I started a layout last month as a Christmas present for my son and I thought I would post the progress here as I go along. Of course I thought I would do something quick and simple but it is turning out to be more involved than I originally thought. I guess it is more of a Christmas present for me! My son will get trackage rights, however, and he has already enjoyed slapping plaster and doing test runs with a locomotive and cars I bought for his use. After some thought, I decieded to do a 4'x4' layout with a basic loop and two sidings. I used Atlas code 55 sectional track with a radius of 18 3/4" layed on AMI instant roadbed. I wanted a radius of at least 18 inches so I could run passenger equipment and six axle diesels and have it look halfway decent. I had not used the AMI roadbed before and I would probably not use it again, especially on a foam sub-roadbed. To get the track to stick you need to use a fair amount of preassure and I ended up squishing the track and roadbed into the foam a little. Not a big problem but not ideal. The basic scenery features include the obligitory tunnel, road, cuts and river. I used Woodland Scenics risers, cardboard strips and crumpled newspaper to form the basic landscape and then covered it with two layers of plaster cloth and Sculptamold. Next comes rock carving. My two biggest influences in the hobby have been the Reid brothers and Scott Seekins so we will see if their spirit will invade this little project. Andrew [ December 28, 2005, 05:14 AM: Message edited by: hegstad1 ]
Its always fun to watch as a layout morphs from the plywood prairie to the Polar Express to the rolling coastal hills of California and finally to the wooded hills of the eastern seabord with towns, industries and farms. Keep us posted on the progress.
Andrew...very nice work--keep us posted. Once I began building layouts with my son 20+ years ago, a bond developed that nothing will ever replace. Look at the project as an educational experience for you both and the feeling of "what did I get myself into" will disappear. Cam PS---Yesterday, my son drove 75 miles to bring some hand-built trees for "our" new layout. We had a few beers & laughs before he went back home today. I love model railroading.
Hegstad1, as a fellow owner of a 4' x 4' layout, great! Very interesting to me to see how you evolve it. Actually, very similar to what I ended up designing. ( can see that plan at: http://home.comcast.net/~j.sing/My_Layout_today_with_curve_radius_noted.GIF Have any plans or thoughts on whether lack of a run-around track will be a problem given that whichever way you're running, you have a facing point sidine? Keep us posted! (smile) [ December 28, 2005, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: atsf_arizona ]
Andrew: Have fun developing that layout for your son. It's amazing what you can accomplish in N scale in such a small space. Stay cool and run steam.....
Thank you for the encouagement everybody! Good point. My goal was to keep the track work very simple but your solution looks good. I may look into it. I don't have any plans to, maybe later. Well, back to the basement.
I have the week off so I am going to try and get as much accomplished as I can on my sons layout. John's earlier post regarding a passing siding made a-lot of sense to me and I luckily had two extra turnouts and a section of flex track handy. It did not take long at all to make the layout almost a carbon copy of yours John...hope thats ok! I also started building the highway overpass. This is a beautiful Monroe Models hydrocal kit (http://www.monroemodels.us/) with some modifications. I shortened one end to better fit the location and the road will pass over the structure instead of underneath as the kit was intended. Here are the latest pictures. Andrew [ December 29, 2005, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: hegstad1 ]
There will definitely be NP equipment running on the layout but it will be fairly generic in appearance. I think I will actually call it the Otter Tail Valley Railroad after a short-line beween Fergus Falls, MN and Moorhead (actually ex-NP track). Their equipment consits of several high nose GPs of various types and former Sante Fe steel cabooses. Sorry I don't have any good pictures to post. The paint scheme is currently that of owner Rail America but when I was going to college in Moorhead it was Black with the OTVR logo on the side and safety stripes on the nose. Does anybody have good pictures of these units so I could get some decals made?? Andrew
Here is the latest installment: I worked on rock carving yesterday. I have never done this before but I have to say I really prefer it to using castings. You are able to customize the rock work to the location better than with other methods. I will not get into too much detail on how I did it but instead refer you to Allen Keller's video on the Cumberland Valley System. Bill Reid does an excellent tutorial on rock carving. I have not done much coloring of rocks either so I just experimented a little. I started with a wash of black followed by burnt sienna, burnt umber and touches of raw umber. White was dry brushed last for highlights. To me, this gives the rocks that reddish tone that remind me of NE Minnesota (not that I'm modelling NE Minnesota). I think I will work on the river bed next. Andrew
Didn't the GNHS have a convention this past summer back there? And the OTVR was chartered? If so, surely someone would have a few photos taken then? Boxcab E50
Amazing. It sure is nice looking rock. What are you carving? The foam? Also, I notice that this rock is being painted. I guess that is what you would have to do if you are using foam.
Boxcab, your right. The GNHS did an excursion on the line but most of the pictures I've seen have equipment in the new RailAmerica scheme. Here are some links to some pictures. I especially like that ex-Sante Fe caboose. That should be pretty easy to model. Picture of OTVR GP18 in old piant scheme OTVR GP-9 in RailAmerica paint Ex-ATSF caboose in weathered OTVR paint Flash, Thanks for the compliment! I used moulding plaster for the rocks which is a little softer than Hydrocal and takes colored washes better. Andrew
What is the "Minnesota Northern RR?" Guess I'm not paying close enough attention to what RA is doing. Sure wish they'd come up with a more traditional RR paint scheme. Boxcab E50
Wow just like that BAM you've got rocks. Very impressive and enough to make a newbie like me run for the hills.
