show us how far you've come!

[tom mann]

How much have you learned over the years? 

Me, asking about what airbrush to get:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/archive/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=44380&SearchTerms=,

One of my first "joke" posts:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/archive/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42686&SearchTerms=,

The first time Chris333 blew me away:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/archive/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=32672&SearchTerms=,

One of my first weathering jobs:



We all learn something from the "forums", whether we admit it or not.  And it's easy to lose sight of this fact as time moves on and we conveniently forget our previous "botched" projects and the people who helped us make them better...

 ;D

[wm3798]

This was the first sketch of the first section of my layout that I started.  The thread where I discussed it is buried deep in the Atlas archive going back to 2002 or 2003.


This was one of the first shots posted of the Chaffee Branch project in 2003, which incidentally is still out in the garage waiting to be installed...


This is the first stage of the Paper Mill project, summer 2004.

And here's where we are today...

/>
It's almost like I know what I'm doing... but don't be fooled!

Lee

[Chris333]

Dang, this is old school stuff here ;D

Sad to say I haven't come that far, the VO1000 is still naked and needing full length handrails. :-\

Good news is I may be able to etch them now

[Sokramiketes]

Here's the first locomotive I ever detailed and painted.  Must have been back around 1996, got into N scale and joined the local Ntrak club in 1994/1995.  So that puts me at 14 years old when I built this.


Lifelike GP18, backdated to a GP9m with the Gold Metal Models etched set. 

The paint is a little grainy on it, but it still holds up OK next to newer, better modeling.  I have Arnie Whitlow to thank for originally starting me off on the path of adding liftrings to N scale locomotives.  Back before the forums, the local hobby shop was a wealth of information.  They still are, but will never be as accessible as the internet.

[3rdrail]

This is a thirty year old scratchbuilding project (older ones were destroyed for parts):

 

This is one of my most recent:



I can definitely see progress. 

[Erik W]

In three years I've gone from being a non-model railroader for the previous 20 years and having zero moder railroad related stuff ( I got rid of what little I did have two decades ago) to this.


The only model railroad experience I had before was a small layout as a kid that never got beyond the benchwork phase with only part of the track laid.

After seeing the work of Rich Yourstone and Tom Mann I've really strived to improve my weathering as well.


Erik

[Mark5]

I was active as a teen in the 70s, then pretty much dormant from college until the turn of the century. Still not very active (layout under construction) as kids and job keep me pretty busy.

Attempts a pics in the 70s were troublesome at best (stock SLR 35mm didnt do the closeups that are so easy today).

Most of the locos (which is where most mods were done) are long gone.

I do have an N&W C31 caboose which I kitbashed from a Bachmann EV in the mid 1980s. I should post a pic of it next to the Atlas "near C31" just for laughs (not by best work) ;D

I'll put this on my list of "to do".

[SAH]

I wish I had a photo to post but this is funny anyway.

I tried to build just about all the "Dollar Car" series cars.  One of them was a B&O wagon top XM.  Without a scale rule I kinda fudged my way along.  I used typing paper for the wrapper, balsa for the underframe, ends and doors, sewing thread for the ribs . . . . . you get the idea.  It wound up looking more like a mail box rather than a wagon top.  But when it came time to paint it, I spray bombed it primer gray.  Why?  Well, the photo in the magazine showed it to be gray.  Of course, in a circa mid 50's magazine there were no color pictures, so, the car was gray.  Made perfect sense to my kid sized brain.   ;D

It was fun then.  It's still fun.

Steve

[ryourstone]

Here's what 16 months of tinkering with the camera and software will do. The same model, going for the same effect:



And after:



-Rich

[sparky]

Rich.... I'm speechless.

[SAH]

Here's what 16 months of tinkering with the camera and software will do. The same model, going for the same effect:

-Rich

WOW!  Who needs a time machine when . . . . .

Steve

[POVC]

Here's what 16 months of tinkering with the camera and software will do. The same model, going for the same effect:

-Rich

WOW!  Who needs a time machine when . . . . .

Steve

Damm...if you told me that second photo was a proto I'd have believed it.

Tim

[Zox]

Here's my loop module back in 1998:



The left-hand side, from 2002:



And here's the right-hand side, today:



Not exactly blistering progress, but I like to think I'm getting better as I go along. It's about time to start upgrading the roundhouse scene. When and if I get my bridge module built, that is...

[Chulvis]

I've made a lot of progress over the years.

1989


2007


Projected 2015 Layout

[bsoplinger]

I've made a lot of progress over the years.

You forgot to mention that you just opened the Kato unitrack set xxx to do each