04-12-2010, 12:21 PM
Progress: wired a control panel of some sort, it is..functional for now. Testing the layout using it I found out that for better operation the layout needs a few more blocks. Removing the track which is ballasted and everything is not really an option (although better than a similar operation on a section which has been landscaped more throughly) so careful sawing of track might have to be considered.. As for wiring - it is a total chaos under the layout. When next the wiring for switch control is added it will become a multicoloured spaghetti under there... not wise..not wise at all. (I might make a picture just to shock you eventually)
Other things: the tunnel looks more like a tunnel than a hole in the landscape. I mostly tried to emulate the look of the prefab tunnel entrances available. The colour is hopefully close enough to red sandstone now. As for some nice old style railroad buildings that could be added: a station building still has to be added, so some imperial German grandeur might still get its place on the layout. Mustn't let the story of the 'destroyed in the war' signal box ruin the possibilities.
Finally the main reason for this post: Trees! Using some winter-dry twigs from around the house I made some tree stems and blue-tacked them onto the layout to have an idea of how it will look eventually. Now I'm not sure about the size of these. Next to the trains these trees might look a bit big. But wait! Trees are supposed to be pretty big, right? But most of the trees sold for model train layouts are two or three inches high, at least those markeded as being suitable for N gauge layouts. Most of these are about 3-5".
So: do you think these trees look like giants or are they ok? Right now I might shorten them just a little bit, but generally keep them towering over the trains. A consideration here is to create enough view-blocking woods to create depth and to create some 'tunnel illusion' so that the trains would seem to be running longer.
Norm
Some pictures:
Other things: the tunnel looks more like a tunnel than a hole in the landscape. I mostly tried to emulate the look of the prefab tunnel entrances available. The colour is hopefully close enough to red sandstone now. As for some nice old style railroad buildings that could be added: a station building still has to be added, so some imperial German grandeur might still get its place on the layout. Mustn't let the story of the 'destroyed in the war' signal box ruin the possibilities.
Finally the main reason for this post: Trees! Using some winter-dry twigs from around the house I made some tree stems and blue-tacked them onto the layout to have an idea of how it will look eventually. Now I'm not sure about the size of these. Next to the trains these trees might look a bit big. But wait! Trees are supposed to be pretty big, right? But most of the trees sold for model train layouts are two or three inches high, at least those markeded as being suitable for N gauge layouts. Most of these are about 3-5".
So: do you think these trees look like giants or are they ok? Right now I might shorten them just a little bit, but generally keep them towering over the trains. A consideration here is to create enough view-blocking woods to create depth and to create some 'tunnel illusion' so that the trains would seem to be running longer.
Norm
Some pictures:
-norm