“Wondering if you can post the progress of my O scale layout so far?
There will be an aisle behind this eventually with the back wall painted sky blue and the narrow gauge along the wall with mountains, trestles etc.
I made the control panel with led’s for the switches and painted most of the cars and built the buildings.Track work is mostly Micro engineering flex with reliable roco switches and four hand laid ones. This is standard 1/48.
My work in Georgia, USA is done and I’m back home after 5 months, so It’s been awhile since I sent an update on my bridge module, my attempt at back-drop painting, and an update on what I think may be the final track plan.
The good news was that I was able to bring the module in from my wood-shop, but did have to remove a door (too darned close for comfort!), and when staged in place, I found all my measurements for the rest of the plan wayyyy off, so they went in the bin.
The backdrop was painted on ½” sheetrock, primed on both sides, and then painted a nearly white flat yellow. This gave me a cheap canvas to work on. Scenic painting was done in Acrylic artist paint, dries fast and water cleanup, base colors – black, white, brown and a few greens were bought in big jars, rest in smaller tubes. Backdrops are a challenge because stuff in the foreground casts shadows on the “mountains” supposedly 20 miles away! Anyway, moving lighting around gave me some shots that are not too bad.
Over the past months I have been buying various types of conifer trees off eBay vendors. This gave me a variety of detail and sizes. I think most came out pretty well, and I think the buying of some in “O” scale gave me some dramatic pines. A vendor or 2 will get repeat business. The details on the bridges are not quite done, I added the “tell-tails” and some stuff on the decks, missing ties and all filled in. still trying to figure out telephone and electric lines.
Most of the coal hoppers on the bridge have my ¼” foam with coal glued on it as coal loads, as I mentioned a few weeks ago in a reply to another method you posted, I make about 20 loads at a time.
I enjoy the scenery, and the art stuff, so, even though it may be quite awhile until I run trains, the hobby is still fun and rewarding.
John
Baltimore MD. USA”
A huge thank you to John (his last post is here). Just a stunning scene – absolutely love it!
And it just goes to show, you can work on your layout anytime you like, it doesn’t matter how many months off you take…
That’s all today, folks. Please don’t forget the Beginner’s Guide if you want to join in on the fun.
Brian’s been in touch with his shelf layout HO scale – I do enjoy seeing your layout from the very start:
“I model in HO scale but based on 3 foot gauge, hence HOn3.
Below is the garage in the process of being converted into my train room. I put up a drywall 6 foot in from the garage door (behind me in this photo) as a storeroom for my wife’s household equipment.
Access to it is through the door at the back right. This left me with a 14ft X 10ft area for my layout.
Below is progress with the upper level still to be erected. A must have, are cupboards below for storage of model train “stuff”
My layout is not so much about long runs (but will have a double loop and involved operation around logging shown in photos at the end) on the upper level.
Left photo below shows the start of the logging area. Right photo shows all the lighting under the valances installed. Rear upper storage shelf in the middle has not been installed yet. It will have the strip lighting under it to light up the area where the sawmill will be situated.
Photos below show the top deck of my two level layout is more advanced than the bottom with track laid and operational. Scenery in certain sections is complete. Photos taken from left to right as you enter the room, first the top deck.
A busy logging scene. The knobs for operating switches on the fascia board are part of the Blue Point switch machines all around the layout. The Log skidder is one of many resin kits by Rusty Rails. Log loads are cast in resin by me before painting and weathering. The Vehicles are modified kits.
The loco in the photo above is a brass Westside Heisler (one of two that I have) painted and weathered by me as is the case with nearly all the locos except the two Blackstone locos. They still need to be weathered and a train crew added.
The photo below identifies what CCL stands for – Cascade Creek Logging. The Mallet is a very old PFM model.
Photo below is a 3 truck Shay (one of two that I have) by Westside models.
Below is the other Heisler, also a Westside model. Kadee couplers are used throughout on all locos and rolling stock.
A company Coach (CCLco) built from a (long gone) E&B Valley kit I have about eight of these.
Below, a billboard and truck with figures is by Woodlands Scenics. Big Mcgiffert log loader is a Rio Grande Model and the truck mounted log loader by Walthers.
Below is a Woodlands Scenics Tie and Plank mill. Disconnects log trucks are by Rio Grande Models.
Flat car with water tank in above right photo (both) are cast from resin. Lead strips fitted between the beams of the car (shown below) to add weight before adding the bolsters and trucks, painting, staining and weathering.
Photos below are: Tepee sawdust burner by JV Models. Caboose a Durango Press kit; Donkey log skidder on another cast flat car is a Scale Structures kit. Cast logs on HO Rivarossi log cars converted to Hon3: A Woodlands Scenics vehicle loading cut wood.
Above is mixture of Campbell and Woodlands Scenics kits all fitted with interior detail and lights
Below is a Woodlands Scenics Tucker Bros machine shop with lights and arc welding unit inside.
Below is a Rio Grande Models Rotary snowplow kit OM.
Above is another 3 truck Shay with mostly Woodland Scenics buildings in the background awaiting painting.
Below is a Woodlands Scenics gas station kit converted to small line side station with a working street light.
Below is a Design Preservation Models “practice” kit. Full interior detail and lights added from my “bits box”
Top level terminus (Cascade Creek below). The tank car is by Narrow Gauge Car Shops.
A Blackstone K27 (one of two that I have) on a modified HO (to HOn3) Atlas turntable with a Tamiya
gearbox mounted underneath.
The lower deck:
Lots of work to do but at least most of the structures are built and painted. Some photos to show the extent of the detail. I make sure that all my buildings have interior detail and lights.
The Lenz LH100 throttle (have 3) right rear is the DCC system I use to operate the layout. All locos are DCC with sound from tsunami and Blackstone.
The harbour buildings are a 9 building limited edition set (only 350 made) by Foss Scale Models. All buildings have full interior detail with lights which were not supplied as original equipment.
An American Model Builders barge kit below, converted to be a car ferry.
Some of the boats are modified resin kits by Rusty Rails.
Above, two Woodlands Scenics station kits made into a larger one!
The contractor’s barge is mostly scratch built but the hull and cabin supplied by Kibri.
A few scratch built piers with a Campbell scale sheriff’s office modified into a lobster supplier.
Shelf layout HO scale Conclusion:
I have stated at the outset that this layout is a work in progress. Since the above photos were taken I have turned the top shelf layout into a continuous run by adding a joining section on the right, in front of the window as you enter the room. There will be a lift out section at the door shown in the right hand side photo. This shelf will have more industry on it. In the photos below, is the new section.
To get this far from the start of the build to the above has taken 14 months (started Nov 2016). This excludes 90% of the buildings which were salvaged from my previous layout in Cape Town.
Photos below are of my old layout, 22 foot x 11 foot layout in Cape Town. (Lots of mistakes on it).
Brian”
A huge thanks to Brian for taking the time to share his shelf layout HO scale. I don’t know about you, but I loved it.
Can’t wait to see the updates too.
That’s all for today folks. Hope you enjoyed it as much as me.
Eric’s been busy on his his latest N scale layout:
“Hi Al
Wensdale Moorside project. (N Gauge)
I know I have been quiet recently but I have been struggling with devising my new layout and I know you enjoy seeing them in construction so here goes.
As I mentioned in my final mailing of the old layout I wanted to try giving myself all round access instead of having to crawl under to the quite tight centre hatch so I cut out the front section as you will see in the first picture.
The problem was that I didn’t want an end to end layout and I wanted different levels, well to be very honest I spent around 5 months trying to get it to work trying many different track layouts and driving myself nuts into the bargain.
So in the end I have relented and enlarged my centre hatch with less front space and eureka I am happy again and feeling constructive.
This is a simple twin track layout that is large enough to run two trains per track using four controllers. What delights me with this is that trains will appear over the three levels popping in and out of tunnels on different levels that will confuse the viewer.
The scenery will be minimal with just moors, castle and farm, with a bit of luck there will be a small river scene in the centre. I have quite a bit of the scenery done now which I will start showing in my next offering. This time instead of having169 lights working as on my previous layout there will be no lights on this layout at all so daytime videos will be the order of the day.
Keep up the very good work you do Al, we love your mailings.
“Hi Al my tip is I get old slate roofing tiles and break up into small pieces then glue them to make dry stone walls
regards
Kevin”
“Hi, from America,
I’m doing an 8’ X 5’ in our basement HO scale. 5’ because my longer cars were derailing often around the curves. So I took to some reading up on the curve diameters east and then west of the Rockies and found out lots that I needed to change. Diameters of my curves has got to go bigger.
A four foot radius was then used by taking a string attaching it to the center point and screwed down and using a pencil marked it out. Now I’m adding mountains by using 2”foam 4’x8’ sheets cut to s rough shape of my mountains then using the slash and jab technique to make them look awesomely real.
Then made bridges 100% by hand an installed them temporarily to see now how it looked. Purchased a train station put it on the model, found out the proportions were wrong for the mountains of how I wanted it to look. Should have had the HO scale model first for comparison. Fixing it now by making mountains bigger and with a tunnel. Will send pics after almost done, later.
Sincerely
William”
“Hi Al. Just posted this video, shows some more of the 14xx with a Hawksworth Auto- Trailer added… then surprise surprise… Changes on Dave`s Model Railway again ..LOL ..well cant just sit back, got to keep having something to do… as they say… always something to do on a Model railway Layout.
