New guy's photos

[steinjr]

if I'm modeling Southern Minnesota without corn and soybeans then I'm not doing a very good job.

Well, the pictures of your layout certainly made me long for the sight of Minnesota in the summer again - only three months until summer vacation :-)

Grin,
Stein

[secondhandmodeler]

Stein, knowing you spend time in Minnesota and that my layout reminds you of it means a lot. Maybe we could switch this summer, you can come to Mankato and I'll go to your house!

[Svein]

Corey, your layout looks great, thanks for sharing!

My own layout room is about the same size as your area, but I'm still working on the track plan. The close up pics make the layout seem so much larger, do you have any overall shots of the layout for inspiration?

Svein

[secondhandmodeler]

Svein, the layout is in a room roughly twice the size of the layout. Looking back, I could have used the middle of the area more, but I had to be able to move this thing since I rent my townhouse. Since I haven't taken a shot of the whole thing for years, here is a picture in the very beginning.

[Svein]

Thanks, Corey. Nice 'under construction' pics, I like how you have built the layout in sections. Did you first bolt the sections together, and then built the scenery and layed the tracks continuously across the joints?

My own layout is also being built in sections, but I have decided to finish as much as possible on each section separately. Each section has its own independent wiring, and the tracks are cut at the section joints. At least my three existing sections are built this way, they were designed for another location but I'm trying to incorporate them in my new layout room.

Svein

[Sumpter250]

You aren't kidding!
The corn comes in rows of ten. There are 40 rows in a box and I used 4 boxes. That's 1600 corn stalks that each need to be twisted three times by hand since they come flat out of the box. That's 4800 twists with the tweezers! Then you have to dip each of the 160 rows in yellow fuzz for the tassels and 'plant' on the layout. After that I used scenic express dirt sifted over the top to cover the bases. It was quite the process, but if I'm modeling Southern Minnesota without corn and soybeans then I'm not doing a very good job. Thanks for looking.

I wasn't !
After cutting and applying 7,500 (approx.) individual simulated wood shingles to my GC Laser Boathouse kit, I know how much time and effort goes into making things look good. I could see that effort in your cornfield.

[steinjr]

Stein, knowing you spend time in Minnesota and that my layout reminds you of it means a lot. Maybe we could switch this summer, you can come to Mankato and I'll go to your house!

Sounds very tempting. Not likely to make it as far south as Mankato, though - we generally stay in Roseville on the north end of the cities for a bit with my wife's mom and dad, and then head north for Leech Lake.

There just is something that cannot be replaced by anything, even model railroading, about taking a boat out at 5 am with my brother in law, to spend 4-5 hours fishing and solving the world's big and small problems together before we head in again to see if herd of kids and dogs have driven the wives insane yet :-)

Smile,
Stein

[Greg Elems]

Whoa that's a great looking layout. I used to live in Worthington, by the CNW tracks in a trailer park as a kid. I remember the CNW F units coming by every morning pulling a freight. Last time I was there was 1965 though. The trailer park was removed a few years ago I hear. My parents talk about going to Mankato while my mom was pregnant with my sister. I really need to get back there and do the tourist thing. Is the old CNW depot still standing?

Thanks bringing back some great old memories......

Greg