I was going to suggest the same thing
The College Kid Layout Building Saga
- Thread starter catnippertom
- Start date
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
I have plans for the connections soon and the greenery. I just wanted to get a video of the current state of the layout. Still a lot of work to go!
Smudge617
Well-Known Member
Yeah, but you're doing great.
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Thanks I appreciate it! Sneak peak but I have started to ballast. It is a bit rough since it is my first time but I am learning so hopefully it turns out good.
Topherisme
Chris wants more hobby time!!!
The shot where the loco comes around the mountain out of focus then clears up as it nears is great! Funny how such a simple thing can put a smile on your face, much appreciated 
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Sneak Peak:
Also, I know the ballast is huge for the scale but I am fine with it. It is Dollar Tree kitty litter so I get what I get. I am happy with how it looks so far. The only area that has it is the dike so far but it will be making a bit more of the rounds as I get around to it.
Also, I know the ballast is huge for the scale but I am fine with it. It is Dollar Tree kitty litter so I get what I get. I am happy with how it looks so far. The only area that has it is the dike so far but it will be making a bit more of the rounds as I get around to it.
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catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Update:
As I teased in an earlier post, I started ballasting the layout! The first few pictures document the process. You can also see that I have started scenery work in the corner. I really want to get going on pouring the water for the dike out since I know it is going to take a long while to dry. Also, I have started to plan out how the road going through the second portion of the layout is going to go. It is pretty crude but once I have it dialed in, it should come out looking alright. I am going to use poster board like the last time I built a road in order to get the look I want. That third image is the full view of the layout as it stands. I think it looks pretty good so far. Finally, some of the long-time followers will remember that I had a few more peaks on the Brillo Branch Line. I have started to repurpose them in order to fit them on the layout. I started cutting them up to create another small peak in the unoccupied corner of the scenic side. It is fun to see the foam dice on the inside of the peaks again. I am going to put them together, spackle the conglomerate up, paint it, and put it on the layout similar to how the large mountain is on the layout. Work is slowly coming along. I would like the pace to pick up so I can clean up the space for my roommate and get back to running trains.
As I teased in an earlier post, I started ballasting the layout! The first few pictures document the process. You can also see that I have started scenery work in the corner. I really want to get going on pouring the water for the dike out since I know it is going to take a long while to dry. Also, I have started to plan out how the road going through the second portion of the layout is going to go. It is pretty crude but once I have it dialed in, it should come out looking alright. I am going to use poster board like the last time I built a road in order to get the look I want. That third image is the full view of the layout as it stands. I think it looks pretty good so far. Finally, some of the long-time followers will remember that I had a few more peaks on the Brillo Branch Line. I have started to repurpose them in order to fit them on the layout. I started cutting them up to create another small peak in the unoccupied corner of the scenic side. It is fun to see the foam dice on the inside of the peaks again. I am going to put them together, spackle the conglomerate up, paint it, and put it on the layout similar to how the large mountain is on the layout. Work is slowly coming along. I would like the pace to pick up so I can clean up the space for my roommate and get back to running trains.
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Update:
Long time no see! It's been a minute since I updated the layout. In the meantime, I have been working on an Instagram and a YouTube for the layout so I can share my updates with more people. Both of those can be found through the links in my signature. Anyway, back to the layout. First I finished up the base layer of scenic work in the corner of the layout. I added some Brillo tuft that I cut up to add some greenery to the dike. I plan on purchasing some resin in order to create the water in the dike. I also created small inserts to go over the latches. It hides them nicely and is easy to remove. I also got to work on getting the other hill made. In the last post, I showed that I cut down pieces of the hold hills in order to create this new one. I spackled and painted it up just like I did to the last mountain that I created. I added some scenery to it, cut it out, and masked the edges exactly how the big mountain went up. Time to insert it into the layout in the same way I did to the large mountain. The next big thing that happened was I cut out the road and painted it. I glued it to the base and set a bunch of heavy stuff on it so it stayed flat. It warped a bit while painting so getting it to set flat was important. I plan on getting the scenic done on the mountain half before starting to really get into detailing the other side of the layout. Everything is coming together really nicely. I can't wait to see it all come together.
Long time no see! It's been a minute since I updated the layout. In the meantime, I have been working on an Instagram and a YouTube for the layout so I can share my updates with more people. Both of those can be found through the links in my signature. Anyway, back to the layout. First I finished up the base layer of scenic work in the corner of the layout. I added some Brillo tuft that I cut up to add some greenery to the dike. I plan on purchasing some resin in order to create the water in the dike. I also created small inserts to go over the latches. It hides them nicely and is easy to remove. I also got to work on getting the other hill made. In the last post, I showed that I cut down pieces of the hold hills in order to create this new one. I spackled and painted it up just like I did to the last mountain that I created. I added some scenery to it, cut it out, and masked the edges exactly how the big mountain went up. Time to insert it into the layout in the same way I did to the large mountain. The next big thing that happened was I cut out the road and painted it. I glued it to the base and set a bunch of heavy stuff on it so it stayed flat. It warped a bit while painting so getting it to set flat was important. I plan on getting the scenic done on the mountain half before starting to really get into detailing the other side of the layout. Everything is coming together really nicely. I can't wait to see it all come together.
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Update:
It's been a minute since I have updated the forum on the layout, however there hasn't been much to update on. But there has been some progress. First to note, I have dug the hole out for the second mountain. You can see it in the top left corner of the full layout picture. And you can also see I ripped up the entire road. I was happy with how the road was looking but I got a sudden spur of inspiration while walking through the Dollar Tree and I spotted some lighting. I found come Christmas lights and fairy lights that I though could work well for lighting up my buildings. Late last night I soldered two of the strings of fairy lights together so I could have a longer string that would reach around to every building. It too me quite a while but it is doable so that is a huge plus. I am thinking about trying to hook the battery pack up to a wall plug but that is looking to be quite tough so maybe I will stick with batteries. More progress coming soon!
It's been a minute since I have updated the forum on the layout, however there hasn't been much to update on. But there has been some progress. First to note, I have dug the hole out for the second mountain. You can see it in the top left corner of the full layout picture. And you can also see I ripped up the entire road. I was happy with how the road was looking but I got a sudden spur of inspiration while walking through the Dollar Tree and I spotted some lighting. I found come Christmas lights and fairy lights that I though could work well for lighting up my buildings. Late last night I soldered two of the strings of fairy lights together so I could have a longer string that would reach around to every building. It too me quite a while but it is doable so that is a huge plus. I am thinking about trying to hook the battery pack up to a wall plug but that is looking to be quite tough so maybe I will stick with batteries. More progress coming soon!
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
I used kitty litter on one layout and sieved it with a kitchen colander to discard the larger pieces.
I realized I could sieve the natural dry gravel on our driveway and create some nice materials for roads, paths, and ballast. A couple coffee strainers with different sized screens works too.
I adhere it with scenic cement or matte medium to capture the dust.
It must be dry. If there is a high iron content you may create a weak short if the native materials touch both rails. I have not experienced that, however.
I keep several containers of different sizes and colors dry native gravel/sand, which are used regularly.
By the way, nice engine shed!
Dave LASM
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Update:
Since I ripped up the road, I painted up the foam back to the base color. Since I ripped the road up I decided it was a good opportunity to make it better than before. While I did that I started finishing the ballast on the rest of the track on the other side of the layout. While waiting for that to dry, I started working on the lighting. I soldered two of the strings of fairy lights together to make a long strand of lights. Then I soldered a connection from the battery back to a USB so I could plug the lights into the wall instead of using batteries. I didn't want to have to change out the batteries all of the time so this worked out. Then I dug a hole into the layout so I could embed the pack into the layout. Then I fed the wire through the hole in the side of the layout that has the power for the layout. After that, I focused on creating sidewalks for the road to add more depth to the scene. They are made out of poster board painted in a light grey tone. I glued them down and then focused back on the lighting. I drilled holes under each of the lots for the buildings so I could place the fairy lights under them. Finally, I taped up the lights and glued the road down to the board once and for all. The final picture is the town all lit up. Here is a video I shot of the layout with the town all lit up:
So far I am happy with how it turned out. I am going to paint the buildings at some point but that is going to come later. I want to get a lot of the surface scenery done before then. I need to finish the mountain half of the layout before I can do anything else.
Anyway, go check out the Instagram and Youtube for some other cool stuff regarding the layout. Links in my signature.
Since I ripped up the road, I painted up the foam back to the base color. Since I ripped the road up I decided it was a good opportunity to make it better than before. While I did that I started finishing the ballast on the rest of the track on the other side of the layout. While waiting for that to dry, I started working on the lighting. I soldered two of the strings of fairy lights together to make a long strand of lights. Then I soldered a connection from the battery back to a USB so I could plug the lights into the wall instead of using batteries. I didn't want to have to change out the batteries all of the time so this worked out. Then I dug a hole into the layout so I could embed the pack into the layout. Then I fed the wire through the hole in the side of the layout that has the power for the layout. After that, I focused on creating sidewalks for the road to add more depth to the scene. They are made out of poster board painted in a light grey tone. I glued them down and then focused back on the lighting. I drilled holes under each of the lots for the buildings so I could place the fairy lights under them. Finally, I taped up the lights and glued the road down to the board once and for all. The final picture is the town all lit up. Here is a video I shot of the layout with the town all lit up:
So far I am happy with how it turned out. I am going to paint the buildings at some point but that is going to come later. I want to get a lot of the surface scenery done before then. I need to finish the mountain half of the layout before I can do anything else.
Anyway, go check out the Instagram and Youtube for some other cool stuff regarding the layout. Links in my signature.
catnippertom
That Oregon Guy
Thanks, I worked hard to get that done. I had to learn a lot since I have zero experience with electrical work.
Topherisme
Chris wants more hobby time!!!
The updates are great! Hope you are getting as much enjoyment from the project as I am lol
