PLEASE VOTE!  What to do with the windows?  I could leave them just as they are.  The layout would be built in front of them and you could see the windows and out thru the windows.  If the blinds were open then viewers could also see the layout by the window along with the rest of the layout.

Or, I could "fill in" the windows with foam or hardboard, blend the edges, and paint it blue so that the windows would "disappear".  I wouldn't be able to see out and people outside would only see the closed blinds which I would leave in place behind the material that sealed the windows.

Or, I could do something completely different (movable drapes, etc).  Your suggestions and comments are welcome!

Rick

You could paint the backdrop in a curtain or a removable panel, that way it would not interfere with the layout and you could remove it and let the sunlight in.

Thank you for your input!

   I think it depends on the view outside and if you like to look at it when working in the train room. I have some windows similar to yours and if I extend my layout across them I plan to put up normal backdrops on the wall between the windows and short backdrops on the "bridges"crossing the windows. I think about 6 inch high backdrops for N scale will be enough to frame the track view but still leave the window view pretty open....DaveBranum

Recommend you get the film for the windows to cut out UV transmission so that the Florida sun doesn't damage your layout and bleach out the colors of your equipment and scenery.

Dave brought up a good point about the view.  Below is a picture of the view from my trainroom.  I'm HO scale so if I did a short backdrop across the windows it would need to be high enough to be effective without being too high.

Beautiful greenery and clouds, I'd want to be able to watch them while I worked in there.....DaveBranum

I have two sets in my train room, and I use them regularly.  I need to get the UV film, but I like being able to have some natural light is I work in there during the day.

My late friend Vic Dowd had the perfect solution to this. He filled in the openings with removable

foam core panels and painted the continuous backdrop across them. You can see photos of this

in his cover article in Model Railroader, July 1998.

John Elwood

I thought that if I did make panels for the windows I could make them removable and have the best of both worlds - thanks!

How about painting the blinds so that when they are closed they become the backdrop?

I could paint the blinds or even perhaps replace them with a roll up canvas that has the backdrop painted on it.  Hummmmm.....

is biased, but from recent experience.  Do you want people to be able to see the trains from outdoors, making them a target for thieves?  My recent experience was having thousands of dollars of dive gear stolen out of my car in my driveway, because I didn't bring it in soon enough.   I thought I was in a low crime area.

Once you make that decision, your options will be fewer, and easier to decide between.

Oh, and yes, my insurance paid, but it will never be the same, I spent 15 years putting together what I had in that gear.  And some of it was customized to me.

Not that it's going to happen but in the event of fire how many ways do you have to get out of the layout room?  If you want to build panels to cover the windows that can be popped out/open in an emergency you could use Gatorfoam which has the advantages of being very light and rigid, particularly in thicknesses of 1/2" or more.  If you have no objection to fastening things to walls you can use light lumber for framing.  I use vertically mounted supports of approx. 7' pieces of 2x2" laminated to pieces of 1x2" (the 1x2" on the wall side and cut a bit shorter to clear the baseboards at the bottom and blind mounting hardware at the top).  I used small diameter lag screws to attach these through the wallboard to the studs in the wall.  The wall side of these supports also has strips of Woodland Scenics N scale roadbed glued on to provide a little cushion between the support and the texture of the finished wall (who knows how well this will work but I'll be long gone when this stuff comes down and at least I tried! ).  I'm also looking at using table alignment pins I found at Rockler in a few spots where I might want a little extra help keeping things properly lined up:

Bill you took the words right outa my mouth.

Rick I agree with Bill excellent idea!, or as the Guinness guys would say "BRILLIANT".

With the blinds closed you have the blue matching the wall. With them open you have the view outside. If you move you need only replace the blinds. It is very unlikely that the blinds will fall out of the window and damage anything on the layout, no matter how well designed a removable panel is it could still get loose and do some damage.

Rob

All you folks that live in town and worry about thieves. I have not locked my doors in 15 years. When I first came to this little town that I will call a modern day Mayberry I noticed that nearly all the cars in the town square were parked with the windows down and the keys in the ignition. I stopped into the bank and mentioned this and was told well if some takes it they'll bring it back.

The place is still like that.

Rob

The same color as the walls would be my choice. If the room were strictly for trains, I would say fill the windows with a semi-permanent block, e.g. Foam board or plywood. But since it is also your office, I would hate to give up the natural light and view the windows provide.

Gee Gus, if he blocks out those windows, we'll never be able to watch him build his layout.

Heck, we won't even be able to watch him work in his office. Poor guy will be in the dark all the time....

Maybe he'll just paint his blinds so he can open them easily and often to work. And we can watch too!

The same color as the walls would be my choice. If the room were strictly for trains, I would say fill the windows with a semi-permanent block, e.g. Foam board or plywood. But since it is also your office, I would hate to give up the natural light and view the windows provide.

Norman's repeating himself ;)

Rick, how did you post the poll??

I hit post once and it came back with a "503 Service not available" error message, so I hit the back button and hit post again. Won't do that again!

And, yeah, AARP started sending recruiting material nearly 20 years ago.

Bill, when you create a post it is an option. It defaults to two fields for choices but you can add others.

Hi Rick   Seeing your windows gave me a real "Crocodile Dundee moment".  My layout room also has two windows ,on adjacent walls and only 18" apart.  Each window is 5 ft high and 7 ft long!  I am just going to keep the micro venetian blinds shut.  Bryan.

I've seen quite a few different attempts at removable fillers for window openings, plus adding a backdrop to the blinds, and can't say any of them looked too good.  They tended to look messy and drew more attention to the windows than if all was left as-is.  I have two windows in my train room and they look much like yours do now.  I keep the blinds shut most of the time, but occasionally do want ventilation if I'm painting track or something.  Visitors sometimes ask how I plan to treat the openings and I point and say they're looking at it.

Part of the issue is how the openings integrate with the rest of the wall, as they usually aren't on the same plane as the wall surface.  Metal or plastic corner bead is typical, with applications of mud built up against the corners.  This makes the area smooth, but not flat.  Add a plug into the opening and it may serve to reinforce just how flat the wall ISN'T, harming the illusion of the backdrop on either side as it bends toward the plug.

Permanent backdrops, built seamlessly across the openings, usually work out OK, but something like that may not be what you want if you'd prefer the room easily revert to normal again.

I'd install roll up shades (vinyl?) and you could pull them down when operating the trains.  The back could be painted to match the sky.  

I've also seen ones that install on the bottom and pull up ... may be nice if you want to block the outside view of the trains and benchwork when not operating (partially raised), and could be fully raised during operating sessions.

The democrats have spoken, you can guess what caucus this is.

The backdrop above is a large hanging canvas like you can buy in a large roll in many of the art stores.  I have seen that roll at several of them.  It can be painted outside the train and hung when completed.  Then you don't have to worry about repainting the walls if you move again.  I bet you could find a way to roll it up for the times when the layout is not in use.

If that is too big you could buy the white vinyl pull down shades on the spring loaded roll, one for each window, to paint to match the rest of the backdrops.

Den

Either do as Den suggests or leave them alone. Any infill will be obvious and detract from the layout. Heck, everybody knows it's a model and not the real thing, no matter how well it is done.

Dante

I had a similar but different situation in a home office with antique firearms. I also had a photo studio setup in front of the window effectively blocking it from ever opening but not quit the full height of the window. Besides the security against tempting toys for thieves, the lack of access to the window do to the photo stand I also was concerned about the outside appearance. I used some window film from Home Depot in I think it was a ricepaper pattern. This gives a pleasant appearance outside, blocks views but still lets in light. I do not know about it's UV properties, In my application I wasn't worried about them, direct sunlight only reaches the floor and only for an hour or two between the photo stand, my roof line and some trees.  As I did not do any permanent or destructive changes it'll be easy when I move in another year or two to just take the film back down, or the next owners can do that. 

For your application I would do that followed by continuing your backdrop around. If you are really confident that you aren't moving some and/or don't mind doing trim work you could cut out the window trim behind the backdrop so it continues flush with the rest of your backdrop.

Matt

Rich I think you also need to consider what it will look like from the outside. I vote for roll up canvas blinds (normally lowered to jut below baseboard level) for the following reasons:
1. Backdrop can be painted direct on to the canvas.
2. Avoids direct sunlight on the layout
3. Natural light is always easily available
4. Blinds hide layout from view from outside
5. Dead easy to restore to what you have now if you have to move

Peter

You know my feelings on this subject...

I don't trust film.  I just don't.  And it's a permanent modification to your house.  No good...

What I would do is get another sheet of that foam while it is still on sale, cut it so that the bottom is flush with the bottom of the blue horizon, and cover both windows with that single sheet.  I would use 1" strips of foam to space this sheet 1" away from the wall so that it accommodates the blinds in place while supporting the sheet evenly against the wall.  And to prevent any seams, I would take this false front all the way to both ends of the room, seeing as how shaving a smooth slope is very difficult.

I'd then paint this light blue, matching your room color.

You'll still have light from below, and if you want the view, you could work your back sheet in some sort of manner so that you could fold the main leaf down onto the layout [protecting it from the light] if you leave it down for a while] while providing yourself with that very same view.

And paint the back white...or something pleasant...

I've been here before...

Before the layout:

After the Layout, amidst tearing it down...

Note how quickly my window was returned to it's original configuration.  I literally took down the sheet of foam that covered it, and there it was, ready to go.  I had to fill and paint the walls, of course, but it was a quick exercise...

"I don't trust film.  I just don't.  And it's a permanent modification to your house.  No good..."

Um how is window film a permanent modification? 

Matt

Well, let's see, once you apply it to the window, it's Semi permanently on there.

The adhesive holding it to the glass WILL fail, in time, leading to blemishes and imperfections.

My uncle has it on the lower story windows.  The film is now cracked as it has aged, the glass feeling rough on the inside.

If you go to sell your house, you WILL have to clean it off before you sell, or sell for less.  If you want to make the room look Really clean, you'll have to remove the film - and once it;s removed, you may see scratches induced while you were removing it.

If you never put the film on, all you need is a single application of Windex and the window is show room ready.

Best not touch or modify anything beyond necessary.  A couple screws in the wall will mean spackle and paint later, but this is a given anyways, seeing as how the room is half light blue.  that layout is being built with the thought that maybe there will be another move in the future.  So why not take that concept one step further, and minimize the environmental impact of the layout while it occupies that space.

Applying window film, well, it completely changes the environment of the glass.

Really good museums do not use it.  Any light coming in is just as bad as all the light coming in.  Instead, they design their galleries right from the start to not allow much natural light into the exhibit halls in the first place.  Really, REALLY good museums don't even allow indirect light within the exhibit halls.  Architect critics HATE well designed art galleries because they're so dark, so enclosed, so stuffy.  Well, they're like that for a very specific purpose!

And while all of this may seem inhuman and completely against what we humans consider natural asthetics [which it is], it's the reality of the situation. 

Even if you put the film on the windows, it will not change the reality that any pictures along this wall will like "A model railroad with two windows in the background."  Regardless of what color the blinds are painted.

I would use a window shade painted sky blue maybe with clouds mounted on the bottom/window sill and pull the shade up and hook it onto a hook or nail. this way you could open the top of the window for some fresh air

Painted shades/roller blinds.

Have you considered shutters. Would look good from the outside. Recess them on the inside slightly on the inside & apply the gatorfoam idea with your backdrop.

Patrick Stanley

Espee over Donner

Rick,

My railroad is in a former bedroom, that still could be used for sleeping by someone in a sleeping bag on the floor or on a cot.  So, I maintain the window for emergency egress and rescue.

I have 3 inch vertical PVC blinds that I painted the same light sky-blue color as my backdrops.  When closed, you are hardly aware of them, as they tend to blend with the rest of the background.

When I'm working on the layout, and want either light or the fresh air, it's easy to open it all up.

The other thing I did was increase the depth of the benchwork members from 3½" to 5½" in the vicinity of the window, so the benchwork can support someone using the window for escape (or a firefighter chosing the window to effect a rescue).

OK, now its back outside to enjoy the So.Cal. 73° sunny day.

If you want to paint plastic blinds or metal vents or anything else, the same colour as the wall, you can take your wall paint to the local paint shop and get them to aerosolize it for you. Not everyone offers this service, but it is becoming more common.

My local shop charges $16 for this service and the results are excellent. The paint matches perfectly because it's the same paint and with some practice it's possible to paint many things without bleeds, pools, runs, or brush strokes.

I like to use a spray primer called X-I-M Primer/Sealer/Bonder first.

We did this for all the white vents that are like warts on the inside and outside of our house. The outside ones match the siding and the inside ones match the baseboards and walls. nice!

It takes about 2oz to do a can. 1 can for me has done all of my cold air returns (3 30"x8" and 1 16"x8") and there is still plenty of paint in the can.

Why not thin the daylights out if it and use your air brush to paint the blinds?

Randy

I appreciate all of your input and suggestions.  I'm going to go with the Boss's suggestion (my wife) of installing a panel at layout height that goes up to the junction of the two window sections.  I'll make the panel out of MDF painted white on the side facing the outside and painted the same blue as on the inside as the existing blue.  This arrangement will allow me to have a backdrop for photos while allowing light into the room and a view of the outside along with allowing me access to open the window in cooler weather ( about 6 days a year here in Florida!)  Since the blinds will be left in place I can close them for privacy and to keep the sun out.  I installed the UV blocking window film on the windows this morning so I'm ready to add the panels.  Here's a picture of the way they will look:

I am a bit late to the poll as I see a decision has ben made. Nonetheless, I voted other. Egress option had to be maintained in my situation.

I'm glad that you have arrived at a solution that both of you can be happy with. I was faced with windows that would be above and below the layout also. Since this room is for the layout only, the windows got the deep-six treatment. Installed studs, insulation,vapor barrier. and sheetrock. Total of three window gone and no longer a pane in the glass. LOL  Egress door is directly outside door of layout room. About 16" away. Works for me! Looking forward to the development of your new Richlawn.

Thanks, Alan. I will still have egress with the MDF panels in place as there is an area large enough below the benchwork to craw through if the window is open. In any event I can throw a chair through the top portion and exit through there.

   That looks good. I was wondering how I'd do the windows at the end of my train room if I extend my layout and I think I'll use your method. For N scale I can get by with about a 6 inch tall backdrop so should be able to still have a useful window above. ..DaveBranum

I'm building my RR in a basement with 4 walls under ground and a door to exit. I keep 2 fire extinguishers in the room that are easy to get my hands on should A fire start. 

If your room was mine I would fill in the windows with Drywall and paint them over with scenery and sky.

Dan

Rich, just my two cents on this. I had lowes cut a 4'x8' sheet of 1" blue foam the long way to create 2 sheets 2'x8'.Thats what I use as a backdrop on my layout. I have two windows that face the front porch and the sheets block the lower 2 feet of the windows but still allow natural light to come in from above if I move the shades. Since I am sitting down and so close to the table top level I really don't even notice after a while that the backdrop ends 2' above my head. But it works and gives the illusion of blue sky. Maybe some day I'll paint some clouds on them but for right now the blue foam works.

Dan,  I get a little "cabin fever" when I'm in a windowless room all day.  My basement in Georgia was a walk-out and my office had a nice view of our 1 acre wooded lot.  I'm afraid that if I completely covered my windows in my office / trainroom I might go completely crazy (as opposed to the mostly crazy that I am now!).