Proposed HO/HOn3 Layout. Colorado Midland/D&RG/C&S

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Beautiful!

[CRL]

The exposed tree roots in the 1st photo make the scene for me. It’s the little noticed details like this that moves your scenery into the museum quality level.

When you’re “finished”, I’d recommend you take one more step. Take some very light colored powdered pastel chalk or very fine light colored dirt/rock powder and blow/brush a generous layer over all your buildings, vehicles & scenery. You have some beautifully “weathered” boards for your buildings, but they still look like they are new... just built out of weathered lumber that has been cleaned up. Adding the dust, with it being applied heavier near the ground and a little lighter as you go up will make the town look like it’s been there for a long time.

[dcarrell8]

The exposed tree roots in the 1st photo make the scene for me. It’s the little noticed details like this that moves your scenery into the museum quality level.

When you’re “finished”, I’d recommend you take one more step. Take some very light colored powdered pastel chalk or very fine light colored dirt/rock powder and blow/brush a generous layer over all your buildings, vehicles & scenery. You have some beautifully “weathered” boards for your buildings, but they still look like they are new... just built out of weathered lumber that has been cleaned up. Adding the dust, with it being applied heavier near the ground and a little lighter as you go up will make the town look like it’s been there for a long time.

Thank you!
Yeah, powdering dust on the buildings is a step I have been reluctant to  try yet.  I guess I feel like I could over do it and ruin an otherwise nicely done building.  I still have one more structure to complete and two more structures to add lights to.  I will give it a go with the dusting then.

[dcarrell8]

Beautiful!

Thanks Ed!

And I still haven't disemboweled myself with the radial Arm Saw!! 

~Dennis

[Dave V]

Thanks Ed!

And I still haven't disemboweled myself with the radial Arm Saw!! 

~Dennis

Yet.   

Oh wait, you're not me, sorry!

[dcarrell8]

Yet.   

Oh wait, you're not me, sorry!

I still need to build the roller ball transfer jig, so I can feed it through standing on edge tall end up!!   

[Cajonpassfan]

Lol, enjoying the thread. Very nice work, you have a knack for making the scenes come to life; I too love the tree roots. A nice touch!
The only thing I find a bit confusing is the building signage... what’s the era are we looking at? Chillerys “cafe and grill”...? Sounds a bit yuppie to me...
Otto K.

[CRL]

Thank you!
Yeah, powdering dust on the buildings is a step I have been reluctant to  try yet.  I guess I feel like I could over do it and ruin an otherwise nicely done building.  I still have one more structure to complete and two more structures to add lights to.  I will give it a go with the dusting then.

I fully understand your reluctance to do this. The first time I did it was by accident. I had zip textured a dirt road and parking area around a nice little clean plastic kit building. I attached the building and very carefully brought the dirt up to the foundation to disguise the joint and carefully applied the diluted white glue to set the dirt around the foundation, parking area & road. After the glue dried, the road and parking lot was too dark & rough for n-scale & didn’t look right. I took a piece of very fine wet/dry sandpaper and went work on the road and parking lot, sanding down the lumpy dirt surface and producing a sizable amount of dust. I took my wife’s good makeup brush (with her permission) and started brushing the loose dust away, but the dust settled and stuck to the adjacent ground cover & my nice clean building. I tried to brush it off the building without success, and while trying to figure out how to fix it, realized how natural everything looked. Most of the dust had settled on the lower part of the building walls because I had sprayed the area with “wet water” and some of the diluted white glue mix had wicked up the walls a ways, making the lower part of the walls slightly sticky. All a very happy accident that I now employ on purpose.

[dcarrell8]

Lol, enjoying the thread. Very nice work, you have a knack for making the scenes come to life; I too love the tree roots. A nice touch!
The only thing I find a bit confusing is the building signage... what’s the era are we looking at? Chillerys “cafe and grill”...? Sounds a bit yuppie to me...
Otto K.

Thanks Otto,
I haven't settled on an exact time yet for the layout.  Honestly I never considered the name "Chillery's  Cafe & Grill" at all  It is what came with the kit so I eagerly put it on the building.  I will now dwell on whether or not I can or should change it. LOL.  I know in this forum I will likely get people looking at things that most will never notice.  I will have to pay closer attention to the signage as I move forward.  Latest time frame I would consider is the late 40's.
~Dennis

[dcarrell8]

I've been spending some time trying to verse myself in the basics of graphic design.  Customized signs for structures and a more professional look to my control panels is the driving force behind learning the new skill.

I've come up with two ideas for the OC&RG logo I'd love some opinions on which one you guys think looks the best.  I may go in and dress up the mountain a little more before call the graphic complete.  I wanted to use a photo of a real mountain (Mt. Massive)  but unfortunately I don't have a way to crop the image into a triangle. 

Of course it is obvious where I came  up with the idea for the logo, which I'm sure will leave many of you with some understandable questions.  I have decided to do a complete freelance HOn3 railroad that has the Colorado Midland as it's inspiration.  I know this may turn a few of you off...I understand, forgive me!  It has not been an easy decision but I think I'm going to enjoy the freedom to be as creative as I want with any aspect as I go forward with the larger Layout.  I may go as far as adjusting a few historical facts to help create a rift in space and time to make a Narrow Gauge branch of the D&RGW to Basalt and Aspen over the same route more plausible, or I may just change the names of all the towns for the OC&RG.  I welcome thoughts and opinions.
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If you keep up with Alen & his LK&O then the bellow graphic will look very familiar to you, I needed some place to start while learning the program so I used his control panels as my reference.  Honestly I've never seen control panels anywhere that look as great as his so why not reach for the stars.  I'm using a fee illustrator called Vectr that doesn't have near the ability of Adobe Illustrator but it definitely meets my budget and I think the results will be satisfactory for me and my Pike.  The trick will be transferring the digital version to specific real world usable 3D sizes.
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I have completely overhauled my track plan.  I took all of the suggestions and comments to heart that I received on this forum and I think I now have a more reasonable plan.  I also tried to incorporate the 7 Layout Design Elements that Bill Beranek so wonderfully explains on his website.  Honestly, I looked into two layout designers for a professional design but the expense and more importantly the time (Up to a year wait) made it a non starter for me.
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~Dennis

[Hawghead]

Dennis,

I like the first of the two logos and as far as changing the track plan, do whatever you like, it's your railroad, build it for you.

Scott

[wazzou]

I think the word “narrow” needs to be straightened or aligned with the edges of the triangle.
I actually prefer the colors in the 2nd one but the mountain reminds me of the poop emoji.  💩

[CRL]

Wait... it’s been over 20 minutes and no one's photoshopped his logo with the 💩?

[dcarrell8]

Wait... it’s been over 20 minutes and no one's photoshopped his logo with the 💩?

I'm waiting for it.... 

[Santa Fe Guy]

Personally I would not have "Narrow Gauge Railway" in your logo at all.
No prototype RR's needed to say that they were standard or narrow gauge.
Just make the mountain a little bigger, add some more caricature to it like shading and leave it at that.
It would be cleaner Logo IMO.
Rod.