I just started modeling in ‘N’ after receiving my first equipment last Christmas. So please keep in mind that I am a rank rookie when you look at my pictures. My main objective on this first layout is to have fun and learn to do some basic scenery. I am modeling an 80’s-90’s suburban setting on a sheet of 3-1/2’ by 7-1/2’ pink foam. I make no claim to realism… I am just learning and having fun at this point.
This first picture if of my passenger station area. In the foreground is a set of Kato Superliners being pulled by a Kato P42 locomotive. Behind that a Life Like F40 PH is pulling into the station with a set of Bachmann Amtrak Full Domes. As you can see, all I have down in this area is grass paper. I haven’t started to weather any of my buildings yet either.
The next picture shows the tail end of my freight train in the foreground. It is an assortment of MDC Roundhouse, Atlas, Bachmann and Life Like rolling stock. The locomotive is a Life Like GP 38-2. In the rear again is the Amtrak train with the full length domes. Between them is the church I built from a plastic kit. It came in over 60 pieces, so I’m pretty proud I got it together as well as I did. I still need to paint and weather it though. This picture also shows an area where I’ve put down some REAL scenery over the grass paper. The church parking lot is asphalt modeled using fine black cinder ballast. The grass and shrubs are various sizes and colors of Woodland Scenics landscaping foam.
The next picture shows my small yard with what will be a glass factory in the foreground. Again, everything needs painting and weathering. By one of the sidings you can see an area of the dirt and weeds that I’m putting down throughout my yard area.
Great start Jerry! For a beginner layout it’s fantastic, of course it’s not finished. No model railroad ever is, but I’ll bet you’ve heard that one already.
If you are ready to head in the direction of realism, it’s time to get dirty. Now that things are basicly assembled, each element can somehow be improved.
Maybe a coat of paint for that curch. Even if you paint it the same color, the paint will take away the plastic look. Try it and see what happens. Repaint the roof, with stains coming down near the steeple. Make it look like it’s been there 100 years. Paint the chimney a brick color, a dark brown perhaps. Maybe those window frames should be a different color. It is possible to go on forever.
Seeing detail in the real world and transfering it to your mineature world is a big part of this hobby. It’s no big deal if you make a mistake, that’s part of learning. Fix mistakes a few times and you’re an expert. As you learn new skills, you will see more things that you want to change on the layout. It all goes toward your total experience.
Thanks for the advice Elliot. I know that my layout has kind of a toy train set look to it now, but I plan to upgrade everything over time. I was just so eager to run trains and do it on something other than bare pink foam that I went for ‘quick and easy’ figuring I would be able to improve the layout later. If I had the choice to make over, I would probably make the same one (at least for a first layout).
I had originally planned to fini***he ground cover and tree/shrub scenery before starting to improve my buildings, but I like your idea. It would be nice to move on to something else for a while and then go back to my ground cover.
I’ve been going slow because I have absolutely no talent at construction or painting. When we need some work done on our home I always call a handyman! [:P] I know I just have to make the leap and see what I can do. The ground cover I’ve done has actually turned out better than I thought it would. Maybe I will get lucky with the painting too.
Thanks for your advice and support. I LOVE my trains, and as you say as long as I have fun I’m OK. I just sometimes feel pretty second-rate to the skilled modelers that hang out here. [:I][:)]
Looking good! [tup] It’s great to see more N-scale work showcased here. We tend to be surrounded by those HO folks…[:-^][:D][;)]
One of the facts of life in this hobby is that you are always in the middle of, or have yet to finish something. Take it at your own pace and please don’t get caught up in comparing your work to what you might see here. You have to remember that the top modelers here have been at this it for many years.
Please keep the updates coming because I always like to see peoples work.
RT,Not bad for a rookie…Looks great for a first layout…[:D][tup] Listen,you will learn as you build and design layouts and each new layout will show a improvement over the last one.[:D] We might see one of your furture layouts in MR some day…[8D][:D]
Delighted by this glimpse of you pike. [^][tup]
Sugestion: If your layout isn’t bolted to the wall, move it into the backyard, and photograph under real sunlight.
Keep on buildin’![8D]
Excellant job! Keep up the good work, I am happy to see any scale railroads. I model mostly in HO, but also dabble in N. Have fun, be happy, that is the important thing in life. Good luck! I hope to see more pics as you progress to your goal.
jgviolante Airborne!
Looks like a modern small town with busy rail activity! I especially like the station scene.
That Amtrak train looks good!
Scenes like this are what make realistic model railroading an “art”. We work to convey many different images of railroads at work when we take photos, while when we operate our trains it’s “art in motion”. You’ve conveyed those images.
that’s what it’s all about, to many people feel pressured into taking on to much at the start, it does’nt have to be gigantic to be fun, this is a friends “N” scale layout, it’s only 30" x 30" but the point to this is it’s managable
