Ned’s been back in touch with an update, and added to the collection of model railroad wooden bridges:
“Alastair,
It is summer so my progress has slowed a bit. Most of the tables are in place and I’ve begun scenic work on the upper level of the layout.
I figured setting the bridges and therefore the dioramas for the bridges is the logical next step.
This is my first time creating any of these types of scenes, it has been a learning experience.
The seasons progress as you rotate around the room so there is a bridge in late winter/early spring, one in late summer and then one in fall. The only issue I have not been totally happy with is the static grass. Not quite as vertical as I expected.
The next step will be a base coat color on the upper level tables – lay the track – finish the upper level diorama. I’ve run power drop points around the upper level tables so getting the track operational should be quick and easy.
Enjoy”
Ned”
A huge thanks to Ned for adding to the collection of Model railroad wooden bridges to the blog.
If you have a look at his last post, you can really see how his layout is taking shape:
Arnie has been in touch with his N scale Bachmann track plan – and a few variations too:
“Hi Al
Arnie here from across the pond.
After buying and looking at the layout plans I thought I’d submit a few of my own including the one I am running right now.
Attached are 6 plans that I designed in case I wanted to change my layout.
This is the layout I am currently running with a 2% grade and 12.5 radius curve n scale track from Bachmann.
All the lay outs are e-z Bachmann track in N scale.
I hope your readers enjoy them and maybe modify them for their needs.Please keep the blog going as it is the first e-mail I read each day that I receive one.
Something about each plan.
Copy 2 was a inside and outside could reach the yard.change from the original so that both the yard.
Copy 3 added more layup tracks to the yard. The dog bone is just made for one continuous long run.
Untitled 11 is just to see if I could run more than 2 trains at one time.
Loop de loop was just fooling around and I came up with that layout.
Foolin mod. 1 is the layout I am currently running and I am planning to build a mountain over the tunnels. The trolley runs back and forth thanks to a reversing power supply I got off E-Bay. Like I said earlier I am using 12.5 radius track for the circle.
Last but not least is untitled 12 which is a copy of 11 with the trolley running on a straight track.
Thanks for your hard work in keeping the blog going.
Arnie from Florida”
A huge big thanks to Arnie for sharing his N scale Bachmann track plan – I do love seeing how a layout starts, even before there’s track on the bench, because it’s all about making that start.
Next, on to Mike, who has also made that all important start:
“Finally built my train room in my shed. Call it my scrap wood setup. I used scrap pieces of wood in my woodpile to build the table and room.
I have a 14×20 shed in my back yard. It has two 8×14 lofts, one in the front and one in the back with a 4×14 opening to the ceiling in the middle.
I was noticing sag in the back wall and decided to put up a cent wall in back creating two 7×8 rooms. After completing construction, I decided it would be a good train room.
I ran electric throughout the whole shed, then insulated the back area, put in an air conditioner, and drywalled the area.
I then, with the help of a friend who helped me build the room, built the table. As we stood back, we started staring at the other room and have decided to make it a train room also (future photos when its done).
Going to do a 4×8 table in the middle of the room with a 2 foot section connecting it in the back by cutting tunnels through the wall and connecting the two rooms.
Thanks to Mike for sharing his start – because that’s what it’s all about, making that start.
That’s all for today, expcept for one thing – the future of the blog.
Thanks to everyone that has supported the blog by buying the track plans PDF, and especially to those who jumped straigt in with membership too.
Long story short, it has found me enough breathing space to carry on while I make some drastic changes.
Fortunately, the drastic changes won’t affect anything you’ll see because it’s all the behind the scenes stuff – mainly the software behind the site.
Basically, doing this will make considerably savings, so that’s what I’m doing.
And it’s possible I won’t be able to mail as much.
There might be a few hiccups along the way, but that’s the nature of the beast when you make big changes.
I did try my very best before running this ‘promotion’.
I thought another related blog would help, so I started a forum type thing, modeltrainanswers.com.
But you know what? There were so few questions posted I lost the will for it. Should I carry on? Please leave a comment below and let me know…
Dan’s been back in touch, this time with pics and advice when it comes to making a model train river:
“Al,
In a previous post, long ago now, I mentioned that I did not do a river on my Santa Fe layout. I chose the “dry” season because I did not know how to do the water.
Here is the Inland Pacific Railway and the first rivers I ever did. The owner was a railroader and the layout was a three level very large layout. The lower level was storage and run through. It was a fully sceniced and signaled operating railroad. It had a working 11 track hump yard!
My first river turned out to be 6 feet long. Here is the beginning. I don’t think I have photos of the progress. I will say that once I poured the plaster bottom, I used my hand to smooth out the river bed to get a little 3-D effect. Very subtle but in real life it looked like a slightly uneven river bed. I also used my hand to smooth out the paint.
Finished look
Under the bridge
A Hobo camp
Camper under the bridge
Drift wood detail
A closer look
Model train river:
This train is on the lower level of the layout. The train continues to the right to the bridge over the river in the photos above. The train is on a curve from left to right. I made an Ox Bow bend scene.
I made the rapids with kitty litter and dry brushed on white and blue paints to get the daylight glint.
River level look.
Another river. Here there is dam holding the water at the rear of the photo. I made a pond there with the dam.
The over flow is interesting. I painted the dam’s over flow with tempera paint that was not fully wet. I mean not fully dissolve. This when brushed on gave it texture. Once everything was in place I made two pours of EnviroTex. I made sure there would be room for the second pour. Starting at the pond I let the “water” flow over the dam. The photo does not do it justice.
Another river. I taught driver ed for about 10 summers. I saw rivers in all manor of runoff. Here is chose a nice summer clear water look. Notice the raft some kids have put in the water.
There are 5 rivers on the layout. Here is another. The rivers were for scenic internist.
A different river.
As I prepared these photos, I realized that I should at least show the layout diagrams. General look at the layout foot print. I do not recall the size of the basement. It was a full sized basement.
The diagram.
The dispatch room.
The owner standing at the helix. This gives some idea as to the room size. There is as much room behind him as in front.
Thanks for looking. I have other layout rivers to post. If you want more of this layout let me know. Alas, as with all layouts this one is no more. A lot of it went with him when he moved to another city.
Santa Fe Dan*”
A huge big thanks to Santa Fe Dan for sharing his model train river pics and advice.
There’s quite a few posts on lakes and rivers on the blog now:
