Smudge617
Well-Known Member
Great work, and amazing artistry, I look forward to seeing even more.
The Fox Creek Railroad - Layout update thread
- Thread starter BunkerTheHusky
- Start date
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Hope y'all aren't getting tired of these two buildings yet! But I promise you they will soon become less of the focus as they are now officially labeled as "Done for Now". Really, I'm just waiting on the other billboard to be drawn by the wife, and might add more graffiti eventually, but otherwise, they are exactly as I want them!
Speaking of billboards and graffiti, my wife found our watercolor pencils set, so I decided to try my hand at freehanding some old building side advertisements as well as graffiti to give some extra flavor. Turns out I'm not half bad at it, and it is a ton of fun! Definitely planning to do more in the future!
I've also finally started on the next building in this row of humanity. (or animality? I don't know, I'll continue to workshop it.) This one is going to be the first shop of the strip, and will begin the transition from residential buildings to a commercial district. Also to the right of the current structures, I'm going to design and build a small parking garage. It feels good to finally be filling in more gaps and figuring out where everything goes!
Lastly, I finally got around to installing the 12 volt DC lighting circuit on the layout. I'm excited to be able to show off the lights of these structures without having them connected to my variable power supply on my work bench. Another big one crossed off the list! Of course, eventually it'll be put on a relay and microcontroller for a day/night cycle, but that's down the road when I get to designing a control panel. For now, having them on when the layout is on is fine by me!
Thanks for the likes and kind words of encouragement! See you all in the next update!
Speaking of billboards and graffiti, my wife found our watercolor pencils set, so I decided to try my hand at freehanding some old building side advertisements as well as graffiti to give some extra flavor. Turns out I'm not half bad at it, and it is a ton of fun! Definitely planning to do more in the future!
I've also finally started on the next building in this row of humanity. (or animality? I don't know, I'll continue to workshop it.) This one is going to be the first shop of the strip, and will begin the transition from residential buildings to a commercial district. Also to the right of the current structures, I'm going to design and build a small parking garage. It feels good to finally be filling in more gaps and figuring out where everything goes!
Lastly, I finally got around to installing the 12 volt DC lighting circuit on the layout. I'm excited to be able to show off the lights of these structures without having them connected to my variable power supply on my work bench. Another big one crossed off the list! Of course, eventually it'll be put on a relay and microcontroller for a day/night cycle, but that's down the road when I get to designing a control panel. For now, having them on when the layout is on is fine by me!
Thanks for the likes and kind words of encouragement! See you all in the next update!
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Bruette
Well-Known Member
All layouts are fantasy. I like what you have done, thank you for sharing your work. I look forward to the updates.
What are some of your favorite animated movies? I enjoy them too!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Too true! Every layout is somebody's fantasy, and I love seeing what people do in each and every one of their own! Thank you so much!
It comes as no surprise that The animated Robin Hood, Zootopia, Jungle Book, Lion King, and Brother Bear all top my list, but that's just Disney movies. I am particularly drawn to Don Bluth films, though. I love their gritty, less cutesy nature. All Dogs go to Heaven and Secret of NIMH are masterpieces in my opinion. How about you?
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Boy I'm bad at keeping up with social media these days. It's been three whole months since my last layout update. I suppose I should finally fix that. After all, now that school is back in session and chugging along, I have a lot more time to get some genuine work done!
So I'm still focusing on structures for the most part in this update. However first I'd like to acknowledge the work that has been done on the scenery side of things. At least, the scenery that is directly attached to the bench work...
The leap from structural and foam work to ground cover and detail is admittedly a scary one to make for me. But it's time to buckle down and get it started, and it's time to begin plaster work in earnest.
Starting at the back corner and working forward, I plan to begin laying ground cover down in the near future. This is of course to make working on the hard to reach back edge easier so I'm not leaning over finished details at the front. It also gives me room to practice and get some experience before doing some highly visible areas.
Now onto the structures, first with a revisit to the green hillside house. I am proud to say that after 14 years of waiting, it can finally be declared finished! It has been lighted, weathered and attached to it's base, with figurines added for good measure! For those new to my layout, it is inhabited by animal characters, so don't mind the clearly non-humans roaming around
Next up is a new addition to the narrative in the form of a birthday gift from my lovely wife. This is a Woodland Scenics train station kit, and will be part of the railroad museum scene located in the hills of Fox Creek. The kit has been modified by me to include working light poles, interior lighting, and a wall lamp, but it otherwise stays true to the original instruction sheet. While not a direct match, my wife suggested we style the station after East Union station at the Illinois Railway Museum and she even mixed the paint colors for me!
Now, it has dawned on me that maintenance on a layout like this needs to be planned well in advanced, especially since I intend on moving with this layout one day, so going forward, the plan is to make scenes modular and easily removable to make cleaning, maintenance and moving easier. It also allows for easier upgrading and reworking sections if desired. The green hillside house will be hard to adapt for, but with the railroad museum scene onward, and even the apartment buildings already completed will be displayed on removable scenery "tiles" that will be easily removable from the layout itself. Which brings us to the final item of this long update... In the next post!
So I'm still focusing on structures for the most part in this update. However first I'd like to acknowledge the work that has been done on the scenery side of things. At least, the scenery that is directly attached to the bench work...
The leap from structural and foam work to ground cover and detail is admittedly a scary one to make for me. But it's time to buckle down and get it started, and it's time to begin plaster work in earnest.
Starting at the back corner and working forward, I plan to begin laying ground cover down in the near future. This is of course to make working on the hard to reach back edge easier so I'm not leaning over finished details at the front. It also gives me room to practice and get some experience before doing some highly visible areas.
Now onto the structures, first with a revisit to the green hillside house. I am proud to say that after 14 years of waiting, it can finally be declared finished! It has been lighted, weathered and attached to it's base, with figurines added for good measure! For those new to my layout, it is inhabited by animal characters, so don't mind the clearly non-humans roaming around
Next up is a new addition to the narrative in the form of a birthday gift from my lovely wife. This is a Woodland Scenics train station kit, and will be part of the railroad museum scene located in the hills of Fox Creek. The kit has been modified by me to include working light poles, interior lighting, and a wall lamp, but it otherwise stays true to the original instruction sheet. While not a direct match, my wife suggested we style the station after East Union station at the Illinois Railway Museum and she even mixed the paint colors for me!
Now, it has dawned on me that maintenance on a layout like this needs to be planned well in advanced, especially since I intend on moving with this layout one day, so going forward, the plan is to make scenes modular and easily removable to make cleaning, maintenance and moving easier. It also allows for easier upgrading and reworking sections if desired. The green hillside house will be hard to adapt for, but with the railroad museum scene onward, and even the apartment buildings already completed will be displayed on removable scenery "tiles" that will be easily removable from the layout itself. Which brings us to the final item of this long update... In the next post!
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BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Another birthday item, this time from my parents, was a Walthers water tower kit. This was an unexpected but well needed addition to the narrative, and a great way to display the town name for those viewing the layout.
I grew up right next to a water tower similar to this one, and that water tower was not alone on the property it resided on. Along side the tower was a maintenance building and electrical substation. Well I just so happened to have 3D designed a small shed one day at work when it was slow. At the time I didn't really have any plans for it, and was using it to basically practice Fusion 360, but once the water tower was in my hands, I new what it was destined for. I printed the structure along side an electrical transformer I found on Cults3D. It's not a full substation, but it adds a nice bit of detail to the scene. But wait, that wasn't the extent of the 3D printing. We live in a time of cell phones and 5G, and no water tower in my area today is complete without cell phone transmission antennas encircling their stands. So naturally, I had to whip up and print some for the tower.
And finally, lights. To the building I added a couple wall lamps, and a slow and lazy blinking red light on the tower. To give some flair, I also added a blue LED inside the transformer to give it an eerie electric blue glow at night. But enough explanation. Let's get to the pictures!
You may notice that this scene is mounted to a polystyrene sheet. That's because of the above mentioned plan to make scenes modular, and that of course means ground cover. Just today I got out the static flocker out for the first time and laid down a lawn for this scene, and let me tell you, I am excited. It's about time we're seeing some green! Up next is adding a fence, trees and shrubs to really make the nature around this otherwise utilitarian scene really pop!
Yikes, let's not let another 3 months pass before I post an update here again. This was a lot spanning two posts. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks! Have a wonderful Friday everybody. Let's finish this week off strong!
I grew up right next to a water tower similar to this one, and that water tower was not alone on the property it resided on. Along side the tower was a maintenance building and electrical substation. Well I just so happened to have 3D designed a small shed one day at work when it was slow. At the time I didn't really have any plans for it, and was using it to basically practice Fusion 360, but once the water tower was in my hands, I new what it was destined for. I printed the structure along side an electrical transformer I found on Cults3D. It's not a full substation, but it adds a nice bit of detail to the scene. But wait, that wasn't the extent of the 3D printing. We live in a time of cell phones and 5G, and no water tower in my area today is complete without cell phone transmission antennas encircling their stands. So naturally, I had to whip up and print some for the tower.
And finally, lights. To the building I added a couple wall lamps, and a slow and lazy blinking red light on the tower. To give some flair, I also added a blue LED inside the transformer to give it an eerie electric blue glow at night. But enough explanation. Let's get to the pictures!
You may notice that this scene is mounted to a polystyrene sheet. That's because of the above mentioned plan to make scenes modular, and that of course means ground cover. Just today I got out the static flocker out for the first time and laid down a lawn for this scene, and let me tell you, I am excited. It's about time we're seeing some green! Up next is adding a fence, trees and shrubs to really make the nature around this otherwise utilitarian scene really pop!
Yikes, let's not let another 3 months pass before I post an update here again. This was a lot spanning two posts. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks! Have a wonderful Friday everybody. Let's finish this week off strong!
Bruette
Well-Known Member
That is a tough question! It would require much thought. I like so many.
Off the top of my head, The Polar Express, The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie and so many more!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Ooh, great choices. The Polar Express is a classic! And I friggin love the Looney Tunes, especially Bugs Bunny!
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Oddly enough I did not like the Polar Express when I first saw it. The animation looked creepy. It grew on me and is now one of my favorites. My wife and I watch it several times during the Christmas season. She loves the music in the Polar Express and so do I!
Topherisme
Chris wants more hobby time!!!
Just got done reading up, very cool!!!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, the animation is difficult to love, haha! It comes from that era where they were really trying to do realistic animation, but they feel hard into the uncanny valley. Still, it's an enjoyable story, the visuals are otherwise beautiful, and the music is wonderful.
Thank you so much! Your comment made me read back a bit and made me realize I forgot to include some stuff in the update! Time to correct that!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Prior to the last update I made, I had worked on some sidewalk scenes for in front of the apartment buildings, and I had missed including those in the update. I'd like to show everybody before it gets lost in the upcoming additions I'll be posting soon!
First up, we got a young brother and sister bringing out the garbage for the fox family!
And we also have some fellas checking out a new motorcycle out in front of what's going to be a hardware store!
I'm telling you, I am at my 3D printers absolute limit on how tiny these figurines are, but they are so much fun to design and put into the layout!
What other scenes should I hide? I plan to hang up a sign above the layout with a hide and seek scavenger hunt for the neighborhood kids and, of course, kids at heart. I'm for sure going to hide Spiderman somewhere! Aaah, so many possibilities have got be so excited!!!
First up, we got a young brother and sister bringing out the garbage for the fox family!
And we also have some fellas checking out a new motorcycle out in front of what's going to be a hardware store!
I'm telling you, I am at my 3D printers absolute limit on how tiny these figurines are, but they are so much fun to design and put into the layout!
What other scenes should I hide? I plan to hang up a sign above the layout with a hide and seek scavenger hunt for the neighborhood kids and, of course, kids at heart. I'm for sure going to hide Spiderman somewhere! Aaah, so many possibilities have got be so excited!!!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
migalyto
Well-Known Member
The foxes pushing the trash cans are great, love the figures your using.
Everything is looking good!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Just a quickie today as I get prepared for the big update coming for the layout itself. The water tower module I teased in the last update is officially done! This ended up becoming a much larger project than I was expecting, and while I had a lot of fun working on it, I'm glad to finally have it off my desk.
The building was 3D designed by me and is available to download here, along with the cell phone transmission antennas here. The beautiful transformer model is credited to GAVI3DLIMA over on Cults3D as well.
I have also made a long overdue addition to the garage that while not directly associated with the layout will definitely help with progress on it going forward. I finally got around to building that work bench I've been needing for going on 6 years. That was partially due to procrastinating, but also the wild lumber prices we've been seeing these past few years. Finally though, I found what I needed at a decent price and pulled the trigger:
Anyway, time to shift focus to yet more buildings as I continue to populate the layout, as well as the start of ground cover and ballast to finally bring some life into the foam and plaster. Always so much to do! Cheers everyone!
The building was 3D designed by me and is available to download here, along with the cell phone transmission antennas here. The beautiful transformer model is credited to GAVI3DLIMA over on Cults3D as well.
I have also made a long overdue addition to the garage that while not directly associated with the layout will definitely help with progress on it going forward. I finally got around to building that work bench I've been needing for going on 6 years. That was partially due to procrastinating, but also the wild lumber prices we've been seeing these past few years. Finally though, I found what I needed at a decent price and pulled the trigger:
Anyway, time to shift focus to yet more buildings as I continue to populate the layout, as well as the start of ground cover and ballast to finally bring some life into the foam and plaster. Always so much to do! Cheers everyone!
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Marlin338MX
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting the updates and progress on your layout! Very impressive detail, and great creativity and art work as well!
My artistic abilities are extremely limited... I can barely draw stick people. I'll be following your progress and learning along the way.
My artistic abilities are extremely limited... I can barely draw stick people. I'll be following your progress and learning along the way.
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much! I hope you learn a lot! The important thing is to do the things you enjoy, even if they are difficult, or there are people better at it than you. Can't improve if you don't do!
And do I have been, even if for only a couple minutes a day! Starting off with playing with some placements for some new structures. Another fun fact, the split level is another house I built out of polystyrene in 2009. It is reminiscent of my Oma and Opas's house growing up. It's not exact by any means, but it gets the idea across, and another nod to the people who got me into trains and miniatures.
I realized that I'm still going to need a lot more houses for this suburban area. I've been dropping some not so subtle hints to Santa Clause, so hopefully the big guy comes through for me Christmas Day!
And finally, FINALLY I committed to getting ground cover down. I don't know why I was so afraid of beginning this step. Once I got going it has been fun and easy! I can't wait to get some actual scenery detail going on besides dirt and ballast!
Onward we go into 2024. Hope everyone has a lovely holidays and a happy new year!
BunkerTheHusky
Well-Known Member
So I had the small Bachmann Plasticville bridge off the layout a couple of days ago for an entirely unrelated reason, and figured it was time to get some paint on it. So out came the paints, weathering powders and detail brushes!
Now to scenic in the creek beneath it sometime in this next year, haha!
Now to scenic in the creek beneath it sometime in this next year, haha!
BigGRacing
Aka. Gary Russell
Looks fantastic and life-like…..pardon the pun
