My New York & Atlantic layout

[Sumpter250]

Kurt,

One of the things I like about this board, is that there are people like you, who take the time to show, describe, and in the process inspire.
Another of the things I like about this board, is that I can be inspired by people like you.

[cnw1961]

Thanks guys, I very much appreciate you kind comments. I am glad that I found a way to have a little bit of Plymouth Street on this layout, because I was looking forward to trying this method to model such a street.

Herc, sorry, but you must find someone else to do this in n-scale. When I got into mrr, I started with n-sclae, but I gave it up because Iove scratch building and I could not cope with all the fine details in N .

Hmmmm..... so when this one is finished, reckon you'll be tearing it apart and doing something new? Should I leave room on my layout for more buildings?

Gary, though I would not mind sending you a few more structures, I hope it won’t happen any time soon. Even if this layout will be finished some day, I am not planning to tear it apart immediately. Would be nice to have a working layout with finished scenery to take pictures of ... but who knows? I did not expect my Miami layout to be so short lived either ...

Ralph, the good thing about using sanding paper for street is that it is clean and easy and, even better, it is fast ... perfect for someone as impatient as me .

Galen, you want to see some more ? Here is a link to a thread on a German forum that has 5 pages full of examples: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nexusboard.net/showthread.php?siteid=2408&threadid=299622">http://www.nexusboard.net/showthread.ph ... did=299622</a><!-- m -->

[cnw1961]

Building a decent backdrop is long overdue (actually since I started my Miami layout) so I decided to tackle it this weekend. I am using 1/8" thick MDF to get a smooth and even surface. Now comes my "favorite" job: painting.

[SP1]

I am a little bit surprised you did not "round out" that corner at the far end. Since you have definately more experience in building layouts I must ask - don't you fear having a dark spot there later? Can you eliminate that spot by lighting?

[Steve]

Kurt
In this pic you posted, it almost looks like you photoshopped some real buildings and virtually "placed" them on your layout......it really looks that good!

If it is looking like this at this stage.......I shudder to think of what is in store for us when you are "finished".........

You just keep raising that bar! .........................now STOP IT!!!!!

[P5se Camelback]

... but I could accuse you of doing the same thing, Steve! The work that both you and Kurt ... and now Gary, too ... have been posting has caused the bar to be raised substantially during the past year that I have been loitering here.

It's almost intimidating. I say "almost" because I choose to look at the work of you three as inspiration rather than intimidation. I will have to finish up the "Culling, Consolidation and Categorizing" of my belongings, ship the items that family living out of state wanted that was our parents, jump into the fray and join the "building some scenery" craze!

Thanks to all three of you for the inspirational imagery!

[cnw1961]

Jens, I was thinking of rounding the corner, but decided against it, because I’ll have a big structure at that end of the layout. So most of the corner won’t be visible anyway.

Steve, thank you for your very kind word. The bar is already so high on this forum that what I am doing hardly has any effect on that. But like you I really like these two stuctures that I built for the short lived Plymouth Street layout and I am glad that I found a way to have them on this layout.

biL, inspiration on our forum is a mutual thing. A few days ago you posted two pics of your mock-ups on another thread that made me think again about the structures I am going to build for my extension (left end of the layout). I wanted to build a big concrete (background) structure like you find them in Long Island City with one spur leading to it and the main passing in front. Now after seeing you pics, I am planning an "end of the line" scene with the tracks disappearing in an old (redbrick) factory or between some old warehouses ... Thank you for those inspiring pics.

That is how my cobblestone street looks after some painting and weathering.

[jonte]

Pure genius Kurt. Already this is one of the most atmospheric layouts I've ever seen. Well done!

May I ask what plaster you used for the paving/cobbles e.g. DIY filler type (Polyfilla), casting plaster?

Do you simply mix the plaster with water or do you use an additive e.g. PVA glue to prevent cracking?

Finally, do you also intend to cover the track with plaster or are you considering some other medium e.g. ash ballast?

Hope you don't mind sharing, and please keep it coming.

Jonte

[Gary S]

Kurt, the buildings and street are fantastic. The paint and weathering on the brick buildings turned out superbly.

[cnw1961]

Jonte, Gary, such kind comments are always much appreciated. I wish I would make some more progress on my layout, but I hope in a few weeks I can spend more time on it. One thing I did accomplish though, is painting the track and the ties.



Jonte, I am sorry, but it won’t help you much if I tell you which plaster I am using, because I am living in Germany. I am using Moltofill, a plaster that is quite famous here. You only have to mix it with water and it gets very hard when it is dry and does not crack easily, so it is very good for sculpting and modeling.

I haven’t decided yet if I will have some street running on my extension. If so, then I will use plaster for that, but aside from that I will use granite ballast and a mixture of dirt, sand and tile grout.

[Steamtrains]

Fantastic..!!
Incredible work ...Thanks for sharing...

[Gary S]

Even Kurt's rusty rails look more like rusty rails than the rest of ours!

How did you get that dry rust look? Really nice!

[Steamtrains]

I hadn't noticed...(suckered by the whole scene in general... :oops: ).
Just outstanding...!!

[jonte]

Jonte, Gary, such kind comments are always much appreciated. I wish I would make some more progress on my layout, but I hope in a few weeks I can spend more time on it. One thing I did accomplish though, is painting the track and the ties.



Jonte, I am sorry, but it won’t help you much if I tell you which plaster I am using, because I am living in Germany. I am using Moltofill, a plaster that is quite famous here. You only have to mix it with water and it gets very hard when it is dry and does not crack easily, so it is very good for sculpting and modeling.

I haven’t decided yet if I will have some street running on my extension. If so, then I will use plaster for that, but aside from that I will use granite ballast and a mixture of dirt, sand and tile grout.

Thanks, Kurt, for your informative reply. I'll check the brand you mentioned on the internet (hopefully there's an explanatory video or some photos accompanying it as I'm ashamed to say that I only speak English :oops: ), however, it sounds from your description that it's a multipurpose, flexible filler which, no doubt, will be the same as Polyfilla - fingers crossed as I've got loads of it!
Good luck with the rest of the layout and be assured that I, like many others, will be keping a close eye to developments. I'm hooked.

Jonte

[cnw1961]

Gus, Gary, thank you, but there is no secret in that. I just airbrushed the track (rails and ties) using Revell Email Color #82. These Paints are quite thick, but when enough thinner is added (1:1), they are perfect for airbrushing. Next I painted the ties with thinned brownish grey acrylic paints using a stiff paintbrush, varying from just a thin wash to a solid coat. After that I applied thinned Polly Scale grimy black, again varying the amount of paint.

Jonte, I think you ere right with your assumption about the spackle. I looked for English information on Moltofill, but could not find any. It is quite commonly used here by modelers, but many use simple palster instead. I prefer Moltofill, because it takes much longer to dry. Makes it much easier to work with.