Suspense...

I can't stand the suspense, hurry up already! 

LOL 

Randy

Don't be fooled....

It's all smoke and mirrors and Photoshop.

Scott Chatfield

Layout tour

Looking east in Atlantic IA, with staging around the corner to the right in the distance.

A view to the west in Atlantic, with the Atlantic Spur on right.

Looking west toward Walnut Creek and Hancock Elevator.

Looking south from Hancock Elevator toward the hill tracks that drop down from the mainline to feed it.  A string of empties are tied down on the Outside Track, while the pig flats are stored on the Oakland Branch.

Looking east toward Hancock Jct. and the East Nishnabotna River bridge (far right).

East Nishnabotna River bridge.

The view to the east from Council Bluffs toward McClelland.

Looking west toward the east end of Council Bluffs, with (L-R) the High Bridge, BN Bridge (over BNSF's Bayard Branch), and Harry Langdon Blvd. overpass.

East end of Bluffs Yard.

West end of Bluffs Yard.

Looking west in Council Bluffs.

Looking west toward UP's Council Bluffs Pool Yard.  The track diverging to the right with the pink ballast leads back to staging, completing the loop around the basement.

What the...?!?

Guys, we practiced this!  First I post the photos, then you reply with all kinds of oohs and aahs, just like in the script.  Let's try this again from the top.

ooooooohhhhhhh!!!

dang, that's pretty! one of these days(years?) I want to see that in person.......dang!!!!

Ooohs and aaahhs....

Ok Joe, here’s my oohhs and aaahhs, beautiful work!

Ahhhhhhh

So as not to upset Randy too much, your operational enhancements are exceptional, stunning, so real and look really great. I was hoping to get to see Warren in Omaha this past spring and I thought maybe you, dang this COVID. How long have you been working on the master piece?

Tom

Harumph...

And ooooh and aaaaah. 

Very nice.  You have a very nice-looking and photogenic layout.

Impressive work.  I give it two thumbs up. 

Thanks for finally posting. 

Randy 

Awesome shots Joe! This is a

Awesome shots Joe! This is a premier layout. 

I am still calling for a Trainmasters TV spot.

Jeff

oooooooo!

Ooooo's and ahhhh's all around Joe - Love it!

...although we're gonna have to chat about how you have been bending history lately.

Impressive

Fun to see it all in one place.  
leaves me with the feeling that the 5:15 special is due, but not to be seen yet.  Lots of power waiting to be assigned.  
great job.

Thank you

Thank you all very much for the kind words.  Only kidding about the oohs and aahs, but I appreciate the encouragement nonetheless.  

Rick, as soon as we're able to gather again, you're absolutely welcome here.  It'd be great to finally meet in person.

Tom, whenever you make it back to the Omaha area, just say the word and I'll be sure Warren stops over.   I'm embarrassed to say this given how much work I still have left to do, but I started this layout 20 years ago.

Thanks Randy for your patience with me, and for the nice words.  Nice job getting back on script.

Jeff, thanks for your continued support - and your encouragement about TMTV.   Who knows...maybe someday?

Bill, what's this talk about bending history?  I thought maybe you missed that thread about finding a new customer and my threat there to contact you for more decals.  Apparently I can't get anything past you.

Larry, yes, lots of power sitting around on this layout thanks in large part to the Bluffs enginehouse backlog and dead line.  I'll have to shoot a video one of these days showing things actually moving here.

Just beautiful.

Very realistic Joe. Your layout captures the look of midwest Iowa railroading, especially the signature scenes that you have described to us over the years. Looks like it would be a blast to run a train over it; I am sure it operates as well as it looks.

Fran Giacoma

Still

one of my favourite layouts to see.  Like Rick, it would be great to see it in person some time as I'm not sure pictures always do it justice even as good as the photos are.  20 years isn't all that bad considering the detail you put into it.

20 and

Joe, no need to apologize for 20 years of dedication to something you enjoy. It looks superb, it is accurate to what your goals are and you enjoy it. That is all we can ever hope for. 
 

Tom

Gotta love the Wall

of containers at Council Bluffs.  Are they all plastic?

A Real Treat

The first thread I read on the forum this morning was this one - what a great way to start the day!  Great to put all the scenes we've seen over the years together into one nice package.  Great layout, very inspriational!

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA

Roadmaster

The roadmaster must have repaired the track at Atlantic, I noticed the track out of service sign wasn't up. 

Don't worry, In the words of Nick Fury...

I've got my eye on you.

A work of art!

Thanks for posting these Joe, your layout is always an inspiration.  I have to admit that while studying your photos I was thinking that you went a little light on the flock of your trees.  You can see through all of them.  Then I remembered that you model early May and it all made sense.  You may have created a new category of modeler, the prototypical-phenological modeler.  Kidding aside, it's another layer of realism for your operators/visitors to experience and you have captured the colors and tones of late spring in Iowa to a T, from the grasses, to the trees, and farm fields.  

Another detail that caught my eye were the rural grade crossings that are a combination of concrete & railroad ties.  I have seen those many times along the prototype, but haven't seen them modeled all that often and you did a great job of recreating those in miniature.

One other aspect of your layout that blows me away is the transition from layout scenery to backdrop to horizon.  The way you have artistically treated that transition makes it very difficult to tell you are looking at a model.  I can imagine the effect is even greater from eye level.

I could go on and on, but I have to stop somewhere.  Thanks again for sharing and keep up the great modeling.

Seriously, thank you

You folks seriously made my day.  Thank you all very much for all the kind words.

Fran and Dave, if you're ever in the Omaha area once things get back to normal, I hope you'll let me know.  It'd be great to have you guys here.

Tom, you're right about the enjoyment.  I shouldn't be so worried about making progress when the path between here and "completion" is so much fun.

Philip, yes, those containers are all plastic.  However, I got them very early in the layout's development, when prices were a lot lower than they are today.  I knew early on that that "wall" was necessary in order to minimize the fact that my intermodal ramp was just a fraction of the depth of the prototype.  That's all the space I could afford to give it if I was going to have any hope of reaching the back of the layout there for track cleaning.

Al, I guess we're even then, because your reply was a great way to start my day as well.

Ha!  You're right about the signs Dave, but no track repairs to be found.  The signs went away when the switch locks were added, since the MOW tracks got blue flags on the locks instead.

Brant, you're the first person who's ever noticed that about my trees.  But you're right, I tried to stop short of full foliage on them to represent trees as they'd typically be in about mid-May.  Up until 2012, I called my era "Spring 2005", but eventually realized that, given how much changed in the span of those three months, I had to narrow my focus more so I had a more precise target to shoot for in terms of crop sizes, tree growth, grass color...even the hardware on locomotives and service facilities.

Even for such a limited geographic area and time frame, it's interesting what changes can be observed when you're shooting it frequently, and how you can define the layout's era based on your modeling of them.

Great tour

Joe, that is a great tour of a very well done layout.  Interesting subjects all the way around.  

I too enjoyed the tour

I too enjoyed the tour and a spin around the state where my dad was born and raised, and laid to rest.

Thank you

Thank you guys very much.

Jim, where was your dad from?