The wife's HO Atlas layout...

[wombat457]

Just a little more progress on the ballasting:

This is the area that is a pain, having to negotiate monitors attached to the wall; ones I can't be bothered removing to make life easier

Right now it all looks a little "messy" and to be honest, it is. I will get around to cleaning it all up eventually.

 

[steveparkinson]

Nice job Tony, what's the monitor for?


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[wombat457]

Steve,

A long story short ... my original layout (a Bachmann EZ Track oval) was about a 7' X 4' layout that sat in the left hand corner of this room. To the right of that layout was my computer desk and equipment. At the time I was heavily into Flight Sims and have a huge amount of modules for flight simming. All of that stuff took up the area along the wall where my monitors now sit.

My wife and I wanted a larger, more interesting layout. The only way to do that was to tear up the original layout and build a new one across the width of the room, along the wall that my computer gear sat against. That meant my loosing my computer desk and, as a result, the room for my flight gear.

As we don't have the room in the house for our computer stuff, the only solution I could come up with so as to have both by computer and layout, was to run the layout across my computer desk, leave my computer beneath the layout and locate the monitors on the wall above the layout.

Essentially, 66% of the layout is sitting ontop of what was once my computer desk The things we do!

 

[steveparkinson]

Gotcha, thought maybe you were using the monitor for operating trains or to see in hard to reach spots (tunnels etc).

Steve


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[wombat457]

At some point, a long way down the track, I will be computerizing the layout, but that will be controlled via a laptop dedicated for that purpose.

Have to admit, I do like the idea of using a camera in the tunnel to be able to watch what is happening in there. Might have to consider and look into that!

 

[steveparkinson]

I like the monitor for seeing what's going on inside tunnels too. I'd have to get multiple cameras for mine and perhaps just go through each on the same monitor (changing to each camera every few seconds or so).

Would be a nice to have addition!


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[wombat457]

Yeah, it would be and something that I have never seen before. If you decide to do this, I would certainly be interested how you achieve it, what cameras, software etc that you used. It would be an interesting project to do and to follow.

 

[Lynnb]

Looking good with the ballast Tony, I can only make one suggestion and that is before ballasting you may want to take some of your extra rail ties and slice off the tie plates so they will slide under your rails where your missing ties from making the joints.

 

[wombat457]

Lynn,

Yeah, I normally do that and have done it in places. I think I ignored it where the picture depicts due to where it is on the layout. Either that or, I just over looked it, which is more than likely

The rest will be "filled in" though - promise

 

[Bruette]

Looking good Tony!

Your layout is the perfect example of the fact that their is no right or wrong way to build your bench work. Just make it work and you have done that!

 

[wombat457]

Good morning Louis and thank you. Some times yu gotta do wot yu gotta do

 

[Milwaukee Road 113]

Looking good Tony!

 

[Bruette]

Good morning Tony!

 

[wombat457]

Thanks Guys, I am getting there slowly with this. Still ballasting the track AND fixing it in place as I go. Think it should/could be finished in time for me to will it to some one

I have noticed one thing with the layout that could end up being a problem ... yeah I know same old story.

When I laid the track I loose laid it to make sure everything worked as it should, that I had good track and electrical connections. Now I have begun adhering to the road bed I have discovered that I have a "warped" section due to the last piece of track I put in (apparently) being a little longer than needed. It now looks as though I am going to have to cut a "small" section of track out to get it to lay as it should. When I say a short piece, I am looking at maybe an inch of track to be removed and I don't think doing that is going to be any fun at all

 

[Yannis]

Tony, great work there! I have gone through several of the thread's pages and it looks great! Do not worry about the changes on the track and the replacement. I am sure with your skill it will all work out nicely.

 

[wombat457]

Yannis,

Thank you for your very kind words and like most things at the moment, I put something down and then can't find it again, I'll have to take a look around for that "skill" you speak of ... I'm pretty sure I have misplaced that - again! Chances are it is with the Atlas turnout I lost some months back and still haven't found.

This HAS TO BE a conspiracy against me!!!

 

[wombat457]

A transformation ...

Afternoon Guys,

After doing another 4' or 5' of ballasting, I began some more scenery work. What follows are the steps I go through to form the foundation for my ground cover and; hence, the transformation of a plain plaster surface into something that resembles actual ground.

This is what I start with:

Part 1:

Painting the plaster in readiness for the ground cover. I use mainly a brown earth color, as that is what lies beneath the surface of any ground cover, barring rocks and so forth. I paint the color on in a patchy way that leaves some areas with more color than others.

Part 2:

I then spray the are area with Matte Medium to adhere the color and cover the area lightly with Earth and spray that down with Matte Medium.

Part 3:

Next, after the Matte Medium has almost dried, I apply a layer of Burnt Grass and again spray Matter Medium over that, pushing the Burnt Grass around:

Part 4: Once the above has dried, I sprinkle a layer of Earth Blend, spray with Matte and let dry:

Part 5:

Lastly, I sprinkle around some Weeds where appropriate, spray it down and let it dry.

That forms the foundation for the remainder of the ground cover for anything and everything else that will sit upon it, such as clumps, actual grass weeds, tree's, any added rocks etc.

 

[logandsawman]

Thanks for showing us your process, Tony.


I used a spoon for my ballast, too, then I found out that if I cut the nozzle kind of big on a container like your glue is in it will pour out of that and I have good control and I can do way more track at a time.

I don't think there is a wrong way, unless your train doesn't run!!!! lasm

 

[Motley]

Lookin good Tony. But you forgot to add the ties where you removed them to add the rail joiners. Just wet the ballast a little there, and push a couple of ties under the rail where the joints are.

And try to add some grass/weeds there were you can see the wires exposed.

 

[Lynnb]

Nice little tutorial Tony, good base to start with. Hard to tell from the angle but what I've found really breaks up the scene and being able to see the track all the time is build up high mounds on both sides of the track kind of like a rock cut. I remember the first time I did it on a spur of the moment, I grabbed a 4 inch long 2x4 and plopped in in place then grabbed a couple hand fulls of dirt threw a rock cast into the dirt applied wet water then doused the area in water/glue mix and just kept building up the area finishing off with bushes, scene fit like a glove. I probably even saved the little mound from when I tore down the last layout. Get creative go crazy.
Michael also had a good point if you still want to slip some ties in the blank spots on the rails.