Great progress so far, James

James, I like the overall look and effect.  Next up would be weathering the concrete and highway and adding some trash/debris on that embankment.  You've done well transitioning to the flatland below hosting the rail line.  That area needs some variety next as well.  Judging from your description, you have seen or have pictures of the area.  You already know that would be your best judge of how you are progressing.  You've also put the spare trees to good use - that shot of the lumber company looks great.  For some reason the detail that does it for me is the silly transformer on the top of the pole!  Great modeling!

-bill

Trash

Thanks Bill,

You can see where my progress stops on the scene at the bottom of the first picture. Below that point the layout is still track on painted foam. My goal has always been to complete one area before moving on to the next. For the most part I've stuck to that self-imposed edict.

You're right that I need to weather all the overpasses more. I did apply a wash of alcohol/india ink but it's still too shiny. As for trash the embankment is actually pretty clean and presentable... as far as an embankment can be. Maybe a tire or two would help.

James

What's this?

What's the stuff in the lower left, flowing over the embankment next to the guardrail?  I'm collecting ideas fo kudzu in N scale, and that looks like it might work?

Polyfiber Fill

Hi Phillip,

It's polyfiber fill dusted with Woodland Scenics fine turf. I use it alsmot everywhere on my layout as weeds and scrub.

James

Fantastic Work!

Very realistic work you've got there. I am impressed! Your Polyfiber and fine turf looks great, I'm making note of that! And I too vote for the transformer, a nice touch for that scene.

As far as weathering goes, you could try some Dullcote to knock down the shine if you can stand the smell. It brushes on easily, and weathering sticks to it well. Dark wash where water runs, rust running from bolts or other metal pieces in the concrete walls, and the sand in the gutter that ran water always washes from the road.

As far as litter, that's really a personal call. As to whether you want absolute realism, or perhaps your townsfolk are not the litterbugs that most real humans are? but, tangled down in the bushes an old tire, broken pieces of pallet, a rusted bumper or muffler that has fallen from a car, might add interest.

I like your philosophy about finishing one section before moving to the next, it does take a bit of self control to stick to it. It really does look great and you should be very proud! I see a lot of these large layouts made for operations and the scenery is OK, but they do not pay the level of attention to details that you have, they are trying to cover too much ground at once, and just want it presentable so they can run trains. But I too love the details, the realism of the layout, that's what really catches a persons attention when they enter the room, and what makes it entertaining over and over, not just on the first visit. I'd love to see more tutorial on how you went about getting the look you have there by your highway overpass.

To Each Their Own

Thank you Russell. But to be fair my layout is designed first and foremost as an operational one. I don't consider myself a scenic master or model builder. I'm just lucky in that I have about 1/20th of what some people have and therefore it takes me 1/20th of the time to complete a scene.

I respect all layouts for what they are... not what I think they should be.

James

Embankment Overview

My last two blog entries pretty much went into detail ("Back At It" and "I-35/80 & Hwy 141") about my techniques but I'll briefly summarize.

I used 2" extruded foam layers to build up the embankment. NMRA clearance standards are great as a reference but you need to run your largest and tallest rolling stock to make sure they'll clear the bridge girders. The layers were cut and attached to the subroadbed.

The embankments are then carved and smoothed together. On the Grimes Line the embankments have a consistent slope and grade since the highway was raised over the track. Overpasses at watercourses will have a more natural, ragged appearance.

I'm not a big fan of the bridge to nowhere look that a lot of layouts have with their overpasses. So I designed the fascia to rise up to the bridge deck.

The overpasses themselves are from Rix Products. The girders and barriers are stock while the piers were kitbashed to create longer widths. This is important because...

...the roads themselves were made from styrene sheet. The biggest mistake layout builders make with roads is not making them the correct width. I-35/80 features 4 lanes plus an emergency lane in both directions. That's a lot of roads. Your best bet is to allow for 12 scale feet per lane.

The road deck is then painted, striped and weathered. The stripes were masked and painted with craft paints. I like craft paints since they don't go on evenly, giving a weathered look on their own. Clear, crisp edges of the striping is key.

Finally the area was scenicked and the track ballasted. A base layer of static grass covered with dusted polyfiber for weeds and scrub. Nothing unique or revolutionary here... just tried and true techniques.

James

Thanks sharing your work!

James, your scenery work may not be "unique or revolutionary here... just tried and true techniques techniques", but your execution of these techniques is masterfully done in my opinion.  I have seen very few layouts with scenery as good as yours, including layouts by Master Model Railroaders.

Bob