Progress Report on My Layout - New Photos

[BradKT]

Hello again everyone:

It's been a little while since I have been in touch with most of you but I haven't forgotten you and the excellent advice that you have given me since I started building my layout in 2008.  It is now about 95% complete.  The only remaining stuff to do is the wiring for the Circuitron RR crossing signals at the two RR crossings and wiring the street lights.  Everything else has been completed.

It made all the difference when I installed an 18" high panoramic backdrop around 3 sides of my model railroad layout.  It is a total length of 30'.  Made by All Scale Backdrops in Utah (note – they are in the process of moving to Boulder, Colorado), it depicts mountains, hills and forests which are typical of the eastern part of Central and Northern California.  It really adds a sense of detail and depth perception...and it is so much better than a white wall and windows in the background.  

I just posted about 30 new layout pics last night,  If you want to take a look at my Photobucket site, my site address is:

http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss284/BradKT

To reiterate for those of who who have not seen the earlier pics that I posted, the basic theme is an industrial park, with oil refinery complex (Conoco oil refinery, storage tanks, natural gas unloading facility and tanker truck loading facility), rail yard, fire station, engine house (with overhead crane, passenger car washing station and diesel locomotive refueling station), cement plant, gas station, warehouse, construction equipment rental company, bus terminal, taxi stand, passenger station/freight depot  and truck-rail facility.

The locale is either central or Southern California...in the eastern part of the state.  The time frame is the early to mid-1970s.  The flags that I run are Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande Western and Santa Fe.

The layout is HO scale.  The layout itself is an a "L" shape (9' x 5' on the left side and 14' x 6' on the other, with an access hatch).  There are 3 tracks.  The outer and middle tracks go around the shape of the "L" and in the rear of the layout the outer track is elevated.   The outer track curves are 28" and the middle track curves are 22."  The inner track is a large oval about 11 feet in length with 18" curves.  All three tracks are connected by switches (#6 turnouts), which allow trains to be switched back and forth between tracks (there are two turnouts at each location so the trains can be switched off of one track and onto the other...each set of two turnouts is wired into and controlled by a single Atlas switch).  All of the turnouts are powered by a separate DC transformer (also Atlas).    There is a siding and small rail yard in the middle rear of the inner oval track.  The 24" square access hatch is located inside of and on the left end of the inner oval track.  Two more lines come off the siding to the small rail yard and engine house (these are #5 turnouts).  At the front of the layout (where the controls are located), there is another siding coming off the outer track (#5 turnout), which is to allow cars to be placed on and taken off of the track.

I have also installed three sets of manually operated diesel horns.  Once any of the 3 switches is turned on, the horn(s) operates on a continuous loop until I turn it off.  Each of the 3 horns gives the dash-dash-dot-dash signal that the train is approaching a crossing and is the sound of a different type of diesel locomotive.

Although I am still running the Bachmann EZ-Command Control System with a Bachmann 5 amp booster, I have decided that I will ultimately upgrade to a Digitrax setup, but that will be done after everything else is completed.

I am very pleased with the way that things are turning out...thanks to all of you, so if any of you want to take a look, you have my photobucket site address.

Once again, thank you.  There is a part of all of you who gave me some advice in this layout...especially Yampa Bob.

[pdlethbridge]

Great job! The back drop does add depth and adds tremendously to the layout. Great pictures too.

[Jhanecker2]

To BradKT : A Well done Job, Looks Great.  Hope you have a great time Running your layout. John  II

[Doneldon]

BKT-

Outstanding.  Your modeling is thorough, well detailed and great to look at.  I am most impressed, especially since you did all of this in two years. 

          --D

[CNE Runner]

All I can say is...WOW!! Super job and a joy to behold. I especially liked the image of a D&RGW caboose - because the background really looked prototypical. If you look at the image, the background is sort of smokey...just the way the Rockies are in the distance.

Thanks for sharing,
Ray

[BradKT]

I posted some much better photos showing the details of the back drop in the last couple of days.

[pdlethbridge]

some more great pics!

[NMWTRR]

BTW

I concur about how much a back drop adds to a layout.  I added a back drop down the middle of my small layout and it is amazing how much more I enjoy it.  For one thing it really seems like the trains disappear for a longer time.  Also just watching the trains go past the back drop they seem more realistic. 

The amazing part is how simple a back drop can be, even just a few cut out paper mountains glued to a thin foam board painted blue!

See my avatar.

[Colorado_Mac]

Sweet.  Thanks for the inspiration (kick-in-the-butt)!
I am sure you will have fun operating.