Jim, I just spent the morning going through this entire thread from start to finish. All I can say is WOW, you have done an amazing job building your layout. You did a fantastic job at making the N scale trains look so small compared to the mountains and the rest of the scenery! This is one of the reasons we are in N scale!
Thank you, JSL and Mike. Mike is another one who likes a very high scenery to track ratio. Looking forward to some pictures of your new layout, Mike.
Thank you for keeping some of us that have to wait ten years to build a layout, motivated! Unbelievable. Looks like alot of fun. dave t
Fencing has accompanied railroads as long as they have been around. Many times we overlook an item that is so common. Here's how I make fence for The Oakville Sub. Since I've done so much of it, I thought I'd share my techniques. Raw material is Evergreen's .030 Rod. I believe that scales out to around four inches diameter, about right for posts. I drilled some slightly oversized holes in a piece of 1X2 - spaced maybe an inch and a half apart - I needed something in which to put the rod after painting. I'll paint all but a couple inches with Polly S Roof Brown, and place the piece in the 1X2. I just cover the plastic - if there's a dark and light variance in the paint, so much the better. When the paint has dried, I use the NWSL cutter set around seven feet and cut the first half, then paint the remainder and stick it in the 1X2 to dry. Here's a shot showing the tools I use for installation: The pin vise holds a number 55 bit - this is slightly oversize to allow the post to slip in fairly easily. The tweezers allow me to easily pick up posts from the car. The two pieces of plastic are the key and are used together: The long one is marked in ten foot increments, the shorter one measures 30 feet. My standards call for the fence line to be 30 feet from the opposite side rail of a track. I selected that number because it "looks" right - you may wish to use other numbers. I place the long piece at the last post (or the starter post), place the short piece on the inside of the rail, drill a hole where the plastic intersects, and place a post. I then drill holes for the other posts and place them. On curved trackage, I measure each hole from the rail, drill, and place. This way the fence line nicely follows the track. Consistency is important. By using the measuring sticks, all the posts are the same distance from one another and the track. It's easiest to place the fence around the same time you're doing trees, although I've done it before any trees and after planting trees. I happen to be working in an area where trees have been planted at the moment and find I need to remove some of them to avoid smashing them. Once I've touched each post's top with matching paint, I go back and manually adjust any out of line posts - this might go on for weeks, as I follow trains around the layout I'll occasionally reach in and tweak a post. A frequently asked question is do I plan to string barb wire - and my answer is I haven't trained the spider just yet! There are some places we just can't go - YET!
Thanks for sharing Jim! Your layout is really great. I hope you will get Kirk Reddie to shoot it for NSR. Jeff
Thanks, Jerry TwinDad, I've done just that. Good suggestion, Thanks! Jeff - they all know where I live! Bear in mind, when I do something, it's just MY way of doing it - that doesn't mean it's the only way, and it can be modified any way you want. I think that may be the kernal of modeling - finding ways to achieve what YOU want. And IMO, that's the fun of it!
Yeah, but your way produces some FANTASTIC results, so it makes for a good place for us beginners to start. Thanks for the "How-To" thread! I've got some cows to corral, and this will help.
Just be sure that you train that spider so the cows don't get loose on the track :tb-biggrin: Jim, great modeling. As an HO'er I do sometimes envy the scale of scenery to train that you achieve in N scale.
Jim, Thanks for the great tutorial. Do you know what time frame (year) this type of fence would have been used? How early? Great job as usual. Michael
Jim, kepp up the good work, I hope my little layout that my daughter and I will look just as good! I will be using some of your techniques that you have discussed on this topic, so I hope you are honoured hehe. You and Caleb have inspired my daughter and I to do not a great job but an amazing one!
Barb wire was invented in 1867 - I suspect you could probably find pictures showing it along railroads any time after the Civil War. And thanks! I'm honored any time someone uses what I've come up with. It's easier than you think, you just need to get in there and do it! And if something doesn't work, try something else. Sooner or later you will find what does work. I went through three different methods of applying scenery - changing a bit here and a bit there - before I found the system I now prefer. Of course I'm largely done with scenery now. Wish I had known about the masking tape technique from the git-go - it would have made things a lot easier! But that's life - you live and learn. Thanks for the comment, and good luck with your layout!
Nothing earthshaking in Oakville this week - several projects underway but not yet ready for their close up - and a lot of honeydos interfering - spring planting time, don't cha know. And lets not forget a foot of rain over two days. Here are a couple shots from the main room:
