05-24-2011, 07:22 PM
This thread is back in action, thanks to some vacation time and the impetus to get over a few hurdles. Those hurdles are the lighting and the backdrop. Once the lighting is in, I can paint the backdrop and begin to work on scenery as I reach that point. Gotta have the lights right in order to see the colors effectively.
Once the backdrop is in I can plan scenes that 'interact' with the backdrop, so to speak, like the homes on the hillside behind Pinto, the creek under the arch bridge, etc. But most importantly I can finish construction on the layout sections that join each side of the room along the walls since the backdrop thickness affects the dimensions.
So today I passed the lighting hurdle. While the lighting should make pictures easier, taking pictures of the lighting itself is actually pretty hard. So for now you get a bad picture and a description. Just ignore the cable lighting above the layout...it will be coming down soon!
[albumimg]3958[/albumimg]
I decided on a single row of track lights. I was given track lights by a woman in my church who was having some remodeling done. There were 5 tracks and a dozen lights in assorted shapes and sizes. I selected two tracks to be joined end to end, utilizing six lights. The bulbs are 'daylight' brightness cfl's with a rating of 6500 K. (75 watt equivalent, 11 watts actual).
It seemed simple enough to remove the old round fixture and replace it with the tracks...but alas it was not. The box for the wiring was too low and extended down below the drywall by a half inch. I had to journey into our attic, dig down through the insulation, find the metal brace stapled between the framing, pull it out and replace it a half inch up.
With that done I was able to install the tracks. All was going fine until it wasn't. The joiner plug didn't fit right. After some fussing and grumbling, I was able to trim away some of the track on either side to make it fit. What should have taken an hour at best ended up taking all afternoon.
I still have the rest of the week off so I hope to get the backdrop installed before I have to go back to work. Then I can proceed with the remaining benchwork and lay track from staging to Pinto - a major milestone for Phase One construction.
Galen
Once the backdrop is in I can plan scenes that 'interact' with the backdrop, so to speak, like the homes on the hillside behind Pinto, the creek under the arch bridge, etc. But most importantly I can finish construction on the layout sections that join each side of the room along the walls since the backdrop thickness affects the dimensions.
So today I passed the lighting hurdle. While the lighting should make pictures easier, taking pictures of the lighting itself is actually pretty hard. So for now you get a bad picture and a description. Just ignore the cable lighting above the layout...it will be coming down soon!
[albumimg]3958[/albumimg]
I decided on a single row of track lights. I was given track lights by a woman in my church who was having some remodeling done. There were 5 tracks and a dozen lights in assorted shapes and sizes. I selected two tracks to be joined end to end, utilizing six lights. The bulbs are 'daylight' brightness cfl's with a rating of 6500 K. (75 watt equivalent, 11 watts actual).
It seemed simple enough to remove the old round fixture and replace it with the tracks...but alas it was not. The box for the wiring was too low and extended down below the drywall by a half inch. I had to journey into our attic, dig down through the insulation, find the metal brace stapled between the framing, pull it out and replace it a half inch up.
With that done I was able to install the tracks. All was going fine until it wasn't. The joiner plug didn't fit right. After some fussing and grumbling, I was able to trim away some of the track on either side to make it fit. What should have taken an hour at best ended up taking all afternoon.
I still have the rest of the week off so I hope to get the backdrop installed before I have to go back to work. Then I can proceed with the remaining benchwork and lay track from staging to Pinto - a major milestone for Phase One construction.
Galen
I may not be a rivet counter, but I sure do like rivets!