GeorgeS Layout Build - backdrops - Updated 03/08/2020

terry hudon posted:

George S posted:

George S posted:

Diverging Clear posted:

George, it appears that switch has a movable point frog. I wasn't aware they had such a thing in the model/toy train world. The switch looks really nice. I've been watching your progress, your new layout is coming along great! I also have enjoyed your video updates as well!

Rusty

Yes, it does have a moveable point frog. I never saw it work before. It’s very cool. I’ll try to take a video. Also, it has a supplemental switch on the LGB switch machine. I think it throws connectivity of the center rail with the switch direction.

George

I wired the Ross switch.

 

Here is a video showing the moving frog.

 

George

the only thing I would like is a lighted controller,,,but I check lgb page and couldn't find one ,any suggestions?

Hi Terry,

You would just need to buy a green and red LED ( or whatever color you choose). You would then run three wires from the open spots on the LGB supplementary switch (opposite the two wire power feed on the switch machine). The middle is power and each side corresponds to the direction the switch is thrown. If the switch is straight, the lead furthest from the switch will be connected to power and you could hook that to the green LED. You would then hook the other side to the red LED. Pretty straightforward. Evans Designs makes 14v already packaged LEDs in green and red. I will wire a dwarf signal next to the switch to show how it works.

George

William 1 posted:

Ribbit.  George, keep going.  Glad to see someone going at it like you are.  That looks like fun.  Enjoy!

Thanks William! In a way, this is reassembling a layout I tore down years ago, so it allows me to go faster. Also, I have been planning this in my head the last couple of years.

George

The Ross standard gauge switch was developed in cooperation with a committee of Standard Gauge Module Association members.  The goal was to design a switch which would work reliably with the widest variety of both vintage and modern standard gauge trains.  The switch motor also controls the electrical contacts routing power to the rails, and provides extra contacts for signals or controls.  We use these to control the aspect of nearby block signals, showing the position of the switch from a distance.  An added feature is that if two of their #4 switches are connected by their diverting routes, a crossover with the SGMA center to center track spacing of 7-1/4" is created.  This is the track spacing provided by the 42-57-72-87 curved track sections sold by USA Track LLC also.

You can't buy a better switch!

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

George S posted:

I got the 5 rail track installed on the upper level. Here are standard gauge and o gauge trains running on the same loop at the same time.

 

George

Hi George,

I have been enjoying following your progress on your layout. I haven't even started on a new layout yet.  This move is taking forever.  I am gathering ideas for what I will eventually build.  I consider myself a collector and curator of my collection, with operation being a lower priority.  I don't plan on building a layout as large as I had at the previous house.  I like your use of 5 rail track, which I have decided to use so I can run both gauges.  What are the dimensions of the second level that you have installed?  It looks great and may accomplish what I want. 

Keep the updates coming and keep up the excellent work.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

George S posted:

I got the 5 rail track installed on the upper level. Here are standard gauge and o gauge trains running on the same loop at the same time.

 

 

George

Hi George,

I have been enjoying following your progress on your layout. I haven't even started on a new layout yet.  This move is taking forever.  I am gathering ideas for what I will eventually build.  I consider myself a collector and curator of my collection, with operation being a lower priority.  I don't plan on building a layout as large as I had at the previous house.  I like your use of 5 rail track, which I have decided to use so I can run both gauges.  What are the dimensions of the second level that you have installed?  It looks great and may accomplish what I want. 

Keep the updates coming and keep up the excellent work.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

Hi Greg,

The upper level is a roughly 12.5' by 16' 'L' shaped loop using STD / O42 curves. That requires about a 5' square on each end for the turn around, but the runs can be brought close together to a board as narrow as 1 foot.

I think you should also consider some space for your S gauge trains. I added an O27 loop inside the 5 rail loop on my upper level and am planning a ceiling loop of G gauge track. Otherwise, those trains will just sit in boxes on the shelf.

George

Been tweaking track and running electrical, so not too exciting. I thought I would try to run six trains at the same time. See if you can find them all!😀

 The video ends with my Black Diamond observation car derailing on my Ross switch! (Well, almost. I added a night shot of my Budweiser sign running on my Bilt EZ building. Guess what I’m doing next.)

George

George S posted:

I added a night shot of my Budweiser sign running on my Bilt EZ building. Guess what I’m doing next.)

George

Cracking a beer? 

I think I fixed the derailing problem by tweaking the truck on the problem car. I ended up taking the wheel set out and reinstalling it after making sure the truck frame was straight. I'm not sure what exactly I fixed, but it has gone through a few times now without derailing. 

I also worked on my O/STD crossover. I redid the layout base under it as it was not level. Then I widened the grooves on the side that the STD trains go through, so the wheels aren't hitting the crossover. I recessed the mounting screw better and put a cap over it. Then, I painted it black. I'll get a picture when it's dry.

George

What does everyone think of the view under my Hellgate bridge? Mind you, my layout is a mythical city where all the major railroads operate, not NYC. So, the view can be anything. It’s actually a picture of the Inland Steel mill outside Chicago where I live and grew up. I’m not sure it looks right though. Too realistic for my tinplate layout maybe? Or too obviously a picture under a bridge? I’m trying to hide the tracks under and behind the bridge.

George

Imitating Dirty Harry......."you gotta ask yourself just one thing punk......do YOU like it?" It's a toy train layout. If you like it, that's all that matters George. 

I don't like it there.  Is that copyrighted?  A shot like that would be a good candidate for a custom backdrop on one of your walls.

MikeH posted:

I don't like it there.  Is that copyrighted?  A shot like that would be a good candidate for a custom backdrop on one of your walls.

A picture of a copyrighted item in another picture that is substantially more than the copyrighted picture, would fall under the fair use doctrine. The source did not list a copyright, but I always assume a privilege. That said, nobody is coming in my home with a warrant for a copyrighted picture on my wall. That case would throw intellectual property law on its ear.

So, it doesn’t look right. I’m still baffled what to put under the bridge...

George

George S posted:

MikeH posted:

I don't like it there.  Is that copyrighted?  A shot like that would be a good candidate for a custom backdrop on one of your walls.

A picture of a copyrighted item in another picture that is substantially more than the copyrighted picture, would fall under the fair use doctrine. The source did not list a copyright, but I always assume a privilege. That said, nobody is coming in my home with a warrant for a copyrighted picture on my wall. That case would throw intellectual property law on its ear.

So, it doesn’t look right. I’m still baffled what to put under the bridge...

George

Whoa!  I only asked that because if you send a copyrighted picture off to a professional printer such as one that prints big vinyl backdrops, then it would be an issue.  I'm no forum police.  Or as they say in the Ozarks:

Don't make me no nevermind. 

MikeH posted:

George S posted:

MikeH posted:

I don't like it there.  Is that copyrighted?  A shot like that would be a good candidate for a custom backdrop on one of your walls.

A picture of a copyrighted item in another picture that is substantially more than the copyrighted picture, would fall under the fair use doctrine. The source did not list a copyright, but I always assume a privilege. That said, nobody is coming in my home with a warrant for a copyrighted picture on my wall. That case would throw intellectual property law on its ear.

So, it doesn’t look right. I’m still baffled what to put under the bridge...

George

Whoa!  I only asked that because if you send a copyrighted picture off to a professional printer such as one that prints big vinyl backdrops, then it would be an issue.  I'm no forum police.  Or as they say in the Ozarks:

Don't make me no nevermind. 

Sorry Mike. Thought you were saying I couldn’t use it or post it here. Love the Ozarks colloquialism! Can’t say I’ve heard that one before.

I haven’t really thought about scenery backdrops other than blue sky yet, since the upper level blocks most of that type of view.

George

George,

I think the concept is great.  Perhaps using a print that has the style of catalog art would give you the look you want.  SGMA president Wayne Strobel has made some amazing backdrops for the TCA National Toy Train Museum by photoshopping old catalogs.

Kirk Lindvig

www.sgma.us

Thanks Kirk. I'll look into that. I've decided that I don't like it. I think to Mike's point, it would look better as a backdrop. I think there is too much sky in the picture and it is too realistic. There is something off with the perspective too. I am running into the limits of my technical art skills.

George

Here is another option. I can fill in the foreground with some ceramic houses and trees and then use a black background further back in front of the standard gauge track. I need to get a few ceramic houses out of storage.

George

I like this better. The other backdrop was nice but it would be hard to blend in.

As always- your railroad, your rules!

I like the concept George.  I'm not sure the ceramic houses are the solution.  I'd like to see something along the lines of what Kirk is suggesting...some kind of catalog art adapted for that space.  Then the trees in front of it would make a nice transition.  What have you decided to do with the transition between the two levels?

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

George S posted:

Here is another option. I can fill in the foreground with some ceramic houses and trees and then use a black background further back in front of the standard gauge track. I need to get a few ceramic houses out of storage.

George

George, I'm going to come right out and say I don't care for either one.  Fir trees with snow under the Hellgate Bridge is just, well, odd.

Isn't there track behind there? Just leave it open so you can see the trains go by back there. After all, the idea of a multiloop layout is to see several trains at once. Later if you want, you can put a simple back drop on the wall behind those tracks.

Your layout style is "classic floor layout tinplate" with a flat green table top. Keep it simple and let the trains and accessories dominate. If you start adding unrelated realistic scenic bits, you will confuse the issue, IMO. 

You might consider:

I applied velcroed panels on my backdrop on my 9x16 Attic layout so I could remove them later and have C Sam paint  selected scenes or apply ready  made scenes. Unfortunately, serious health issues invaded in early 2010 and I never got around to the scenes. Sits dormant now in 2020..

Greg J. Turinetti posted:

I like the concept George.  I'm not sure the ceramic houses are the solution.  I'd like to see something along the lines of what Kirk is suggesting...some kind of catalog art adapted for that space.  Then the trees in front of it would make a nice transition.  What have you decided to do with the transition between the two levels?

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

There will be a stone wall around most of it. You can see a couple of sections I printed on either side of the bridge. I think I will keep the one section just green felt, which will look like a grassy hill.

George

Thinking of what bridges generally go over, I'd be thinking about a picture of a roadway or a river and set back a little under the bridge from the front edge. Doesn't have to be realistic - something whimsical could work.

Just my $ 0.02

Will posted:

George S posted:

Here is another option. I can fill in the foreground with some ceramic houses and trees and then use a black background further back in front of the standard gauge track. I need to get a few ceramic houses out of storage.

 

George

George, I'm going to come right out and say I don't care for either one.  Fir trees with snow under the Hellgate Bridge is just, well, odd.

Isn't there track behind there? Just leave it open so you can see the trains go by back there. After all, the idea of a multiloop layout is to see several trains at once. Later if you want, you can put a simple back drop on the wall behind those tracks.

Your layout style is "classic floor layout tinplate" with a flat green table top. Keep it simple and let the trains and accessories dominate. If you start adding unrelated realistic scenic bits, you will confuse the issue, IMO. 

You have a point. I got the idea from this picture of Railroads on Parade. http://thefreegeorge.com/thefr...1/07/Railroads-2.jpg

George

Richie C. posted:

Thinking of what bridges generally go over, I'd be thinking about a picture of a roadway or a river and set back a little under the bridge from the front edge. Doesn't have to be realistic - something whimsical could work.

Just my $ 0.02

I'm also having trouble with setting it back under the bridge. The bridge creates a shadow on the picture, which screams out that it is a photo. I've tried using lighting under or in front of the bridge to get rid of the shadow, but it doesn't work. The only thing that works is pulling the picture forward.

George

Steamer posted:

Imitating Dirty Harry......."you gotta ask yourself just one thing punk......do YOU like it?" It's a toy train layout. If you like it, that's all that matters George. 

I agree with Dave,

When it comes right down to it you are the one who will be looking at it most of the time.  Keep experimenting until you find what you like.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

get some blue paint, make a river. find some antique Battleships, and viloa'

George, I go along with the comment, "Do you like it?" and Greg's "Keep experimenting until you find what you like" and any idea we can come up with.  I like Dave's idea of blue paint and a battleship, but how much space is there from the rear of the bridge to the first track you are trying to hide?  Maybe a tug boat would fit better.

I'll try to think of other suggestions, as it seems others are doing!  

Steamer posted:

get some blue paint, make a river. find some antique Battleships, and viloa'

 

 

I'd love to do a water scene and battleships are cool, but there isn't space. I could build it to show the trains passing in the back, but there is a bit of layout construction to camouflage. 

George

How about a model of your yacht?  

Small (maybe 2-3 pieces) oil tank farm you can make from a few PVC sections to custom height and diameter and then paint and decal yourself. Doesn't have to look too realistic.

I didn’t want my road ending against a wall so I made a dummy tunnel with cars in it. You could add roads going under the bridge going into a fake tunnel.

Steve

Steve "Papa" Eastman posted:

I didn’t want my road ending against a wall so I made a dummy tunnel with cars in it. You could add roads going under the bridge going into a fake tunnel.

Steve

Very cool Steve. The fake tunnel is awesome! I had to do a double take. I especially like the cartoon style of a the block mortar joints. 

George

Steve, what are those cars? They look like small models of the old metal pedal cars we had as kids.

George S posted:

Steamer posted:

get some blue paint, make a river. find some antique Battleships, and viloa'

 

 

I'd love to do a water scene and battleships are cool, but there isn't space. I could build it to show the trains passing in the back, but there is a bit of layout construction to camouflage. 

George

some of the old ones I see in antique shops are about the size of a Matchbox car. And I used to build some when I was in school, don't remember the scale, but they were waterline kits. Used to lay tin foil down and they would look like they were on the water, Less than a foor longt IIRC.

Will posted:

Steve, what are those cars? They look like small models of the old metal pedal cars we had as kids.

They are Hallmark Kiddie Car Classics. They are mini versions of pedal cars. All the buildings and accessories in that section of the layout are from Hallmark.

Steve

So, Steve inspired me, and here is what I came up with.

I didn’t try to put anything in the tunnels. I could cut them out later to show the trains behind them, but my layout building philosophy is that there should be hidden tracks to create interest. Trains “disappear” into a tunnel and reappear somewhere else. All the magic goes away if you can see them in the background.

I’m also installing cardboard as backing for my block walls. I found a better, less realistic stone wall picture that you can see under the bridge. The cardboard is coming from what my wife calls my cardboard box collection.

George

I think it is going to look great, George!!

I like it, George!

Yes, no question it’s better than the photo.  Blends in nicely.  Keep going!