New Additions OK... Finally I have assembled the layout after 4 long months over the Christmas weekend. God these 4 months were suffocating! Trains are running again and I took the first opportunity to see my new additions in action. Atlas covered hopper, a couple of MT flat cars and the thing I was most anxious about, the Bachmann SD-45. But all of them have shown satisfactory performance.
The SD-45 has definitely changed my opinion about Bachmann, this $24 loco has very nice details (as you can see in the photos above) and it runs pretty good too. Though performance wise, I would still keep my Life-Like GP-38 on top, but I am happy with this Bachmann loco. I just hope it keeps this level of performance for a good amount of time. [video=youtube_share;i74BNCaScUE]http://youtu.be/i74BNCaScUE[/video]
Always great to see the progress you and your wife are making, Nimo. Keep those pics and videos coming! Jim
It took me 3 weeks to set up the backdrop for the layout while managing work and get the interior of my house set up were running in parallel. After the new year, I started cutting the plywood and started drilling holes in the woods. Once the base for the backdrop was set, I made the backdrop canvas using good quality cardboard. The backdrop has three corners and I made curved canvas for all of them. Now that is a big canvas for my paint loving partner! So she just started with the black border this Sunday, and since acrylic paint was not really in enough quantity, she started painting the sky with water color! Here are some shots: The Curved backdrop gives a smooth transition between the two sides: The dimension of the curved backdrop is clearer in the following pictures: The effect on the scene: And finally, the 'panoramic' view. The whole canvas.
WOW! You must read about John Allen's Gorre and Daphetid if you haven't already. He set a standard years ago that you meet or exceed for detailed planning and exquisite execution. Beautiful work you two are doing! It took a while to plug thru this thread, but was worth it! Keep up the good work!
Wow, thats a great compliment! Thank you! John Allen has been a constant inspiration to me for years, and being compared to his work was really an honor. I am really glad you like the layout so far! it's not really going at the pace we'd like it to, but we're hanging in there! stay tuned! :tb-biggrin:
That really is looking great nimo. You've even inspired me to start thinking about how many ways lighting a layout can torture me! *sigh* so much to learn (ergo, so much failing to achieve ) I remember you giving me some advice on kitbashing earlier in this thread-I took it to heart and finally have one minor-ly modified structure to show for it (which you can go scrutinize over on my thread lol) And don't fret about the time it's taking: just look at it from the perspective of how much your wallet is loving a slower pace Still though, great work and keep those updates coming! (here and fb)
Thank you! Kit bashing and scratchbuilding are two of my favorite aspects of this hobby - so I am always excited to see kitbashing/catchbuilding projects (For the record, I hate the wiring part - whether for running trains or for lights and accessories, well let's say, I just hate wires). You have done an excellent job with your coal mine. As for my wallet, unfortunately it is not enjoying the slower pace! The reason being, I have already purchased quite a few things for a number of different parts of this projects, and some of them are lying there (along with the plans) for months, a few may be for a year! The only consolation is, quite a few of those are selling at the double price now. It's tough to make a layout when you have a demanding job!
Yup, don't be in any hurry! The getting there is a HUGE part of the fun. Remember how much fun it was to plan and dream? The John Allen comparison came about by your detailed work and the use of whatever you can get your hands on to build a model. And they come out so fine! One day I may actually get a RR built! As for now, back to dreaming........
Oh I agree with that... Planning was fun, and most importantly it didn't require much 'physical' involvement - so all I needed was a free track planning software... I have to admit, though, planning and building a layout are totally two different ball game. And you really cannot plan enough for everything - there will always be some tricky angle that is going screw your plans big time when you actually start building! Sometimes I wonder that I am growing impatient with tiny 6X3, how do people handle a room size, basement size and attic size layouts and build them for over a decade... hats off to them...
Cafe Nimo Well, this is a project that I 'kind of' started a long time back. And this particular piece is going to be different - kind of the flashy side of the so far grim background. As for the shape - nothing exciting, an L shaped building with a cafe in one block and a not so healthy motel in another. The scene around this area of the town is not going to portray a nice neighborhood anyway. This cafe and motel is also a hang out of place for a local biker gang... well that tells you quite a few about the area, and tells you about my next ambitious project as well - modeling enough N scale bikes to model a biker joint - at least 3 -4! That is going to be one hell of a project, I reckon. Coming to the building - here are the walls with windows and doors: And now the best part of th building - the Light Works USA 'Cafe' neon light!
Placing the building with the others on the layout gives the persepective of how it is going to look after it's complete and installed. The gap between the tall 7 story hotel in the left and the cafe will have a road and a level crossing, with the cold storage building in the background. Here, a short video of the neon light animation: [video=youtube_share;pgaNmaE2lV0]http://youtu.be/pgaNmaE2lV0[/video]
Very cool building (what are the walls?) and sign. Any way to make one of the letters flicker? The scene is coming together well: I really dig that tall building as a "bookend" and then the lower cafe/industry in the front. With the cold storage (where the biker gang hides the bodies?) in the back, it'll definitely give it an "urban industrial" atmosphere. Any thoughts on the backdrop? A quick google image search of "city panorama" pops up some pretty cool picts. Just have to get the line-of-sight & horizon line right. Keep up the great work!
Thanks MC... The walls are card stocks used for art work and architectural scale models. Yes, I can make the light flicker! This is an amazing animation tool with 40 different animations, and there are quite a few with flickering option. It will take some time to get bored with this toy! Thanks for the search - some of these are really cool. We are going to paing the sky first, then take individual building pictures, cut them and arrange them like a collage - I am guessing that way it will also increse the field of depth, have the right perception and will look cool from a distance.
Well, some more progress on the Cafe building. The neon light mehanism is housed securely within the building: Also, the fire escape for the building is also modeled: Once the roof is in place, notice the to tiny access on the roof - looks like roof detailing from a distance. The one in the front is the on-of switch, the smaller round access is to use the run pattern selection switch. Now some shots...
