side was photoshop'd into photo #6.

Photo #4 - that almost looks like the shot location callout in the track plan is a typo or something.

Still, I dig the guy's layout for sure. I don't want to take anything away from his work.

[Anonymous]

Yup. The rock on the right in photo #6 is an obvious Photoshop add-on. How about the siding and foliage on the right?

What about the rocks, the hills, the semaphore on the left? How about the freight cars and the semaphore in the background?

When you're done with #6, compare #4 with the plan of the layout, and tell us where that scene could possibly be located on it.

[Anonymous]

I was looking at the Oct MR again, and I would have to say, I am more impressed with Paul Dolkos layout, I know they photochopped some smoke in, but his backgrounds from what I could tell are real and blended in better, his angles I felt also made his layout come out in a better light. Oh! I saw part of his train room, how gaudy, but real. I think I see what Gary was after, a proto look, but I think we all know when we buy MR, they are model railroads and not the real thing. I could at least take in the scope of Paul's layout, as opposed to Gary's I felt shorted on seeing it all.

[skiloff]

OK, I'm going to eat some crow in regard to my post about not getting MR on time. While its true that when I last subscribed to MR several years ago it took at least a week or two after the LHS got the MR that I got my MR, it is not true now. The problem is that I travel so much, my wife sticks my mail in a spot and I haven't been sharp enough to figure out where it is until she cleans out this spot and hands me my MR - and I assumed it had just come. My October issue did come two weeks ago or more, I just didn't see it. I apologize to MR and everyone for my rant regarding that.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by skiloff

OK, I'm going to eat some crow in regard to my post about not getting MR on time. While its true that when I last subscribed to MR several years ago it took at least a week or two after the LHS got the MR that I got my MR, it is not true now. The problem is that I travel so much, my wife sticks my mail in a spot and I haven't been sharp enough to figure out where it is until she cleans out this spot and hands me my MR - and I assumed it had just come. My October issue did come two weeks ago or more, I just didn't see it. I apologize to MR and everyone for my rant regarding that.

Technically you still are getting it late [:p][:p]

[railroadyoshi]

Im not going to say much for the most part of the discussion except that if someone feels it neccesary to digitally insert a backdrop, it be very simple, a simple shade of blue. This is so that it doesnt dramatically help the image, and you can concentrate on the scene, as Jfugate pointed out, nor do you have the messy look, which makes it hard to concentrate on the actual scene.
In regards to Gary Hoover's pictures #'s 4 and 6, IMO, i think that #4 is reasonably accurate, but #6 the arrow should be on the other side of Wooton Ranch facing the same direction.

[Anonymous]

Photo #4 is taken from a vantage point on the outside of a curve. But the layout plan shows the camera location for #4 as being somewhere in the aisle, looking toward the inside of the curve at that location.

I suspect #4 was taken from a location between the tracks and the outside wall of the layout space (shown as completely scenicked on the drawing) about where the label line ends Indicating "Upper Narrows." If that's correct, then there's a good likelihood that everything in the image, except for the roadbed, tracks and railroad equipment, was Photoshopped in.

The camera angle label for #6 appears to be incorrect, and Yoshi probably has correctly discerned that the camera was actually located at the right end of the "Wooton Ranch" scene. Still, there appears to have been a lot of Photoshopping on both sides of the diesels and caboose, as well as above them.

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by railroadyoshi

Im not going to say much for the most part of the discussion except that if someone feels it neccesary to digitally insert a backdrop, it be very simple, a simple shade of blue. This is so that it doesnt dramatically help the image, and you can concentrate on the scene, as Jfugate pointed out, nor do you have the messy look, which makes it hard to concentrate on the actual scene.
In regards to Gary Hoover's pictures #'s 4 and 6, IMO, i think that #4 is reasonably accurate, but #6 the arrow should be on the other side of Wooton Ranch facing the same direction.

I find it mildly amusing now that folks have actually given more than a cursory look at the photos in question and have started to appreciate the actual degree of manipulation/Photoshopping apparent in them...especially after so many early comments about it really being ok that Gary only added a sky, supposedly to hide ceiling rafters!

Looking at Image #4, it has to be heavily altered as the entire mountain background that must exist beyond the bridges (based on the layout diagram) has entirely vannished, while the two mountains seen at the left of the frame would almost seem to be situated in the aisleway unless thay are virtually two dimensional.

Dealing with only the very obvious in images #6, the two layers of rock wall at right have been Photoshopped in. That third, branching track at right doesn't exist at this location in the trackplan based on the camera call-out location. It may be possible the camera was actually situated much further up the track near where the word "Wootton" appears on the track diagram. But then the rock wall at the right has been Shopped on top of the tracks. One also sees the cars of the receding train curving to the right in the distance but only straight track is indicated on the layout until you reach the "hinged section" of track... beyond an apparently full layout width scene divider! There are other lesser points I'll skip.

So...in the final analysis are we dealing with a valid layout tour, or one consisting of half reality and half modeler's fantasy? And is it indeed what readers what to see in layout tours? Me, even as an experience model photographer, much prefer Paul Dolkos honest method of displaying his excellent modeling efforts.

CNJ831

[railroadyoshi]

interesting point about photo #4
I think they usually like to put the arrows in the aisle as not to affect the map. I really hope he did not use photoshop for all of that, though it is probable, as for one, the picture was unbelievably realistic with the bridge, and two, how long has it been since the MKQ? Not too long I think. Would be pretty hard to make that much progress on such a large layout.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: So...in the final analysis are we dealing with a valid layout tour, or one consisting of half reality and half modeler's fantasy? And is it indeed what readers what to see in layout tours? Me, even as an experience model photographer, much prefer Paul Dolkos honest method of displaying his excellent modeling efforts.

CNJ831

Same here. I felt I was seeing a true model railroad, nothing left to wonder, only to try and recreate in my layout world.