woensdag 24 april 2013
Running My USRA Light Mikado 2-8-2
It�s been a while since I last posted. Currently I�m experimenting a bit with weathering rolling stock and locomotives; more to come on that later. I�ve also been doing a bit of touch-up work on my scenery and backdrop. In the meantime, I made a little video today while testing out my Broadway Limited Paragon2 Series USRA Light Mikado 2-8-2 steam locomotive, CN#3725. I have no rolling stock on this run, just a caboose tailing the locomotive�s tender. Check it out below!
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vrijdag 22 februari 2013
Layout Scenery Part V - Details
I haven�t had much opportunity to work on my layout this last month, but in the few spare moments I have had, I�ve dedicated it mostly to adding scenic details. These details include traffic signs, additional foliage, figures, and vehicles. It is amazing the amount of detail products readily available by literally hundreds of different manufacturers, and really comes down to just deciding which products to use to achieve your desired look or level of detail.
The first details I added were from a Walther�s Cornerstone City Accessory pack, which included garbage cans, pay phones, fire hydrants, bike racks, mail boxes, and parking meters. These parts require assembly and painting, which isn�t that bad as you then have free range to customize them as you please. I did this with the mail boxes by painting them red to resemble a Canadian Post mail box instead of a blue US Postal Service box. I used these parts almost exclusively in my downtown scene, but did use a few details elsewhere on my layout.
Street signs were next on the list. I couldn�t seem to find commercially-made signs that offered the type and style I was looking for, so I turned to creating my own. I found high-resolution sign images online, then used Adobe Photoshop to scale them down to a prototypical size. Most provinces/states have online traffic standard manuals posted online, which I found useful for sizing. I printed the signs out on 5x7 photo paper at Walmart, then cut each sign out and glued it to a thin sheet of styrene for extra rigidity. I trimmed the styrene right to the edge of each sign with sharp scissors, making them nice and tidy.
Styrene sign posts were glued on next, then painted an aluminum colour, along with the back of each sign. I used a dull, almost dead black sharpie to colour the edge of each sign black so it would seamlessly blend the white edge of the styrene into the black border of the sign. Using a new marker seemed to bleed into the photo paper, thus the use of the almost-dead black marker. I then glued the signs to the scenery with superglue. At the same time, I also built a billboard sign out of scrap styrene pieces and a printed Coca-Cola sign.
People figures were probably the most enjoyable details to add, as they really brought the layout and scenery to life. Most of the figures are from Woodland Scenics, and a few from Model Power. I still have neglected to give my layout an exact era, and as a result some figures seem a bit dated, while others are much more modern. Overall however, everything seems to blend together almost seamlessly. Woodland Scenics offers an amazingly large selection of detailed figures and scenes, and there are still several figures that I will be adding in the near future.
Vehicles are proving to be much more difficult to find than anticipated. Cars and trucks for the steam and transition eras are large in selection and availability, but more modern vehicles, especially North American prototypes, seem to be almost impossible to come by, are costly, and have a small selection. Model Power seems to be the most promising as far as selection, even though most of their models are European makes. Atlas had a run of North American vehicles, but I currently cannot seem to find any other than the two Ford Explorers I purchased last month. Adding more cars and trucks will most definitely be an ongoing process!
My latest detail was a small woodland Scenics tool shed die-cast kit which I installed into the turn-table yard. This small structure is highly detailed, and comes with several separate tools and details that you can use elsewhere on your layout, such as I did. Other details I added were small benches that I purchased off of eBay, as well as wooden pallets from a local hobby shop. Scrap pieces, such as left over rail and small pieces of scrap wood, all can be used as well. I added a small pile of scrap rail and lumber right behind the work shed, and used unwanted spare plastic wheels on the turn-table spurs to represent a locomotive repair area.
Vehicles are proving to be much more difficult to find than anticipated. Cars and trucks for the steam and transition eras are large in selection and availability, but more modern vehicles, especially North American prototypes, seem to be almost impossible to come by, are costly, and have a small selection. Model Power seems to be the most promising as far as selection, even though most of their models are European makes. Atlas had a run of North American vehicles, but I currently cannot seem to find any other than the two Ford Explorers I purchased last month. Adding more cars and trucks will most definitely be an ongoing process!
My latest detail was a small woodland Scenics tool shed die-cast kit which I installed into the turn-table yard. This small structure is highly detailed, and comes with several separate tools and details that you can use elsewhere on your layout, such as I did. Other details I added were small benches that I purchased off of eBay, as well as wooden pallets from a local hobby shop. Scrap pieces, such as left over rail and small pieces of scrap wood, all can be used as well. I added a small pile of scrap rail and lumber right behind the work shed, and used unwanted spare plastic wheels on the turn-table spurs to represent a locomotive repair area.
I don�t think there can ever be enough or too much detail, and that the only limitation is your imagination. Detail is what truly prevents a model from ever being entirely complete, as there is always something that can be improved upon, well at least in most cases. After 3 years of construction, the skills I have gained are significant, and there are several items and details from the beginning stages of my layout that I now want to re-model or enhance. I am sure that any future time spent on my model for the rest of its existence, will be dedicated to adding and enhancing details. Oh, and rolling stock.
zaterdag 1 december 2012
Lighting - Day & Night
To assist with adding accessory lights as I constructed my layout, I planned all of the wiring into my master wiring plan at the start of construction. I pre-installed power bus wires under my benchwork, and installed switches on my control panel to turn power to the bus wires on and off. The bus wires are powered directly by a dedicated, 12V 2A DC power supply, and are split into two separate circuits, accessory 1 & accessory 2. These two circuits are each controlled through two automotive-type relays connected to a corresponding toggle switch on the main control panel.
The majority of my structures had lighting installed during their construction (see any of my posts regarding structure kits for details). I left a long wire lead protruding from either the bottom or side of each building, which I then passed through a small drilled hole in my benchwork and tied it into the pre-installed power bus below. Any visible wire leads on top of my layout were simply hidden with scenery material.
The brass street lamps along my streets were installed with the same method, however I did need to wrap the base of each lamp a couple times with electrical tape to provide a snug fit once I inserted them into the drilled holes. The street lamps are rated for 12 volts, but a full 12 volts produced way too much light, so I added a 110 ohm resistor to each street lamp to provide a softer, more realistic glow. Both the building lights and street lamps are wired onto the accessory 1 circuit.
Accessory lighting on your layout is most effective when, quite obviously, the room that houses your layout is dark. However, having a completely dark room, void of any light, is much too dark and the majority of your layout will not be visible. You can create low levels of ambient room lighting by simply dimming the room lighting, but this is only effective if you use halogen or incandescent-type bulbs as most fluorescents are not dimmable. If you use fluorescent lighting (like I do), you will need to completely turn off the lights. More so, dimming your layout room�s lights still doesn�t create a realistic night-time light, so the most effective method (in my opinion), is to have separately installed �night mode� lights.
For this �night mode� effect lighting, I wanted to recreate a moonlit scene, so the light needed to have a soft, bluish-white glow. To create this type of light, I constructed three light diffusing boxes out of styrene measuring 2 1/2� x 4 1/2� with a curved diffusing lens protruding out from the base by about 1 ��. I then installed one super bright white and one super bright blue LED into the base of each diffuser box, about 1� apart from the center. After adding the proper resistors to each LED, I wired all three of the diffuser boxes to my accessory 2 lighting circuit and installed them to the ceiling above my layout.
The diffuser boxes combine the intense light from the blue and white LED�s and emits an even, soft bluish-white light similar to moonlight. This emitted light provides just enough of a natural nighttime effect that the entire layout is still visible, while allowing your scenery lighting to stand out and be the main focal point.
As I mentioned before, I use fluorescent lighting for the main lighting of my layout. I originally had installed standard incandescent bulbs over my layout, which were fine during construction, but recently changed to mini fluorescent spiral bulbs. I use 6 of these bulbs (3 bright white and 3 warm white) in combination to produce a bright, natural daytime light. I found that incandescent bulbs alone produced way too much yellow-red light, and the typical bright white mini spiral florescent alone produced an unrealistic blue hue. I also uninstalled the large florescent ceiling light next to my layout, as it cast a very blue, overpowering light onto the right half of my layout.
The majority of my structures had lighting installed during their construction (see any of my posts regarding structure kits for details). I left a long wire lead protruding from either the bottom or side of each building, which I then passed through a small drilled hole in my benchwork and tied it into the pre-installed power bus below. Any visible wire leads on top of my layout were simply hidden with scenery material.
The brass street lamps along my streets were installed with the same method, however I did need to wrap the base of each lamp a couple times with electrical tape to provide a snug fit once I inserted them into the drilled holes. The street lamps are rated for 12 volts, but a full 12 volts produced way too much light, so I added a 110 ohm resistor to each street lamp to provide a softer, more realistic glow. Both the building lights and street lamps are wired onto the accessory 1 circuit.
Accessory lighting on your layout is most effective when, quite obviously, the room that houses your layout is dark. However, having a completely dark room, void of any light, is much too dark and the majority of your layout will not be visible. You can create low levels of ambient room lighting by simply dimming the room lighting, but this is only effective if you use halogen or incandescent-type bulbs as most fluorescents are not dimmable. If you use fluorescent lighting (like I do), you will need to completely turn off the lights. More so, dimming your layout room�s lights still doesn�t create a realistic night-time light, so the most effective method (in my opinion), is to have separately installed �night mode� lights.
For this �night mode� effect lighting, I wanted to recreate a moonlit scene, so the light needed to have a soft, bluish-white glow. To create this type of light, I constructed three light diffusing boxes out of styrene measuring 2 1/2� x 4 1/2� with a curved diffusing lens protruding out from the base by about 1 ��. I then installed one super bright white and one super bright blue LED into the base of each diffuser box, about 1� apart from the center. After adding the proper resistors to each LED, I wired all three of the diffuser boxes to my accessory 2 lighting circuit and installed them to the ceiling above my layout.
The diffuser boxes combine the intense light from the blue and white LED�s and emits an even, soft bluish-white light similar to moonlight. This emitted light provides just enough of a natural nighttime effect that the entire layout is still visible, while allowing your scenery lighting to stand out and be the main focal point.
As I mentioned before, I use fluorescent lighting for the main lighting of my layout. I originally had installed standard incandescent bulbs over my layout, which were fine during construction, but recently changed to mini fluorescent spiral bulbs. I use 6 of these bulbs (3 bright white and 3 warm white) in combination to produce a bright, natural daytime light. I found that incandescent bulbs alone produced way too much yellow-red light, and the typical bright white mini spiral florescent alone produced an unrealistic blue hue. I also uninstalled the large florescent ceiling light next to my layout, as it cast a very blue, overpowering light onto the right half of my layout.
dinsdag 6 november 2012
Layout Scenery Part IV - Bringing It Together
I find it quite amazing how fast things sometimes come together. I�ve been working on this project for just under 3 years, and even though it�s a ways from being complete, it�s definitely now past the 90% mark. While building a project like this, you constantly wonder what the final result will be. You meticulously plan everything out, trying to achieve a certain look and feel, and even though you have a good idea of the direction you�re heading, you never quite know exactly how everything is going to come together in the end. This is especially true if it�s your first go at building a layout.
Then it happens; that most exhilarating part of model railroading that so many modelers talk about � the part when everything all of a sudden comes together. And what a grand and epic moment it is. After all of those long evenings planning, painting, plastering, sanding, nailing, wiring, cutting, and gluing, you finally get to see the results of your efforts. I reached this point with my layout just last week.
I had previously posted about completing my main-street town scene which took up almost one full half of my layout, so here I will cover the second half of the layout, which includes the turn table and represents more of an industrial setting. The first steps I took here were to prepare my layout for the building structures. I used plaster to build a parking lot behind the turn table which my Cutting Scissor�s Co. and scratch-built garage buildings would sit on. After sanding and leveling the plaster, I painted it with the same coloured paint I used on my roads.
My Pioneer Press (Northern Light & Power Kit) is to sit upon a gravel lot, so I used sifted sand and applied it directly to the plywood base using diluted white glue. At the same time, I also started the process of adding the same sifted sand to the turn table area and track. I ended up having to lay the sand down quite thick in this area to make it almost level with the tracks. I used a pipette to first wet the sand with isopropyl alcohol, then used a second to apply diluted white glue. After drying over night, I noticed that some large cracks had developed in the sand. This required reapplying more sand to fill in the cracks and sealing with white glue.
Before positioning the structures on the layout, I drilled holes through the benchwork for the power leads to pass through for lighting. At the same time I also drilled holes and installed the remainder of the street lights along the roadways. I then carefully positioned each building onto its intended position. The leads to both the buildings and street lights were then wired to the rest of the electrical system beneath the benchwork.
Fencing was added next. I used a section of fence from an Atlas White Picket Fence kit that I painted brown in front of the Pioneer Press building. For the turntable yard, I surrounded it with custom built chain link fencing (explained in my Layout Scenery Part III - Downtown post). The rest of my structures were added at this point, including the signal tower, water tower, freight station, and 2 small shed structures made from spare pieces.
The switch machine controlling the turnout into my turntable has been an eyesore since it was first installed. I wasn�t able to install an under-table machine here like I did on my other turnouts, so now I had to find a way to cover the mechanism. To do this, I built a small platform out of styrene, which I then painted and weathered to look like concrete. I then added small railings made of brass rod. The platform then sits on top of the switch machine, conveniently hiding it from view. Now you might ask, �What exactly this platform is for?� Well, I�m not exactly sure. But one thing I can tell you is that it looks a whole lot more believable then that big black ugly switch machine! It blends in well with the rest of the scenery and goes mostly unnoticed anyways.
Vegetation and greenery where added next. This included adding ground cover, bushes, shrubs, and trees to the remainder if the layout and to blend separate scenes into the surrounding terrain as needed. I still have a few small places to touch up and a few foliage elements to add, such as little grass tuffs, but overall the main scenery elements are complete.
Ballasting the remainder of my track was the last major step. I didn�t have much left to ballast at this point, as I ballasted most of my track section by section over the last year. I did however have to take some extra time and precaution when ballasting all of the turnouts at the front of my layout. I had to make sure that I didn�t get any glue onto the turnout�s moving parts, so I used a fine paintbrush to apply small amounts of glue around the ties. After carefully adding the ballast, I vacuumed up the excess and ensured the turnouts moved smoothly. I finished the track by weathering it with black powder pastels.
Currently I am working on completing some nighttime lighting effects that represent a moonlit sky, which I should have complete in the next few days. I am also currently on the hunt for vehicles, figures, and other scenic details needed to complete the finer details of my layout. Street signs are also on my current to-do list.
SEE MY UPDATED POV VIEDEO OF MY LAYOUT:
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