You're really not alone at all if you've got a preference for scenery. Very often, I only run the trains for a few minutes a day, if at all, and even that is only to check clearances or to get a train out of the way so I can do some scenery. In fact, sometimes I wonder what I'm going to do when my scenery is finished. Will I be content then to just run trains? If my history in other activities is any indication, the answer is a resounding NO. I'll have to tinker with something.
When Weekend Photo Fun comes around, it's the scenery that gets the "Wow!" responses. You are definitely in good company.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I am so glad I decided to post this question, as I have met a lot of other modelers and more women that I expected. It is good to get feed back from both sexes because we ( men and woman) tend to aproach things from different angles, so when we put it all together we get the whole picture. So keep posting your ideas, tips and dreams for you layout and I'm sure we can all help each other.
I, myself have been into this for slightly over a year and I feel the scenery is one of the most important parts of a lay out. Think of how boring it would be if all you had were tracks running but nothing else to look at, that would be like a world with only parking lots and cars, as much as we like cars we need contrast and beauty to make life complete. Isn't that what we try to model, so don't worry about how the trains are powered(DC for me), just model what you love.
Lisa, Sometimes, we need boring tasks. Painting railroad ties and rusting the rails comes to mind when I think boring. If I need to get away, I start painting railroad ties by hand. Before you know it I am gone. One of these days, I will connect two sections that I have painted.
What project are you currently working on?
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
lisap wrote: I, myself have been into this for slightly over a year and I feel the scenery is one of the most important parts of a lay out. Think of how boring it would be if all you had were tracks running but nothing else to look at, that would be like a world with only parking lots and cars, as much as we like cars we need contrast and beauty to make life complete. Isn't that what we try to model, so don't worry about how the trains are powered(DC for me), just model what you love.
THat sounds like my wife Krysti. So I told her to take a crack at weathering a building. Here is HER 1st effort at weathering.
Told her "NOT TO BAD FOR A GIRL!"
Hope you ladies are doing well and the families are all OK.
Great weathering, Krysti.
I started weathering on scratch built tunnels. I used the corral fence for a shade guide.
Fergmiester wrote:...Sad but true as this generation as a whole is motivated by sophistication and instant gratification. As for your approach to letting them do their thing and not trying insure perfection is the best way to go...
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Master of Big Sky Blue wrote: anothergirl wrote: I read these posts and feel so inferior. i'm not into dcc or whatever and all i want is a good layout and run the trains. i must admit that i am more into building the models and creating scenes and most of what i see is about super running of trains on 90 levels etc. it's way over my head. First off, Welcome to the Forum!!! Secondly, all I have to say is don't feel inferior. I have been active in the hobby since the age of 4. and Next monday is my 24th birthday which will make it 20 years of participation. As one could guess, I have accumulated alot of stuff over the span of 20 years. And even have some treasured "Goodies" Yet, for all my 120 locomotives 600 + cars, 250 + feet of track 75 buildings, List can go on and on, I am still quite novice in some areas. I was given a DCC system as a group purchase by my modeling freinds for Christmas one year, however, while I concede its advantages, I personally can't justify the expense of purchasing all the hardware needed to do a proper installation on my layout as well as buying decoders for all 120 locomotives. I did buy some "Duel Mode" decoders to put into some favorite engines of mine so I can run them on my freinds layout, But for the most part I mainly use Two Cab DC block control. Works good, been around for years, Parts are easy to find, and it bought and paid for. As for being slow to get started, do not dispair, I have been working on what is now a 6'6" X 11' 5" T shaped layout for 11 years and still don't have it in operation. This is a combonation of many factors. Some were uncoperative parents. Some were because of lack of time while I was in college, and others are because I am such an uncompromising critic of my own work. It takes me years to get projects done some time. I am known in my area as a fabulous paint shop expert. But If you give me a piece to do expect it to take a year or two. Case in point. I have been working on a 50' Plug Door Box car painted GN Blue for almost three years now. Yet now that I almost have it back together I am thinking about stripping it down and repainting it because of a flaw I found on the endof the car, in one of the recesses, (A tiny hair or piece of fuzz that got stuck in the paint.) Its not noticeable unless you really look for it. and I bet 99.9 % of all of you would never even see it. But its a blemish in my work, and part of me is screaming "You simply can't stand for that!!!!!!" Perhaps I need tharapy? Anyway point is. Don't feel inferior, we all have our strong points and our weak points. and its how you set one off against the other that makes for interesting and fun model railroads. James Mitich Obsessive Compulsive GN Modeler
anothergirl wrote: I read these posts and feel so inferior. i'm not into dcc or whatever and all i want is a good layout and run the trains. i must admit that i am more into building the models and creating scenes and most of what i see is about super running of trains on 90 levels etc. it's way over my head.
I read these posts and feel so inferior. i'm not into dcc or whatever and all i want is a good layout and run the trains.
i must admit that i am more into building the models and creating scenes and most of what i see is about super running of trains on 90 levels etc. it's way over my head.
First off, Welcome to the Forum!!!
Secondly, all I have to say is don't feel inferior. I have been active in the hobby since the age of 4. and Next monday is my 24th birthday which will make it 20 years of participation. As one could guess, I have accumulated alot of stuff over the span of 20 years. And even have some treasured "Goodies" Yet, for all my 120 locomotives 600 + cars, 250 + feet of track 75 buildings, List can go on and on, I am still quite novice in some areas. I was given a DCC system as a group purchase by my modeling freinds for Christmas one year, however, while I concede its advantages, I personally can't justify the expense of purchasing all the hardware needed to do a proper installation on my layout as well as buying decoders for all 120 locomotives. I did buy some "Duel Mode" decoders to put into some favorite engines of mine so I can run them on my freinds layout, But for the most part I mainly use Two Cab DC block control. Works good, been around for years, Parts are easy to find, and it bought and paid for.
As for being slow to get started, do not dispair, I have been working on what is now a 6'6" X 11' 5" T shaped layout for 11 years and still don't have it in operation. This is a combonation of many factors. Some were uncoperative parents. Some were because of lack of time while I was in college, and others are because I am such an uncompromising critic of my own work. It takes me years to get projects done some time. I am known in my area as a fabulous paint shop expert. But If you give me a piece to do expect it to take a year or two. Case in point. I have been working on a 50' Plug Door Box car painted GN Blue for almost three years now. Yet now that I almost have it back together I am thinking about stripping it down and repainting it because of a flaw I found on the endof the car, in one of the recesses, (A tiny hair or piece of fuzz that got stuck in the paint.) Its not noticeable unless you really look for it. and I bet 99.9 % of all of you would never even see it. But its a blemish in my work, and part of me is screaming "You simply can't stand for that!!!!!!" Perhaps I need tharapy?
Anyway point is. Don't feel inferior, we all have our strong points and our weak points. and its how you set one off against the other that makes for interesting and fun model railroads.
James Mitich
Obsessive Compulsive GN Modeler
gear-jammer wrote: Great weathering, Krysti. I started weathering on scratch built tunnels. I used the corral fence for a shade guide. Sue
She thanks you Sue. She is busy baby sitting our business websites at night and I take over when she gets tired. We have (4) Websites plus a Yahoo group and (2) on line stores so it gets a little busy sometimes.
We are about ready to start with prlem scenery so that will be a real challenge. Heck, the last railroad I did any scenery on has about 1968 and that was a 5x9 and very flat. This one will take a LONG time to get just the basics down. We will start on the 4ft x 21 ft yard and town of Nanticoke and then work into the main line room.
Had a visitor look at this and all he thught there was of it was Nanticoke. Sort of shocked him when I turned on the main line room lights. The picture looks like a cave but you get the idea.
The back right corner is 38 ft away. I think I am going to make the WS stock go up LOL.
George,
I just started a marathon venture with geodesic foam. I love the stuff. I think that in the long run that it will be cheaper than plaster cloth. When it sets up, it becomes rigid. I will try to start adding foam rocks this weekend. The web site is www.bragdonent.com.
Looks like you are really making progress. I wish we had a large layout, but our 13 x 13 will have to do for now.
I just thought that I would try to share some photos. Scratch built tunnel portal.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m232/gearjammers/DSC_0038.jpg
Nice! Did you rust your rails, too?
I've got a package of the Bragdon Foam stuff, but I'm really not there yet on building the layout. Please post some pictures when you get that done.
Yes, I did rust the rails.
The hard shell was quite easy to work with. We used 1/4 " plywood attached to stake material on the wall for the horizon. Then used cardboard strips in a lattice. The hard shell sets up nicely. Use smaller sections in the beginning while learning how to work with it. Keep a hairdryer handy to soften it if you take too long. Hot glue worked nicely with some staples.
I hope that this works. I have not figured how to insert photos yet.
I am making rocks today. Maybe I will have some pictures of the next stage.
claycts wrote:Looks good Sue! Nice view out the window also.
Hey, that's no fair! You've got a nice rural road out the window to look at when you're working on how to paint a road. I'm using a picture of a dirt road, and it's from the Galapagos Islands. (No, I won't be modelling the tortoise that's in the picture. I use Pecos, anyway.)
Sue, is that the natural color of the hardshell? For some reason (the instruction video from Bragdon, maybe?) I assumed it came out more or less white. That almost looks like rock already.
MisterBeasley,
That rural road is our driveway. My husband, Larry, is a truck driver. We park our truck at home on the weekends, so we have a circular driveway which is the width of a county road.
Yes, the hardshell is yellow foam with fiberglass screen showing through. Joel Bragdon has you use 2 layers of screen now instead of the bubble wrap. I might try some with bubble wrap later. The foam rocks will have a white finish because of the white laquer paint that you spray on the vaseline. The cast satin is also white. When you bend the rock, you can see the yellow foam color in the cracks. You paint a white base coat prior other colors.
Many of his techniques have evolved. If you ever get to see his demo, it is great because he has several projects going at the same time. We will see him again in November, when he is in Puyallup, WA. I always get some new ideas. His wife makes some realistic trees that we may look at closely.
Back to the rocks.
gear-jammer wrote: George, I am making rocks today. Maybe I will have some pictures of the next stage. Sue
Making them beats the heck out of breaking them
Installed three more decoder and wired the last 2 turnouts. 136 turnouts now all I have to do is:
1. power the frogs
2. build and install the dwarfs or signals
3. I am then done with that part, I think.
Take Care
George P.
What are those things on your heads?
You worked hard this weekend.
No pictures yet. I need to make 2 more rock forms to finish the section that I am working on. Maybe I will have some energy when I get home from work.
This where I hang out while I am waiting for things to dry or set up.
Have a great day.
gear-jammer wrote: George, What are those things on your heads? Sue
We are always asked for Publicity pictures when we do seminars SO I made up this one!
They now ask for DIFFERENT pictures, can not understand why
Its nice to have you gals aboard ,I've seen some of the most outstanding work by women in some of the mag's.My wife have been togethor for 40 years and she every once in a while will look at my lay out make a commit or sugestion,she has put up with my railroading ever sence we have been married.
Do to my youngest son comming home(hes 35) my HO is in storage and I'am working in N scale again,The other evening my wife comes in and says"I never seen that many rail cars all the same before"{ I had just received my E-BAY win in the mail) so I told her I was just testing them. so some times I'am supprised by her!! again
JIM
Lisa, We have not heard from you lately. I hope that things are going well with you. Have you been heating your room with the fall weather? What project are you working on now?
George and Krysti, Great masks. A sense of humor is so important in this fast-paced world. Are you working on another structure, Krysti? The last one was great. Thanks for the help with Larry's question on the Walthers 130' turntable. The Heljen TT has been a large holdup in that corner of our layout. Never did work smoothly. We will have to do some major whittling to make the 130' fit. With the increase in size, I will have to do some creative adjustments to the roundhouse and it's placement. It is always a puzzle. Our first holdup was waiting for the Walthers #8 turnouts. I wish that we would have waited another month for the Peco #8's. Oh, well.
Back to my rocks.
Lisa,
I hope that things are okay. When things settle down, we will be glad to have you back. You are in our prayers to have strength through these trying times.
lisap wrote:Hi everyone, I'm back, I've been following the thread from my E-Mail but haven't been in in a while. Things aren't going well with my MIL, it looks like she may only have days left and we've been spending as much time with her as possible. Needless to say I haven't had much time for my trains but I'll get back to it soon. It sounds like everyone is moving right along with their layouts and I see some new faces, male and female, good to see you all. I can't stay but wanted to let you know I'm still here. Take care.
Please keep in touch. My family has you in their thoughts and prayers.