Neal, ahh, interesting, I guess I only really remember the white & black Soo cabeese when I was a kid. And my grandfather's cottage was along the Wolf River just outside of New London, WI. It was a small cottage with an outhouse behind it, and a dock out into the river that floated on some 55 gallon drums or something. If I had any photos handy I'd show em, but either my mother or grandmother have em all. I think maybe your river needs some fishin'!
Not intending to model your grandfather's place, but some just like it @ Gills Landing. That area is next. Will post some pics as I get some work done. I'll need folks like yourself to let me know if they have the right "feel " to them. My friend posted his video. Please excuse the unfinished aspects and imperfections. It is, after all, an unfinished layout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vgcCyHSqr0
Same scene. Different train. Different photographer. Will get the numberboards into those locos, I promise. (And line poles, and bushes, and more trees, and...) Rats, the sky looks terrible... :munhappy:
Hear ya. The original pre - compressed photo shows brushstrokes in the sky and a few imperfections. I suppose thats what clouds will be for eh? I had to use a thick paint to get it to adhere to the skyboard material; hence brushstrokes. It looks fine when viewed from a distance. The overall effect is good so I guess I'll let it go. Sure don't feel like ripping down the whole sky to repaint it. I suppose the artist is their own worst critic. Thanks for the kind words
Did some more work on the layout. Added some more dead things to the riverbanks. BTW, this is a different crossing of the same river pictured previously. Note the addition of more flora to the riverbanks. I hope they can represent reeds and things. And lookie, line poles!! Now I will get some wires on them. Also scratchbuilt this feed mill thingy. It is a composite of the real one at Readfield. I had to compress it to get it to fit on the layout. It is kinda close to the real thing - sorta. More painting to be done on it, etc. I will also apply some dirt nearby for the parking lot(s) around it. Enclosed is a picture of the real mill for comparison. (Please don't laugh too loudly at my crude model).
I haven't looked all the way through this thread, but...do you have any lakes? Isn't Wisconsin supposed to be the land of 10,000 lakes? Of course, you can't model all 10,000 but maybe with selective compression....
The "feed mill thingy" looks pretty good. I see a bunch of things like that in rural western IL when I go visit my parents and no two seem to look exactly alike. Have you thought about a concrete foundation for the building or setting it on gravel? Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes. Wisconsin is the land of Cheeseheads and Usinger sausages. MMMMMmm - Usingers. Andy (FIB) Tetsu Uma
I think that the dirt/gravel parking lot will cover over the places where the feed mill building meets the land so a foundation is not really needed. No lakes are near the mainline in the area I am modeling, just rivers. In one area though, the large river IS the lake. Cottages and pleasure craft abound there. I am modeling that place next. You must be thinking of that next door state. Spent lots of time in Western Illinois myself. I HAVE to make my yearly pilgrimage to Galesburg RR Days each year. Been in plenty of small towns out that way. Sure do know the kind of mills and structures you refer to.
W Neal - Your "Crude Grain Thingy" is not that bad. Just add additional details to the structure. Also, adding some paint to simulate the different textures of the prototype would help. My version of a "Grain Thingy" is this copy of the CO-OP at Randolph, on the FCN. (The real structure is at Van Dyne, Wisconsin. Just a few miles north of Fond Du Lac, WI on the WC's mainline.) I did not have to compress the structure, but I did "Mirror" it to fit it's location on the layout. Remember, Every building you kit/scratchbuild is experience. Over time, I have replaced alot of my structures. So, just consider it as "practice"! :tb-biggrin: Jerry
The grain building looks really good, hardly what I would call crude, just needs a little paint and weathering and it'll fit right in. Gotta have somewhere for all those covered hoppers to go! Mmm Usinger's indeed, whenever we'd put on a cookout at school we'd just drive over to Old World 3rd St in Milwaukee and pick up a couple cases of brats. But don't forget the beer!
Wow! I mean Wow! That is a great scene fcnrwy!! I could learn a thing or two from you!! Know exactly the elevator at Van Dyne you speak of. My compadre and I were originally going to model the funnel from Neenah to Waukesha, but then reality hit us. We decided to settle on Neenah to Stevens point instead. Thanks for the support fellas. It is real nice to hear from fellow Wisconsin modelers & fans. Your points are well taken. I'll keep working on it...
My plan is to model from Neenah from the wye south through Milwaukee down to Illinois, of course I'll have to skip modeling North Fond du Lac, would take up too much space, and I wouldn't need another yard that close to Neenah anyway. Plus Milwaukee would be compressed quite a bit, but I think it would be doable.
W Neal - the route you are modeling is pretty decent. You will have Weyauwega to model. Since, it does run through that town. And that stretch of Hwy 10 that parallels the WC mainline for a few miles, east of Stevens Point. ThirdCoastRail - Ya, Neenah is quite nice and "Shops Yard" (N. FDL) is pretty massive. You could make N. FDL a backdrop item, like a photo or something. You could skip Milwaukee, by just modeling Duplainville (CP Mainline) as a lead to a hidden track. And model the small yard that was located at Waukesha. Dont forget the Wisconsin & Southern (WSOR) connections at Rugby Junction (Slinger, Wisc.) and Waukesha. :tb-biggrin: Jerry G.
Truthfully it is hard to say if this passes for Wisconsin without, A billboard proclaiming; Cheese Curds this exit! A local Tavern promoting they have PBR on tap! A car from Minnesota in the fast lane going 5 MPH under the speed limit! Hahahaha, actually your work looks great and would pass for many parts of Wisconsin I drove through in the two years I was working and driving across the state. One great tool I use in researching my layout ideas is Google Maps, Street View function. Amazing 360 degree views, assuming their mapping cars have traveled the area you are looking for.
Weyauwega? You forgot a few more: Waupaca, Nelsons, Amhearst Junction, Gills Landing, Custer, Dale... Of course I cannot model them all, but I'll try. Visited the line many times. Google Earth is nice, but nothing beats being there!
Touche! :tb-wink: Will keep ya posted. We'll see how much I can get done before the Grand Rapids 2012 meet! I sure can DREAM big. Workin on Gills Landing now... BTW, I like how you blended the 3-d trees "into" the backdrop. My version lacks dimension, unlike yours. Maybe I should try your technique.
