Changes to the "Santa Fe Room" layout

[VirginaCSX]

SWEET pictures and progress too!

[arbomambo]

Hello all...
spare time has been spent continuing work on building cars for Santa Fe's Nos. 7 & 8, the Fast Mail....Horse Express is almost ready for painting; next are 2 NYC express boxes-converted troop sleepers-then a fishbelly baggage, 3 more 70' heavyweight baggage/express and mail storage. Trying to model a representative consist from 1957-anywhere from 10-15 cars, with some foreign road cars thrown in here and there-Erie, NYC, Pennsylvania..with express reefers making their appearance as the seasons dictate. As I work on a car, and before painting, I test it for coupler height, tracking, etc, by adding it to the train, in every location. I don't want to have to put a finicky performer into a permanent position in the consist. Another thing I'm doing is adding working diaphragms to all the cars that would have them (I've gotten over my fear of them-truth is, they really do add to the look of the finished car-REALLY add to the look of the consist as a whole, and are not nearly as oversized looking as I had originally thought). This job has necessitated repositioning of some of the coupler lengths on previously built cars to allow the diaphragms to work and look properly, and to allow the car to track correctly.
I added the unpainted Horse Express to the consist to check these things and decided to take some pics on the layout-unscenicked and all..removing the color really lets me look back to 1957 as I watch the consist for tracking issues...
~Bruce

[arbomambo]

Hello all...
I have a little extra time to model this weekend, and I thought I'd mock up an idea for the backdrop/divider...
i printed a photo of a sample that I had running through my minds' eye, then enlarged it enough to tack it into place to see if it would 'work' for the scene....
I'm happy with the look...enough so, that I'd love to figure a way to use a photo rather than painting the feature onto the backdrop....
anyone have any experience with photo enlarging services?
I'm thinking I can just cut out the mountain and apply it to the backdrop; I already have the backdrop painted to the sky blue that I want...





Thanks,
~Bruce

[arbomambo]

Hello all...
printing that mountain and mocking it up on the backdrop, motivated me to take the backdrop down to the garage and improve the sky....I mixed my 'sky' color with even more white, then lightened the sky even more near the horizon/vanishing point on the backdrop. I blended it darker and darker as as i went up, until the last two to three inches are the original blue color. I cut the 'mountain' from the paper and it's just laying in place, against the backdrop, in these new pics.
 









I like this look...I don't want clouds...a nice crisp Spring, Fall, or Winter Day in 1957....I'll get a nice quality copy of this scene, then cut the mountain out, then glue it in place.
Thanks for looking,
~Bruce

[wazzou]

I really like the use of the photo.  The sky color may be a little on the dark side still at the top but it all looks great.  I'm really anxious to see how you finish the landscape. 
I went to Northern Arizona and to the Canyon last Spring and you are really capturing the look of the terrain well.

[Philip H]

I agree, the photo really works.

[GaryHinshaw]

It looks really good!

One thing I'd recommend is that you mount the photo on some stiff stock, and pull it out about 1/4 to 1/2" away from the sky board.  That little bit of relief can really make a difference.    You might also play with the sizing a bit - I don't think it would be out of place if it were 20-30% larger, but it's hard to tell without seeing it.  I use a free program called PosteRazor that lets you enlarge and print photos to poster size on your own printer (on multiple pages).  Not necessarily good for a final copy, but good for testing sizes.

-Gary

[arbomambo]

It looks really good!

One thing I'd recommend is that you mount the photo on some stiff stock, and pull it out about 1/4 to 1/2" away from the sky board.  That little bit of relief can really make a difference.    You might also play with the sizing a bit - I don't think it would be out of place if it were 20-30% larger, but it's hard to tell without seeing it.  I use a free program called PosteRazor that lets you enlarge and print photos to poster size on your own printer (on multiple pages).  Not necessarily good for a final copy, but good for testing sizes.

-Gary

Gary, I do plan to have it larger...I planned to have the top of the mountain about 2 inches higher than it is here...about 6 inches from the base.(that will be my directions to the photo-enlarger)
I hadn't considered giving it a little relief...mounting it on foamboard would do just that!...I may try this little mock-up on a piece of foamboard and try it out...
Thanks,
~Bruce

[arbomambo]

[arbomambo]

bump!....
sorry for the 'bump' but I needed to see if this thread was still here! (it's been so long since I posted!)
although the SWARMTrak's T-trak modules have eaten all my modeling time, I have made some strides toward picking up work on the Santa Fe room layout. I've purchased some Southwest style fabric to make skirting for the layout, and have finally completely wired all the feed drops into terminal strips and two bus wires.
After Christmas and the February WGH train show in San Antonio, work will slow on the SWARMTrak modules, and scenery work will pick back up in earnest.
The recent article on modeling basalt formations (N scale magazine) provided much needed inspiration and anticipation of modeling Kingman Canyon's formations using JUST the insulating foam...
however the first order of business will be to replace ties removed for soldering, painting, and weathering the track...then complete roughing 'out' of ALL foam canyon shapes, INCLUDING the other side of the layout, where the canyon closes in on the double track line...
Thanks,
~Bruce

[Dave V]

I gotta say, I'm really digging your hand-carved foam rocks.  Having done it on a much smaller scale, I know it's much easier to make it look like carved foam than like real rock, so you've found a technique that works really well.  Good on ya!

I've had a soft spot for Santa Fe in the desert since a trip to Arizona as a kid (1979), so I'm hoping to see more frequent updates here.

[chessie system fan]

Keep it up, Bruce!  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[arbomambo]

ARRRGGGHHH!
I'm almost embarrassed to realize how long ago I posted to this thread!
the Kingman Canyon layout is NOT dead and , NO, I'm NOT switching to HO scale!...

The SWARMTrak and CATT (Coastal Alabama T-TRAK) modules have taken priority the last two years, and a MAJOR home renovation had caused the upstairs office/hobby room (the Santa Fe/Turquoise room), to become a staging room for all the articles that had to be moved. Even though I had been using the basic layout as a test track for locos and cars, there has been no actual progress on the layout whatsoever- the layout is still basic unshaped foam, painted a sand color. That's all about to change...
 Denise (my Sweetheart), spent 3 days (during the recent monsoon down here in Coastal Alabama) cleaning, moving, labeling, and all out re-organizing the office/hobby room (we share it as a hobby room) to the point that we want to and CAN access everything easily, allowing me to access all sides of the Kingman Canyon layout without crowding the room.
 The next step will be to replace all the ties and paint the track (FINALLY), then remove the 'stand-in' mesa, and get to foam shaping and cutting work in earnest...the recent 'Arbonado' NTrak and 'Queenman Canyon' and 'Arbo Canyon' SWARMTrak modules have been great 'practice' for working on my foam carving techniques.

Here are photos of the room of the room after cleaning organizing...I need to mention that we're painting two of the walls in the Turquoise color we had originally envisioned, and hanging a number of signed prints from Robert West and John Winfield...
I'm really looking forward to getting to work on the layout again!
~Bruce



 

[Philip H]

@arbomambo - tell us more about those neat adjustable baskets next to your closet and the workbench.

[arbomambo]

Phillip,
they're part of a craft/scrapbooking organizing system carried by Michaels (other stores may have them as well). I'm pretty sure one can buy them online as well...
~Bruce