artizen

Nicely done - are you putting real coal in the tender?

Apart from the great photography, I really like the rail colour, so where do we get phosphor bronze rail from? Sounds like the answer to a few prayers - always look prototypical and conducts electricity!

Is there going to be prize for the 300,000th visitor to this thread? Maybe ask Andy Y to stump up a magazine subscription or something!!!! Amazing numbers really. Definitely one of the best layouts on this forum.

Give foamboard a go - it's lighter and easier to cut than ply. But I suppose ply is what you have heaps of already! Looking good. Nice to see progress photos on a regular basis now.

You know that the test of all good baseboards is that you can walk on them?

How To Eat An Elephant dot com!!!!!!

Viewing ... Liking ...

And here's me thinking you were having a bit of a siesta this last couple of weeks! Must be nearly ready for the first bits of track?

The view out of the window looks pretty good without the back scene! Where did you get that backscene in the last photo? I could do with something like that for my layout!

If the bit that needs work is across the window, then it needs a backscene if you want any chance of photographing it. The basics are looking good (of course). Are the brown areas at the front marsh, bog or intended water?

I had a similar interesting improvement with my Smokey Joe when fitted with a TCS chip. Makes DCC almost worth the money!

Hi Ron - what is the finished level of the track above concrete? Also, getting onto the subject of patience - I have learnt three things when modelling: humility (other people are simply better at some things than I can achieve), patience (rushing into anything is a recipe for disaster) and respect (for those with more knowledge, equipment or skills than I have).

Remember to paint the walls and floor next! If nothing else, it will keep the dust levels down. Trust me, I'm the son of a builder.

Yes - you have used similar flooring to me. And yes, get the floor right before going any further - you won't be able to get at it shortly!

That's good to hear. I would hate to hear that you have to pull it all up again in a couple of year's time! If you put a piece of 90mm timber around the sides (on edge) that could become the top surface for the baseboard legs (so they go down from the front of the board to the top of the 90mm timber on an angle). That way you have more room and less likelihood of kicking them each time you work in the space. Have a look at this (Troels Kirk layout) http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23577&whichpage=54

When I laid my floor in my man cave under the house, I overlapped all the ends so that it become one huge floor floating on the concrete. The room is just over 6 metres long x 3.3 metres wide. Unfortunately full of work-related stuff but I have designed spaces to store my railway dioramas around the sides. I'm not sure how the individual panels of flooring will stand up to being walked on if they are not tied together or held down?

The lighting effects look just right for the forthcoming zombie apocalypse! I feel cheated - my LEDs didn't come with strobe. But I can buy one with multiple colours and chase function! Christmas layout anyone?

Tarseal roads - Vallejo Black Lava paste. Spread it on with a small spatula. Goes around corners. Goes up hills. No joints. If it's too dark, just add acrylic paint to suit.

The complete roof finishes off this masterpiece. Well done and I'm glad you built it.

Love your brick retaining wall in that last shot!

Way back in a previous life when I was a wedding photographer, I decided to paint the old studio and was persuaded to spray the paint rather than spend several days up a ladder with a roller. Best move ever - all done in two hours late at night and ready for customers the next day. Hopefully with a bright-ish colour on the roof, the cave will start to look more inviting. Usually the space also looks much bigger and more impressive with painted walls as well. You are allowed to slow down you know - but if you have pics of the benchwork we all want to see them!!!!

For the parasitic green stuff, try using MiniNatur foliage panels of a suitable green and texture. This one or the ivy - http://www.mininatur.de/products_productoverview_details.php?lang=en&id=970&kat=2&sub=3&scale=1&finish= Less hassle and waste than using flock or scatters?

Nice.

Two helixes! Disco lights! It's all go in your basement! LOL One suggestion about LEDs (which I have on my layouts). Try to get natural or pure whites (5000K) and use them to light the layout proper as well as the storage area. At the price they are now, 10 metres is cheap enough.

Ta-da! Finally the site lets me post! In the deepest man-cave under the house - cyclone rods.