In the last week, I worked on adding a track and beginning detailing Camp 13. This location is the highest spot reached by rail on my layout, at about 69" above the floor and roughly at my eyeball height. I noticed something that I don’t think I’ve heard remarked on in doing this.
Everyone who’s been around layout planning past the rank beginner phase knows what forced perspective is (or you should look it up if you haven’t.) But my work on Camp 13 caused me to notice that once your deck height nears or reaches eyeball height, you gain the advantage of forced perspective in a new way. Here’s some example pics.
Camp 13 as it has been for the last couple of years
In that view, you’re actually ABOVE eyeball height and things look relatively uninspiring. Lower the view to the normal sight line and things get interesting.
Other than adding the water tank, not much has really changed. However, things look better, as they suggest there’s more going one where you can’t see by means of focusing on what can be seen, the rolling stock on the rails. There could even be several tracks there, as suggested by a couple of cars in the distance sticking up above the loaded log cars in front.
So the first thing to take away is that track arrangement doesn’t matter so much so long as it serves your needs. One could go full-on prototype track arrangements on high, narrow shelves like this, but you wouldn’t notice without a step-stool.
I did need another track and when I built a piece of custom trackwork in Silverton a wye switch became available to make that possible. Here’s the result when viewed from above.
So now my crews can push MTs up the branch, drop the
Another thing of visual interest is the way the train comes uphill through a cut and appears behind the trees.
As far as moving the loads and empties, one possbility would be a car puller or a block and tackle using a logging truck to pull. Another would be to use a bulldozer to push cars around.
Just a few ideas to get away from the Paul Bunyan 5 finger sky hook. [swg]
My current layout is small and hopefully will be replaced before too long. I set it at a height that I can work on easily, but when operating, sitting on a stool, I get a much more of a train level view, looking up at the mountains and some of the trees. Works well for me.
Glad you liked that. The Camp 13 spur starts at the back of Crater Lake Junction, behind the gons blocking most of the view. and climbs from there. It’s not photogenic so much as merely hiding the train.
A better angle.
This goes under a area of low duct that I could really build under. I did build in front, which the main passes behind.
So there’s three lines in about 15" of depth, all visually and physcially seprated from each other. If you look at it wrong, it does look a bit odd. Mostly its serves its purpose. This is how the main looks as it merges from behind the Outlaw Mill.
A little less glamourously.
You can the Camp 13 line as it emerges in the upper left corner of this one.
Good point. I considered double-decking the main layout and didn’t. If I had a do over again, the upclose experience I am getting would lead me to consider more carefully standing eye view for the upper deck and rolling chairs to operate the lower at eye height.
Thanks! I had misgivings when I first designed the trackplan back in there. Once I started thinking of everything behind the Outlaw Mill as just hidden track that involved a wall penetration, I felt better about it. Concentrating on disguising the entry/exits was then the main focus and I think it all came out pretty well. Sure, it seemed sorta ugly on paper, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good is the conclusion I drew about my initial concerns. The hovering ductwork was also dealt with, so it also made the transition to the 10" space that Crater Lake Junction is bounded by acceptable.
