First Pass

Great first pass love the detail so far, there something about large intersections that let you be very creative and make very real. What did you use for your curbs?

OK So Far

The first layer looks good, but the backdrop in this area will really make the difference.

The World's Largest Photo Backdrop

@Denvermar: The curbs and sidewalks are strip and sheet styrene cut to shape and attached to the road base with CA. They were painted a lighter shade of grey than the roads, but weathered with the same India ink wash used everywhere else.

@wp8thsub: Amen to that Rob! As we speak I'm working on piecing together the backdrop in Photoshop, using photos taken at the intersection. I was originally scared that I would never be able to make such a large or complex backdrop work, but past successes at NW 100th & Douglas have proven me wrong.

James

Looks Great!

I love styrene roads. I use a similar coloring method. I paint all of mine with Testor's Aircraft Light Gray, then wash it with india ink and alcohol. Newer darker sections just get more passes with the India Ink.

First Pass

I like the look of the roads that you have done so far. I "build" my roads the same way and am very pleased with the results. I would like to post pictures of how I did mine sort of like "Follow the build", but there are quite a few pictures involved. For you guys who do a lot of posting about your layouts, I have questions about this type of posting.

First: To do something like this how many pictures can be posted at once? Should I use my MRH blog area?

Second: How do you all go about getting a write-up in between the pictures? In the past posts I have done I haven't  been able to do that. I have tried everything I could think of and read the help section on this site to no avail.

Third: I am not sure how to upload the pictures so the first one is first and not last which is how it is happening now.

All of these questions also apply to my blog. ( http://mrhmag.com/blog/rich_harden) Please look at it & the comments to see what I am talking about.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Richard Superintendent, CNW Peninsula Div.

Posting

• Create a blog entry
• Type opening text putting a line feed at the end (enter key)
• Insert first picture and size appropriately (image icon in tool bar, upload tab, browse, send to server)
• Select inserted picture, right arrow key one time, enter
• Type next text making sure to put a line feed at the end
• Repeat the process

Selecting the image after inserting and then using the right arrow key/line feed makes sure your text is in the right place between pictures. This is just one way of doing it but it is for me the simplest. You could use the Browse Server button on the Advanced tab of the image icon dialog box to upload multiple pics if you wish but that process is really only necessary for images you want to use over and over in multiple posts.

Keep your image file sizes below about a meg or the uploader may balk. Size your images to a maximum width of around 780 pixels so they fit well.

What Alan said...

Plus, try not to put pictures in the opening post. Use that for an introduction only. Then reply to your opening post and add the pictures with text.

Posting

Thanks to Alan & Jim for the help with this.

Richard

Looks Good

I really like the coloring of the concrete roads you are achieving here James!

India Ink Wash

Thanks Kevin,

For the record the grey used on the roads is the cheapest flat grey spray paint I could find at WalMart. It's since become my default grey for just about everything on the layout, including roads, trees, buildings, etc. At a buck a can I buy as much as I can whenever I can.

The weathering comes from an india ink/alcohol mixtures applied with an airbrush, following techniques developed by Lance Mindheim. He details his road construction and painting techniques on his website.

James

Awed

James. I have been following the evolutions of the Grimes Line since I first found them on the LDSIG website. I know the Grimes Line area well. You know Hobby Haven isn't far from the Grimes Line! Heard your podcast recently (the DsMoiNTRAK group promoted it) It couldn't have come at a better time as I was bemoaning the lack of a basement empire layout space. You, Tom "INRAIL" (of L&IN fame), and Lance Mindheim are the gold standard I aspire to. I love the lack of "railroady" (yard, service, depot, etc.) items on the Grimes line, this is my desire also. I watch the IAIS site dilligently for updates - keep them coming!!