That came out amazing, well

That came out amazing, well done. Can you post a few more shots?

Nice

Looks good James!

Additional Shots

Overview of the entire scene. Interstate 35/80 is on the right with the Hwy 141 connector on the left. I'd like to work in photo backdrops but need to figure out how to get them safely.

The exit sign is one of Summit Custom Cuts new kits. The graphic was made in photoshop and applied to the front.

Train NTSW-17 passes under Highway 141 pulling two loads to Beisser Lumber in Grimes.

James

Highway Project

Over Pass

James: I like the job here. Very realistic! Yours, Elvin Howland/E.St.Louis Rail Group Layout

Nice Scene

Yet another area that has worked out well.

Very Nice

Looks very good.

Good luck with getting your photos from the middle of the interstate...I guess move quickly??

Keep us posted!

Google StreetView

Thanks Greg. I'll pass on playing Frogger across the highway for some photos. So I'm going to try Google StreetView pics to see how that works. My concern is that they are A) low resolution andb) taken at the wrong time of year for my modeled era.

I'll run some test prints this week and see how it looks.

James

Great site for highway signs

http://www.kurumi.com/roads/signmaker/signmaker.html

SignMaker

Hi Chuck,

That's what I used for my exit sign! I then took it into Photoshop and scaled it to fit the Summit kit. Highway signs are a quick and easy way to help establish location, whether you're modeling a prototype or a freelance railroad.

James

James I love your layout, the

James I love your layout, the ability to put a lot into a few inches makes for selective compression, without really compressing everything. I enjoyed the pallet factory in the corner as well. Lots of The Miami District from Lance in your work, which is not a bad thing.

Scenic Compression

Thank you Chuck, and everyone else for your kind comments.

I'm honored to mentioned in the same thought as Lance Mindheim. I know his work has influenced many on here... including me. Three things to look for in any good layout design. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

James

Excellent! Good way to hide

Excellent!

Good way to hide tighter curve as well - Will definitely see if I can do the same on my layout.

Thanks for sharing.

Lift out

James you do such fine scenery Id like to see what you do for your room entrance swing out or lift out and to what detail . Thanks and keep up the updates on your progress.

Lift Outs

Thanks for your kind comments clarssen.

I have two liftouts on the layout. One in front of the electrical panel and one in front of the entrance to the mechanical room. You can see the location of both on my layout plan at the Unofficial IAIS Railfans website. Neither is in place except during ops and neither has to be negotiated during a session.

Both are about as simple and plain as they come. Just a stout 2x4 with a masonite top painted flat black. The idea is that you "don't look at it". Both liftouts are in locations where there's nothing important on the prototype.

 
(The liftout in place in front of the mechanical room entrance)

Each liftout rests in a custom made bracket on either side. Track was laid across each liftout, then soldered to small screws on either side of the gaps to maintain alignment and cut. A 1/4" phono jack and plug allows power to feed to the liftout track. However the bus was run continuously over both gaps for electrical consistency.

There's no liftout or swing gate at the layout entrance.

James

I really like the sign maker app

but when I tried to run it on my Mac Book Air I couldn't get it to save, even following their instructions.  Any Apple gurus with suggestions - I'd love to make some of this signs for my layout.

Light Traffic

Can't say I remember traffic ever being that light on that stretch of I80/I35, even before the additional lanes and repavement.

For Mac OS

The program's website recommends Mac users make a screen grab (command-3) of their finished sign and then modify and/or print that file from a graphics program like Photo Shop, or Preview. 

Hope this helps,

-eric

Nice one!

I like the Interstate--really shows how BIG those roads are.  I'd suggest putting a big accident on the bridge, closing both sides--that makes it perfectly normal that nothing is moving.