Wow, Ben, that's strange! I've killed it, now I think I'll wait a couple hours and put it back in - maybe that'll take care of it. And Greatdrivermiles, my apology - I couldn't figure out what was going on! In the meantime, anyone who wants to go to the site can simply copy and paste the following: http://theoakvillesub.freehosting.net/ and you'll get there. Sorry for the hassle, guys!
Jagged Ben, Mike - I had to go to Charlie (E-8), couldn't figure out how to fix it, nothing I tried worked - but he got it! Thanks, Charlie!
Great construction photos on the website Jim--especially the "earthquake" damage--although I think you have missed out on the opportunity to be the first to model an active volcano in N-scale Jamie
Got the house decorated and in between honeydos managed to get the first layer of grass on the main peninsula mountain area: As layers are added it will eventually match the background. But I'm quite pleased with my first use of flocked grass.
I may have missed it, but what's the story behind the backdrops? Were they custom made or purchased from somewhere? They look terrific, along with everything else. Russ
Thanks, Denny and Russ. They're from Backdrop Warehouse - the ones in the main and north rooms are their standard Tehachapi, the ones in staging were shot around Caliente - I was pushing them for more Tehachapi scenes, and they obliged. The backdrops were very expensive but I think they make the difference. Now all I have to do is match that color...:tb-smile:
Jim - looking good! What kind of grass flock did you use? Like Denny, I have been using Noch's 6mm beige in my tests. Here is an old shot from an HO layout I had: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showphoto.php/photo/73317 I find the color to be a very good rendition of a pale golden grass with a bit of a grayish overtone, rather like your backdrop. The color of the underlying "soil" has a big effect on the perceived color of the grass too, so it might pay to experiment with that a bit, if you really want a better match. Of course the background hills will tend to be grayer just due to their distance, so you don't need a perfect match. Keep up the good work! Gary Edit - forgot to mention: I generally mix in some of the Woodland Scenics Wild Honey grass for a paler shade, and/or Harvest Gold for a more gold shade. The varied color and shorter blades give a nice depth. I'll also add a bit of a spring green in low spots where there might be a hint of ground water.
Gary, thanks for the hints and tips! I used straight WS harvest gold for this shot - I was mainly experimenting to see just what I was dealing with regarding the Grassmaster and flock. Based on this experience, I have ordered a bunch more harvest gold but have some other colors coming as well. I think I can tone it down with little problem, and I do have some other brands and lengths on hand. I think my base color is OK but do need more green in the mix. The first shot was mainly to determine just how to use the machine...
You'll love using that machine Jim. Looking forward to seeing more. Now, I took a look at the Backdrop Warehouse web site and I have to say I was rather bewildered. How in the world did you decide what prints to buy (size & lay out)? Any advice on navigating that process? Thanks, Gary
They have one of the most confusing sites I think I've ever used. I actually used a photo program to flip the images rather than the section of the site devoted to that. But they won't take just part of an image, it needs to be the whole image - the original two shots of the Tehachapis has a rather prominent house in the shot - a perspective killer if there ever was one. I could get rid of it by cropping, but they won't do that. So I ended up flip-flopping just one image for most of my area. Best thing to do, IMO, is to call them once you know which image(s) you want and how long you need it to be - each image is good for twelve feet - and I opted for the extra sky, which they will do. Mine are the lower res, the 'backgrounds' as opposed to 'backdrops', which are a bit more expensive and printed with higher resolution. I think the lower res is just fine, but that's my app. They're good folks (I spoke with Norm), and you've just gotta work with him until you get what you want. The media on which they print is really good stuff, and it goes up easily enough, and so far has stayed up through a major humidity change. But prepare Mr. Wallet - it ain't cheap!
Made a bit of progress on the layout amidst preparation for the holidays - another layer of scenery and planted some trees on the peninsula.
Looking great Jim ! I'll echo the other's comments - nice clean room, great trackplan & top notch work. The backdrops look killer. Keep the progress shots coming!
Thanks, fellas! I took the shot below before I did the trees above (now there's a strange sentence...) Anyway, Happy Holidays from The Oakville Sub!
After down time for putting away Christmas decorations and hosting several impromptu layout tours, I finally got back to work this morning. Here you see the north room with the temporary return loop still in place while I lay out the yard tracks on the plywood underneath: And some hours later the loop is gone and the plywood is in position. I still need to do some more bracing but must temporarily position switches so I can leave room for tortoises. Feels good to be building again!
