Baseball field, where to get supplies

7-8 years of play pony league with 150 feet down the right and left field line. 50 between bases and the mound at 42 feet. Center field is about 180 feet. If you convert that to O Scale it will take up a good chunk of space.  Scenic Express sells the figures.

I don't know what the dimensions would be for the field.  Scenic Express sells an entire line of "sandlot" O scale baseball figures.  Matt

Kramer products also produces some nice baseball players. I am in the process of building my layout and the baseball field will be the dominant feature. I have already purchased a set of these players and I will use them. Here is the link for Kramer Products 

http://www.kramerproducts.com/baseball.htm

Take the dimensions of a little league field and plot them out at 1/4" = 1 foot.

or Establish home plate and run a 45 from home plate in each direction 22.5", then run a 45 from each to second base. That's going to be big. If you want to compress it to 60 feet, go 15" at a diagonal for the base paths, then add as much outfield as you have room for.

An alternative it to place it in a corner. Find a photo of a baseball field taken from home plate, It will give you second base, the outfield and any bleachers in the outfield. Place first base on the right hand wall, place third base on the left hand perpendicular wall. Tape the scene to the wall. Plot out the first and third base lines to home plate, Home plate and the pitchers mound are modeled on a flat surface. Likewise, you can add dugouts, on deck circle, bleachers up and down the first and third base lines, etc. The scene disappears into the vanishing point of the corner. You can make a believable compressed baseball scene and utilize what is usually a wasted space (a corner).

This photo nearly has the correct perspective. Draw a horizontal line from first to third base. Model everything in front of the line of the flat surface, everything behind the line is a panorama on the wall with a vanishing point comprised of a line from home plate, intersecting second base and going all the wall back. You can cut off the big buildings if you want it to be less urban.

It could be a fun and unique project, never seen it done as I have described here, but toyed with the idea of doing it myself - just didn't have the room.

thanks for the ideas, I wish the cost wasn't so high for the figures.. but what can you do

I remember this from a couple of trips to the TCA York show.

Willard Animations Baseball field.

Video

If you want true accuracy I haven't found it with the baseball figures I have seen from many manufacturers.  They tend to show everyone in motion and all reacting to the ball.  The pitcher is in mid throw the batter is waiting, the out fielder has his glove up, the infielder is reaching for a grounder.  No one is running to back up the other players.  OK its little league at least have them stare at the guy about to catch the ball.

I would ask the manufacturers to actually take a picture of a game and have the players doing that rather than the 6 balls in play approach.

    "Can't anybody here play this game?"

Tca member Keith Elson makes baseball figures.And also whole feilds.

I think that can be overcome by the "corner" approach I mentioned above. The only actual figures you use are the pitcher and the batter. You can add a first and third baseman and a batter on deck. The dugouts can be picture backgrounds.

Right now it's still football season on the CNY Railroad.

Selective compression and selective omission are the keys to the representation of any sports field on a layout IMO.  I like Harry's corner idea for baseball.

The player figures were a lucky find at a flea market. Start any event and the Homies seem to gather around the field.

Jim

I though of you today when I was in a thrift store and saw a baseball pin ball game. It had the out line of the field and everything but had players printed at the bases, not as realistic as you might want it usless one could get rid of the printed players. I believe it would  be o scale.

I have seen both basball and football figures at "I PARTY" in the cake decorating area. They seem a bit large for O scale but they are INEXPENSIVE if that is a concern for you.

Paul Goodness

Thanks, it is amazing what non conventional items are utilized everyday for our Toy Train layouts

This is what I am going for.. thanks...

I would hate to be playing a baseball game with freight trains circling all around me!

perhaps you would rather have been at the drive in movie at Iaeger-West-Virginia;

attend a race at Bristol; traverse your way to old Yankee Stadium via the EL...........

Surprisingly, that situation existed on the Montour RR.  The Small community of Imperial, near Pittsburgh, Pa, still has the ball field where the RR was right behind the third base bench.   Still there today via the bike trail.   Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of that spot.  Sorry.  Very close to the Enlow Tunnel.

Mike  

on Scranton , the D&H main line is right along the 3rd base line of the teener league field

Safeco Field in Seattle  is another example where passing freight trains from BNSF reverberate in the very park where the MLB Mariners play. Trains also pass under Target Field in the Twin Cities

Some great photo here of Seattle Trains: http://sturmovikdragon.livejournal.com/109790.html

Trains passing Target Field:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwallick/4171711377/

Here's a sand lot field like the one I used to play on when I was a kid.  Notice the backstop was made with pallets.  That's how we played so we wouldn't loose the ball in the blackberry bushes. Figures were bought from Scenic express.  Bases were made with rocks trash can lids, cardboard boxes and anything else a kid could find.

laz57

Great stuff Laz  Thank, you. 

Brings back a lot of memories as kids on the farm.  The baseball field was part of the pasture, we fabricated a back stop out of old lumber from a building that was demo-ed.  We, two or three of us, which on occassion included my sister,  would spend a lot of time looking for the ball. I believe we were vanquished to the pasture with the cows after the second broken window.  

Mike  

MIKE CT,

  Sounds like you and I grew up together.  Those were the days play ball all day or until you smashed a window or lost the ball.  When the cover came off we used black electrical tape to get more use out of the ball.  I don't see kids doing these things today.

The good ol days!

laz57