Excellent, Wolfgang! If anything, it looks too clean. Maybe some scale cigarette butts on the ground and a half full trash can near the door.
Wolfgang: That scale shed is nicely done! And the light inside for night scenes is a great idea, too. As far as adding any details to the area around the shed...I agree with Phil about looking a little too clean. Maybe some weeds or brush along the fence and weathering of the shed itself...and the fence. Would there be trees on the outside of the fence, inside of the fence, both sides or neither side? Where is the crew that needs that nighttime lightbulb? Would the scale shed (scale house?) be occupied pretty much all day/night? or would an individual or crew only be in it at the moment the cars run over the scale and then everybody goes someplace else for a long while until the next train needs to be weighed? If they go in and out a lot, would there be a path worn to another building nearby? Would there be any signs on the outside (or inside) of the scale shed? Is the scale you've modeled relatively new, or would it have need of some weathering too? Would the scale shed serve any other purpose...such as storage for equipment or supplies used nearby around the yard? Would the scale shed have a phone or electrical wires connecting to a pole? or a radio antenna on top of the building? How about a light to illuminate the side of the cars at night so the person(s) weighing cars could see the identifying marks on the cars? ...or maybe illuminate the area around the shed with a light mounted on a utility pole.
poppy2201: sad to hear it doesn't fit - after all we^H^Hyou worked so hard to make such a nice plan Cleggie: ahh, progress. Wolfgang: someone slacking off with a cigarette in his mouth.. For me, The Duck River sub hasn't seen any real action; having some arguments with acrylic paint trying to touch up mistakes; and I suspect I'm going to have to repaint the entire main deck's backdrop. And then a bunch of us co-workers got 'on the turps' and I might have to start thinking long and hard about if I want to stay working for this company in this town in this country None of which bodes well for the Duck River.. Aaah, March. I knew this was going to be a bad week, but... Keep posting your progress folks, 14-16 days to go!
Okay, the panic button may have been pushed too soon. I quickly redrew the plan and think it may work. I will test fit this weekend. The worst I think that will happen is I will lose one track in the yard area but if that is all then I can live with that.
Started work on some background structures and the backdrop yesterday and also added some new clouds using a new cloud template and my air brush. Using some images from the Internet I was able to size and print them on glossy photo paper and then attached them to 1/4" thick foam core using 3M spray adhesive. I attached the "Dixie Machine Welding and Metal Works, Inc." structure backdrop to the background just behind the roundhouse. I also made a structure backdrop of an old Domino Sugar facility that was taken from an image I found on the Internet. Here are a few images for your viewing: This section is still a work in progress This one is just leaning there for possible placement Also did some detail work around the roundhouse With roof retracted
Nothing on my Spring Party goals, but made BIG headway on preparations for the NMRA Layout Open House this Sunday. *Replaced several flourescent bulbs, *put up a new light in a dark corner, *replaced all 4 of the fire alarm batteries in the trainroom plus batteries in the 2 clocks, *tweaked a turnout and siding that have been giving me fits (it was not as level as it should have been), *printed some more P&PU prototype pics--framed and hung them for the open house, *cleaned a harder to reach section of hidden track, *cleaned off my work bench (that was tougher than I expected!!)...still have to *clean up my desk and computer area, *emptied a mouse trap (and got side-tracked into refilling the wood rack for our fireplace while I was putting Mickey in the trash in the garage) came back inside and re-set some other traps...Debated posting in the thread on critters trespassing on layouts, but decided against it, *put up some new cards to cue operators how to switch certain industries, *installed a second LocoNet panel at the other end of Corn Products, *put away all the scenicing, wiring, detailing tools and materials I've had out this past month. Tomorrow I'll get my desk, vacuum EVERYTHING, and clean track and loco wheels. If I get everything set, I may go operate on a friend's layout.
Great progress all. ppuin: I just had an open house this past January and it took me about a week to clean the train room and make sure everything ran properly.
Was your open house for NMRA or a model RR club? Several people have started threads in the Inspection Pit about Open Houses or operating sessions they've hosted or attended. Any pics or comments from yours or others you've attended that you could share in the Inspection Pit? I enjoy seeing others' layouts, and hearing about their operating sessions, especially ideas on what contributed to making the open house or operating session a success (or flop). It usually takes me about a week to get ready for an open house or big operating session...a little less if it's just the core group of 3 or 4 operators who come over about every month or so. After working on the turnouts for the Spring Layout Party last weekend, I had intended to start my Open House prep on Sunday or Monday, but it took me all the way to late Tuesday nite to finish the turnout wiring, and then Wednesday and Thursday evenings were mostly taken up doing stuff for my school districts. What trainroom activities I did get to do were not too well-focused until yesterday when I made a prioritized list of things I want done before visitors arrive.
Ryan: How did you determine how big you were going to print the images of the Dixie Machine Shop or the sugar plant?...Just trial and error until you found the size that looked best? Would it be possible for you to post a link to the sugar plant image or post the images you used in your Railimages account? I'd like to use it for portions of my Corn Products buildings or Beeney Warehouse (former Hart-Carter plant)...which are just (deteriorating) cardboard mock-ups at this point, but which I hope eventually to do in a combination of photos and kitbashing. Corn Products in the 1950s or 60s. Corn Products mockup on my layout. Hart-Carter Manufacturing in 1963. Beeney Warehouse (former Hart-Carter) on the layout.
With less than two weeks to go I am resigned to not achieving all I set out ot do. However, I am still making resonable progress. Made a plaster cast tunnel section that is removable. I will detail the scene so that the seem is not visible. The tunnel removed to allow track cleaning. Applied the first wash and will leave it like that for a while to completely dry out. I will go over it with a few different shades and highlights latter. Then apply the foliage, a few shrubs and grasses.
Cleggie: Is the removable section made of construction foam? Is it heavy? Looks like an excellent method for access. Better than a hole in the fascia board. Judicious use of scenery material should hide the seam.
Open House for our NMRA division went well today. I'll try to get pics posted. In the final Weeks of the Spring Layout Party I plan to finish up wiring the cascading routes and put in some more scenery...if work lets me.
Crazy Wiring Fun OK, well I can't even remember what exactly my goals are--I'll go back and check--but I'm pretty sure this was on there. This is my DCC "control center" consisting of Phase 1 of detection, transponding, and signalling. Here's a tour: -The two cards on the top left and middle are Digitrax BDL168 Detection Cards. -The card on the top right is a Digitrax SE8C Signal Driver. -The spaghetti underneath the first BDL168 is my attempt to implement Digitrax transponding utilizing the RX4 transponding detectors. There are two RX4's shown, connected to the BDL168 using the ribbon cable you see winding off to the right of the card. Each RX4 is actually made up of four RX1's, which are the white "pucks" you see. -The sixteen detection sections from the BDL168 are feeding a terminal strip at the bottom of the panel, and 14 are also passing through the transponding detectors in various configurations to create 8 transponding zones. (see below for more detail if you're keeping score.) -The cabling sneaking off to the right is the AC power source for the board (green wires), the Ground wire to be connected to the command station, and the "Rail B" to also be connected to the command station. At this point, nothing is "live" or tested yet. I spent a good bit of today soldering wires to the edge connector for the first BDL168 and getting everything mounted. Obviously if you look the hinges are just laying there and need to be attached. Everything else SHOULD be ready to go for the first 16 detection sections. (which essentially covers the staging, Fort Worth, and Mid-Cities/TRE Yard areas.) You can see the foam tape below the second BDL168, which will have an identical configuration of spaghetti as the first. (and you guys thought DCC was just two wires to the track. Tsk Tsk. :-D ) The SE8C implementation is still in planning stages. (as is the detection and transponding, really) BDL168/RX4 Split-out Transponding Zone/Detection Section(s) 1/1,2 2/3,4 3/5,6 4/7,8 5/9 6/10,11 7/12 8/13,14 -/15* -/16* * Detection Only Sections
Update on status... -Finish a couple more sections of my d/t/s plan. This is done, just not electronically. Will try to update the diagrams online this week. -Feeder-mania -No additional feeders placed -Mount BDL168, RX4, and SE8C on a hinged plexiglass panel "Phase I" is done. -Finish the Walthers bridge. Done -Finish wiring the DS64 for staging. Still Pending :thumbs_up: Goals (Current completion % in parenthesis): -Finish "first pass" of detection/transponding/signalling plan. (25%-->50%; see blog for more details) -Finish laying track and wiring feeders on the bottom level. (50%-->80%) -Get detection installed and working for hidden staging/Fort Worth. (25%-->50%) -Lay roadbed/track on top level section to get it ready for testing and connection to bottom level. (20%) -Finish building, painting, and weathering Walthers truss bridge (100%) Optional (Current completion % in parenthesis): -Weather track on bottom level. (30%-->50%) -Install Tortoise machines on bottom level (0%) -Get transponding working in staging (25%-->50%)
As predicted, no progress this week. Although I did get to flatten the camera batteries photographing the 'pipers.. aaand, since I'm just now gnawing on dinner after a 12 hour day at the office (have to be back in for a phone call in 11 hours), I suspect I'll not get much done this week either! But then, I knew this was coming - it's March. Looking at the backdrops around me, I'm quite pleased with the staging deck; it looks good, a nice gradient without any obvious banding. I'm equally unimpressed with the main deck and my choices of blue paint; I've not got anything good for the mid-field between "horizon light" and "straight up azure". I'm tempted to repaint the whole thing a flat blue and start again.
Cleggie, the removable tunnel looks very nice! It should serve you well, hopefully you'll never need to use it!
