Good things come in narrow packages

[Steamtrains]

You're setting the bar pretty high here....We'll just have to "train" a little harder...

Just a quibble...A little oil smudging where cars would stop to "fill'er up..."

[ocalicreek]

Excellent work, my friend! That whole scene is really starting to come together now. Can we have an overall shot of that end, please?

Galen

[faraway]

Outstanding. You make me think about alternatives....

[cnw1961]

Steve, that scene is breathtakingly beautiful . I back Galen on this one: please show us some overall shots!

[Puddlejumper]

I do believe that your layout is one of the best I have EVER seen. Your attention to detail is incredible! That gas station is amazing. Heck, I'm still recovering from the coal dealer you built several pages ago!

[Steve]

Thank you guys!

I like it!

Now, what worries me is that as you near completion of your layout, you're going to...............tear this one down and start a new one!

I am only about 1/3 of the way "finished" . Still lots to do and I am not losing interest A great feature of this layout is that after the river is completed, it kind of switches gears and gets more urban and dirtier. I am excited about getting there


As requested, an overall shot of the completed section of the layout. This first shot shows the first 8 feet of the 21 ft layout:



Looking west:



Gus, my friend, I have added your oil smudges .....and my daughter's favorite (out of gas) vehicle:



Next sections to be done. Wollenberg will be getting a few extra details added, and of course the river needs to get done so I can put the trestle back and reconnect the track....YAY!


That's the state of the layout as of now. I will be getting started on Wollenberg, or the river (so I can get my trains running again ) In the next couple of days.

Thank you all for your continued interest in this project      

Take care

[Steamtrains]

Looks good...!! Love that out-of-gas car....

What are you using for throwing that switch..??

[Puddlejumper]

Love that the switch is on the trestle. Should make for an interesting trestle and switch stand.

[mountaingoatgreg]

Steve,

Awesome as always I really like the WIDE angle view and it really gives a good perspective of what can be achieved in a narrow space. This is why I think that narrow layouts are such a better idea as it seems they actually get finished!!

Keep up the great work we are all looking forward to the next session!!

[tetters]

Stunning Steve!

[Gary S]

As i look at Steve's and Kurt's layouts, I am often consumed with "exactly what is it that makes these layouts look so good?" Aside from the masterful execution, Is it also a combination of the colors and lighting that make the layouts look just "oh so good"?

[Steve]

Thanks everyone    

Looks good...!! Love that out-of-gas car....

What are you using for throwing that switch..??

Gus, I will be getting small non-working switch stands for the turnouts. I will be fashioning my own simple springs to keep the turnouts thrown when I do it by hand.
This method has been around forever, but for those who aren't familiar with it:

I will be using these two pre-existing holes for the spring:



A stiff piece of wire (a paper clip can be used) is then formed to this general shape, with a bend in the middle. It is sized so that there is a little tension when the switch is thrown to hold it in place. It is upside-down in this pic:



I don't think that it looks too bad. It is only me running the trains and it won't show in pics unless I do extreme close ups..........in short I like it because it is simple and it also works great!

As i look at Steve's and Kurt's layouts, I am often consumed with "exactly what is it that makes these layouts look so good?" Aside from the masterful execution, Is it also a combination of the colors and lighting that make the layouts look just "oh so good"?

Gary, thank you for the very kind words
My work being mentioned with Kurt's is a huge compliment all by itself!  

I have learned two things:
1. You can't have too much lighting......and
2. You can't have too much lighting
I wish I had more, because although it is great in person, taking pics is a real challenge!    

I am very slowly learning more about colors, textures, and just modeling in general. There are plenty of things that I would do differently if I were starting this layout now......but that is the fun..............learning and improving

[Sumpter250]

One thought........Where the actual throw bar would be on the trestle, and not the safest place for the brakeman, determine which end of the trestle would be where the brakeman would be most likely to be when the switch needed to be thrown, and put a switchstand there, with a bell crank and rod assembly, to the throw bar. That would keep him on solid ground for the coupling, uncoupling, and turnout operation.
Or.....
mount a switchmotor casting on the trestle, and a control box at each end of the trestle ( if that is era appropriate )

[tetters]

Steve,

I'll be doing a Remote Tortoise Install shortly. It will be a first for me, so it should be interesting to watch. Perhaps this might give you an idea. Although, your solution is simple and actually quite elegant.

[ocalicreek]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Steve for the overall shot of that end of the layout. That oughta be gracing the cover of a modeling mag in the future, especially when nearing completion...although I don't think you should wait that long.

And that little bit o' wire just looks like some sort of air hose debris, a fallen tree limb, etc. on the track - a very plausible explanation. KISS method at it's best.

Looking at the overall scene...the green of the Gallimore Coal and the red of the Wollenberg Grain seem to act as anchor points visually - they grab your attention right away and allow your eyes to come back to them again and again. And not only the colors, but the size of the structures. The three smaller structures in between are in muted tones with little bits of color from the signage, people and details that draw you closer to the scene and suck you in. Then when you're done examining them closely you follow the tracks down to the left or right to those scenes, then back again...it's going to be something when you get a little further along. That rhythm and pacing you've established with the existing structures should carry through somehow. Not sure if I'm just reading all this into the scenes or you're even thinking about composition in these terms, but either way it works!

Galen