Only white paint used?

Hi Miles,

I've just watched the episode and it was great.  Very impressed with how subtle the clouds ended up looking.

However, either I missed it or it wasn't said, but was only white spray paint being used, or a light grey as well?

Cheers.

Hear!, Hear!

Hear!, Hear!

Just white

Just white paint ... the trick is only using a very little bit of white ... that lets a lot of blue show through, simulating gray.

Matt I presume?

Thanks Joe.

I presume a matt white is used?

Definitely Matte.

Well done premier to a new segment

Good work TMTV team.  Informative and well-paced segment!  It's also a nice complement to the backdrop painting segment with Chris Lyon.

No valances?

So just to be sure....With this technique of backdrop construction and recessed lights, there would be no lighting valances?

Michael

Valances and cycloramas

I plan to use valances with my cyclorama backdrop, but as Miles mentions I'll have to be careful with the lighting.  The light has to be very diffused so it doesn't highlight the curve between the wall and ceiling.  I'll be doing some experiments later in the year and I'm planning to have a lighting expert come in to discuss it and do some demos with Clark Kooning in The Backshop Clinic.

.

Looking forward to this as I am a bit torn between using a diffuse and point source lights (​fluorescent tubes and LED strips in my case) for the "fill" light.

There was a very good discussion on this in an older Model Rail Radio Podcast ("Let There Be Light" here: http://www.archive.org/download/ModelRailRadio/mrr_103010.mp3)in which Chris Abbot interviewed Gerry Cornwell, with some additional input from Clark.  That discussion heavily influenced my thinking about light color and lamp usage.

My confusion is....

....that most times when I see a layout that uses lighting valances, it is bordered by them and the fascia in such a way that there is a "viewing window" framed for the layout and a backdrop curving up into the ceiling doesn't seem necessary as that part is blocked from view by the valance anyway.  It's more of what I believe is called a "shadowbox presentation". That's what I always strived for on past layouts and it's the same type of effect I'm working towards on my current shelf style layout.

This is not to say that what I see being demonstrated in the video isn't a really great looking effect, it is, and some of the methods to achieve it like the varying thickness of sheet rock to form a lip and using the ball for corners are downright ingenious. I'm just trying to reconcile the two approaches in my mind. 

Someday I hope to have a bare space to finish into a first class layout room and I'd be hard pressed to decide between the two techniques and wonder if some sort of combination of them would suit me best.

Regards,

Michael

I'm very excited about this series

I'm pretty excited about the new Back to the Basement series.
 

First a little background

TrainMasters TV is its own business, with Barry Silverthorn pretty much running the show as to production. Barry and I talk, sure, but I generally don't get to see the final result until about the same time as you all.

Once I got to see the first episode of this series, I was surprised at how much I learned from it - for a modeler who's been in the hobby for 45 years! If any of the rest of the episodes will be anything like this first one (and I don't see why they won't be, knowing Miles and Barry), then this series is going to totally rock.
 

Breaking new ground

I don't recall any other video series on designing and building a basement layout like this one is going to be. I'm pretty sure we're making model railroading media history here, and I'm thrilled that MRH and TMTV are the ones doing it. I also hope we're setting a new standard here for what will become routine quality on location how-to video for TMTV.

One really cool part of this project is this isn't just some little staff layout made up for publication. This is a real full-sized home layout being built and you're getting to follow along with an MMR and skilled educator as he does it. This is truly an unprecedented hobby media production.

To answer Michael

 _{"...most times when I see a layout that uses lighting valances, it is bordered by them and the fascia in such a way that there is a "viewing window" framed for the layout and a backdrop curving up into the ceiling doesn't seem necessary as that part is blocked from view by the valance anyway."}

You are correct, in most cases curving the wall-to-ceiling joint and using a valence is redundant.  I plan to use both.  In may case, the upper level of my layout will be at eye level and above, with the track carved into a hillside.  This means that operators will be looking up at the trains and - beyond that - into the corner of the ceiling and the wall.  So curving the joint is absolutely necessary.  At the same time I want my aisleways to be dim, so the valence will cut off some of the light that would otherwise spill into the aisle.  They will need to be far enough from the wall so that they don't create glare, and also so they light the lower deck effectively.  It's a tricky balance, so some experimentation will be required.  So far I'm happy with the backdrop experiment, and I wish I had been exposed to Miles' "lip and plywood" method before I spent a lot of time wetting and curving drywall.

_{"...some of the methods to achieve it like the varying thickness of sheet rock to form a lip and using the ball for corners are downright ingenious. I'm just trying to reconcile the two approaches in my mind. "}

As far as the "ingenious" nature of the yoga ball technique, for me it all comes from having a lot of time to sit and think about how to solve a problem.  I had to wait about five years before I was able to drywall a basement, so I had plenty of time to work out ways to do it.