Scenery Mistakes

Below are before and after photos, the before photo being a mistake, and the after photo an improvement.

Here is the before photo, which I regard as a mistake:

The turquoise colored water with dabs of white paint to simulate ripples shown above, just doesn't work at all, and was a mistake.

Painting with acrylic paints is so easy to rectify. Just let it dry, and then take another stab at it.

Here is the after photo, which I think is a significant improvement:

Even better, IMO, is the water shown in the scene below:

To create the glossy effect on the water surface, I used a product recommended on this Forum (I forget the name of the product, but will let you know what it is shortly), that was safe and pleasant to work with.

Incidentally, I recognize that there are more skilled modelers than me on this Forum, who  may regard the above "after photos" as still being mistakes. 

I can be an inspiration to those of us who question whether they can do this hobby. I have little artistic or mechanical talent, so if I can do it, you can be confident that you can do it. Arnold

Mod Podge was the scenery product I used to simulate water. I highly recommend it. Arnold

Here are my final "after photos" of the water scene so far:

Would appreciate feedback, good or bad, from you folks regarding the above photos. 

I've got left over Mod Podge and acrylic paint, and may try to improve the appearance of the water in the last of the above photos, which may be a tad too dark. Arnold

PS: I see another scenic mistake in the above photos, which has nothing to do with the water. Let's see if any of you folks can spot it. I will not disclose this mistake for at least a few hours to give you all a chance to guess what it is.

Arnold,are you talking about the three potential suicides sitting and standing right next to the tracks? LOL By the way I think the water looks great!

play trains posted:

Arnold,are you talking about the three potential suicides sitting and standing right next to the tracks? LOL By the way I think the water looks great!

That's not it! Thanks for your feedback, Play Trains.

Here's a hint: the scenic mistake I have in mind (there may be others) reminds me of "Where's Waldo." I will eventually disclose it, especially because it could help others to avoid it.

I see nothing wrong with the after photos of the water. It looks on par with a lot of the scenery I've seen on this forum. Good job.

No support structure for the tracks over the creek.

Clarence, that's a better answer than mine. Building a support structure for those tracks would greatly improve the scene. Thank you for pointing that out.

Be glad your “water” didn’t turn out like this...

The little lake on this Xmas layout was poured during the summer of ‘17.  The first pictures while not the best show how it looked when I stored it after Xmas in Jan ’18.  When I set it up Xmas ‘18, I noticed the strange effect of ripples at one end of the scene(last three pictures).  My theory is it happened during storage as I placed it on hangers in a vertical position.

I've never attempted water, so you're one step ahead of me. May I suggest a stone or rock culvert for the creek.

Take a close look at the upper left corner of the photo below.

The mistake is leaving the white border on the back drop when I cemented it on the wall. 

Here is a better picture of that back drop and white border:

Problem is that it is very difficult for me to get to it, though not impossible. Also  the blue color of the sky in the back drop is a different shade of blue than that on the wall above the back drop.

The scenery projects of a model railroad are never ending IMO, which is a good thing. Arnold 

Arnold - the after photos of the all the water itself looks fine to me! Nice job!

 I agree with Clarence in that you may want to put a support structure in place where the track goes over the small creek.  Perhaps a  concrete culvert, or pipe could go there?  

Also one small thing  - in the third photo from top, the boat looks a little too imposing ( at least to my eye ) for a body of water of this width ( must be a deep channel?).  I would suggest a smaller boat ( a small motor boat or row boat )  to make that scene more convincing which may also add forced perspective.   Of course I'm saying this viewing thru my lens of your photograph.  In person your scene would look contextually different I'm sure.  

trumptrain posted:

Arnold - the after photos of the all the water itself looks fine to me! Nice job!

 I agree with Clarence in that you may want to put a support structure in place where the track goes over the small creek.  Perhaps a  concrete culvert, or pipe could go there?  

Also one small thing  - in the third photo from top, the boat looks a little too imposing ( at least to my eye ) for a body of water of this width ( must be a deep channel?).  I would suggest a smaller boat ( a small motor boat or row boat )  to make that scene more convincing which may also add forced perspective.   Of course I'm saying this viewing thru my lens of your photograph.  In person your scene would look contextually different I'm sure.  

Patrick, I greatly appreciate your insightful comments. Arnold

TedW, you can do your water over, by removing the stones currently in it, painting over it, and/or applying whatever product you use to create the glistening water effect.

I have repainted things 10 or more times until relatively satisfied. Arnold

There are multiple mistakes in the scene below on my layout that need a lot of work to correct:

The road crossing the curved tracks is awful, IMO! LOL

It is too bumpy, way too uneven, and the pieces of cardboard I have between the rails look terrible.

The only good thing about the road is its gray color, IMO.

I'm also OK with my giant Lionel flashing signal crossing accessory, which fits in with the character of my Postwar accessory laden layout.

I would love to get suggestions on how to improve the road that crosses the curved tracks, and what to put between the rails to make them look better. Arnold

Arnold, your water looks great, but you're gonna need a milk boat. (Can you tell i'm a dairy farmer?) I once had a tiny piece of ground foam in the gears stop a GP38-2 . I had to loosen the motor to turn the wheels to get it out, as I couldn't turn the flywheel without fear of breaking something. I now vacuum after scenery work. Great topic!

Arnold,

You are your own worst critic. The revised water looks excellent to me. And most scenery, especially water, trees and rocks, can always be improved. I spent the past three days at a "Railroad Prototype Modelers" conference and presented a clinic in which I discussed my latest layout and also attended about eight other clinics. My opinion is that most of these people have carried their perfectionism and criticism of others way too far for something that is, at last, supposed to be merely a hobby. Perfectionism is perverse and detracts from one's satisfaction. Bottom line - improve your layout if you're happy doing so but enjoy what you have. It's nice.

MELGAR

I couldn't agree with Melgar more. Relax, it's just a hobby, learning is half the fun. At least for me it was.  Oh, and don't worry about your crossing, you should see some of the ones here in St. Louis.

Arnold, it doesn't matter if it looks good or bad (and BTW, the last water you did looks pretty good). The idea is for you to enjoy it and have fun. That doesn't mean you couldn't improve a bit with some of the things you do, but it's a matter of what you like to do. If there's something you don't particularly enjoy doing, accept what is done, live with it and move on to something you enjoy. Because that's why you should be doing this. To enjoy.

Hope to meet you sometime.

Gerry

gmorlitz posted:

Arnold, it doesn't matter if it looks good or bad...The idea is for you to enjoy it and have fun. That doesn't mean you couldn't improve a bit with some of the things you do, but it's a matter of what you like to do. If there's something you don't particularly enjoy doing, accept what is done, live with it and move on to something you enjoy. Because that's why you should be doing this. To enjoy...

Gerry

Hi gmorlitz/Gerry, I agree with what you have said, wholeheartedly. Here's is my explanation for why I say so...

Arnold, At Christmastime, several years ago, I decided to model a "Macy's Thanksgiving Day" type parade, which I have attended, or a "Rose Bowl"type holiday parade (though I had never seen one in-person, just some clips on TV) for emplacement in one part of my layout.

No guest in our home who saw the layout ever objected to the level of whimsy I exercised by modeling such an occasion as a Holiday parade, nor did they even object to its presence, in the first place.

It was on-line forums, when I shared my photos (seen here), where the objections flew. Too much fantasy. Too much whimsy.

Well, I would submit, for everybody here to consider, that the whole idea of having a model train layout is a great big hunk of whimsy, every factor and detailed modeling of our layouts, and the fact of having a layout, in and of itself, dedicated to TOYS, welcomes the hobbyist - self-welcomes - to PLAY and have a good old whimsical time of it, exercising his or her IMAGINATION and whimsical side. A model train layout, whether it is an old-time Lionel tinplate layout loaded with nostalgia and plenty of happy noise, or whether it is so realistic a masterpiece, like Norm's, that one wonders if we were seeing the landscape thru the lens of a drone flying over real-life, or seeing a model created by the gifts of an artist, making a layout is us at play, and at-play with toys, no less.

No?

Yes?

Oh well. My little hobby-antithetic parade still emerges from its storage bin every Christmastime, and I enjoy replacing it in the village street it progresses down (that is, in my  whimsical imagination, it progresses.)

Layout scenery mistake?

FrankM, the whimsyman.

All that should matter is ,that u like it the way it is. My layout is loaded with mistakes. Yes some bother me. but nothing I can do about it ,so I will live with it. Besides  only My 2 friends and my wife will ever see it anyway. So i'm happy that I can run trains mistakes and all.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

There are multiple mistakes in the scene below on my layout that need a lot of work to correct:

The road crossing the curved tracks is awful, IMO! LOL

It is too bumpy, way too uneven, and the pieces of cardboard I have between the rails look terrible.

I'm also OK with my giant Lionel flashing signal crossing accessory, which fits in with the character of my Postwar accessory laden layout.

I would love to get suggestions on how to improve the road that crosses the curved tracks, and what to put between the rails to make them look better. Arnold

 

My suggestion for this scene is to rip out everything between the tracks except the station and the crossing signal. Then, get a sheet of foam of the appropriate thickness and fill in between the tracks and around the bases of the Lionel accessories. Then scenic as usual. Burying the unrealistic bases of the accessories in foam (making them nearly flush with grade) works wonders at softening the "toyness" without sacrificing that Lionel look.

Here are a few examples of this technique:

TedW posted:

Be glad your “water” didn’t turn out like this...

The little lake on this Xmas layout was poured during the summer of ‘17.  The first pictures while not the best show how it looked when I stored it after Xmas in Jan ’18.  When I set it up Xmas ‘18, I noticed the strange effect of ripples at one end of the scene(last three pictures).  My theory is it happened during storage as I placed it on hangers in a vertical position.

Ted, water looks fine. Saw waves just like that at a lake this weekend!

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

There are multiple mistakes in the scene below on my layout that need a lot of work to correct:

 

 

Arnold, diner needs more patrons to survive. Road is excellent, a LOT like that around here, even new!

Moonson posted:

gmorlitz posted:

Arnold, it doesn't matter if it looks good or bad...The idea is for you to enjoy it and have fun. That doesn't mean you couldn't improve a bit with some of the things you do, but it's a matter of what you like to do. If there's something you don't particularly enjoy doing, accept what is done, live with it and move on to something you enjoy. Because that's why you should be doing this. To enjoy...

Gerry

Hi gmorlitz/Gerry, I agree with what you have said, wholeheartedly. Here's is my explanation for why I say so...

Arnold, At Christmastime, several years ago, I decided to model a "Macy's Thanksgiving Day" type parade, which I have attended, or a "Rose Bowl"type holiday parade (though I had never seen one in-person, just some clips on TV) for emplacement in one part of my layout.

No guest in our home who saw the layout ever objected to the level of whimsy I exercised by modeling such an occasion as a Holiday parade, nor did they even object to its presence, in the first place.

It was on-line forums, when I shared my photos (seen here), where the objections flew. Too much fantasy. Too much whimsy.

Well, I would submit, for everybody here to consider, that the whole idea of having a model train layout is a great big hunk of whimsy, every factor and detailed modeling of our layouts, and the fact of having a layout, in and of itself, dedicated to TOYS, welcomes the hobbyist - self-welcomes - to PLAY and have a good old whimsical time of it, exercising his or her IMAGINATION and whimsical side. A model train layout, whether it is an old-time Lionel tinplate layout loaded with nostalgia and plenty of happy noise, or whether it is so realistic a masterpiece, like Norm's, that one wonders if we were seeing the landscape thru the lens of a drone flying over real-life, or seeing a model created by the gifts of an artist, making a layout is us at play, and at-play with toys, no less.

No?

Yes?

Oh well. My little hobby-antithetic parade still emerges from its storage bin every Christmastime, and I enjoy replacing it in the village street it progresses down (that is, in my  whimsical imagination, it progresses.)

Layout scenery mistake?

FrankM, the whimsyman.

 

Frank, as always splendid work AND whimsy my friend!

Avanti posted:

Pete, great blending!

Guys, we really just enjoy seeing everyone's work on the OGR Forum!