Don't laugh too hard...It's my first attempt!

I have the same problem guys, dang cameras lol

Steve, the retaining wall looks AWESOME!! And that rock work is just BEAUTIFUL man, I cant belive how REALISTIC and AMAZING it looks!!! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: The new mine is turning out really cool!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Your prolly going to wonder why im about to say this but I am selling off my gravel plant and coal mine buildings :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: Yeah you read it right, im selling them, not going to have room for them on the new layout wall1 and I dont want to have to store them either wall1 :rolleyes: :cry:.

I listed the coal mine buildings (new river mining company and western coal flood loader) as a package for $140.00 (member there completly built-up, painted and decaled) and the gravel plant for $80 (it being also completly built-up with some added details [extra loading shed, piping, walkways and staris and extra long main conveyor] + weathering and decals too). Hate to sell them but..... If I every need/want them again on a furture layout, ill just have to buy the kits again and re-build them :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
Josh:
I am selling off my gravel plant and coal mine buildings
Click to expand...

WOW!.....I'm shocked!
I know you're doing a new layout but I never thought that those sweet structures would/could not be a part of it. Well, I hope they find a good home (I'd buy the gravel plant if I had a spot for it, sadly I don't). One thing I know for sure...the structures you do for the new layout will be FLAT-OUT AWESOME!:thumb::thumb::thumb:

I back-filled behind the retaining wall and touched up the ballast on the main-line (no pics yet). I will try and get the mine installed this weekend.

In the "Photo Fun" thread this week were many B&W pics.....here's one I didn't post there:

photos212BW.jpg


Take care:wave:
 
Looks good Steve. Even in the black and white pic the retaining wall looks brand new, but I don't know what to do to "age it." Part of your "camera" problem may not be a problem with the camera so much as a lighting problem. Our eyes compensate for light, but cameras don't at least not as well as the human eye. If there is too much light on a subject, it will wash out in the pictures and subtle weathering will disappear. I think that is why professional photographers take so many pictures and do their own developing (I'm talking about the ones whose work is featured in galleries, not your local mall portrait studio.) The pros bracket everything, experiment with light, and then can also adjust things in the dark room. I'm not very proficient with photo shop, but some of that sort of thing may be possible in photoshop as well. Have you experimented with exposure and contrast in photoshop on pics that don't look the same in the photo as in real life?
 
Russ...You are so right! My lighting is atrocious:curse:. I tried to even out the lighting a bit and discovered that, with better lighting, I can darken the wall and follow Deano's sage advice:thumb: and still keep it looking good in person. What has resulted is a compromise between what looks best in pics and what looks best in person:winker:.

Thank you Deano & Russ:thumb:

I have put the groundcover down, but I haven't had time to glue it. I wanted to be able to experiment with it and see what looked best.
Here is what I have come up with...so far:

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I added quite a bit of dirt to the scene because in many of the proto-type pics that I have seen, there is a lot of dirt/mud all over
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Lastly...here's a broken window that I should have put in a more conspicuous place:oops:
photos276.jpg


Any constructive criticism or suggestions would be appreciated:winker::thumb:

Take care:wave:
 
That lighting does look better in photographs. If you have other lighting that is better for your eyes when operating, you could set up the room with duplicate lighting or change the bulbs for picture taking. Also incandescent lights are at the red end of the spectrum if I remember correctly and florescents are more blue. You might experiment with filters on your camera to compensate for the color shift caused by the lighting.
 
Nazgul said:
WOW!.....I'm shocked!
I know you're doing a new layout but I never thought that those sweet structures would/could not be a part of it. Well, I hope they find a good home (I'd buy the gravel plant if I had a spot for it, sadly I don't). One thing I know for sure...the structures you do for the new layout will be FLAT-OUT AWESOME!:thumb::thumb::thumb:
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve!!! Im kinda bumbed that I cant get them in on my new layout too, these 2 are just really big buildings and they require too much space and I wanted to do some new industries this time :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

BTW, your mine looks AWESOME!!!! I love the open windows and the way they are proped open, sweet touch :thumb: :thumb: That main conveyor looks AWESOME too going up into the cliff wall like that :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:. And the retaining wall also came out AWESOME too :eek: :thumb: :thumb: :mrgreen:
 
Russ...you are a wealth of knowledge!:thumb: I guess the first thing I need to do is get Enough lighting (in all the right places) and then see how pics come out.

CWNman...I like the way you think!:thumb::winker: I have darkened the wall, but I am going to need more retaining walls when I get to the town. I will make a wall that is being repaired (some old and some new). THANK YOU!:thumb:

Josh...Thank you for the very kind words!:thumb: I look forward to seeing your new layout unfold:winker::thumb:.


Among my many projects that I need to do, I have been planning on making some conifer trees using the sisal rope and twisted wire method. While browsing in my LHS I spied a pack of WS "Pine Trees". It was a 24 pack with trees ranging from 4 to 6 inches...Cost: about $26 US. Normally I would pass that right up, but I wanted samples to copy, and hopefully, improve on. At a little over a buck a tree, it would cost quite a bit to cover my layout, but they are pretty inexpensive for commercial trees. So I will use these here and there and make the majority of the trees myself.

I spinkled on some fine turf to highlight them and planted a few around the Mine:

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They are a bit "clumpy" but I will leave them alone for now until I start to make my own, and then I will "doctor" them up a bit:winker:

I think the real eye-opener, for me, was how badly this layout is in need of trees!!!!

Take care:wave:
 
I think the real eye-opener, for me, was how badly this layout is in need of trees!!!!
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Amen, brother! But don't beat yourself up or be in too much of a hurry to get it forested. You've got a great result right now! The addition of a little lighter foam is VERY well done and serves its purpose of creating depth and interest (vs. just being the 'thing' to do because the mags say so). Great work!

Also, the pines put you on the Eastern side of the cascades somewhere...another locator for your layout! So don't go mixing in too many Doug firs unless they're down near the water.
 
Nazgul said:
CWNman...I like the way you think!:thumb::winker: I have darkened the wall, but I am going to need more retaining walls when I get to the town. I will make a wall that is being repaired (some old and some new). THANK YOU!:thumb:
Click to expand...
You are quite welcome my friend!:mrgreen: I'm glad I got to have a little input on your MAGNIFICENT layout!

Nazgul said:
I think the real eye-opener, for me, was how badly this layout is in need of trees!!!!
Click to expand...

Oh yes, your layout seemingly DID need some trees, it looks one heck of a lot better with them! I'm currious about two things about your layout, though. First, is there more to your layout? I'm not saying I'm not getting tired of you taking pics of the same place (certainly looks better than my layout right now:p), it's just that earlier in the thread you mention something about a turntable and such, but I've never seen a turntable in your shots. Seccond, what are your F-units? I know you have at least two, but I usualy can't tell the difference between most of them.
 
All good things must end......

For about 6 months now, a feeling has been growing inside me that my family has sacrificed the whole family room for MY hobby and that it is not right. I have approached every member of my family and asked for their thoughts on this matter and they have all said that they really think the layout is great.....but having the family room back would be nice. They also said that what ever I wanted to do would be fine.

I have mulled this over for many months now and have finally come to the decision to dismantle this layout. I love MRRing and will devise a less intrusive, family friendly layout (probably a shelf layout).

It has been an excellent learning experience for me (and hopefully some others) and I have met some great people thru this thread and forum. I would like to thank Galen for designing this layout to fit the benchwork that was already decided upon. My biggest regret is that I won't be able to fully realize this layout's great potential. This has been an extremely difficult decision but I know it is the right one.

My thanks go out to everyone who has replied to this thread and helped me become a model railroader.

Family084jpg2.jpg
 
Steve:wav: , MY FRIEND:smilie: , though it saddens me to hear of this SPECTACULAR LAYOUT being torn down:frowns: , i am VERY EXCITED to see what you have planned for your NEW shelf layout:thumb::mrgreen: . you have taken each challenge on and TOTALLY conquered them with GREAT SUCCESS!:winki: i can only guess how SPECTACULAR your shelf layout will be, and wish you the VERY BEST in doing it:thumb::smilie: .

I have to admit, it has been a fun & VERY enjoyable ride watching THIS layout grow:winki: , i wait with great anticipation to see what you have in store for the next one:thumb::smilie: .
:deano: -Deano
 
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Nazgul,
Wow! I am sad to hear that you are taking down the layout. I completely understand the space issue and wanting to keep the family happy. Before we moved to this house, my trains either were setup outside (what a mess) or on the floor in the kitchen. Even outside I was in the way.

If you haven't already started tearing it down, could you please do us a favor? Could you please take some pictures of the whole layout so that we can remember it? I know that you didn't show the other parts of it often, but it would be nice to see it and have it for history's sake. Also, it would be neat if you could make another video of the trains running around.

The waterfall, the river, the bridge, the rock wall, the coal station, I'll miss ya!
 
jesso said:
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Nazgul,
Wow! I am sad to hear that you are taking down the layout. I completely understand the space issue and wanting to keep the family happy. Before we moved to this house, my trains either were setup outside (what a mess) or on the floor in the kitchen. Even outside I was in the way.

The waterfall, the river, the bridge, the rock wall, the coal station, I'll miss ya!
Click to expand...

I'm sad that you have to tear it down, too, Steve. However, if you havent begun to destroy this work yet, try to save the waterfalls, the mine, and the tressle. Maybe you could use these highlights of your layout on your next one?
 
Oohhhhhhhhhh mannnnnnnnn...!!!! That hurts..really..:cry::cry:

Any chance of turning ANOTHER room into a family room..??
When I tore down my previous layout, I salvaged a bunch of things which have gone into my current layout...Gives things a sense of continuity..
Whatever you do, we'll always have your thread and an endless variety of "How-to's" to guide us less gifted along.

Just don't give up on the hobby...It's in ya' to be a really great one..!!

And stop by now & then to say "Hi..". :thumb:
 
Thank you all for your kind words and interest in this layout....I will try and save what I can.............here is a short final video of trains on the layout: If the download doesn't start automatically...press "download file now"

Free file hosting by Savefile.com

Take care, my friends:wave:
 
Geeez Steve hearing that the layout is coming down really saddens me, I've been really busy the past month and haven't been able to follow your work and really enjoyed the last few post tonite. I wish you great speed with the new layout. Perhaps you can do like a shelf modular layout , not sure what there called, then run track just below the ceiling that returns to the modular. :wave:
 
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