Background

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Has anyone used mirrors on N scale (or other) layouts. They would seem to increase or even double perceived size.

Thanks,

Sid

heckersid@hotmail.com

2

I saw an interesting use of a mirror on the club layout at the Belen, NM, Harvey House. Their layout ended up with the back side of the station toward the walkway. Since the front side was the interesting side, they used a mirror as the backdrop to show the front of the station.

3

Some webpages:

http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/illusions.html

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/Scenery/a/Installing-Mirrored-Backdrops.htm

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20014

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/10313

The magazine index on this site:

http://trc.trains.com/Train%20Magazine%20Index.aspx?view=SearchResults&q=mirror

4

Yes, but the only photo I have is very old and doesn’t reflect the layout as it is now.

5

Sid,

Here are a few scenes using mirrors in HO scale. I will post before and after shots.

This is before.

This is after.

here 's another

Sam

6

Where do you get first surface mirrors?

7

http://www.edmundoptics.com/optics/optical-mirrors/flat-mirrors/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=us

http://firstsurfacemirror.com/

http://www.mirotek.com/

http://www.anchoroptics.com/catalog/product.cfm?id=286

8

Thank you. All my internet searches were turning up really big and really expensive mirrors.

9

Don’t overlook the old handy-dandy mirror on the layout secret: Be sure observers cannot see themselves in the mirror.

Also: Walmart, and most likely your LHS (Local Hardware Store), usually has Krylon Mirror Paint in a spray can – To be sprayed onto the back side of a piece of glass. My LHS will custom-cut a piece of glass, or plexiglass. “Google” the phrase “mirror paint.”

P.S.: Nice pics “ollevon.”

10

Thanks for good advice. Fun experimenting and getting cross eyed watching the reflections.

Sid

11

John Allen had a particularly good one at one end of a yard. The Teaby Fire Extinguisher Company building appeared to have burned in the center, with end walls still standing. It was actually a half-building, with red-light ‘burning embers’ and some thin grey paint ‘smoke’ on the mirror itself.

One club’s plan for an industrial district would have included reverse-lettered signs and painting the ‘away’ sides of buildings in different colors. I don’t know if that was ever built.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)