Before

Here's the scene involved.  There's some track for switching leads, caboose service, and the intermodal terminal (presumed to be a "circus style" ramp off to the right).  Behind the pig ramp track is a lot for storage of trailers.  This area, along with the yard as a whole, is supposed to look like the river bottoms on the west side of Ogden, UT.

After

With the backdrop and initial ground cover in, the scene looks a lot different.

The idea with the hill was to make it appear to continue off to the right, although there was no space to model it in 3-D.  Much of the hill is to be covered in oak brush and sagebrush, with some larger trees in a few spots along the base.

As it extends out of the 3-D scene, the base of the hill is intended to look somewhat indistinct.  Maybe things pinch down and leave insufficient room for trailers, and the main parking lot is way over there someplace.  That's why this overflow parking is gravel instead of asphalt.  UP had an intermodal facility at the base of a slope north of its yard in Salt Lake, with trailers stashed here and there.  WP had a ramp in Reno with a bit more space, but it was still fairly cramped in a small valley north of downtown.

I'll build some 3-D trees and sagebrush to blend foreground and background, plus some additional static grass and other ground cover will help along the seams.

I'm still deciding how to finish this end of things.  I might place a fence directly in front of the backdrop and/or a flat for an office or other outbuilding.

Ooooh very nice Rob, that

Ooooh very nice Rob, that looks much better now, some great work indeed.

I really like the way your dirt looks, what did you use for that? Is it real dirt?

Re: Michael

There are a few sources of dirt in the scene so far.  Most of it is some river sand a friend had from along the Willamette river near Salem, OR.  The prototype for the hill is mostly tan sand and clay, so I sifted some paver sand from the home center for that.  Fill material on the back side of the pig ramp track is some variegated gray sand from somewhere in Idaho.

Fooled Again!

Rob, you keep fooling me! Every time I see your backdrop trees I think they're "real 3D". I wonder how you modeled such realistic trees, then it clicks that they're painted. Wow! Nice job! Keep up the terrific but somewhat misleading work.

Stan

Sand Hill & Background Trees

You know Rob, you're making the rest of us without any real artistic talent jealous! Your backdrops are always fabulous.

I'm curious about the hill of paver sand. How did you put it down? Did you fashion the entire hill and drench it in glue? Did you build it in layers? Enquiring minds want to know.

Thanks everybody

Ken:

The hill is just my normal plaster over a cardboard web with fiberglass mesh drywall tape.  I painted the shell with latex tan.  There are two coats of sand, each using 50:50 diluted white glue brushed in place, and sand applied with a cheap kitchen sifter.  In the after photos, I've also added a first coat of fine ground foam, mixed from Scenic Express "yellow clay," with Woodland Scenics "yellow grass" and "earth blend."

Much of the hill is to be covered in oak brush and sagebrush

Why would there be an intermodal ramp so far out in the boonies? Is there actually a town nearby? Maybe some evidence of it would help set the mood?  ...DaveB

Great artistic talent

I thought you added a photo Backdrop and 3d trees with it. If you were any better you would be painting those tunnels the roadrunner goes through and the coyote doesn't. I sure hope Rick see's this as this is likely the effect he needs with the exception of the trees being the Eastern variety.

Rob in Texas

That's some nice work!

I think you hit the 'golds' just right there.  As an art-school graduate, if you tell me that is a Bob Rossi fan-brush method of creating that backdrop, I'll scream..literally....and ask for a refund on my diploma.  Seriously, that fits with the foreground great.  The tree work is not underdone, nor overdone.  Looks like a nice sunny day.

Re: Dave

Valid question.

This is the hill above the prototype UP yard at Riverdale looking east.

This is a view of the yard looking west.  Photo credit Rodney Sorensen  http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=109570&nseq=138 .

The old SP and D&RGW yards at Ogden were similarly situated, with some buildings around the tracks toward the north and east, and relatively few to the west.  Riverdale's yard was built later, on what was then mostly farmland barely south of town, and its surroundings remained largely rural into the 1980s.  Around WWII, Ogden allegedly had the largest freight yard complex west of the Mississippi, but didn't necessarily look like part of a city depending on which direction you looked.  It took a long time for most of the river bottoms to be thoroughly developed for anything besides agricultural use.

I figure my fictitious WP facility, necessarily a latecomer, would also be forced to the fringes of the city in the bottomland, from which views of most things urban are obstructed.  The treeline will eventually feature hints of some buildings here and there, plus things like pole lines.  Urban scenery starts in earnest just out of this scene to the right.

Standing at the model yard, you see the city to the right, farm country with scattered industry to the left, and a lot of trees directly in front of you.  It looks like land nobody wanted on the edge of town.

Re: Steve

Not to worry, I am not a Bob Ross fan to any extent, and don't use a fan brush.

hints of some buildings here and there, plus things like poles

Perhaps a sewer treatment plant would be a realistic neighbor? They seem to end up on the edge of towns. I didn't realize the WP yard was a fictional creation, everything fits together convincingly. Some trailers, spare chassis, or containers stacked along the edges of the gravel lot should make it apparent a pig ramp is closeby.....DaveB

Yep another fine example...

Re: Jas

I'm working toward making the layout ready for consumption in that sense.  Wouldn't mind being on TMTV either if they can send somebody out.

It looks amazing!

It looks very amazing! You have done a great job with that small space. The sand sand the rest of the gravel works it looks very realistic. Nice work. RT

My Jaw...

As the kid in the Fathead commercial says, "My jaw dropped down to da floor!"

Great work, Rob!

-George

Now for 3-D

Here's a look at the 3-D vegetation that's starting to materialize in front of the backdrop.  And thanks again for the comments above.

Nice work, Rob

New to the magazine/ezine here, and just seeing your layout pictures for the first time. Maybe I can see it is person some day. 

Scott Gentry

Great work Rob. The track

Great work Rob. The track work is great as well. The skills you have with a brush are fantastic. The forced perspective, if that is the right term adds so much depth. Even with 2 square corners the scene looks great and until getting to the sky the corners seem to disappear any way. Just absolutely beautiful.

I am completely lacking in the ability or skill to do anything that would resemble that and not be nearly as good. So when I see something done as well as yours I feel like I am looking at magic. The more I see of your layout the more impressive it is. I sure hope it becomes a feature in the magazine.

Rob in Texas