My dad (with "help" from me and my younger brother) built this 3 1/2' x 4' n-scale layout back in the late 80's, mainly as an animated base for the fake xmas tree. DC, Code 80 track, Atlas remote switches, cork roadbed on plywood table. Basically two loops connected by crossovers in upper right and back left, with a timesaver variation slapped on at the front for business / depot. Box Mountain in the center "hides" the base for the tree, with the inner loop travelling under it. Pretty ugly. Over 20 years later, "inspired" by the annual comments from Mom about the un-prototypical toilet-paper tube tunnels and styrofoam hills, I decided to finally "finish" the layout as a gift for my parents (and my kids, too)(and me). It also helped that I have a bit of Empire-Building stuff around without an Empire (due to moving). I'll post some progress picts: please feel free to make comments / suggestions!
First thing I did was replace the plastic crossing with a #6 turnout to connect to the yard lead which now curved to meet it. Now all trains can enter the yard lead from either direction, though trains are still limited to a couple of cars – guess we’ll have to break up longer trains and leave part on the mainline & divert traffic to the inner loop. Before: After: I also extended the “industry spurs” / switchback track as far as possible to allow more than an engine and one car to traverse to the depot. I’m thinking business will consist of a freight house complex with gantry crane at the front left to balance out the depot on the right. Maybe a trackside fuel tank in the front middle. Still mulling over yard details. Suggestions appreciated! The wire mesh over the left tunnel entrance will hopefully become an alpine forest in which trains will “disappear”, somewhat based off Steven Otte’s July 2009 MR article. Not sure it will work with a pine forest. Was thinking do dark foam around walls & mesh, with short trees on / around mesh, with taller, fuller trees on ground leading up to hole. Any suggestions appreciated! [not sure how many picts I can fit in a post, so will limit to three or four]
There will be an alpine lake between the tree stand supports, a marsh in the back, a freight house / team track up front left, and even the toilet-paper tube tunnels will disappear! That ugly red paint was some from my parents' housepainting: thought it might make good iron earth. boop. already painted over with more tannish/grey. A combination of pink foam and newspaper/plaster forms the hills / mountains to try to de-box Box Mountain. I pressed plaster rock castings into the wet plaster so people would take them for granite. And the most coolest aspect: my 8-yr old daughter (seen painting a retaining wall) and my 4-yr old son also are totally into it! Yesterday they painted rock castings together (we were having too much fun to remember to photo I’ve done more than these picts show: spackled in gaps, painting, building a “bridge” for the rear marsh. My art teacher always like to say "You can't polish a turd", but am trying to prove her wrong.
Following that dude Evert’s groovy instructional videos, I attempted to pave a water putty asphalt road from depot through town. Tried to do it without wood forms, let the putty set too much, so was only able to pave & before crustiness set in. (You can also see the retaining walls my daughter was painting installed) Since I more of the hang of it, I used the rest of my can of Durham’s on the team track / freight area front left. I think it turned out pretty groovy for a first attempt at paving around & through track: I just poured everywhere and then, while the putty set, I carved out the inner rails with a dentist’s tool and smoothed down with q-tips & wiped rail tops with alcohol. I’m sure there’s a better way to do it: carving with dentist’s tool produced moocho curled shavings. I saw W. Dudler (?) had a cool tool made from a track gauge to pull through the inner track to scrape it, but I haven’t made one yet. Any other suggestions for next time?
In the meantime, I've been building the "bridge" that will traverse the marsh/swamp in the back right. I decided to solder pc ties to maintain rail spacing (below is "in process" of soldering) and then gorillaglue the rails to the deck. Not the most elegant but speedy and will look fine in the back. [Not sure why the pict rotated - sorry!] Painted it (the wood had already been stained): The gorillaglue is bonding as we speak & will install tomorrow. The marsh/swamp is an attempt at the illusion of depth: not easy cutting down into the plywood base. I know it can be done but I'd like to try smoke & mirrors first. So I'm going to modgepodge over a painted "riverbed" with slightly raised "banks", with the stream emptying into a swampy marsh of still water and grass. Any good suggestions for good reeds / grass? Need to plant it before pouring thin layer of magic water, I'm guessing. Any other good marsh tips? Floating plants / logs? Thanks!
Here’s the area I’m thinking alpine marsh: slow / still water & clumps of reeds / lake grass, fed by the stream (the dark black / green paint) flowing from the high lake to below the church. I’ve put the low bridge from the last post in place, though not set yet. Here’s the other angle: The marsh will pool on both sides of the bridge, up to the outer loop on one side & with trees behind and up the back hill on the other. I was thinking building up the “banks” with a little plaster, dirt & ground foam, planting a bunch of thin grasses with some clumps of bushes, and pour a thin layer of tinted magic water. Need suggestions for grass / reed material found around the house. Teased & died frayed carpet? Pine needles? Hair tufts? (Mine’s rather thin & brownish like heather) Blond fake fur dry brushed? All ideas appreciated!
Things bumping along in fits & starts. Installed the bridge over the future marsh swamp: Planted some 1/8” dowel posts as a retaining wall: Thought I’d pour a thin layer of plaster around the area to prep the marsh area, with a thin layer of paper towel to make slight “banks”. But the plaster was a wee bit thick (read: scale mud flood) so I, in a FEMA frenzy, had to push it back to create the marsh area. Messy, but worked out. Then, while I was painting the tracks & ballast area “tuxedo black” - goop it everywhere then swab the railtops with alcoholic q-tips – I added some dark green & painted the base of the marsh swamp marshswampy green: Has a nice glossy sheen now but that’s cause it’s wet. Next step: add dirt & grasses, detritus, then pour a wee bit of tinted magic water. And POOF! Return of the Swamp Thing! (additional incantations & potions appreciated!)
Started to scenic the pine forest valley into which trains will disappear: Covered the mesh and surrounding area with a couple layers of ground foam. Should have painted the box opening inside tuxedo black or marshswampy green. Will probably reach a brush in there. The whole approach to the mesh and around it will be layered with pine trees. Pine making party with the kiddies coming up! Any other tricks to help create a thick pine forest valley in 4-6 inches? Cheers!
Wow that is a Hugh improvement over the previous layout. And to involve your Children I'm sure is priceless. Only one suggestion the freight house to be called something like The House of Misfit Toys. Other than that keep on doing what your doing looks GREAT!!:thumbs_up::thumbs_up: And I'm sure your folks will love it as well
Thanks for the kind words! Still have a looooooooong way to go Though even the toilet-paper tube tunnel is slowly transmorgifying too! Sure is messy in medias res! (just like us kids!) The Fright Freight House of Misfit Toys is on the way in the mail!
For a little staycation, the family took a trip to the pine forest today. First, we had to scour the pad to skewer the materials to build it: Then we branched off & shook up foam sweet foam: After getting into a sticky situation with a hair(spray)-raising adventure, we finally saw the forest for the wee trees: 17 trees in twice the minutes! [All while avoiding those pesky child-labor laws] I think I'll try the more detailed floral-wire pines for the foreground trees. Anyone have the link handy to that european dude who made those amazing wire-based trees? Or does hairspray work just as well on wire? Over the river & through the woods to Grandmother's house we go...
Looking Great! Gives me a little encouragement to go back and continue my blue foam pile in the living room loll. great to see the kids helping out too!:thumbs_up:
Found a link to Jos the WonderDutchman's fab tree building tutorial using floral wire. THEN, I looked around here and found mikelhh's mahvelous tutorial using wire. Any others will be appreciated! I'm hoping polyfil works, as that's what I have. Looks like it's time to teach my tikes how to do the Twist!
wow amazing project here. amazing to see the kids involved! im sure if i had kids, they would smash everything up haha
Landscaping landslide the last couple of days. Foam, rocks, bushes, tree planting, etc. Here’s SP&S 50 pulling a light load around the back left corner: Still have ballasting to do, as well as washing the rocks with some dark brown “rain”. Closer up: Nice splotch of drying diluted glue there, to the front left. And a view of the backside: The impending marsh scene is slowly growing (de-composing?) in the back. Pot toppers for high grass. Very shiny, so am in process of washing darker. Tried using my hair clippings for longer reeds, but darn if they’re difficult to align! Tried using a balloon to static-lift but had a less-than-hair-raising adventure. Think I’ll try cheap brush bristles for some reed tufts. The town is getting greener & rockier as well: The Upper Lake will feed the marsh (off to bottom right) through the waterfall / stream that winds its way past church & retaining wall. I’m thinking clear caulk & modgepodge for the waterfall (will be a wee one). Lake & marsh will be magic water. Still need to plant moocho trees, bushes & deadfall. Laid dirt on the yard area, too. Will cinder soon! More picts to follow weekend. Any / all suggestions & comments welcome!
Things slowly coming along: Got to this point, then tried running some trains. Worked groovy until... Yup, Murphy stopped it inside the tunnel UNDER the tree stand. (Dad: "Oh, yeah, I think some feeder wires got disconnected from that section a couple years ago...") I know I should have checked everything BEFORE slopping on the landscaping, but where's the fun in that? Everything on this layout is bass-ackward, anyway. SO! Time for some sugery! Ze creature iz prepped, herr doktor... Dad put an access hole behind the cliff face? Nope! just the tunnel back when this was a HO layout! Time for the butchering! Vacuumed evrything out, cleaned the tracks & thought I'd run one more test train before ripping everything out... POOF! Ran great! Was just 14 years overdue for a cleaning! But all is not in vain! I will add some feeders & solder most rail joints, & ballast tunnel entrances while I'm here, as hands do NOT fit into the tunnel openings. Also will cover with removable mesh, I'm thinking, or a lift out so I don't have to kill it to save it again. I have stared into the Abyss... & it turns out all you need is a BrightBoy!
Couldn't leave the post so ugly, so here's the (unballasted) backside: Also, the Feight House of Misfit Toys arrived at the LHS today, so it's time to dive into my first lazer-cut wood kit build! Tally ho!
Soldered more feeders all over the layout, as well as inside the tree-base tunnel. This time, I ran trains for an hour over all parts of the layout (especially in the tunnel) to make sure track work is okiedokie. My 20ish-year old RS-1 did groovy! So I decided to close the gaping wound with plaster: Probably should have spent the time to figure out a lift-out access, but meh… By the time my refurbished track & wiring work craps out, I’ll have built a new xmas tree layout. Or my kids will. So while the plaster dries, I turned my attention to finishing up detailing the marsh & lake. I want to pour magic water tomorrow so it looks like something before my Dad gets home this weekend. High altitude lake: nothing fancy, just rocks & some logs: There’ll be some pines along in front of that foam-cover “wall” on the right. I’m just thinking a very thin pour of magic water, with maybe some modgepodge slight undulation effects. Or if it looks good clear & calm then that’s fine, too. I’ll just put a little movement near where the waterfall will come through the “brush” (that will be there later). For the marsh down at the bottom, I tried using my own hair as high grass but got messy & ugly fast. Broke down and tried WS grass. At first I held it with tweezers as I clipped the bunches, but it ended up to fall out, so my fingers worked out fine: And the reverse angle: I will trim some of those stray wild grasses after the glue sets. The grass looks a bit shiny: will probably wash with some thinned paint. I think it'll look moocho better when all teased, washed & finished (now looks like hair implants). I also ballasted the tracks around the marsh area with cinders so that will be dry before I pour the water. (The “mainline” outer loop will have proper grey ballast.) The ballast I just sprinkle everywhere with a small spoon, then use a brush to tamp / shape, then wet with alcohol & eyedrop thinned white glue. Seems like each time I ballast I use less & less, but it still seems to overflow more & more. Guess I’ll have to keep practicing! (“Good thing” there’s so much of it to do!) Tomorrow: tree planting, water pouring, and more ballast! (all in separate areas, of course!)
Presto! Magic Water! The alpine lake: and the marsh is marshing along: and the reverse angle: and a close-up: I think I might have over-poured a wee bit. [note to self: don't do water 10 minutes before picking up daughter at school] so there might be more marsh than I intended when I return tomorrow, along with a water-soaked bridge. Ah, nature at work! Also ballasted all the track with cinders, with only the mainline left to ballast with grey. Hope to have it "done" for the massive family get-to-gether on Turkey Day!
