My Layout

My Layout

My Layout.

My Layout started about 2 years ago just after our last child was born. There was ratty pool table in the basement when we moved in and it wasn't worth using for pool. I obtained a large piece of press board that I put ontop of the pool table to lay track on. I started with a loop that used 22" radius corners for the large Loco's that I run. It also had a second loop on the inside that had 15" radius curves and a seperate power supply. I have alway planned to have the layout run around the walls of the basement so I built a branch line that came over the inside and outside loops, crossed the inside loop and connected with the outside loop. I found that the grade that did this was to steep and that most all of my engines and cars derailed trying to go up it when they came to the crossing. It didn't take me long to realize that this plan wasn't going to work for a functioning layout. Over the next year I ended up removing the inner loop and the connecting branch. I roughed in a small hill at one end of the layout in out of foam. The layout sat for months with out anything happening with it. Just before this X-mas I moved the table to the other side of the room. This had the result of the hill moving to the other end of the table. I decided that a small town along the front of the table would work well. I am modelling the town on the towns that are along the CP line running north of Calgary. I grew up in Carstairs and got to drive a CP freight train throught town. SD40-2 #5779. Unfortunatly CP sold it to CN a few years ago. After X-mas I decided to landscape the hill in and the area surronding it. I started with grass mat and plaster cloth on the hill. After the plaster dried I airbrushed the hill green. This coat was absorbed by the plaster but it made a good base to place the grass on with. I used green for the basic color. After this had dried I airbrushed different greens onto the hill added ballast for rocks and then placed the trees.

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