Backdrops needed or not?

WB,

Your wall looks even a bit more rustic than the one in my parent's basement where I built my first layout back in the late '60s.  While I hate to cover stone or brick walls, I absolutely recommend a backdrop always.  It will remove the distractions of the wall, and make the layout seem larger.  Even if it is just blue sky, it will make a big difference.

I agree with Mark. That is really a mean looking stone wall. Detracts from the layout. Good luck, Tstark

I was considering some items from Backdrop Warehouse.  Need to check on sizes first, though.  Basement was built for short Welshmen like me!

Yeah, I have to agree. Backdrops make a HUGE difference under almost all conditions--especially when taking photographs and videos. 

Note that it is possible to hang paper backdrops like curtains--just staple the tops  and bottoms to furring strips and hang from the ceiling via fish line. That might be the easiest approach in your case.

As an alternative to commercially-produced backdrops, consider finding a panoramic photo on the Web (Wikimedia has many) and getting it printed on a large-format printer.

I agree strongly.  My dealings with a certain backdrop vendor did not turn out well and I went ahead and built a layout without doing the backdrop.  I put a backdrop in early this year - it was painful, costly, and a royal PITA.  And I mean ROYAL.

I will start a new layout will later this year.  After installing the proper lighting, the next step will be a backdrop.  Only THEN will I start the benchwork.

Do not go forward without putting up a backdrop.  That's my advice.  Contact me via e-mail (in my profile).

George

Backdrops make a world of difference, and I would certainly recommend adding one to any layout, if at all possible. Properly done and correctly installed, they can enhance a layout VERY significantly. The ideal is when the viewer can't tell where the layout ends and the backdrop begins. I have seen that in a good number of instances over the years.

thank you to all who replied.  I'll definitely be going with Backdrop Warehouse.  Will also send more pics as the layout progresses.

WB I agree with what has been said, however; I see a potential problem.  Have you had your basement checked for RADON?  That's a very real problem with below grade old stone walls.  Just saying.

WB Trainman,

By all means, look at coming up with some kind of backdrop - you will not regret it. It makes a huge difference.  [I used to live in a house with a basement wall like you have.]

There are some great suggestions already mentioned on where to look, and you can find more by searching for backdrops on this Forum.

Regarding the BD Warehouse vendor you mentioned, I have ordered from them twice, and had great results. Yes, their website can be a bit intimidating, but if you work through it, you will learn enough to call them and talk about your needs.  I have dealt with helpful and pleasant people for both purchases.  That approach worked very well for me.  A suggestion: if you are going to call them, I would have an idea of what scene you want, what size, and read the installation section - you have a challenging wall to install a backdrop on, but I am confident it can be done.  I could not tell if your layout is right against the wall (it looks like it is), but you could probably fur out a frame with a flat surface to mount a backdrop on.  I have had great results using rubber cement - as the BD Whse says to use it - to attach it to a flat surface. And, of course, this is something you want to do as early as possible in building your layout.

Good luck.

I'd seriously take a look at RailroadBackdrops.com.  Backdrop Warehouse, their crappy website (very up to date if you live in 1998), and their indifferent customer service, is not on my list.

George

The layout as it stands now is not right up against the wall.  I intend to fasten the backdrop to some sheets of plywood, thus giving me a flat surface, then screwing the bottom to the platform itself.  As far as the top, I haven't figured that part out yet.  Might use some furring strips so it doesn't buckle.

Backdrops.  YES.  All the difference in the world.  Second, finish the walls and the ceiling in the layout area prior to building the layout.  Trust me, you will be glad you did.  Too many people have attempted to install ceilings and lighting over finished layouts.  NOT good.

Backdrops:  YES.  Check out the videos of the backdrops on the Glacier Line.  Youtube link below signature line. 

Here is my homemade backdrop made from an image in WikiMedia. It is completely free-hanging--supported only by fishline at the top.

Well.

Of course backdrops are "the frosting on the cake"  and necessary for a well detailed layout.  But when installing a backdrop on or near a wall---HOW TO DEAL WITH WINDOWS?   Allowing backdrop cutouts would kinda defeat the purpose of the backdrop.  On the other hand,  obscuring part of a window with a backdrop seems really cheesy!

Is there a graceful way to deal with this problem?

Avanti posted:

Here is my homemade backdrop made from an image in WikiMedia. It is completely free-hanging--supported only by fishline at the top.

Pete,

Suspended by fish line!  I never heard of that idea, but I love it!!!!

Yours looks great!!

Salty Rails posted:

Well.

Of course backdrops are "the frosting on the cake"  and necessary for a well detailed layout.  But when installing a backdrop on or near a wall---HOW TO DEAL WITH WINDOWS?   Allowing backdrop cutouts would kinda defeat the purpose of the backdrop.  On the other hand,  obscuring part of a window with a backdrop seems really cheesy!

Is there a graceful way to deal with this problem?

I am considering making a pop out section of the backdrop for my window.  Yes you would be able to see the seams, but I think it would look better than a big hole in the mountain side.

Mark Boyce posted:

Suspended by fish line!  I never heard of that idea, but I love it!!!!

Yours looks great!!

Here's how I did it:

Pete,

That looks great!!  Thank you!

NEEDED ?? No, its a personal choice like anything else

Will the layout look better/nicer? Absolutely YES

WB Trainman posted:

My basement is unfinished, with stone walls (I live in Northeast PA if that helps).  Would I need some backdrops to hide the stone walls, or not? 

 

You are in a different position than most of us with finished walls behind our layouts.  Your unfinished wall is not a great white background.

However, if you desire to install a background, I think copying the idea of the background suspended by fishing line would be a really neat way to do it against an unfinished wall.  In my own case, visitors to my layout make comments about this or that, but they all comment on my hand painted background.  Roger Farkash, who has a background in theatrical set design, painted a summer afternoon West Texas sky that perfectly set the scene of my layout on the high plains.  He did not use artists brushes -- just regular paint brushes of the kind used to paint the trim inside a house.  But the background draws eyes away from the ceiling-mounted track lighting and focuses the eyes toward the railroad.