From armchair to benchwork!

Benchwork complete! Now concurrently working on models and laying track in the main room. More pictures posted at http://www.minilur.com/benchwork.htm
-my original plan was for tunnels through wall, now thinking about highway overpasses to hide tunnel through wall, or buildings.

 

ps - yahoo on the Beer and Chips!
In the Northwest to be formal we just go with Microbrews and Kettle Chips.

 

Thanks for the welcome Steve!!
My first name is Todd actully and I am a Tile contractor (hence the handle).A little background information as to where i am at.I have a spare Bedroom,a small one ,but its Mine . It is in a story and a half home so of course i have the proverbial angled roof walls to deal with on one end.The room has been rocked and new electrical run with an abundance of outlets.track lighting is installed and i have my basic benchwork installed.Its a hodgepodge from flattop old door cut down to 18" with a plywood top.to open grid with 2" extruded foam to open grid period.I have built Shelving above the benchwork against 2 of the walls which will also act as an area for hidden overhead lighting.The backdrop area in between this is painted a sky backdrop as per 1 of Dave Frary,s Numerous articles.I have a collection of magazines that are in dire need of organizing but amount to some 600 differant copies MR MRC N scale and a smattering of others.I have designed several hundred(at least it feels like it) tack plans all of which have been discarded.Anyone else ever done this I am looking to doing a point to loop type layout with a 2 time around type mainline for extra length.Era i am modeling would be 1959 1960 last of the steam and some nice diesel choices.I currently have at least 40 kits along with scratchbuilding supplies and would like to kitbash most of my structures.I will be using Atlas track components and alot of flextrack with cork roadbed.Woodland scenics foam risers have intrigued me for my one flat area so i have picked up a variety.I have built a layout before in HO scale.got it to the point where it was operational and half sceniced and then moved.That was 20 years ago.I have been in this home now for 10 years and will probobly die here so after assessing my situation,Sold all my HO and went into N Scale.I like its advantages,I dont like its Disadvantages.Oh well.I am thinking along a Bridge Line/industrial line that would Interchange with The GN in a port city.Lumber,mining(ore) and Paper products would be the bulk of traffic with some grain thrown into the mix.Its been awhile for me since doing any Model rail work andI am at a distinct disadvantage in that the closest hobby shop is 70 miles and I know of no other railroaders close by.So i can use all the help and support i can get.Sorry this is so long, just trying to be thorough. Todd

 

Take this discussion over to the "April layout progess" thread. The layout party is over... See you there!

- David

 

I'd love to join in...I'm new to the hobby, and I am struggeling with a layout...HO...I have built a 6x12 table, and I want to build...I'm sure I'll have nothing to offer, but I want to learn. Thanks.

 

Well I got the links to my pics up, haven't figured out how to post the pic directly but I have copied this from the N scale forum - so below is a duplicate post. There are two other pics of the backdrop under my name in the rail image forum. I am adding this here because I was asked a question about Faller's, you will see it doesn't look to bad.

If this works, this should be my first pic of my layout I have ever shown in public. The photo was taken with an 18 Mil lens so the room is somewhat distorted in appearance. The back of the room looks about 4 feet wide, but is 7 feet wide. On the far right hand corner of the photo, you will see the wall starts juting in (for another 2 1/2 feet becoming 9 1/2 wide) into my nolix area.

The idea of this photo is to show the Faller's backdrop I used, two different scenes that fits right into the BC landscape here in Canada, but of course, is really somewhere in Europe.

In the bottom scene, I have the backdrop - on hardboard - standing out from the wall about 4 inches; on the top, the backdrop, still on hard board is attached to the walls directly.

Also the L brackets you see on the wall jutting out are home made jobbies I did with rather thick MDF.

So the layout pictured here is larger than it looks, but its still in a small room. The piece on the left that will house a reversing loop is 10 feet long; in the pic it looks about 6 feet long.





[ 21. July 2003, 22:13: Message edited by: rsn48 ]

 

That Turned out really nice Rick!!
I looked in my 97 walthers and surenuff there they were,backdrops by Faller
They look much better in your picture than they do in the catalogue though.the 97 says around 22.00 for close to 10 feet.How much did they actually run you, and how long to get them??
They only show 7 differant backdrops in 97
Detal associates shows a few more but ive seen a few of thiers and they are pretty washed out looking.Fallers is much nicer.
I did my main 2 walls in th Dave Frary method for sky etc.I have my yard area though that i would like to use an industrial backdrop for.Backdrop warehouse just happens to have the Duluth harbor area with Grain elevators in the background.Its taken from the old Northern Pacific yard facing towards duluth.I think i am going to have to just bite the bullett and order it seeing as it is where my freelanced RR is originating.
Cant wait to see more pictures!!

 

I thought I had added this to another thread on backdrops and not on here. Serendipitously, the pictures illustrate what my commitments were in my layout parties. There is on more pic I will add. In the photo, the mountains don't look that high, but they are almost 4 feet high. I will be building two large mountains in from of these mountains in the photo, so the the photo mountains will only be peeking through the ones I will have made.



This is the area that is to become my nolix area and will probably be my commitment in the next layout party - to get the benchwork up for the nolix.

[ 21. July 2003, 22:14: Message edited by: rsn48 ]

 

Volnation,
I am guessing you jumped from the trains.com site to here, into this thread. I throw two layout parties a year. The one you are in now, is the third one I have thrown. This thread is closed as a layout party; the next one will be around early October. I find it takes people a while to settle down after the summer. I started one last fall a little too early and participation was off a bit.

Why not start a thread in the layout forum here on your layout, or what you would like it to be. Remember to include scale, room size or area you are working with, some givens and druthers (things you must have, things you would like to have) and any limitations in the area or room you are working in eg. water tank, furnace etc.

 

rsn48,

Your back drop looks great!! I have been kicking ideas around for my back drop and I like your idea of a 3D mountian in front of a backdrop mountian. I had some thoughts of maybe using mirrors behinde a tree covered mountian. In theory I think a mirror would add depth to the layout out but placement would be key. I don't want someone looking at the mountian and then see themselves in the mirror.

We have had family visting for the last two weeks so I did not have alot of time to work on the layout and now I'm on a two week business trip to the mainland. (Texas, VA and Kentucky) I did get both main lines up and running. The first runs went well with no track related problems. I did have a minor clearence problem with the passanger station so I will have to work on that a little bit.

I ordered my swithces for the yard (not received yet ) but I did receive my order for the Woodland Scenics Town and Factory Building set.

After I get home, I want to finish laying track in the yard and engine terminal and come up with a plan for the town area.

Aloha,

Da Chief

http://www.railimages.com/album/James%20Niedermyer/new_layout2.gif

 

hello everyone,
A newcomer to this thread.

Okay, I have a design for a small 1'x4' n-scale switching layout that I will put in the small cuibicle that doubles as my home office.

I have the foam insulation board and the plywood for the subroadbed. My goal in 6 weeks is to have the benchwork finished and the track laid.

Shouldn't be a big problem. Well I'm also taking a night class and have a wife and three-year old. But, if, in the next week I can get the exact measurements for the space so I can cut the plywood. I am a long way to getting where i need to be.

Also if someone in the S.F. Bay area who is on this thread wants to come by and offer encouragement sometime, that would be very welcome.

Please send me a private message.

Thanks for your support and let's see where I am in 7 days.

Regards,

Clifton Linton

 

Hi,
Welcome to an old layout party thread. I throw a couple of layout parties a year to help people (and me) get motivated to work on their layout and share what they have done.

Normally I would have started a new one, however, due to some technical upgrades at trainboard I have chosen to wait until they are done. So don't be surprised if no one jumps on this old thread and responds to you.

You could start a new thread and talk about your layout and I have a feelling more will reply.

 

So Rick, are we close to starting?Perhaps a target date?can i get through deer hunting first
That would make Nov 15th just about peeeerfect!!

 

Tileguy,
The reason I like to do the party now is that by the time the American Thanksgiving starts, its over with. That way, no competition with holiday's, parties, etc.