My first micro-layout

[valkyriepm]

Hello guys! Finally I can post some pics of my first micro-layout I'm working on. It's a simple "O" shaped layout and on part of the center has a little diorama of an abandoned gantry crane, engine shed and water tank with a rusted c-50, box car and a tomu-50000-like wagon. Many of the structures are scratch, the c-50 is from a static n-scale model collection and the wagons are in fact a graham-farish and a peco, painted as to look as JNR.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll post more images later! I'll need some suggestions also, as I'm stuck with the design  :hmh:

 

Thanx for looking!

 

Martin

[splifdfx]

Lovely weathering.

Do you have a picture where we could have a larger view of the layout ?

[cteno4]

Martin,

 

Wonderful, really a nice scene! Keep the progress Picts coming, it's so fun to watch projects like this come together!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

[valkyriepm]

Hi guys! Thank you for your comments. I'm really glad you like it.

Here are some pics I took this afternoon on the actual state of the layout:

 

  

 

As you can see, I still have to make the windows and some small detail on the engine shed. I couldn't find any pics of an old gantry crane, so I put that one. Anyway is kind of freestyle layout.

 

In the next pic, you'll see the plan I have for the area but have no idea on what to fill the rest with. Any ideas would be helpful.

The yard I believe is for an old 50's track abandoned and the working layout will have a single EMU. Can be from the 80's to actual times.

 

 

Thank you again guys!

 

Martin

 

 

[beakaboy]

fabulous weathering! Can you tell us what you used to achieve the effect on the loco shed and also what you used for the roofing iron?

[Bernard]

Martin - I'm just repeating what others have said, "great weathering!" All I think is "with such a small scale my eyes would be shot!" Great work

[splifdfx]

Martin, about the "here be dragons"-areas of your layout for which you seek inspiration, it would help to know what kind of rolling stock will be running on this loop.

[valkyriepm]

Hi! Thank you all for our comments!

On the layout I was thinking to use this little guy from Tomytec:

 

beakaboy: to the weathering on the engine shed I used a technique of washes over a flat white base: First the flat white base, then two or three hands of very diluted black, then browns and greens here and there, then a drybrush with white, then a very diluted black again. All with acrilyc paints. I used this technique to represent a very sun-exposed wood, hence the grayish-brown color. You can use more brown shades depending on the effect you want to achieve: more brown on protected zones or not so weathered wall.

 

To the iron roofing, used aluminum foil -a little thicker than the one used on the kitchen- cut some squares of the needed size and gave it the shape with a toothpick over an old IDE cable. Took this technique of an N-scale blog on the web some time ago,

 

If you need further explanation, please ask me.  :)

 

Martin

[cteno4]

Martin,

 

few ideas to throw out

 

- how about a little forest in the corner, maybe up along the stream. perhaps a dilapidated in cabin in the woods

 

- some kids playing in the stream, fishing?

 

- if the loco and shed are abandoned how about some kids playing around the loco

 

- need a road going to the shed, maybe an old business or two along the road. 

 

- maybe an old freight/passenger platform on the main track and a little shed

 

its just big enough to have a few different little micro scenes going on!

 

jeff

[beakaboy]

thanks for the info Martin. I like the idea for roofing iron. Never would have thought of that. John

[valkyriepm]

Hi guys! Thank you for the inputs! Jeff, I'm considering many of your suggestions.

Getting back on the abandoned yard, I thought it would be cool some abandoned road heavy equipment, and also I love motor grader, so why not making one.

As the only N scale in the market I could find was an offer from Bachmann wich would need a lot of work, started researching the web for a Japanese grades from the '70s. Well, liked very much the Komatsu GD31 grader and started to work:

 

 

That's where I am now. A couple mor details to go before painting.

I'll try to get better pics next time!

 

Martin

[cteno4]

Dude, that's a fantastic scratch building job!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[beakaboy]

wow! terrific detail

[valkyriepm]

Hello guys! Thank you for your comments, as always :)

 

Finished the grader and here are some pics:

 

 

 

And here are some on the place where I think it would be:

 

 

Well, I hope you like it. Next have to continue withe scenery!

 

Martin

[kvp]

This looks great! I didn't expect that the paint could make it so much more realistic.

[beakaboy]

the weathering is really outstanding on this unit

[enodenlover]

Really nice!

[cteno4]

Martin,

 

Spectacular work on the grader! Did you do all that detail from scratch?! Kudos, going to be great in the scrap equipment pile with weeds and grass growing thru it!

 

Jeff

[ToniBabelony]

The detail on the grader puts the commercial products next to it to shame. Amazing work!

[Martijn Meerts]

That looks ridiculously good :)

[Carlos Filipe]

Lovely micro. On "no-idea-what-to-do" I would suggest a compact mass of low buildings. Practically roof to roof, in order to hide the travel of the train. Then it could rise the skyline with tall buildings. If a backdrop is installed, one kit can give two facades (or more). The compact urban mass would serve as contrast to the "vast" abandoned yard in the outskirts of town, remains of industries gone. The right front corner and all the front of the layout would be a  mix of farming and wasteland (if that is plausible in Japan...)

Have fun with the project.

[valkyriepm]

Hello guys! It's been a while since the last update, thinking on how to continue and considering all your ideas. Finally came up with most of the scenery resolved:

 

 

As you can see, added a street on the corner and a line of shops with the paper kit of a greenmax economy kit of a bus terminal. On one of the sides will be a small station. I have a greenmax kit that comes with different tram stations, so took those for a base. Looking for small stations, loved the design of the Tomytec commuter station G and took it as base, so using the greenmax platform increased the height, scratch the building and used the kits handrails and roof:

 

 

Here with some basic colours:

 

 

And here almost finished, with some details to go on:

 

 

Well,hope you like it and more to come soon.

 

Martin

[tossedman]

Well done Martin. Thanks for sharing.

 

Todd

[cteno4]

Martin,

 

Great work! Really nice scratch building the little station, loved how you used the platform roof on it. You are a very talented scratch builder!

 

This is going to be a gorgeous little layout/diorama!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[valkyriepm]

Hi guys! Scenery update on the layout! But as always, thank you for your kind comments.

First, finished the station and have some more work to do on the area surrounding it. Painted the street and put some Tomytec buildings on it. Have to scratch some and put some Greenmax stores to complete.

 

First one old hose/deposit not used on a very long time, all scratch:

Builndg it and completed, but wanted something more to the garage area:

So, started a chasis. First one didnt' convinced me, so started again:

Finished old deposit:

And now the station area (on the final pic you can see the train on the mirror): 

And general pic on how it´s going:

Well, I hope you enjoyed it as I enjoy your layouts. See you soon!

 

Martin