I started painting the background a few weeks ago and after studying up on technique from the “How To Build Realistic Model Railroad SCENERY” book by Dave Frary I got the nerve up to tackle the next step with fading in the lighter colors in the middle and bottom half of the background.
Clouds, mountains, trees, and touchups will be added later.
Hey Ryan, looking good! Are you doing a double decker or is the top for storage? I like the fade work on the backdrop. Do you have a plan you could post? I’m not familiar with the plan you’re doing.
Philip, good eye you have there, yep it is a double level layout plan. I want to finish the benchwork, roadbed, cork, track, and wiring on the lower level before I start with the upper level. You can see all the layout progress posted on my Piedmont Division website link below my signature.
Here are the two track plans for the lower and upper levels:
Lower Level
Upper Level
Thanks,
Ryan
You mean approach this thing systematically? Oh come on, where’s your spirit of adventure?
Hey, question; How are you going to do the helix and not have it interfere with the lower level scenery? I have a similar situation and I’d just written that space off. But if you’ve thought of something that could give me that real estate back…
BTW, Ben’s a good lookin’ kid!
Philip, I have built the transition track from the lower level up to just below that point where it will move into the 1 turn helix or maybe only 1/2 turn helix. The area of the plan where the track is greyed is indicated as being hidden or under tunnel. Therefore, that area of the layout where it would interfere with the lower level scenery will be hidden within a mountain scenery, that was the only way I could figure to tackle the very issue you have of overlaping upper and lower level scenes.
OK, I think I follow you. I thought it might be something like that. Sounds like it’ll work. Unfortunately it won’t help me, but it should work for you.
While it seems to pan out on paper, and I can visualize it in my head, getting it to actually work will be interesting. That will be the most difficult portion for this layout, getting the two levels to actually meet.
Ryan,
I too am confused about the helix… Unless you mislabeled the levels… it appears as though the helix extending down from the second image will directly interfere with scenery and track on the first image… and the helix definitely wont be able to be hidden if this is the case…
i think what i am trying to say is that you will have a helix literally suspended above the roundhouse and all that track etc…
As I mentioned to Philip it is the plan, have you ever heard the saying, “…the best laid plans never get laid.” I have built the double main line run roadbed leading to about 14 inches above the lower level benchwork and it seems as though I may not have to use a helix at all. To keep my 1% grade I may have to run that track a bit into a transition to meet the second level and to match the 16 inch separation to the second level benchwork height. I guess my point is that I am still not sure exactly where the point will be that the transition main line track will meet the second level benchwork height. It is still a work in progress. The fascia board will extend below the benchwork about 4 inches or so on the upper level, and it is my hope that since the transition track is already at 14” it will be hidden by the fascia board that drops down. The upper level is 16 inches above the lower level.
This photo shows the lower level staging area (in the back) and the cork that will eventually be the lead track to that section. The risers on the right side of the image are supporting the transition roadbed which is the double main line running from the lower level, it will eventually meet up with the still to be constructed upper level.
Hope that helps! As you can see, trying to convey what I want to happen and with what actually may happen is not as easy as it sounds, especially since it hasn’t happened yet.
Ryan,
That makes so much more sense with that picture showing the track elevating to 14 inches off the lower level… I think it will totally work for you then and be quite fantastic! Will be nice to get the transition from lower to level done without a helix at all!
A picture says a 1000 words…
BTW, I like your layout website!
That’s pretty much how I understood it. I figured this was near the start of that grade;
That’s right, the 1% grade starts about 6 feet to the right side of that photograph.