The space I need to fill with ideas

Looking through the open train room door. The track nearest the camera goes down to staging. 

Insular Gorge is just behind us on the right:
 

The lift out section will be interesting!
 

Rob Clark

Definitely Looking Forward to This!

After your previous blog and the results you achieved on your layout and the doodlebug, this should be exciting and full of ideas.

"The lift out section will be

 Was that designed to be a temporary duck under at the door? or have the plans changed? .....DaveB  

Duck under

Dave - no change to the plan. The top deck was always fixed over the doorway, forming more of a "nod" than a duck under and the lower deck has a removable section which is the thing that makes for a challenge scenery-wise.

Here's an earlier view showing the whole area:
 

Rob Clark

"and the lower deck has a

  Okay, now I get it. You are talking about the scenery issues not about building a new lift out section? From my experience with lift outs I'd say keep the scenery on the lift out very simple as they need to be handled and stored somewhere when not in place. Simple might not fit in with the adjacent scenery in your case however .....DaveB 

Honestly

I'd put some sort of ridge or tunnel there and hide the joints with trees and foliage. I know sometimes visible seams in backdrops or scenery are a necessary evil but I avoid them whenever and however I can.

Following

I'll be following as always!

Buildings - dive in and splosh about

Michael - I certainly plan to use some foliage to help hide seams. A ridge is prefereable toa  tunnle becuase I want as little hidden trackwork as possible.

Tim - thanks for your interest !

This afternoon I did a "deep dive" in to my kit collection and dug out a variety of things I have collected on eBay:
 

I have no intention to build these as kits, but to use the components to make up the town scene.
I am also going to experiment with low relief card-stock buildings because I suspect I am going to have to scratch build a lot of stuff.
I also plan to do some Google street view "photo vacations" to attempt to locate 1930s style industrial (and non industrial) building fronts.
If anyone knows of good locations (or stuff on Google images) then please let me know .

Rob Clark

Rob, go to the Wheeling, WV

Rob, go to the Wheeling, WV public library history photo pages. There are lots of photos from around the turn of the century onwards. Also the West Virginia archives has lots of photos. I just realized I didn’t give you the correct name for the library, it is the Ohio county public library. I will try and remember to post links on Friday as I have a busy next couple of days.

Following

Following

AAAAALL ABOARD!!...

...Ready for another enjoyable trip.

Hidden track?

I'm assuming your avoidance of hidden trackwork isn't just an access issue because I would think the track on the liftout would be easier to access than any other. You know I'm always following and I'll try to chime in with some creative input if I can muster it. Got myself into a bit of a jam because I've found out my "must have" coal mine is going to require more space than I thought and my last "must have" bridge isn't going to fit where I thought it was. Trackplan and benchwork revision time. Luckily track wasn't laid yet and the wheels are turning with exciting new possibilities!

Looking forward to...

...some more of your great work.

First experiment with card and paper - low relief building

Rob - thanks for the photo source tips.
Kevin, Rick and Graeme - I hope you enjoy the progress

Michael - It's not an access issue, just a dislike of track I can't see. Often a necessity, but such a waste!

See below my first experiment with low relief and I am suitably impressed with the results.
This is a free downloadable sample and I built it exactly to the instructions. Just stick the printed paper to some card, cut out and assemble with glue:

 
 I probably won't use this in the final scene, but it's  great learning exercise in paper and card techniques. It has given me some confidence that I can probably create anything I want using downloaded textures and photographs.

After building this I seem to remember a nice diorama using the same model in Weekly Photo Fun a few weeks ago.

Rob Clark

This'll be fun

Already have my jaw in the dropped and locked position. I am curious as to how the lift out actually gets used, as in how often is in place and where you store it. Basically your observations from actually having one.

Jim Brown

Lift-out strategy

Jim - The lift out is only in-place for operating sessions. I stow it under the railroad staging yard and I will be designing a hooking system for it as a later part of this blog.
It drops in and out very easily and you can follow the construction in this earlier C&A blog on Lower Deck Construction

Rob Clark
 

Fun, fun, fun .....

I have been experimenting with a industrial building techniques by utilizing things learned putting together the low relief warehouse "kit":
 
I have used free images and textures on the Net and quickly made a test piece which I think is promising. Although it's totally "throw away" It has certainly taught me a lot about what works and what doesn't.

Any comments / criticisms / hints / observations would be most gratefully received. At this stage I am learning about what is possible before attempting to design the building complex that will make up Cornhill.

This book is providing a lot of inspiration:
 
As I said earlier, I am a huge fan of Earl Smallshaw and this book showcases his work.

Although not Earl's work, this picture in the above book has inspired me to include a "feature" in Cornhill:
 
I just have to have a gated entrance like this heading "into the gloom" between buildings. Servo operated gates would be perfect

I just LOVE this part of a project when all you have to do is kick ideas around. The scary bit come s later when you have to commit .......

Rob Clark

Weathering?

In all honesty, those fronts look great. The only problem I am thinking of is when you weather the building, I don't see how it will cling to the surfaces between bricks which make the bricks stand out seeing the surface if flat. Have you tried some weathering to see how it works out?

I do like the way a train snakes between buildings like that, very realistic, but challenging. Servo operated gates would be the 'cats meow'.

Spin doctor ?

Interesting point Dave and one I hadn't thought about yet. I will try some weathering powders to see what happens, but I have a happy suspicion that if this is unsatisfactory I can use photo manipulation techniques to achieve weathering. At the moment that's me just "blathering" as we say in my part of the world. Substance requires research.......

Rob Clark

Rob that lift-out section is

Rob that lift-out section is a really snug fit. You've put it together very well.

and yes I think you'll get more of a 3D look on the prints with some extra contrast. Even so, i think sometimes we concern ourselves too much with such things when it comes to background buildings. Also, any strong shadows will fix a light direction that might conflict with your layout lighting.

You can have so much fun adjusting the prints. For example, if you have sufficient depth you could experiment with your image program by putting a mild grey-blue haze over them to suggest distance and atmosphere, and perhaps with more of it on the upper parts to help suggest height, but I'm sure you're aware of these things anyway.

Very much looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Mike

Built-in Weathering

The test pieces that Rob has already done seem to have a bit of weathering "built-in", especially the lower height building on the left in his photo above.

Enhancing the flats building look

I believe MR had an article way back about adding signs, flower boxes to building flats to break up the look. I suspect that you could also add door frames and maybe window frames if made with a laser cutter or very thin strip wood or styrene. Down spouts also might help.

Jack

The first step is always the hardest

Mike - thanks for the tips about adding a bit of "distance fog". As you say, easy (ish) to do with photo software - I use Photoshop Elements.
Jack(h) - good idea about adding some detail. I suspect only a little is enough to draw the eye away from flat printed surfaces.

The beginning of a scene is always difficult. Ideas are flying around about the whole area and a bit of panic sets in which prevents anything happening. I always find it best to temporarily forget the bigger picture and focus on one area and just do something. Even if it turns out wrong, at least you are underway.

So I've taken the path of least resistance and started a building using the kits I already have:
 
This is an SS Ltd (Magnuson?) Burndout's Warehouse that I am re-purposing. The kit makes a square building but I have split one of the end walls vertically and used these parts to join the other end wall parallel to the side, making the offset arrangement you see above. Everything is just held together with parcel tape for now while I try things for size.
It fits the space well and has enough room behind it for other low relief buildings. My plan is to create a lower triangular structure this side of the track and then fit the operating security gate just to the right of the steps. I'll folow Earl Smallshaws example and not model anything that isn't seen, thereby saving time and releasing kit parts to make more buildings.

I have also ordered a laser cut cardstock 1930s low relief warehouse kit which although OO scale should fit well and also will teach me a few more construction techniques.

Rob Clark

Making the Cut

I'm wondering what you used to make the cut and keep it straight?

Last time I did this with a long cut it was on an already assembled building. It came out sucky wonky to be polite about it. Of coarse it helps to do it before ya glue stuff together and wait a couple of years. So maybe what you did will give me an idea.

Jack