not the L&N in HO

[LIRR]

Making progress on the scenery.....

[OldEastRR]

Making progress on the scenery.....

Is there a need to have these two tracks scenically joined?  If you treated them as two separate levels w/ different scenery it would eliminate the stereotypically oversteep slope between them that model railroads always seem to have. There seems to be enough height for this to be done subtly. If you're going to have lots of trees they would help camouflage the division.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Is there a need to have these two tracks scenically joined?  If you treated them as two separate levels w/ different scenery it would eliminate the stereotypically oversteep slope between them that model railroads always seem to have. There seems to be enough height for this to be done subtly. If you're going to have lots of trees they would help camouflage the division.

You beat me to the punch!

[Mark5]

Always great to see a layout based on coal country, watching with interest.

[LIRR]

I do treate them as two separate levels.  Theoretically & operationally the  2 levels are nowhere near each other. The upper level tracks are not visible at all from my normal viewing angle, altho they would be visible to someone a few inches taller than me. When running a train or switching on the lower level, the upper level track are out-of-sight,  out-of-mind. The tipple won’t be noticeable behind the trees in the corner when concentrating on the lower level. Hoppers won’t be visible either, as they are pushed back under the tipple on tracks extending thru the wall behind the tipple. During a coal move, the trains are visible of course, sometimes I stand on 4x4 I have laying on the floor here, then I can see the tracks. When working the tipple, concentrating on the upper level, the lower level tracks are visible at the bottom of my field of vision, but out-of-mind as I watch the coal train. The slope is steeper than I’d like, but I think it will work. I may add some rocks at the bottom of the steepest section.

[LIRR]

Testing the photo post thing

[LIRR]

One more time.....seems to work

[LIRR]

Latest scenery.....no thanks to Photobucket

[OldEastRR]

Some of your homemade pines have branches going up and others with them going down. Still experimenting for the best look?

[LIRR]

I've been paying a lot of attention to coniferous trees lately. I notice branches towards the top point upwards, heavier branches near the bottom tend to droop. Some trees branches mostly point up. Most don't have a true conical shape. Some trees have shorter branches near the bottom. Different species coniferous trees all look different. This method lends itself to modeling the various shapes/types. Even within the same type, no two will be the same.

The one at the back of the photo have short branches all pointing steeply up, to match the trees in the printed backdrop.

[LIRR]

First two trees nearly complete.....

[LIRR]

Still don't have the hang of the new photo post thing...I don't know why the photos are being flipped.....

[LIRR]

These work......

[basementcalling]

Still don't have the hang of the new photo post thing...I don't know why the photos are being flipped.....

That's just the easiest way to get the branches correct.

[SSW7771]

Those trees are nice, but seem a bit tedious to build.