High-def video of my layout

[Bart1701]

I got a high-definition video camera last year and finally decided it was time to throw together an HD video of my layout.  I am absolutely amazed that it has gotten over 23K views in just 8 days, along with lots of favorable comments.

Here it is:

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Thanks,
Bart

[Nato]

      Very nice. Nate Goodman . (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[NtheBasement]

Hey, that's the same music I chose for my "old way" video.  Gotta love "My train's a comin'".  Nice layout!

[Bart1701]

Hey, that's the same music I chose for my "old way" video.  Gotta love "My train's a comin'".  Nice layout!

When looking through the YouTube generic music titles, this seemed like the logical choice!

Bart

[Spades]

Is the bat signal operational?

[Bart1701]

Is the bat signal operational?

Yes, it is. It's a searchlight from a Bachmann flat car. Installed a new light bulb that is powered by some AA batteries. The batteries are inside the building, and the roof is removeable to replace them. The switch is hidden underneath the A/C unit on the roof. Unfortunately, when it is turned on, it doesn't photograph all that well.

The Batmobile is there because Batman lives in that town now. As he was getting older, the crime in Gotham City was getting to be too much for him. He wanted to move to a smaller town where the crime was less frequent and less intense.

The shot of the Batmobile shows that he is meeting with the Police Chief - at the Donut Shop, of course.

They didn't have a really tall building for the Bat Signal, so they put it on one of the taller factories in town.

There may, or may not, be a Bat Cave on the layout. I cannot reveal its possible location for security reasons. 

Bart

[nickelplate759]

I really enjoyed the overview of your layout.  And tying back to another thread - a really think you've incorporated just the right amount of whimsey to be gently fun without overwhelming your modeling.

[wm3798]

I like everything about this layout.  The size, the level of completeness.  The range of kits and bashes.  The availability of roundy round as well as some switching, and enough yard and engine terminal to make sense of both.

The smattering of whimsy is well executed.  The Bat Signal is one of the better Easter eggs to find, especially when it's NOT lit up.

The water courses are well rendered and plausible, and the various elevations of the scenery helps to mask the level track work.

And of course, I have to tip my hat on the presence of ancient Bachmann pre-fab structures, which are very well camouflaged with a good installation, as well as the presence of some vintage N vehicles and scenery details.  You have a lot of DPM (don't we all?) but you've mingled them together and detailed them nicely.  They also work pretty well with the pre-printed backdrop.  If I had any note to offer it would be to convert some of those larger close up printed buildings into 3D flats to add some more illusion of depth.

I really like the size and scope of it, though.  Even though the video shows two trains chasing each other's tails (much easier on the videographer!) you can see that there are sidings, industrial spurs, and other trains holed up, so it's very clear you can enjoy switching cars and doing a reasonably good ops session.  The lighting is great, which translates well in the video, and your color palette is coherent and natural.

But that one scene where the boxcar is sitting in the foreground, and you can see the hole where the brake wheel was...  well, let's just say it's a good thing we're grading on a curve.

But seriously, folks.  Really nicely done.    I'd be interested in your track plan, or a reference to the one you followed.  It reminds me of David Popp's original New Haven model.

All the best,
Lee

[Bart1701]

I like everything about this layout.  The size, the level of completeness.  The range of kits and bashes.  The availability of roundy round as well as some switching, and enough yard and engine terminal to make sense of both.

The smattering of whimsy is well executed.  The Bat Signal is one of the better Easter eggs to find, especially when it's NOT lit up.

The water courses are well rendered and plausible, and the various elevations of the scenery helps to mask the level track work.

And of course, I have to tip my hat on the presence of ancient Bachmann pre-fab structures, which are very well camouflaged with a good installation, as well as the presence of some vintage N vehicles and scenery details.  You have a lot of DPM (don't we all?) but you've mingled them together and detailed them nicely.  They also work pretty well with the pre-printed backdrop.  If I had any note to offer it would be to convert some of those larger close up printed buildings into 3D flats to add some more illusion of depth.

I really like the size and scope of it, though.  Even though the video shows two trains chasing each other's tails (much easier on the videographer!) you can see that there are sidings, industrial spurs, and other trains holed up, so it's very clear you can enjoy switching cars and doing a reasonably good ops session.  The lighting is great, which translates well in the video, and your color palette is coherent and natural.

But that one scene where the boxcar is sitting in the foreground, and you can see the hole where the brake wheel was...  well, let's just say it's a good thing we're grading on a curve.

But seriously, folks.  Really nicely done.    I'd be interested in your track plan, or a reference to the one you followed.  It reminds me of David Popp's original New Haven model.

All the best,
Lee

Thanks, Lee! I really appreciate your comments!

You've got a good eye - the track plan is indeed based on David Popp's Naugatuck Valley Railroad. I eliminated the extension he had in his original track plan that went to Hancock Bridge.  I enlarged the staging area a bit, and flipped the layout so that the yard area would be in a more accessible part of the room instead of being against a wall.

I've been doing N Gauge since I got an Aurora Postage Stamp train set back in 1968. That explains the old Bachmann buildings and some older vehicles in the scenes.

I will be re-watching the video to locate that boxcar with the missing brake wheel. Thanks for pointing that out! 

Bart

[EJN]

After seeing the comment on the missing brake wheel, I had to rewatch full screen to see it. 4:05 minute mark.
Don't feel bad, I have several cars with missing brake wheels and even more with broken stirrups.

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[Bart1701]

After seeing the comment on the missing brake wheel, I had to rewatch full screen to see it. 4:05 minute mark.
Don't feel bad, I have several cars with missing brake wheels and even more with broken stirrups.

Thanks! You just saved me 4 minutes and 5 seconds searching for it.

Bart

[haasmarc]

Nice layout!

Excellent job painting that batmobile.  Where did you get it from?

[Bart1701]

Nice layout!

Excellent job painting that batmobile.  Where did you get it from?

Thanks! The Batmobile was a 3-D printed item I got found on Shapeways from the MadAboutCars vendor. Here is a link to his site: http://www.jahn3d.de/.  You can get to his Shapeways pages using the link on his site. I find it hard to search for anything on his Shapeways pages and usually just scroll through page after page of his N Gauge stuff. He has so many items, this is not a fast process! If you're interested in one, it might be easier to email him to ask about it. I think for legal reasons, he can't call it the Batmobile on his site; he may have called it Superhero Car or something like that - but he knows it is the Batmobile.

Painting it was a lot of fun - especially the red-orange striping. I used craft store acrylic paint and applied it with a toothpick, When the stripes strayed off course or got too wide, a sharpened toothpick dipped in water was used to remove the unwanted paint while it was still fresh and wet. If I really screwed up, I'd just remove the problem area with a wet kleenex and would try again.

Bart