Missabe layout progress
- Thread starter Kevinkrey
- Start date
Well, the water was a nice effect, when I took the pictures. When I went back down today, most all of the water was in a big puddle at one end of the river. I thought about chencking it for level lastnight, but never did. the water all at one end was thick, and will take more than the alrady long 24 hr. dry time. so I leveled it out, and the water decided it was just settled enough not to level itself back out so I poured more on the other end which recieved so little water it had already dried. I did that about 4 hours ago. I hope that the two areas will blend together okay.
Well the water has a few small bubbles or indent like things at the back end, but the enevenness looks likes waves.
Anyway, not to many comments lately.
Wheres CRed been?
As some of you may have been following (in another thread), Im ballasting now and its going good. The scenery is starting to come together. I think Ill get the layout repowerd tommorow and make a quick vid or two. And of course snap some pics.
Anyway, not to many comments lately.
Wheres CRed been?As some of you may have been following (in another thread), Im ballasting now and its going good. The scenery is starting to come together. I think Ill get the layout repowerd tommorow and make a quick vid or two. And of course snap some pics.
Well the water has a few small bubbles or indent like things at the back end, but the enevenness looks likes waves.
Anyway, not to many comments lately.
As some of you may have been following (in another thread), Im ballasting now and its going good. The scenery is starting to come together. I think Ill get the layout repowerd tommorow and make a quick vid or two. And of course snap some pics.
Busy!with my summer hobby:thumb:.
Great work Kevin,everything looks fantastic!
As you know we moved and the new house does not have a full basement so I have no room at the moment to do anything big.I do however plan on sending in my Yellowstone to be painted and have sound installed in time for X-Mas:thumb:.
If you can get up here for a train excursion and some train spotting let me know,I'd be happy to be your host
.Chris
Busy!with my summer hobby:thumb:.
Great work Kevin,everything looks fantastic!
As you know we moved and the new house does not have a full basement so I have no room at the moment to do anything big.I do however plan on sending in my Yellowstone to be painted and have sound installed in time for X-Mas:thumb:.
If you can get up here for a train excursion and some train spotting let me know,I'd be happy to be your host
Chris
Good to see ya back again!
Id love to come up for a weekend, but I dont think the parents would agree well with me staying at a strangers house. No offense. I know your a more than a :twisted:. I hope to get more progress shotts tommorow, more has been done and I hope more will be done tommorow
Well. I now that I have my camera cable found......
Here are some pics. I have the track to the lumberyard ballasted, and I sceniced the space between the siding and the main, I did this a few weeks ago, so its about time for pics.
Next, a shot of a low area next to the main, where I thought some washed out ballast would look ok. Ill need to add more to the scene, along the lines of rocks, dirt, etc. Just not sure what yet. Any opinions on it yet?
Last an area outside of the yard, where the main passes an engine/caboose facility. There will be a maintanence building, and more pines to the left. This pic was actually posted first.
Here are some pics. I have the track to the lumberyard ballasted, and I sceniced the space between the siding and the main, I did this a few weeks ago, so its about time for pics.
Next, a shot of a low area next to the main, where I thought some washed out ballast would look ok. Ill need to add more to the scene, along the lines of rocks, dirt, etc. Just not sure what yet. Any opinions on it yet?
Last an area outside of the yard, where the main passes an engine/caboose facility. There will be a maintanence building, and more pines to the left. This pic was actually posted first.
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Kevin, I know you can create better scenery than that! It looks toylike. Minnesota and surrounding areas are covered in tall, multi-colored green and brown grass. to make tall grass, purchase faux fur from Wal-Mart or other preferred big box or craft store and die it varying shades of green and brown with RIT dye. Then cut it into irregular shapes forming little meadows. Put in some dirt and swampy areas by using sifted dirt and dark green ground foam. Then line the meadows with conifers and decidious trees, mixing it up as you go. Then add roads made from styrene and durham's water putty.
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/Minorca9_4_00.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/sPCE_1.jpg
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib016/WC713.JPG
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/dMiTLDs.JPG
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/yellowstone/dmir234.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/sSteelton_Hill.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/405_at_Fairbanks.jpg
It isn't that hard to create stunning scenery, and you have the talent to create an exceptional model railroad, and I think you can make the little extra effort to do that.
You might also want to invest in some thin particle laminate wood board to make some sturdy, seamless backdrops that don't look like they were painted on a stucco wall. It doesn't cost much and it'll look great. Also try to use FLAT paints or seal the paint with a flat finish so it doesn't look so odd in the photographs.
This is not a personal attack and I have no intentions of offending you. This is just some advice to take the next step towards beautiful scenery that you can really enjoy seeing your trains flying through transporting the nation's vital supply of red-iron ore!
If you need some advice on how to do some of this, feel free to PM me.
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/Minorca9_4_00.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/sPCE_1.jpg
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/Lib016/WC713.JPG
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/dMiTLDs.JPG
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/yellowstone/dmir234.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/sSteelton_Hill.jpg
http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/images/405_at_Fairbanks.jpg
It isn't that hard to create stunning scenery, and you have the talent to create an exceptional model railroad, and I think you can make the little extra effort to do that.
You might also want to invest in some thin particle laminate wood board to make some sturdy, seamless backdrops that don't look like they were painted on a stucco wall. It doesn't cost much and it'll look great. Also try to use FLAT paints or seal the paint with a flat finish so it doesn't look so odd in the photographs.
This is not a personal attack and I have no intentions of offending you. This is just some advice to take the next step towards beautiful scenery that you can really enjoy seeing your trains flying through transporting the nation's vital supply of red-iron ore!
If you need some advice on how to do some of this, feel free to PM me.
Thanks, I know my scenery isnt the best, but there are no trees yet, or hardly any, and Im counting on them to blend it all in together. Pines over the clump follage make a good dense pine scene, and I hope modeled birch trees will cover up the backdrop pretty good.
But who am I kidding? Im doing my best to hurry, instead of doing my best to make believeable scenery. Guess its off to walmart and home depot tomorrow to begin doing better scenery work.
Thanks for the pics, I have books of Northern MN and have seen hundreds, but those are some of the best examples. And being how they are on here I can get great help modeling them.
But who am I kidding? Im doing my best to hurry, instead of doing my best to make believeable scenery. Guess its off to walmart and home depot tomorrow to begin doing better scenery work.
Thanks for the pics, I have books of Northern MN and have seen hundreds, but those are some of the best examples. And being how they are on here I can get great help modeling them.
Hey Kevin, i havnt been around to much for a while but im just getting back into it, looked at the last few pages of this thread and i think that the layout is coming along nice!!! I cant wait to see it with some more Pines. The ballasting looks pretty good, and im looking forward to seeing some more pics with more buildings and scenery added in!! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
You're welcome. As I said before, I have no doubt with a little extra effort you can turn ok scenery into something to really be proud of! 
Well Mr MilesWestern, you sure have gotten me into the better modeling kick. Headed over to Home Depot today, (I should mention that I do have some better backdrop painted in another area not photograped made out of 1/8" hardboard) and went looking for hardboard, I couldnt find the good light brown color stuff, but there was a bunch of the dark stuff already cut out to a near perfect size in the clearence bin, so I picked up 30' worth for about $10. I used some left over primer and its out in the backyard drying as we spe.....as I type. I cant screw/nail it on because the bench work is to close to the wall to get a drill or swing a hammer but I got some PL200 to attach it with some clamps. I also grabbed the same color blue that works well, in a satin, not gloss finish, but the casheir wouldnt sell it to me bacause I am only 17. So hows that for a start?
Whats RIT dye, is it a brand or type of dye that I am looking for? Think I will head to Wal-Mart tonight. See link below.
http://www.zealot.com/forum/showthread.php?p=850646#post850646
Whats RIT dye, is it a brand or type of dye that I am looking for? Think I will head to Wal-Mart tonight. See link below.
http://www.zealot.com/forum/showthread.php?p=850646#post850646
ALRIGHT KEVIN!!! That's the spirit!
For your next backdrop, use a VERY light blue (we're talking even a touch lighter than SKY blue) and muted olive greens and tans, to create the effect of atomshperic haze:
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/IMA/S333~Distant-Hills-Posters.jpg
http://www.baradel.demon.co.uk/photos/a2003/DEC3C.jpg
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll40/bionicdaniel/20080602_1838-NewlyMowedGrassLookin.jpg
This site has some nice photos of flat farm land: http://www.willmetz.com/montana/Road.html
Blend multiple shades of green and tan and gray together working from the light gray hills in the far distance forward to colors that match your trees.
What you want to achieve is a continuation of your layout, not immediately recognizable to the viewer. A great backdrop for a model railroad, in fact the best I've ever seen in my life is here: http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11835
Take a few hours one day and read the entire thread.
Also advisable for grass, trees and meadows is this fantastic tutorial:
http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1270.0
It continues onto most of the pages in that thread. Grass and meadows are on page two, and MAKE SURE to check out the conifer (pine) tree articles on page 7 (halfway down the page.)
For your next backdrop, use a VERY light blue (we're talking even a touch lighter than SKY blue) and muted olive greens and tans, to create the effect of atomshperic haze:
http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/IMA/S333~Distant-Hills-Posters.jpg
http://www.baradel.demon.co.uk/photos/a2003/DEC3C.jpg
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll40/bionicdaniel/20080602_1838-NewlyMowedGrassLookin.jpg
This site has some nice photos of flat farm land: http://www.willmetz.com/montana/Road.html
Blend multiple shades of green and tan and gray together working from the light gray hills in the far distance forward to colors that match your trees.
What you want to achieve is a continuation of your layout, not immediately recognizable to the viewer. A great backdrop for a model railroad, in fact the best I've ever seen in my life is here: http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11835
Take a few hours one day and read the entire thread.
Also advisable for grass, trees and meadows is this fantastic tutorial:
http://siskiyou-railfan.net/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1270.0
It continues onto most of the pages in that thread. Grass and meadows are on page two, and MAKE SURE to check out the conifer (pine) tree articles on page 7 (halfway down the page.)
MORE EXPENSES! Today I went to the LHS with a freind, and bought some woodland scenics plaster cloth, and a bright boy track cleaner. I got to talking with the Phill, (one of the train guys there) and I ended up looking at the Walthers Shinohara code 83 bridge track. At $19 a peice it was hard to consider buying one let alonne two that I need ( I need about 1 and a half). My freind said I should fork it over so we could put it on tonight. I decided to get one and just put more detail into the few small pieces I have from old bridges to make it complete. So things are happening, but boy is it expensive!
Ill second that Kevin. I have 2 Double Track Truss Bridges from Walthers and 1 of the Singe Track Truss Bridges, I need at least 4 for the 2 Double Track Bridges and one and a half for the Single Track Truss Bridge. To make the Double Track Bridges more realistic with the bridge track approaches going beyond the edges of the bridges, I need 3 tracks per bridge lol. Thats 8 of them all together for 3 Bridges!!!! I have 4 of them so far lol
I got another piece of backdrop in and glued togther the bridge sections. I than began making the rest of the bridge track to go along with the piece I bought. I miscut a few times and now have a few pieces soldered together (including a bad burn which hurts like a ***** while Im typing:curse but I ran a miniquad over what I had done and it went very smooth. I hate not having the camera, Id love to post soome pics.
but I ran a miniquad over what I had done and it went very smooth. I hate not having the camera, Id love to post soome pics.I cant express how much I hate not being able to post pics! Im getting alot done. I have the bridge in place with bridge track over it. The bridge nor track is secured, Ill keep it that way, but might use a little sticky tack. I have a hill made between my yard and dock approach, but now I need to make the dock and supports fot the approach. I have spliced in a new piece of track on a section where poor track work has been causing many derailents. I was also able to stretch in a little larger radius in that spot. Ive been cleaning the track and got the last piece of benchwork in under what will become the ore dock. For the most part I believe thats it, but I have run into one problem DCC wise, so Ill post a ? in the DCC thread. I aslo have a loco question Ill post elsewhere.
I used the camera today, and just guesses where it was aiming. Heres a shot of the bridge in place and the track on it. Also a new DMIR car I bought at a show today, along with a quick video of a string of hoppers after being loaded at Minntac.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Yi1Nqpbuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Yi1Nqpbuk
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outstanding kevin it inspires me to keep working tword my bridge on my new layout. keep em comming:thumb: Oh and maybe you cancatch some rail action going through bridge:mrgreen:Kevin,
That's looking much better, the bridge track makes it look 100% more realistic.
That pulpwood looks a bit too large for HO. Go with smaller twigs, but you're certianly on the right track.
Did you kitbash the pulpwood gon? It's awesome.
Here's more scale pulpwood: http://www.trainweb.org/lfnwfan/html/images/soopulp.jpg
(Ignore the terrible looking dents in the gondola though on the gon in the link)
That's looking much better, the bridge track makes it look 100% more realistic.
That pulpwood looks a bit too large for HO. Go with smaller twigs, but you're certianly on the right track.
Did you kitbash the pulpwood gon? It's awesome.
Here's more scale pulpwood: http://www.trainweb.org/lfnwfan/html/images/soopulp.jpg
(Ignore the terrible looking dents in the gondola though on the gon in the link)