Ralph's 2013 Duff Challenge(s)

[Ralph]

Just a little more. I filled in the space between the upper level tracks in the photo and the hill at the top of the pic. Then I added some vegetation. There used to be a space between them that could be seen by the camera.
Looks better now!





After this we curve left and head behind the silos of Empire Grain....

[Tyson Rayles]

Very nice Ralph ! The second shot I had to look twice to make sure you hadn't snuck in a proto pic.

[Ralph]

Thanks! That's one of my favorite views of the layout.

[cn nutbar]

That is very creative Ralph ---I tried to convince my wife that I wanted to convert the fireplace in my rec room into a steam engine firebox but she wouldn't buy the idea---there goes the end of my Duff Challenge

[Charlie B]

Ralph, that nylon screen and foam is just what some of the areas on my road need. That is an idea for the academy for sure. It is the little things that make the difference, and this is so simple.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Charlie

[Ralph]

That is very creative Ralph ---I tried to convince my wife that I wanted to convert the fireplace in my rec room into a steam engine firebox but she wouldn't buy the idea---there goes the end of my Duff Challenge

That's hilarious! I think you should still try it! Although I didn't read it, I recall hearing that one of Model Railroader's annual April Fool joke articles was about adding a fireman to your realistic operations.

Ralph, that nylon screen and foam is just what some of the areas on my road need. That is an idea for the academy for sure. It is the little things that make the difference, and this is so simple.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Charlie

Thanks Charlie! Hope it works for you. I know we both appreciate economical modeling approaches. I'm pretty pleased by the results.

[Ralph]

I got some more work done! Rounding the curve takes us behind Empire Grain and a cayon of silos.


Since track behind Empire Grain is hidden I decided to treat this area as a different location, which I'm calling "Owdaseit". I suspect the name may be of mixed Algonquin and German heritage, but I'd have to check wih the Chamber of Commerce. I made modifications to the backs of the Empire Grain structures to create another large industry; Hudson Cement. To add some visual interest I added conveyors crossing over the tracks. I also filled in noticeable gaps between track and buildings.

More bad photos of the TV screen...sorry...but its the only way I can get a picture of the area right now.






I also made a small commuter station for the hidden community.
Here is an unfortunately fuzzy image of the station platforms.


At the end of this section I added some details to MM tower such as the tell tail and the sign for Marion NY.


I'm getting near the end of this project. I'm hoping to film a run around the layout using one of those USB coverters mentioned in previous posts so you can get a better look at the cosmetic changes along the tracks.

[Charlie B]

Wow, talk about working in a blind. Good job Ralph.
Charlie

[Ralph]

Actually I do have total access back there, but I have to remove the Empire Grain structures to get to it.

[Ralph]

Well after that last post exchange it occurred to me I could show better photos by removing part of the grain elevator so I could access what was behind it! D'OH! :oops:







I've been looking into the those USB convertors. Seems like most have compatibility problems with Windows 7. I'm leaning more toward purchasing an inexpensive mini-camcorder to ride on a flat car in front of a loco so I can record a trip around the layout. I'm hoping to cap off the Duff thread by showing off my work from the train point of view.

[Ralph]

WRAPPING IT UP!

I've finished all of the cosmetic changes I wanted to make to improve the train-cam view as I operate the layout from my control stand and TV screen. I've been confounded by the technoplogy of trying to import images directly from my train cam to my computer (especially while using Windows 7) so I decided to risk $13.00 and purchase a car keychain spy camera from Amazon that would let me load up a video to show you what it looks like from the engineer's point of view. For the price, the little camera isn't bad but I get much better images on my TV from the wireless train cam for the control stand. Still, you get a pretty fair idea what its like.

Here is the key chain camera taped to a flat car for the filming.


Here is the Youtube video I made of the layout tour from the train-cam view:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYDshLpiIqw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYDshLpiIqw</a><!-- m -->
There is some way of removing the inaccurate time stamp. I'll have to review that. I forgot before filming.

That about wraps up my Duff challenge! Thanks for your encouragement!

Ralph

[faraway]

I love those videos! The ride through the industry canyons is outstanding

[Charlie B]

Ralph, you got your money's worth with that little unit. What a great video, it really showcases your railroad, and you have truly caught the essence of the PC. Very impressive. The video is darned good, and the captions are great. Thanks.
Charlie

[Tyson Rayles]

[Ralph]

Thanks guys! This was a fun way to finish the challenge. I'm planning to use the keychain camera to film some track level roll-by shots and maybe a switching move or two from the cab-view.

Ralph