Well I am new to the board ...

[Aerojet]

My first post did not go so well, so I thought I would try this, as a "second" first. To start, I have been building Plywood Centrals for the past 35+ years, and in 2007 / 8 I decided to do something different. MY big layout went into the can when i had to move the biz home in 88, and I had been working with a N scale on an old door, and was not happy with the results. Looking thru a dozen layout books I was not happy with what I saw. I wanted a road which up and down and the track went above and below the scenery, not just over the board.

In 09, I started this project, and have been working at it ever since ... first up - the foundation. I have built free standing tables forever and one of the problems was somebody always kicks one of the legs. Earthquake time on the road! You never know what may get damaged by the sudden movement of the whole thing. Problem # 1 to solve ....

AN so I went over to home depot, and bought lumber, and table legs. Assembled as seen, it provides a solid base for the table, and doesn't have "legs" at the corners, or anywhere else which one can easily kick. Next to pull from the tombs one of the boards from the old 88 layout. They were up against the wall behind the office area....

Still has track on it and the hole from the turn table. Time to clean it off, remove all the old track and start again. AS you can see it was built like a plywood central. Not what I wanted in the end. Now to find some way to build without a lot of carpentry work ... again a search was made, and I found Woodland Scenics kits. HO and N -- well I had enough of N, so back to HO. and I bought the River Pass kit. this is not shake the box and screw on wheels -- this is a box of foam, instructions, and basic hard shell materials. There are two other kits and i bought both - the scenery kit and the Atlas Track kit for this -- might as well go all the way! It is code 70 track, just for you to know ...

AND so construction begins. This is several weeks worth of weekend afternoons building ...

So most of the risers and the backdrop "box' has been erected and hot glued into place. Lots more to do, trial track placements and trial runs to make sure everything is solid and works. This took longer than I thought ... in the end, today this is the working like as I have it now ...

A lot of work went into this project, and I added the extra foot on the front a few years ago -- NOW?? I am working on putting up a second board and making this the base for a new longer road, much bigger ...

Last, I have been reading the boards and Model Railroader for ages -- so no newbie here. Just finally getting my pike in the way I want it to be ...

The Aerojet

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning AJ, and welcome to the forum. This is the friendliest forum on the web, in my opinion. Stop by the Coffee Shop sometime and chat with some of the members that hang out there.
Good job on the construction. Looks like a lot of activity possibilities. Your scenery is far ahead of mine.

My first post did not go so well,

Not sure why you say that, even though there were not a lot of responses, there were 126 views in two days.

Willie

 

[Aerojet]

Well that is something that has always bothers the owners of several boards -- too many lookie loos, and not enough posters. I guess -- ya well, what can what expect?? Okay, so let's move on ... can you stand one more from the current layout?

Here I removed the bridge for the photo so you could see the whole river -- took some time to get this looking like that!

No comments on the Woodland Scenics kit.. am I one of the few to actually build one?

The Aerojet

 

[CBCNSfan]

Welcome aboard Aerojet, your layout has me wondering just how big is it? That's a lot of nice modeling packed into an attractive layout. Very nice modelling. Anyway drop into Running Bear's Coffee Shop

Regards Willis

 

[Aerojet]

IF you look at the build set, the top two,it is basically a 4 x 8. But that only gives you a three around. So I added the extra foot to the front to build a small yard and service facility. The Woodland Scenics kit builds a 4 x 8. Run on DCC, it works well for two trains with some adjusting of train location, on the passing track in front, the original main line, or keep one train up on the double inclined loops and run the local on the bottom. The small yard means that you need a Hustler to switch with, note mine in right on the static track. This is a two track working yard, with an additional dummy track stuffed in behind, due to not enough room for another switch ...

The Aerojet

 

[CBCNSfan]

Yep! That's what confused me. The table with the fold-able legs is definately 4x8 but there's no way you could have gotten all that trackage and scenery on a 4 X 8.
Very nice work and it's interesting
WIllis

 

[pmwtrain]

Hi, Aerojet. I'm new to the forum too. Unlike you, however, I'm also new to the hobby. Your scenery looks great! My layout is a long way from needing scenery - sometimes I'm glad it is .

 

[Aerojet]

Yep! That's what confused me. The table with the fold-able legs is definately 4x8 but there's no way you could have gotten all that trackage and scenery on a 4 X 8.
Very nice work and it's interesting
WIllis

Look at photo three - that is track placement. This is Woodland Scenics River Pass. the track goes up and all around in a three times around affair. I should post out the rest of the build photos, then you would see how this got to where it is today.... maybe in another post down in scenery or so ...

 

[Bruette]

Aerojet that is a world class layout, really top notch, one of the best I have ever seen!!! I love the multiple elevations and the colors really set it off!

Thanks so much for sharing it.

 

[CBCNSfan]

Look at photo three - that is track placement. This is Woodland Scenics River Pass. the track goes up and all around in a three times around affair. I should post out the rest of the build photos, then you would see how this got to where it is today.... maybe in another post down in scenery or so ...

I'm sure everyone would appreciate that AJ, the building of it would be of interest to many of the members especially those who are still in the planning stage, namely me

Willis

By the way you can add it to this one it's all on topic

 

[Iron Horseman]

Here I removed the bridge for the photo so you could see the whole river -- took some time to get this looking like that!

Water is always the hardest thing to do. Well not to do, to do so that it looks half way realistic.

 

[tootnkumin]

The worst is to leave it, or the base board beneath it, clear of color. I have seen a few small shallow streams done on other club's layouts and when remarked on the reason has always been "It's too shallow". What they have forgotten is they're modelling what a 1-1 stream would look like from maybe 50-100 feet up, not a less than 1/8th" deep one. It's unlikely it would be perfectly clear like glass.

 

[new guy]

Been "scooting" up and down along two rivers this summer a "big" one and a "small" ish one and the water is seldom clear even days after a rain, while staring at the water it occurred to me that "water" products are "clear" and most "real" water is not! I was thinking some kind of "muddy" water mix would look more "realistic" on a layout. A "deep" pond with some underwater scenery would look cool but you can rarely see the bottom of most rivers and streams. How would one go about "muddying" a "clear" water product? Mix a little paint in it?