Wow!!

Is it real or is it Memorex?  Very impressive and I look forward to the article.  Great job, Mike

yup...

Very cool.    Great work on the photo backdrops as usual Mike!

For pole cars, have you seen the new offerings from Firecat Designs?

NSC, Portec, and Evans Skeleton cars. They might fit right in for you.

Outstanding!

Outstanding Mike! I really loved the old Andover-next to New Sharon it was my favorite part of your layout. I'd watch the switching video you had posted all the time. I was a bit bummed that you had decided to change things up however the changes you made are incredible and very convincing!

Speaking of videos-any chance you could make one one showing the local switching out the "new" Andover like you had done previously?

Keep up the great work!

Andy

Very impressive

Mike:

Add me to the list of readers looking forward to your article.  I'd be interested in where you found the background buildings and structures on the photo backdrop.

Jerry

Amazing!

Pole cars

Thanks Bill.

Yes, those are nice models for sure, but in my era and region, the Southern Seico pulpwood cars that were modified for pole service were everywhere. They are still in service today. Friend Dave Barlow did the conversion on the Walthers car.

MC

Trying to fool us.

Come now Mike, admit it, you photo shopped in the fascia, those are prototype photos.

Seriously, that is truly amazing work.

Beautiful...

work. Looks very, very realistic.      John

Awesome looking scenes Mike

Mike those are some awesome looking scenes as usual.  Your scenery is fantastic and  would like to know what your using for the tall dead grass around the tracks?  My second question is, do you take the photos of the background buildings? Those most definitely complete the scenes making the realism come alive. 

Greg Wiggins 

Nice!

Great looking layout!  Very inspirational! 

Joe

Wonderful!  Mike, your work

Wonderful!  Mike, your work is so enjoyable and pleasing to the eye.  Your photography is wonderful!

WOW

Mike I maybe your biggest fan!  You continue to set the bar high.  Love the new addition and the chop nose loco really stands out too.  The loco gets lost up against the incredible backdrops, structures and scenery.

Thanks for sharing !

Shannon

Just beautiful Mike

Nice:

Those last 2 shots look like real 1:1.

Setting the bar

Some really good sounding loco's and the scenery is stunning. I can not tell where the 3d and 2d worlds collide. That is what some of us look forward to with anticipation and nervousness. Can we get close to the bar that has been set? I have read a few books from modelers of the past who had outstanding layouts both scenically and operationally. Mike has added another level which is backdrops that fit exactly the scene and sound that makes us want to buy stock in Loksound.

When do the books come out? Or the video's. What you are doing with backdrops is something we all want to know how to do. There is more going on here than just buying a scene and making it fit. And the book, "The Allagash Story"? Where do we pre order.

Outstanding, Mike!

Just to clarify, this is the area in which you built the original layout that appeared in Model Railroad Planning 2007? That's an amazing make-over.

I know you use photos for the backdrop, but even still the depth of the scenes is stunning. 

Wow! I

Wow Mike! I can imagine this must have been a long decision you must have had to make. No doubt you must have spent many nights deciding whether to go forward with it or not. The previous scenes looked great and no doubt the new scenes look spectacular. I can completely understand why though. I am very much looking forward to the article. Not sure it will be mentioned in the article but I'd like to know more about the operations plan for this new section. How will you operate it regarding local switching? Will the crew originate from your major yard and make a turn or will it remain on the branch and receive cars from another local? It would indeed be fascinating to see all this in action.

Bests,

Tim Garland

That's outstanding!  As usual

That's outstanding!  As usual nice work.  Would love to see an updated track plan to see how it compares to your previous one. 

Bob Frascella

Videos of the "new" Andover

Thanks Andy.

A future installment of the Allagash Railfan Video Series will feature operations on the White Mountain Branch - this will include Andover

Stay tuned!

Mike Confalone

Images on the backdrop

Jerry,

The backdrops are photos I took in my local area (southern, New Hampshire). The scenery and mill buildings look the same in Maine. There are several photos that were sized and put together in Photoshop to form a long backdrop.

It's a good example of how photo backdrops don't have to be just generic hillsides. Think outside the box. Buildings on a backdrop work too!

Mike Confalone

Tall grass

Greg,

The tall grass is static grass from Noch or Heki. It's the 12mm size and is a basic yellow/tan color. The out of the box color is not correct for what I need to represent the early spring grasses, so I actually dye it with brown Rit Dye to darken it up.

Application of the grass is done by spreading a thin coat of Elmers Wood Glue, then applying the grass with the Grasmaster gun. A second application of the grass is done by spraying a bit of hairspray onto the grass, then again with the Grasmaster. This gives the grass quite a bit more "lift."

Mike Confalone

Allagash Story etc.

Stevie,

Thanks for the comments.

Check the MRH store. There's a bunch of Allagash videos and the Allagash Story e-book available.

Mike Confalone

Former Woodsville Terminal - yes

Paul,

Correct, this is the old Woodsville Terminal shelf railroad featured in MRP 2007. It remained unchanged when I dumped the Woodsville Terminal and went with the Allagash concept, becoming the White Mountain Branch.

Pretty much unrecognizable from the old pike!

Mike Confalone

Operations on the branch

Tim,

Yep, there will be a turn out of Madrid Yard to Andover and beyond (Rumford Point - next phase of expansion). There is also a job based at White Mountain Jct. that makes a daily turn to the phantom paper mill at Berry Mills (under the farm on a short staging track out of view). The turn from Madrid interchanges with the White Mountain Switcher at White Mtn. jct.

At some point I'll do a comprehesive Allagash operations overview as these additions come on line.

Mike Confalone