Freelance 2013

[fast car]

[quote="faraway"]Did the window stuff today and added the bridge. Have to do a lot of little details and repair the badly hampered ground cover over the next days.
The right building is on the hatch at the location where I put my hand to remove it. It is therefor only "put" in place and the bridge also only put in between the buildings. The left building will be fixed when all is set final.
I read Breakies comment and do agree but the bridge is an important visual element on my layout forming one industry. The right hand building looks somewhat strange without the visual connection.

[/quote

Reinhard,

I have seen these types of bridges also with windows to help eliminate the claustrophobic effects of walking down a square enclosed tube.

Larry

[lears2005]

If I may ask how did you get that color for your roads thanks

[faraway]

If I may ask how did you get that color for your roads thanks

They are painted dark gray. The next step is light brown powder. First gently distributed with a soft brush and finally with a damp sponge. I use light brown powder instead of white for the same reason we do not use white for mortal wash. White is to aggressive.

[lears2005]

What do you mean by brown powder

[faraway]

What do you mean by brown powder

The "usual" powder we are using e.g. for weathering. Mostly black and dark brown make engines look older but light brown is useful to make dark gray streets look older/lighter. It is technically pure pigment.

[Ralph]

I completely agree the bridge between the buildings is an excellent feature. It really adds interest to the two brick buildings!

[Mike Kieran]

I'm with Ralph on that. A bridge across 2 buildings above a street adds amazing visual interest as well as a way to end a scene at, or slightly before, the backdrop. Did older railroads use the crossing signals like those that are shown on your intersection back in the 50's? I'm not asking as a critique. I'm asking so that I may be able to use them. I love those kinds of signals.

Reinhard, your buildings are amazing. Hat's off to you sir!!!

My big question is how many times did you consider backdating your layout.

I plan to use mostly (if not all) older brick buildings on my layout so that it's only a matter of changing the vehicles and the rolling stock for backdating purposes.

[faraway]

... Did older railroads use the crossing signals like those that are shown on your intersection back in the 50's?...
My big question is how many times did you consider backdating your layout....

Mike, thank for the kind words.
The crossing signals do not look like 1950. I do use them for 1980 and newer layouts only. May be 1970 is ok too? Walthers has a more modern too. I would not use that prior to 1990.
I did backdate the layout to 1960 (and did not replace the crossing signals) but that is not my world (there is a discussion about that topic in another thread). I do frequently switch between 198n and 200n. That is fairly easy to be done in 30 minutes by exchanging street and rail cars and locomotives.
The old brick buildings need to get some "modern times" details like security gates etc. to match the layout area. That is similar in 1980 and 2000 but would not fit 1950.

[Mike Kieran]

Drats! I was hoping that they could be used. Oh well.

Don't worry about the security gates. They're not a necessity. I live around buildings like this. They don't always have them.

You're modelling is hitting the nail right on the head.

[sailormatlac]

You're on fire my friend... Already in 2013, already working on a "new" great looking layout!!! Honestly, I love the way you tweak this ISL over and over...

Your signal bridge are farfetched for the 50s... Anyway, old brick buildings always look "better" when they receive a layer of modern details that gives them personnality!

Good luck! You're always an inspiration to many of us.

Matt

[teejay]

Very nice ....i really like what you are doing here . As for the pigments , do you use a fixative on the roads ?

T

[faraway]

...As for the pigments , do you use a fixative on the roads ?...

No, but the pigments settle so deep in the gray latex paint you can touch the streets without becoming dirty. However, you can change the streets still with a wet sponge.

[faraway]

Adding details

[fast car]

Reinhard,

The extra detailing looks really good. Where did you find the security bars for the windows?

Larry

[faraway]

Reinhard,

The extra detailing looks really good. Where did you find the security bars for the windows?

Larry

I did find sheets of etched brass about 4" * 6" in a none model railroad hobby shop down town Stuttgart. I guess they are intended for architectural models. The security bars are cut off that sheets.