Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Scottl]

Some light testing today gave me a reason to pull the SLR off of another duty (a two-month time lapse, but I digress...). 

Robert's comments about using extendable work lamps for layout lighting in another thread is something I wanted to try, so I set up an Ikea light I had with a 23W CFL 5000K to see how it worked.  The alternative is some kind of LED strip lighting suspended over the layout.  What really got me thinking about this alternative was the challenge of what to do with LED strips on a peninsula that sticks out into the room.  There are no straightforward ways to support the lights without putting in unattractive visuals or mounting things in the ceiling (which I don't consider an option).

I can say that a 23W CFL definitely lights the scene up in a way that makes me think this is superior to the LEDs.  Aside from brute force lumens and the simplicity of the set up, the flexibility to tweak lighting for photos is a strong positive.  The downside is higher energy consumption, but it is not a deal breaker.  I'm looking at about 150W total for layout lighting and 44W for the ambient room.

I may try a higher wattage 42W CFL and see if I can mount it on the wall behind this photo for additional lighting directed at the peninsula.  I'm not sure that will work as it will potentially be in line of sight.   

Here is a better shot than what I posted yesterday.  That backdrop is clearly too short- 

[GaryHinshaw]

Sweet!!  My only comment would be to go for a slightly cooler colour temperature in the camera settings:



But that is mostly personal preference.

[Scottl]

Agreed, I needed to dial it down to 5000K...

[mark dance]

Nice...agreed on the 5000K ( or even 6400K) cooler CFLs.  And welcome to the N scale bridge photo world where *no* backdrop is tall enough for that really dramatic underside shot you want to take. 

One thing I have readily observed in the mountains and valleys of BC is how quickly distant mountains are obscured by haze and mist, especially down low in the receding valleys.  Just my impression but it certainly adds distance to a backdrop.  Oh, and stay with the hand painted backdrop!    Again just my preference.



md

[Scottl]

That scene is amazing Mark.  It really makes the trains look small, which they are in landscapes like that!  I agree, the distant mountains all appear more blue and hazy and you capture that nicely.  I tried that several times but they always looked too blue.  I think perhaps it might relate to scale- the distant mountain as I show it is scaled too large to "appear" distant.  My rendition did not help matters, as it is too light and does not match the foreground mountains and the blue was not enough to suggest distance.  The trees are actually mostly blue and there is a lot of sky blue in the base color but clearly not enough.

I am leaning towards repainting the distant mountain as a smaller mass and trying to make it more blue and distant.   This would fit the scene better anyway, as the mountain in question is near Lytton, about 20 km away.

I must admit, the painted backdrop has grown on me over the past few days.  I did a photo backdrop on my previous layout and it was great, but in person it never looked quite right to my eye.  It works well with tree lines and buildings, but I find mountains are a tough sell for photo backdrops.  The abstraction of the painting seems to mesh better with the vegetation. 

[Philip H]

Scott,
This really looks good.

I light my mostly u shaped shelf layout with a fixture like this:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00262657/

though mine is an earlier version that articulates between all the lights.  With the largest halogen bulbs in the fixtures (based on their max watts rating, I get adequate lights for work and running trains.  I have an under counter kitchen light in similar halogen bulbs over my work bench so I can get color consistency when I paint and decal.

For high end photos, I some times add two 150W equivalent CFLs in clamp fixtures at 5000K as spots and reflected fillers.  dial the DSLR in to that temperature range in a CFL, and it works like a dream.  YMMV.

[Scottl]

Thanks Phil.  I was thinking along those lines.  I found an adapter kit for the existing pot lights that would allow me to wire in track lights and secure them with minimal impact on the ceiling.  Two of the pot lights are ideally located for this and would cover the layout with six lights.  There might be a few spots that require some Ikea-style work lamps to even up the lighting.  The added bonus is that the other two lights in room are on a separate switch, so I would not need to turn on the layout lights all the time.

[Scottl]

I played around with GIMP to come up with this version of the picture and overcome the backdrop height.

[mark dance]

Niccceeeeee...what a difference!

Does the program have a vignette feature that allows you to get a smooth colour blend across the top and into the backdrop?

md

[Scottl]

I'm not sure.  It took about 5 minutes to figure out how to clone the mountain and fill the wall space with backdrop color.  I'll play around with it some more.

[GaryHinshaw]

That's excellent.  Maybe I can use gimp to add scenery to TBC.      Now that you have this scene so well lit, do you have any plans to darken the rocks a bit?  I think you might want a tad more grey, a tad less tan.  It's hard to tell how much though, because it's quite lighting dependent:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=424628&nseq=8
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=346633&nseq=13

BTW, I just noticed that the pier on the left bank was recently beefed up.

[Scottl]

I will probably give the rock more black washes to darken it.  I wanted to get it right so I held back with initial tinting.  Some of the tan colors are an excess of sanded grout, but I can work with it.

Those photos really show the seasonal contrast in flow in the Fraser River.  The first is in September, so flow is low and most of the bank structure is exposed.  There are some nice stains on the rock and concrete that show higher water.  The second photo is what I will be aiming for:  peak flow in late May during snow melt.  I need to fine tune the concrete color and the fit of the piece.  It is loose right now until I finish the river.

[Scottl]

Little to report due to a trip to BC.  No possibility to visit  as I was coming to see family and only passed through YVR.  The flight to Kelowna did fly directly to the south of the Cisco bridges and (suitable angelic choir music) the clouds parted to give me a great view.  So I managed to get four miles from Cisco 

Other than that excitement, I've been casting more rocks with some new molds and working towards finishing the canyon scene.  I'm a bit obsessive about rocks so it takes time.

I did have my first-ever visitor this week:  the five-year old grandson of a friend was very enthused about the layout and running a train.  He asked if he could come back when it was done, which I take to be a good sign.

I also acquired a new Kato ES44AC in CN paint.  Really nice finishing- I could get used to factory finished locomotives!  Hopefully I can find the means to acquire the twin for this unit.

[Scottl]

T'was the night before Christmas, and all through the house... 

Not much to update other than slow scenery progress.  I've been on the road much of the month, which included some railfan pleasures with the San Francisco cable cars and a sort-of visit to China Basin to see the real thing.

Rock and tree work continues, a few shots for posterity.





I want to wish everyone a wonderful, restful and safe holiday season.  All the best and I hope that you find time for all the good things in life.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Scott.
Love the work you are doing on the bridge and the area around it.
I and a friend modeled as best we could the Thompson River Canyon and the snow /rock slide sheds on an N Scale layout we built for exhibitions several years ago.
There are several you tube videos done by folks not known to us during a couple of train shows we attended.
Once I get to learn how to post an Image I will send a couple.
There is a few shots on my Blog if you are interested at:- Santafesd40.blogspot.com
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Rod.