So how could I make it look more realistic?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvXZP2ZcnYc&feature=channel_video_title
Now the link is clickable.
More realistic, huh?
A lot of things come to mind. Here are a few:
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The HO scale 3 rail fence looks wrong. There’s no real world equivalent – three rail fences like that are waist to chest high, not 9’ as on your layout.
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Your bridges and trestles look like they were made out of matchsticks. Instead of breaking them, cut them with a rotary tool (Dremel or equivalent) or razor saw. Even firewood is mostly cut with a chain saw and would have clean ends on the logs. Beams on your trestles would be symmetrical (in fact, they need to be for proper structural integrity), and would be mitered together where they meet at an angle. Similarly, deck planking would be cut to follow the curve of the track.
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It’s not really clear what’s coming out of that tunnel portal. Is it a river or stream? Because only a man-made aqueduct would have a manufactured portal, and even then, I’ve never seen one that fancy.
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Your house is just sitting there. How about a driveway, cars, etc.?
That’ll get you going, for starters.
On the other hand, it looks pretty good for $20.
Ouch.
Hi,
IMHO, a Christmas seasonal layout is about fun, and not so much realism. So whatever makes you happy is just fine. Don’t sweat the realism, just do what makes you smile!
I agree with others who say, it’s really up to you, especially for a Christmas layout. To me, what’s missing is a manger scene and/or santa clause for a Christmas layout.
Richard
Thanks for the crit guys! I’ll post some more pics later!
Honestly if you don’t like it, it’s ok. I obviously created it to fit what I was looking for, and in my eyes I succeeded. As others have said, its just season so its meant more for fun than realism.
Oh and what I was was asking was how do I make the train look beat up and realistic?
Double Oh, but you know at one time that locomotive was brand new so in that time period it is quite realistic. But what you are talking about is often called weathering. There are more techniques to weathering than one can shake a stick at. The simplest is to get some dull coat paint and give the equpiment a light coat to remove the shinyness. One of my favorite methods is to get some earth colored chalk and rub it on the cars. A rusty red for near the wheels, grey and light brown for dirt on the sides of the cars. Chalk is nice because if you goof and get something on that you don’t like it can be rubbed off.
Different colors could be put around the top of the tank car to simulate spilled contents but that depends on the type of tank car. Obviously oil would be black, gasoline and diesel would probably stain yellow w/brown dirt stuck to it, amonia is white, acids fade the paint. One could use a dry brush (put a tiny bit of paint on the brush and swish it over a scratch paper until almost all the paint is gone) to simulate the effect of stuff running off the sides.
I think if you search this forum for weathering there are lots of good threads out there with lots of detailed descriptions on how to do it.
Didn’t mean to blow you out of the water… but it sounded like that’s what you were asking. I would never comment on your work if you didn’t ask. It absolutely is your layout, and if you’re searching for the whimsical quality of the broken matchsticks you have definitely achieved it. And I wasn’t kidding. If you only spent $20 (not including track and train, I’m sure) you did very well.
Tex is right on the money when he talks about weathering. In snowy weather, a lot of crud gets sprayed up on the sides of the cars. Dry brush or airbrush some grays, tans, and browns up the sides of your cars in a fan shape back from the wheels. Or use chalks, if you prefer.