Scenery Challenge, camouflage opening
#1
Please step forward all of you fellows that are knowledgeable about scenery.

I'm trying to place a Walthers 'New River Coal Mining' structure into the upper deck, back left corner of my layout. A portion of it would sit over the double crossover fixture I made, while the loading tracks themselves would be out on a 'flat' like I show in these photos,...the foam flat
[Image: DSCF4397.JPG]
 
[Image: DSCF4398.JPG]
 
Two of the most immediate questions that come to mind:
  1. Is it possible the 'camouflage' that opening in the rear wall that is bringing a single line track into the room from the outdoor helix? Is it possible to make that NOT look like a tunnel entrance??
  2. In that same sort of vein, is it possible to create a 'fake background scene' on a small portion of that rear wall would appear to be a track (or several of them) coming in to the loading tracks for the coal cars?...(at the wall end of those straight pieces of track I laid down there)
    [Image: DSCF4399%281%29.JPG]
     
 
Sorry for the rather crude mock up
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#2
Here is the corner I am speaking of, (At one time I had thought I might be placing refinery oil storage tanks there)
[Image: DSCF2998%2C%20top%20level%20corner%2C%20...281%29.jpg]


And here is some 2" foam I'm looking at raising the track level in that area to match the track coming out of the helix.
[Image: DSCF4394.JPG]
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#3
A mirror could be used directly behind the 3 tracks to the mine loadout and a short painted backdrop attached to the wall hiding the "portal" Paint it like a mountain and taper it down to nothing. Look up mirror usage , especially John Allen, who was a master. There is a lot of information to be had and you have a good place to use a mirror illusion.    

I am not an artist but I hope this will help you see what I mean. 
Charlie

https://www.google.com/search?q=using+mi...e&ie=UTF-8
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#4
(07-28-2019, 11:51 PM)Charlie B Wrote: A mirror could be used directly behind the 3 tracks to the mine loadout and a short painted backdrop attached to the wall hiding the "portal" Paint it like a mountain and taper it down to nothing. Look up mirror usage , especially John Allen, who was a master. There is a lot of information to be had and you have a good place to use a mirror illusion.

I am not an artist but I hope this will help you see what I mean. 
Charlie

https://www.google.com/search?q=using+mi...e&ie=UTF-8

Thanks Charlie,
I was beginning to be able to visualize hiding the entrance hole for the helix track with a clump of trees, but I was having a more difficult time with the coal car tracks. From what I can tell with your image there you are suggesting a smaller/shorter mirror that would just reflect the cars and track themselves?

When I looked at a few of your links, I found a number of them I am going to have to review. I thank you for that.

One in particular I looked at was,..
http://www.building-your-model-railroad....sions.html

just a few excerpts
Quote:
• Any structures, figures, train cars or autos reflected in the mirror should be painted a different color on the front and the back, so that the reflection appears to show a different structure, person or car.
• The cars or trucks that are reflected in the mirror can be altered (cut in half and re-glued together) so that they either have a front on both ends or a rear on both ends. That way, when they are viewed at eye level going into the mirror, it appears that the car in the mirror is heading in the same direction on the same side of the street as the real car.
• Place inverted signs on the backs of reflected structures, street signs, commercial signs so that when they are reflected in the mirror, the lettering can be read normally. The items in the mirror will then have the appearance of being completely different structures than the real ones especially if they’ve been painted differently on the backsides as well.
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#5
Photo 
Mirror Images

I'm going to have to review that info on the use of mirrors when I try using one to make my steel mill blast furnace look larger,...or rather duplicated
   

   

   

Please excuse that 'decorative mirror', it was a piece of tile mirror I had laying around for experimentation.
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#6
(07-29-2019, 08:35 AM)railandsail Wrote: Mirror Images

I'm going to have to review that info on the use of mirrors when I try using one to make my steel mill blast furnace look larger,...or rather duplicated






Please excuse that 'decorative mirror', it was a piece of tile mirror I had laying around for experimentation.

You certainly understood what I was saying in a hurry. John Allen was a master with mirrors. The mirrors will certainly increase the mine tracks and the only thing reversed will be the small marks on the end cars. 

I remember John Allen's indoor parking lot that is discussed here: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/145241.aspx  and he also did a building that had burnt with the smoke painted on a mirror in the proper location.    Not being an artist I am attaching this very crude drawing to try to explain a little better about the backdrop. It is so crude it could be used to illustrate the word in the dictionary.      Charlie
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#7
Photo 
from another forum,...

As far as your wanting to 'camouflage' that opening in the rear wall that is bringing a single line track into the room from your outdoor helix, you could use trees placed in a way along the front/foreground of the track that makes the track appear to come from within a group of trees. Seen in first picture examples.
The three tracks could have the tracks going into, and continuing on into the wall, by painting three tracks to appear as they keep going, as seen in the next two set of pictures for examples. Instead of a single track, you paint your three tracks.

[Image: 2019729111631_Curve%20behind.jpg]

[Image: 2019729111654_into%20woods%2001.jpg]


[Image: 201972911177_into%20woods%2002.jpg]

WOW, thanks Louis
I guess I've just never had much experience with scenic backdrops,...or imagining them
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#8
I think the screen of trees is the best solution. The somewhat severe angle that the track emerges from the opening might provide enough space between it and the mine to allow for big trees to create a tall over-arching canopy. The top of the opening is the real problem, so getting trees and a canopy that covered the top is important.

As its discussed, I'm less fond of the big mirror idea for the loading tracks. I think you would see at least parts of the tipple in the mirror and the space in between the tipple and the mirror would make it look like two separate tipples really close together. I would try to put some type of conveyor over the loading tracks right at the wall to simply give the impression they extend beyond the wall. With a conveyor taking up the attention, I think the area will be busy enough that you wont really notice that the tracks end right there unless you choose to look for it.

You could make it look like the conveyor extended either over or through the tree tops you install for the opening, maybe even covering the top of the opening too.

Another solution would be to cut down the backside of the new river mine kit so that the part that covered the loading tracks could abut the backdrop. Problem solved. Maybe use the extra scrap pieces to build something else.

Edit: Having looked again, I would probably just cut down the entire mine kit so that it all could be shoved into the corner. As it stands, I would not feel real comfortable having a structure cover up the complex double crossover, so having the mine totally in the corner would allow access to the crossover. You could use a mirror to make the mine look bigger.
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#9
Thanks for those hints/suggestions.

I'm actually now considering eliminating the dbl crossover at that position and putting it further up towards the refinery.,...via new track plan for that side of the upper deck.

Sure wish I could arrive at a solution(s) for that upper deck side. I almost surprised myself when I arrived at my current logging area plan which I seem to be pretty comfortable with pretty quickly.
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