Module lighting and backdrop beginnings

[ATSF_Ron]

After a long delay due to many months of unpacking and organizing, I finally got the lighting and backdrop back up in the new residence.  Please pardon the crude construction techniques as I used what I had on hand for the lighting mounts (cheap foam board taped together in sections).  This was mostly an experiment to see how I liked the color of the lights and to figure out how to mount them.  These were found on Amazon and were quite cheap, if I recall.  I have no idea who the manufacturer is, but I do recall it said "warm white" on the box.  I like the color, they run extremely cool, and were super easy to install.  Just peel n stick.  One strand is 16 ft.  I used two strands, running them 3 times across the bottom of the foam board.  In the photo, the back strand of LEDs is off.  I need to find the bad connection, as it was working a few minutes ago.

Observations:  I think the sky blue is much too dark.  In the store it seemed fine (Krylon rattle can).  Easily fixable.  The exposed slots (ugly!) are from the former location, and the backdrop was much taller then.  I shortened it up, leaving the gross slots exposed.  That's also easily fixable.  I plan to use hill "flats" similar to what's in the last pic from a screen grab of a fellow modeler's SP layout.  I believe it was in one of the Great MRR editions several years ago.  The hill flats will cover any exposed slots (4 of them) on the backdrop.











Once the sky blue is redone, I'll enlist the help of my wife (a skilled painter) in painting the backdrop.  For the LEDs, I will definitely need a much sturdier mounting surface than the foam board.  I was thinking of using strips of 1 by 2 to stick the LED strips onto.  I will still need something to trap/reflect the light back down to the layout.  Perhaps I can use the foam board for that, since it's doing that job pretty well at the moment.  I'll need to replace the foam board panels I'm currently using, since they got completely warped from being stored in the garage for the better part of a year.  It's amazing how much a backdrop and good lighting adds to the modeling experience.  It's like a diorama effect in a museum.  Not that this layout is museum quality...

It's time to get on with finishing up this phase!

[ATSF_Ron]

I have to admit, I'm a bit ADHD with my layout projects.  I get bored doing any one thing for too often, so I switch activities a lot.  Finally got around to doing some airbrushing on the backdrop and adding in some scenicked flat sections.  I like the effect, however the sky portions I airbrushed to a lighter color are now mostly covered.  Time to redo some of the airbrushing a bit higher this time!  This section of the layout is supposed to look somewhat like the Tehachapi Mtns. area, minus the loop.  I have only a 20" depth.  The new section of my L shaped layout is just taking shape.  That will be more more reflective of the LA Basin area where I grew up.  The track plan is still in flux.  Hopefully I get some track down after playing around with a few ideas I have.

I've worked on this for about 3 years now without a name, so I'm going to call it the SP and Santa Fe, after my two favorite railroads.

[ATSF_Ron]

So this is all gone.  I pulled up all the Unitrak (carefully) and ditched the backdrop and all the scenery.  There were a few fatal flaws with the old plan I couldn't deny any longer.

1. It was initially designed as a switching layout, but I attempted to morph it into my "grand design" of having it be a part of a larger "someday" SP main line plan.  Reality and the space available say otherwise.

2. The backdrop sucked.  I was initially excited about the look of it, but the blue was too dark.  Easily fixable, but the mounting of said backdrop wasn't going to support its weight long term.  It was a silly design.  That became evident in May when things heated up.  Needless to say, the heat caused issues with the velcro I was using to mount and hold the backdrop.  My pea-sized brain didn't think about that until I got the two sections of the L shaped plan mounted together and the backdrop decided to start slipping and sagging in the warmer weather.  The front room faces west, and even with AC and dark curtains it gets noticeably warm in there.  Accessing the backdrop involved a difficult separation of the two parts of the L-shaped plan.  It was a total PITA.

3.  The track plan initially was good and gave me satisfaction, but when the space became available to expand I got ahead of myself.  See #1 above.  Also there were bugs starting to develop in the Unitrak, so I said effit and tore it all out.

With the problems listed above, I finally faced reality and realized I had lost enthusiasm for what existed, especially knowing I'd never be able to integrate the old plan into what I envisioned. So...








I'm simplifying my plan and my goals.  I still want an L-shaped industrial switching plan, but I'm starting over on the original wood shelf with a clean slate.  Lance Mindheim's LA Junction is an inspiration, but I'm not trying to focus on that particular area.  I'm going for more of an eastern LA County feel where it gradually blended into the last remaining orange groves in Orange County.  The part you see in the pics is the eastern LA county section.  The other part of the L (20" by 10 ft.) will be the orange grove/packing house/citrus area.  So I'm looking at 60s-early 70s era.  Yes, I know that's an SP GP60 in the pics.  Can't help myself!!

For now, the industrial part in the pics is my focus.  20 inches by 8 ft.  Not too much track, with several buildings to make, not all rail served.  The backdrop will be a simple bluish/grey like Lance Mindheim's.  This time around, I'm leaving far more space for paving, roads, and other "non railroady" stuff between the buildings.  That was an important lesson I learned from the last attempt.  I'd say 60% of the roadbed is down and I'm playing around with switch placement and testing out operating ideas.





One last thing I decided to do was use only Micro Engineering track (code 55) and ME/Atlas switches.  No more compromising with Unitrak.  I do have some Peco code 55 laid on the other L section, which may be revised at a later date.  I'm happy with it, once it's ballasted, so I may keep that part (citrus section) Peco code 55.  We shall see.  Oh, one more added bonus I discovered the other day.  I have several ME code 55 switches from a previous layout, and all are in good shape.  The one you see in the final pic was found just the other day.  It's hard to see, but there are factory installed jumper wires that are supposed to help with reliability.  I have no idea when I bought this particular one, but the price on it says $18.99, so it was clearly a while ago, lol!

I had a couple thoughts as I was finishing typing this up.  Is it too much to try and blend in a citrus section with the industrial section in an L plan in a 10 by 10 room?  In reality, these two areas were anywhere from 20-50 miles apart.  That doesn't seem too far apart in N scale.  Maybe...

Thanks for any feedback, guys.

ATSF Ron

[nkalanaga]

I don't know about your part of California, but in the agricultural areas of inland Washington that wouldn't be at all unusual.  In many cases the industrial areas were built on former farm/orchard land, so the separation is literally just a fence.  If you want a visual divider, put a highway between them.