You are right, your father

You are right, your father does a great job painting your people! I really like what I see. Any chance you can share more of the railroad parts and possibly an overall of your layout?

Gary

I Should Be So Lucky

It looks GREAT! I do wish I had someone who paints for me (am colorblind and need all the help I can get) like that. The pictures are well done and really give you the feeling of the Old West. Keep up the good work and post a lot more of what you are doing, because you're certainly doing it well.

I like your work!

I too am modeling between the turn of the century and the 1930s.  I may focus more on the turn of the century.  That first photo you have posted is a great one.  I like the mountain in the background too.  I hope you will post more of your layout photos.

Den

Thanks guys! + some more info

Thanks Gary, David and Den for your supportive comments. Apologies for taking a while to reply, I'm finding life quite busy recently with the arrival of our baby daughter 5 months ago. Finding time for trains let alone posting has been challenging but I will persevere!

My layout, which is obviously freelanced is of the sometimes frowned upon 4x8 variety, but I like it and that’s what counts! It’s got multiple levels connected by helix which sits under the top level. This means about half of the bottom level is covered up with the mountainside (sad). But I like how I can’t see all the scenes on my railroad at once, I have to walk around the layout to follow my trains and I get a sense of journeying with the train. The inspiration for the track layout came from an article in Railroad Model Craftsman Sept 1994 about Ron Hatch’s HOn3 Fulton County Narrow Gauge railroad.

The layout is divided by a mountain which forms a deep canyon on one side of the layout the backside of which form the hills behind the town on the other side.  

Here are a couple of images of the trackplan done in a paint program.  

and the upper level:

Only the end of the shortline is modeled (on the upper level) I am building a staging fidde yard which will branch off from the straight leg of the hidden wye on the lower level. The Wyes on both levesl are for continuous running, so I could run a train up the hill to the town and vice versa without having to turn anything manually.

The table is on wheels so I can pull it out from the walls and make the aisle smaller or larger depending on what else the garage is being used for and also for positioning against the backdrop for photos.

Some overview pictures of the layout, sorry these ones aren't focus stacked.

The above is from the town side of the layout, thoroughfare gap pass is the the upper left, being the passage between the canyon wilderness and the settled town area.

Some of the canyon side, the creek needs water yet. Those gold panning miners would do better with some water!

A zoomed out veiw of the canyon side. Note the Dust roof Which can be removed. I find this necessary to control the dust in the garage. 

A poor shot of thoroughfare gap pass, this will make a better photo with a train (obviously!) and a focus stacked image.

I've also attached a video I took back in October as an experiment, so some of the scenery has changed a little since then. I'm running DC and none of my locos are sound equipped so I had a go at adding some sound in post production.

Thanks for taking an interest and I hope to be able spend more time commenting and posting on the forum in the future. 

Happy modelling!

Luke

Looking good, Luke

I am far from being an expert, but looking at your OP pictures and the follow on with the video, you are just having too much fun - makes me feel I am right there in the old west. Was that John Wayne I saw in those first pictures? I especially enjoyed seeing the surveyor up on the rise taking a line up with his theodolite. Adds some realism - yes, railroads served people, so one really needs those people on the layout. I can really appreciate the painting on those HO scale people - I've done a little myself on N scale people (I've got about 45 more to paint).

You are quite skilled in drawing the diagram of your track plan with a "paint" program - which program did you use?

Gap railroad...

That is a fine layout you have there, Luke   only....

(with Darth Vador's voice)...." Luke, Luke...join the dark side...of DCC and sound... feel and hear the powa of your 

your engines...when running them....."