Our basement layout

[scott]

More geologic events recently:

 

[click for bigger; they're easier to see that way]

 

(there are two tunnels through the hill; the portals aren't built yet, but you can sort of see the openings)

 

 

 

And at the north end, before:

 

 

And after:

 

Obviously lots more work to do there to support the track, but it should make that line a lot more interesting. I'm thinking of some sort of small hill town/village at end end of the line, with a forested slope below it and behind the main station area.

[CaptOblivious]

The plaster-cloth stage is where the real excitement begins, I think…what fun!

[scott]

Yeah, I'm enjoying that part--it's fun to see the terrain come together.

[disturbman]

So scott, tell us, show us, what's happening on your layout lately? :)

[scott]

Nothing, unfortunately--between being out of town, and having visitors, and various family members being sick, work has come to a halt. I'm itching to get back to it, though. The recent extension of the point-to-point line (last picture in my last post) means I have a lot more hill-building to do.

[scott]

Today's project--starting on the tunnels and terrain at the north end, using Bernard's suggested method of scoring and gluing foamboard for tunnel walls. I still need to trim things down to look more like terrain, and paint the insides of the tunnels.

 

 

Eventually, this will look like terrain. Really.

 

I also put the supports under the extended out-and-back line, which will go in and out of view while climbing up the loop,  cross over itself and another line on the viaduct, and curve around to some sort of hilltop place.

 

[disturbman]

Nice work but, just a tought:

 

 

Don't forget to let an access open to reach the middle track. I don't know your plans but I'm pretty sure you don't need to close all the backside.

[Bernard]

Scott - this is looking fantastic! Make sure you have clearance on the walls by running all you trains around the layout. Next, use the same material you used for the tunnel walls for the mounting the tunnel portals you will be purchasing. Test out the portals to also make sure you have clearance with the trains on the sides of portals. Also on the center tunnel, make sure you have access to the trains, you might have to design it so the top of the mountain is removable. When you are happy with the results, remove the track and spray paint the inside black.

Your layout is really developing.

[scott]

Thanks, guys. A lot of openings will be cut into the tunnel walls to bring the trains in and out view, so I think access will be easy enough--it's going to be more of a steep ridge than a large pointy mountain, so there will be different ways to reach and see everything.

 

I'm really looking forward to building some terrain around all this. One tricky thing is going to be cutting the openings into the tunnel walls now that the walls are glued in place--I don't know want to knock them down.

[Bernard]

Scott - As I said earlier, make sure you measure your tunnel portals for your openings. Make a frame for them that is a bit smaller than the actual postal you are going to use. The first photo is illustrates what I mean.

 

The second photo is my first coat of black spray paint for the inside, (I did it again because I missed a lot of the area and I wanted it darker) Since I use flex track I can't remove it so I cover the track with painter's tape before spraying.

[scott]

Thanks--those portal frames are a good idea.

 

I realized last night, after I was too tired to fix it, that I had fouled up part of the tunnel-wall project. I need to move the outermost wall closer to the "express line" to form a more normal tunnel wall, and then add terrain-shaped end pieces at the very edge of the layout. Maybe next weekend....

[scott]

This weekend's work:

 

 

I had to redo some of the tunnel walls and add some walls to form the edge of the hilly landscape at this end.

[click for bigger]

 

Another view

[click for bigger]

 

At the south end, I didn't like the way the hills seemed built to accomodate the track, rather than the other way around. So I put some tunnels in, so that the ridges can (eventually) continue to the edge of the layout.

[click for bigger]

 

Back at the north end, once the glue holding up the walls dried, I put in some tunnel roofs and barely got started on forming the ridge with newspaper before I had to give up for the night. It looks pretty terrible right now, but there's a long way to go.

[click for bigger]

[disturbman]

If you are not happy with your first hills then, next time, maybe you should try a new approach to it. Like carving laminated sheets of foam board.

[scott]

I'm pretty happy with the newspaper-and-plaster-cloth method; I just didn't care for my own design so much. :)

[Bernard]

Scott - On the tunnel on the bottom photo are you going to put an Portal there? If so, I think it's a bit too wide. Do you have the portals, measure them against the openings. It's better to correct it now it will be a problem latter.

[scott]

I don't have the portals yet for most of the tunnels. I was sort drafting the terrain by doing it, so there will be a few things that I'll have to go back and add to or fix.

 

Are you concerned that it would be hard to reach derailed trains through small portals?

[Bernard]

Scott - pre-made portals in N scale are narrow, you can't get your whole hand through them *(maybe Andres can  ) The top link is a Japanese train portal, the bottom is a variety of N. American portals. This might give you an idea of how tight they can be. They are usually made of "plaster of paris" and I know a modeler who makes his own Japanese portals by using a can to make the round opening.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10007587

 

and woodlandscenics portals:

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/items.cfm/TunnelPortals

[scott]

OK--so I need to make sure there isn't room for trains to get irretrievably lost inside my tunnels. Thanks for the reality check--fortunately, it's not too late.

 

Even though I made all this extra work for myself, I'm happier overall with how the layout design is going. I'm also going to re-route and extend the river at the south end, so that it goes from one edge of the layout to another, rather than just appearing out of the side of the mountain. I kept trying to tell myself that it was acceptable scene compression, but I wasn't really buying it. Then a 12-year-old from our neighborhood told me it looked wrong, so I decided I'd better fix it. :)  Of course, now the 12-year-old just bought himself a project....

[Bernard]

Scott - the layout looks great and really developing. The postal problem is fixable and now make sure you have access to a train in case it derails.

[scott]

Scott - the layout looks great and really developing.

 

Thanks!

 

The postal problem

 

This one I can't blame on the post office.... :)

 

OK--I couldn't stand it, so I went down and added an extra wall to each of the tunnels that was too wide inside. So hopefully that's taken care of--I just need to re-roof one of the tunnels, and maybe add a little access hatch halfway along. I appreciate the help--I'd much rather have to re-do something now than after I've plaster-cloth'ed everything in place. :-P

[Bernard]

Ooops I guess I don't get the tpyist job

 

Here are some photos on an access through the top of the mt. (I can't find the one that shows the inside)

You can see from the 1st photo the top is off. Next the top is on and the later ones show how it's developing (I need better trees. I'm trying to re-cycle from previous layouts)

[scott]

We had a bit of a geologic event last night....

 

Before:

 

 

During:

 

After:

 

Obviously it's not finished yet, but I'm much happier now that the river doesn't appear out of the side of a hill.

[disturbman]

That's a nice terraforming you have down here Scott. Good job. Keep it coming. :)

[Darren Jeffries]

Nice work scott... It's looking like its coming along nicely. Keep going!!! :hello2:

[scott]

Thanks!

 

Now I need to make myself finish the big job at the other end, with the ridge, tunnels, etc. Last night was pretty easy in comparison...