Tove Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 I`d like to introduce to the good folks here my freelanced Iowa Interstate layout,.....Union City. It`s roughly based on the idea that Jack Hill had for his O scale layout,namely,Inland Paper,http://oscalewcor.blogspot.co.uk/ except in my version it`s been changed into Holsum Pet Foods!. I`ve also added a couple more smaller industries for a little extra switching. So i can put a bit more emphasis on scenery and buildings,the track layout has been kept fairly simple.This plus two cycle way bills and a multi sided dice for train length`s,means i can have quite a lengthy operating session. The layout has progressed quite quickly over the past few month`s.It being started during Christmas 2014. Trains were soon running. Followed by everyone`s favorite job ballasting!!. Next up,basic buildings.Made from the ubiquitous Walthers & pike stuff kits. Almost forgot... i cut a section out for a bridge/river scene. Things not long after moved at a pace,including the sky scene from ID backscenes, plus some more backscene treatment ie; tree line and and a couple of large building`s plus the water tower,from which the layout get`s it`s name.All found via the interweb,and printed out at home. The layout as it stands from staging to the fertilizer siding at the end of line. At the moment i have two of the new Athearn Genesis GP38-2`s in Iowa Interstate colour`s,but these will soon be joined by an Atlas GP38 once i get round to detailing and adding sound to it!. Thanks for looking, Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 I have started to work on the buildings at the left side of the layout,including scratch building a new one (green building in pic) to fill the space between the loading dock warehouse and the backscene. No plans, just a make it up as you go along type of structure,including two storage tanks.Eventually there will be piping and a concrete base for them to sit on. Cheers, Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNRR Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 This is very nice layout you're building! Had to read the first posting twice before I realized you weren't modeling an actual location. Very believable and would appear to me to be quite typical of many locations found in Iowa where a good sized industry or two has located in a modest sized town. Keep up the good work! Inspiring me to get my rear end in action! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomHolley Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Wow! Outstanding layout...looks good Brian. Regards, Tom Holley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Thanks, guy`s. Glad you both like what`s been done so far. LNRR, I think basing the track layout on a prototype location help`s making things a bit more plausible,the scenery on the other hand..... I was`nt too sure about the tree line to start with,but looking a bing maps it appears that Iowa is quite wooded around some towns/cities. Plus James McNab`s Grimes line,(http://www.iaisrailfans.org/gallery/MJMGrimesLine) which provides the main inspiration,uses quite a lot of trees!. Cheers, Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Great work Brian. I like the spacious, industrial park look of the layout and the relatively simple track plan. As soon as I saw the Iowa Interstate locos I was reminded of the Grimes Industrial Line, one of my favourite layouts. Looking forward to seeing more. Mal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northpoint Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Excellent,Brian! Is the O gauge definitely finished? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devious diesel Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Great layout, I am looking forward to watching your progress with the scenery. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Kieran Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Hey Tove, Nice layout! What's the size of the room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Excellent,Brian! Is the O gauge definitely finished? Nick, the O is still definitely on the book`s!. I am having a bit of crisis at the moment though,working on this modern stuff.My mind keeps wandering towards my GP15-1 that i still have in O scale,which is a bit of problem. As i`ve been collecting a small army of 60`s/70`s stuff to model the Georgia Northern & Southern. Hey Tove, Nice layout! What's the size of the room? Hi, Mike. Thanks, The room is 12"-6' X 9"-6' all bar a few inches here and there. Cheers, Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 I took advantage of the extra day off work today,and cracked on with a couple of the non-rail served buildings. Fairly basic box,painted in Conrail blue and given a dirty black wash,along with the roof. Then a couple of the panels were re-painted for a contrast. The brick base was done with paint & soft pencil crayons. It`s a bit long winded to put here,but i did do a tutorial over on protomodeler.com some time back. http://www.protomodeler.com/index.php?/topic/2646-colouring-styrene-brick-sheet-with-soft-crayon-pencils/ This one i wanted to give it a bit more of a used look,so i dry brushed Penn Central green over the flat green base coat,then followed up with some rust spot`s.I also added some rust around the frame for the roll up door to show the abuse that the fork lift truck drivers have given it!. The air con units are standard walthers ones,painted aluminum and given a heavily diluted wash of raw umber. The roof was a bit long winded,as i was initially going to cover it with 400 grit sand paper,but this did`nt work as it kept rolling up at the edges. So in the end, i used a fine ballast and white glue,which when dry was stained with washes of ink. One area that posed a problem was the area in between the two building`s that the tanks sit in.I had thought of adding a thin layer of hydrocal plaster,but realized that i would`nt be able to get the building back in!. So i reverted to the wall paper method that seem`s popular now,and that i have used for the tanks themselves`s,plus my bridge abutments. The source for the concrete plus lots of other useful stuff comes from CG Textures; http://www.cgtextures.com/ I`m still not convinced about this look,but with some more details,(and there are still a lot of details to add) i think it`ll start to look like something. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 How do you stop cars from rolling off the shelf? Put ya finger in the way....!!! Seriously though, it`s straight and level,so it does`nt have that problem.I might though just add an edge at a later date. I did read somewhere that Jack is still active,whether it`s still in O,i don`t know. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Brian - Interested to see that someone else is building a variation of Jack Hills plan - I'm working on a shelf layout version in HO around 8' long x just under 1' wide, where the left hand end of his will be a sector-plate that will also do away with a turnout. and allow a reasonable amount of switching - my idea is a plant in Florida served by FEC/CSX - Holsum Foods I like - with some ordinary roll up doors against one siding, and some homemade weather-hood doors on the longer siding - suddenly realised the 5mm square catapult elastic from ebay will make weather-hoods very nicely! Comes under the heading of lateral thinking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Jack - I wondered what you had in mind for those nice FEC geeps. Jack Hills layout seems to have been quite an influence on small layout builders, myself included.. I've looked at the plan several times but haven't managed to come up with a HO version, so I'm looking forward to seeing your plan. Mal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Jack, Your variation of Jack Hill`s layout sound`s Interesting as well. And the plan for a plant of some sort,reminded me of the large plant on the Fort Myers layout,which if i can remember correctly had three track`s running along the front. Or perhaps a variation of the Trujllo & sons building would suit,ala Lance Mindhiem`s Downtown spur?. All this lateral thinking is`nt good for a young man`s Constitution!. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 It isn't doing a lot of good for this elderly persons constitution either - It's absolutely persisting down here and we are promised 60mph+ gales for tonight, with a really nasty low pressure area sitting in the middle of the Pentland Firth just south of Orkney, so they may be in for a real blow tonight. If I can find time I will knock together a plan and post it - but it may well be tomorrow before it appears. BTW there is a new version of XTrkCAD available V 4.2.0 for those who like to keep up with those things Find it here http://www.xtrkcad.org/Wikka/HomePage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 As promised a quickly knocked together track plan -Fractionally under 10' long by just under 11" at the widest - Sector plate at the left, 4 lane highway bridge at the right, which is incoming from the main - the sector plate represents the line onwards to the remaining customers and the washed out bridge and loco stabling - please forgive the state of the cars but I was trying to remove the fact that they all had the same number - the board has been filled and sanded and should work as intended - it is made up of 4 boards the first two and last two are permanently joined and the layout splits between 2 & 3 for transport - next job will be backing boards, then making up the factory and laying track. The intention is that inbounds will be staged on the centre track, and pickups will be parked there to await the passing local - deliveries and pick-ups will be made to specific doors - There is a possibility that, if there is room, a third track may be added to the sector plate which will allow alternative loads/empties to be bought back from industries "down the branch" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 6, 2015 Author Share Posted May 6, 2015 That`s an interesting spin on Jack Hill`s layout. You mention that it split`s down for transport...does this mean that your going to exhibit it?. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 All things being equal - yes - but that involves getting invites. I think it may be at Hopeman (NE Scotland) in July, possibly still as a WIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 All things being equal - yes - but that involves getting invites. I think it may be at Hopeman (NE Scotland) in July, possibly still as a WIP You'll know what will happen now, Nick will be after you,will it fit on the train, instead of driving !!!!!!!!!!!! Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Back on topic Brian Do those ID backscenes join to each other ok,and is your tree line from CG Textures??. layout looking good Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Thanks, Jack. The ID backscenes do go together very well,but i do have to admit that i messed them up first time round!. I initially stuck them to the back board`s with a spray adhesive,only to find that they kept peeling away..... So when i did eventually put them back up,i had to use copydex adhesive because the paper would`nt take the wall paper paste. This explains the odd mark`s on the backscene,plus the use of the three tall structures,which were used to hide the join`s between the sections as they did match back up again!. The tree line photo`s were found via doing a search on line,there were only two photo`s but by making a mirror image you can get four.And these particular ones lend themselves to being cut up to alter the tree line it`s self. I also hope to at some point, feather the edge of the trees so it does`nt look so abrupt against the sky. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mog Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 This looks really nice. Simple plan nicely framed and presented.. Will follow with interest.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 I regret to advise that the baseboard widening scheme was only semi-successful, and that method has been abandoned - Went to B&Q super-shed yesterday, and got some replacement wood and MDF to start over, and will put them into a new thread when they get done - the layout will now consist of 2 boards, each basically 60" by 12". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tove Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 Persistence...we like that!. Look forward to the thread and the layout. Brian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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