Conrail Windsor St Yard (York PA) Engineering Report

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I tried using a photo captured by Google Streetview.


I need to enlarge it, but it's not bad. With actual photo paper and ink, it'd be even better. I'm definitely encouraged.

[wm3798]

There's always a compromise between making good tight photos and having something that's plausible in person.  To wit:

I tried using a photo to extend a backdrop building in Cumberland...


It worked reasonably well for street level photography, and could have worked better with a bit more work on the angle...

But...



It looked stupid in person.  So I killed it, and used some other trickery to extend the scene into the backdrop.



I added a walk bridge over the street, connected to a neighboring building, then of course, I turned off the lights...



The effect was functional for both the helicopter view as well as from the ground level.



I wish I had taken more/better pictures of the scene before I lowered the curtain on the layout...

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Many thanks to our @seusscaboose and our friend Steve who came over last night and got CP Windsor into shape so traffic can now run in and out of the yard unimpeded by shorting frogs or non-functional turnouts.

Well, except for that one set of non-functional turnouts... but one is sure better than all of em!

[soo]

Ed,

 It's always good to have friends that can help. I like the street view pic,, looks,,, good. I know I would be happy with it.

Adios, Wyatt

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It's true. It's possible to do it alone, but it's so much easier and more fun with friends.

And thanks. It looks ok in person, but I'm still soliciting opinions.

[chicken45]

It's true. It's possible to do it alone, but it's so much easier and more fun with friends.

 

[seusscaboose]

Phrasing.

[sirenwerks]

I tried using a photo captured by Google Streetview.


I need to enlarge it, but it's not bad. With actual photo paper and ink, it'd be even better. I'm definitely encouraged.

I've been thinking about photo backdrops lately and was thinking, rather than try to take an image like that from a source like Streetview and blow it up and live with the obvious shortfalls it will present, why not resize it and use a painterly effect in GIMP (like Dilate or Oilify effects) or PS and make it look more like a painted backdrop?  Better to intentionally keep people from focusing on it and keeping them focused on the trains, is my thought, and it hides the quality challenges of a limited source, and makes blending of different photo sources somewhat easier.

[Philip H]

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Well folks, it sure does look railroady! Thanks for having us.

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[davefoxx]

Thanks for hosting last night, @Ed Kapuscinski, and allowing us to play with the layout.  It's coming along nicely.  It was great seeing everybody.  I'm sorry I'll miss the Rail-B-Q today.  Have fun!

Oh, and here's a picture I took that is totally plausible for December 1985 - the latest and greatest in Seaboard System power, B36-7s:



DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

It was my pleasure. It was great having you guys over, and definitely won't be the last time.

Also, BB, I had though about that, but haven't tried it. Maybe a project for this week.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Now that the pressure of getting the one half operating is gone, I can get back to work on the other side.





This is all based off of the scene here, with the Route 30 bridge added to break things up: http://binged.it/1sd5BG0

[Philip H]

While you are engaged in your civil works projects, consider where THIS might go in York:

http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Twin-Whistle-N-NY-Hook-Ladder-8-Kit-p/tws-n-ladder8.htm

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ha! I was actually JUST looking at that. It's very tempting.

[seusscaboose]

Who ya gonna call? !!!