Oh, no offence taken. On the contrary, one learns much more from hard and direct criticism than from oohs and aahs (although the latter is also very nice every now and then! )
This part with the blobs of glue is just part of the fiddle yard, so it will not be ballasted. Been busy wiring that part of the layout. Lining up track well on the traverser proves to be quite challenging. The traverser sags a little bit in the middle, raising the ends a little bit, which leads to potentially dangerous bumps (mostly manifesting in engines stalling, but I fear derailments) The sagging is on the other hand even welcome, as it keeps unmotorized rolling stock (that is, wagons and coaches) on the traverser.
As soon as the trackside wiring is more or less done, a new control panel will be built - wondering about how to get all the block control switches and switch switches on in an aesthetically pleasing and functional way.
As for the tunnel entrance: that one you linked to looks a bit too majestic for my little branch line, maybe just a simple brickwork construction with a year of construction plate on top would be more suitable here...hm? Might even get a prefab entrance although the space available is rather limited. Things to think about.
tv_man Wrote:...a bit too majestic for my little branch line...
Yes, sure but not that much. Before 1914 railroad buildings demonstrated often glory. They were much more than profane buildings with a technical function. However, I wanted to point you at those old "Tunnelportal" as a example of style and red stone used at that time. You will find more simple with Google.
tv_man Wrote:As soon as the trackside wiring is more or less done, a new control panel will be built - wondering about how to get all the block control switches and switch switches on in an aesthetically pleasing and functional way.
I design my layout in 3rd Planit and then use the layout to design a straight line diagram of it, in sections if necessary, then make the 'trackwork' white and the background black. Any graphics application would work just as well but would require a little more work.
I then print using a laser printer on the blackest setting, laminate and fix to a thin board to be drilled and set with switches etc. I add any explanatory text in white to the drawing before printing. When drilling I clamp a second piece of thinnish (1/4" minimum) wood over the laminated side so the laminate doesn't twist around the drill!
Definately makes a professional finish rather than trying to mask with tape in straight lines then spraying, then unmasking and worrying the paint edges won't be sharp.
I use probe and stub for switch switches. I use solonoid motors so it's a quick touch. Suppose it could be used for slow action motors too though. I have DCC and so no block switches, but I use leds to show switch direction (bi colour, red switched, green normal routing).
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.
Progress since the last update:
- Finished some trees, rather a little forest, given that they're made with WS bagged foliage foam I'm fairly satisfied with the look. Not entirely happy about the orange and red trees, but then around here I'm mostly used to yellow birch trees.
- Built a station area which now includes the coaling station I built a while ago. The station building is again a thirteen in a dozen type kit. Did change it a bit, but the basic form is still pretty recognisable, I guess.
on the less visible side, I cut some already laid tracks and wired them into separate blocks so now there is more functionality around the station. It is still a fully analogous layout, after all. The switches are still unconnected to anything, it seems to me that everything is so close, after all, that remote control might not be very useful.
Currently under construction: some more ballasting, the industrial area at the far left side of the layout and the station area on the right side.
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