# My new project



## GNfan

A while back I posted this to a thread asking whether or not the people in your layout had backstories: "Well, sometime around 1955 'Ma and Pa' found themselves empty-nesters, and sold their old house in town and bought a couple of acres off the highway and a shiny new single-wide mobile home. After a while Ma got tired of going to town to use the laundromat, so Pa bought a prefab shed and turned it into a laundry room. About 1960 their daughter came back home from college and 'Junior' finished his hitch in the Navy; and they bought their own shiny new single-wides and prefab garages and such. And so, Ladies and Gentleman, that's the history of the Shady Lane Mobile Home Park". Here's my plan - I have all of the Imex structures and some of the vehicles (a mix of Classic Metal Works and Busch). The rest of the vehicles and the two Woodland Scenics structures will get here someday. Comments are welcome.


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## PoppetFlatsRR

Build that puppy and they will come!!!!


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## GNfan

Thanks PoppetFlatsRR - I was beginning to wonder if anyone cared about N scale anymore. Tomorrow should prove interesting - I think the Busch vehicles (a 1950's Chevy pickup and Buick sedan) look small relative to the Classic Metal Works (a pair of 1950's Ford flatbeds and a pair of '59 Ford Fairlanes). Tomorrow I'm getting a pair of Classic Metal Works 1954 Ford pickups I can compare to the Busch Chevy. 

I'm waiting until I get everything together so I have a picture of what ~$250 of N scale scenery looks like before I start opening the little clamshells and possibly breaking stuff (I once pulled a tire off a Woodland Scenics vehicle unpacking it), and I decided with those flatbeds I'd better have a forklift. Last time I checked it hadn't left Maryland yet.

Feel free to laugh, but I'm seriously considering a 1' x 1' x 1/8" industrial floor tile ($0.84 each at Lowes.com) as my base. I want to be able to store this in something like a cake pan with a lid. My house has too many cats .


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## GNfan

*Update:* After comparing the Busch, Classic Metal Works, and 1:148 Oxford Diecast vehicles to each other, and to the one other N scale vehicle I've got - yes, that Woodland Scenics "Mickey's Milk" truck I pulled a wheel off of - I've decided that the Oxford Diecast, Classic Metal Works, and Woodland Scenics are all close enough to each other that they are the vehicles I'll use. I'm disappointed at how small the Busch "Lanz Bulldog" antique tractor is - it might fit in the bed of a Classic Metal Works Ford Pickup. But it was more supposed to be something Pa and Junior lovingly restored for a hobby; so I guess it's OK that it's "Pa's go-kart". I just hope my Artitech forklift doesn't look like a toy next to the Classic Metal Works Ford flatbeds. The USPS has misplaced it and "Ma's laundry room" somewhere between Cockeysville, MD and Spokane, WA.


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## Magic

GNFan, we're here, waiting for more updates.

Magic


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## GNfan

*Update 5/22:* My lost package came in today's mail. I'm astonished at how tiny and how detailed the forklift is. It looks like a small Hyster, maybe a 90 or 110 - and I bet all 4 wheels would fit on a penny. I'm now totally mystified as to what is a proper size for N scale vehicles; and this isn't going to b a big layout where some can be hidden away in a parking lot somewhere. My son with the fancy-pants digital camera said he'd take some pics for me tomorrow.


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## GNfan

*Change in plans . . .*

If you've been following the O gauge forum today, I hope you'll understand why I'm going to "negotiate with the CFO" and spend tonight trying to order what I think I want for "Phase 2". But I promised some pics, so here they are. The first shows what I mean by thinking the Busch vehicles seem small. A '59 Fairlane may have been a "boat" by today's standards, but was it really longer than a Buick sedan? The second pic is for laughs.


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## GNfan

*Update 5/24: *I spent ~$100 at hobbylinc.com on stuff I knew came from China, trying to beat any possible price increase due to the tariffs (Well, it was a good excuse, anyway).  When I first got the Imex 6340 "Maintenance Office" I thought it would make a cute little prefab cabin; and so last night I bought the "Country Cottage" to go with it, and it will go where the "Maint.Shed is on my map as rental cabins. I also bought a pair of Imex gas racks, a Woodland Scenics tin shed to be the well house, and two additional pairs of Classic Metal Works vehicles. And although it doesn't come from China I bought Junior an Oxford Diecast motorcycle with sidecar.

This weekend I hope to get out to Lowe's or Home Depot and find some of those floor tiles. And I want to look at sandpaper and see if I can simulate Eastern Washington scrub-steppe with blonde fine-grained sandpaper sealed with a couple of coats of flat clear Krylon.


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## GNfan

*My own private (west) Idaho*

Sometimes Eastern Washington feels more like West Idaho. 

Ok, here's my updated "map". I did get to Lowe's - those tiles are way too brittle. So I'm thinking of cutting a 18"x12"x¼" plastic cutting board into two 12"x8"x¼" pieces (with the handle in the scrap 12"x2"). That way, the 12"x8" pieces should fit comfortably 1n 13"x9" cake pans for safe storage. The red line represents the cut between the two pieces. 

I've been looking at figures - I'm thinking about how the "scene" represents a staged aerial shot, so everything is as clean as possible and some of the figures are waving - not goodbye, but at the hypothetical photographer in a helicopter who has the same point-of-view as the actual viewer.


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## GNfan

*Update 5/26:* If there's a scale discrepancy between the Classic Metal Works and Busch vehicles, the "tale of the tape" says the Busch ones are too small. I measure the length of those Classic Metal Works 1959 Ford Fairlanes to be 1 5/16 inches, which works out to 210 inches. The length I found online for a real '59 Fairlane is 208 inches. 

On a similar note, I've found out that some Tomytec N scale is clearly labelled 1:150 on the Japanese packaging.


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## GNfan

*Update 5/27:*

OK, I think I've come up with a "first go" on my figures. These are all Woodland Scenics. Pa & Ma are the two rightmost of "Full Figured Folks". Daughter is the woman in the blue dress and Junior is the guy in the t-shirt of "Ordinary People". The three center figures of "Rebels" and the girl with the bare midriff of "Ordinary People" are the cabin guests; and I'll get a second Oxford Diecast motorcycle with sidecar (sorry, Junior). And then among the unused males I hope to find a suitable husband for daughter - even in my college days (late 1970's) people joked about women who were there for their "Mrs. Degree".


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## PoppetFlatsRR

Sounds good, a lot of thought going into this addition. I had not thought of creating a story for my additions. I am sure it makes it more interesting for those seeing it.


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## GNfan

You know, N scale is so slow right now I'm just going to use this thread as my personal blog until teledoc or gunrunnerjohn tell me to knock it off. 

*Update 5/30/19:* When I first started planning this, I wanted to get some 20' shipping containers as storage buildings - which, at least today, are common enough here a mere 250 miles from the Port of Seattle. But at both modeltrainstuff.com and hobbylinc.com they're all more than $20/pair with some fancy magnetic coupling system. Today I stumbled across this:

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/mod...reen-containers-pennsylvania-railroad-474201/

For $7.99, those containers are coming off one way or another. 
While I was at it, I ordered those 3 sets of figures, another Oxford Diecast motorcycle & sidecar (a military one hobbylinc doesn't have), and a Woodland Scenics "Rusty's Regret" - a derelict car I hope fits in the bed of one of my Custom Metal Works Ford flatbeds. I don't see Ma & Pa as farmers - more just countrified city folk - so I'm working on what Ma decided to keep either as a hobby (like chickens) or as a pet (like a pony). Stay tuned.


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## GNfan

*Update 5/31/19*

I got the "Your order has been shipped!" e-mail for my hobbylinc.com order that includes the cottage and tin shed, but all that really means is that the USPS shipping label was generated.

I've noticed that there are some Woodland Scenics figures sets that seem identical to Noch sets (I've attached an example). So I'm going to take that to mean that Woodland Scenics and Noch figures probably come from the same factory, and I can freely intermix them without any noticeable difference in quality. So having said that, I think I'm going to skip the whole farm animals idea. That way I don't need a pen, sheds, etc.. What I can do is get the Noch set of dogs, some of which are some very large breeds, and I've already got the forklift to move the 100lb bags of dog food. All the shed that was going to be the chicken coop needs to be a big dog doghouse is a doggie door. Ma can have the really big ones {like the St. Bernard's) and Junior can have the Dobermans.


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## GNfan

One of these days I'll quit buying and start building.
*Update 6:1 *Based on the recommendations of a couple of members here, I placed a small order at The Western Depot. Two Oxford Die-cast vehicles, and a Bigfoot figure. One of the vehicles is an era-correct little Ford in case I don't think the motorcycles will work, and well, this is Sasquatch Country. He can be hiding behind the well house or something. The other vehicle is part of a "side collection" of Oxford Die-cast limousines. There are 6 models, and this one will make 5 I've got. 

So what do I still need? I don't have the dogs yet. I've found a Tomy kit I could use parts of. I find myself asking "what level of detail do I want to go to? Mailboxes? Trash cans? Power lines? I did find mailboxes, but they're unpainted castings. Ok, they're out on the main road. I can use unpainted cast metal 55-gal drums as trash cans, and I think I found some painted trackside electrical boxes I could use to imply underground utilities. I'm going to have to work on this.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/3:* The USPS says my order from hobbylinc.com (including the Imex cottage and Woodland Scenics tin shed) made it to Spokane this afternoon, so I should get it in tomorrow's mail. The USPS shipping label for my order from The Western Depot (vehicles and figures) has been created but not picked up, and I'm still waiting for modeltrainstuff.com to send me a "Your Order Has Been Shipped" e-mail, although I didn't place it until after COB last Thursday. That order is figures, vehicles, and that Model Power flatbed I may pull the shipping containers off of. (Note that I said "may" - it is Pennsylvania, which I like.) 

So unless I change my idea I should have all of my structures tomorrow. I've been looking at a Tomytec "Diesel Refueling Facility" just for it's out-buildings. The listing says its a kit, but I found the Japanese language instruction sheet, and the out-buildings are pre-assembled.

https://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/ttc/ttc262985.htm

Basically, I just have this feeling that at modeltrainstuff.com, hobbylinc.com and walthers.com that there's a big sign in the N scale scenery that says "All items discontinued when sold out". On another thread, someone (sorry, I've forgotten who) noted the bankruptcies, mergers and such among some of the EU manufacturers, and who knows what the tariffs will do to the supply of items made in China. I may have the rest of my life to build this and get the Plywood Prairie RR back up and running, but I'd rather get as much of it while I can. 

Is anyone else reading this, or am I just talking to myself?  Not that I don't do that anyway.


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## PoppetFlatsRR

Following along, not sure where we are headed with this tariff deal either. 

I actually have just about everything I need or want for my layout, and the rest I will scratch build. Anxious to see your trailer queen and king/country bumpkins or what ever you end up calling them

I am trying to get the intestinal fortitude up to build 16' N scale freeway all the way across my layout. I have the route planned, and ordered more heavy weight styrene for it. When it gets here, will no longer have the excuse not to start it. Still need to finish my power plant grid and cooling towers. Just too busy with work and getting ready to head to Colorado. 

Had hoped to do more research on Corkscrew narrow gauge, but it is still under 50 foot of snow most likely. The San Juans are under 673% of normal snow fall. It is going to be a nightmare when it starts to melt.


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## GNfan

Your layout is far more ambitious than mine will ever be, but TY for replying.


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## Magic

You're just talking to yourself.
Time to worry is when you start answering yourself.

With 575 views sombody is looking.

The tariffs won't bother me much, I have most all of the stuff I need for the layout.
Just need the time and ambition to get really working on it.

A pretty neat idea with an interesting backstory.
Looking for work to start.

Magic


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## GNfan

The truth is, I don't know how it's going to work out. When I drew up the map I had no dimensions and except for the one little garage had no idea where the side doors were, or that the trailers don't have back doors, or that one is longer than the other two. The next step is going to be fitting these together so that the garage doors point to the street without blocking the side doors and such, and I would like it to fit in 18"x12". So the next step is to try to set the larger buildings up in a roughly 11½" x 17½" shallow cardboard box (the lid from the kind of box printer paper comes in) using 0.94" painters tape to represent roads (~ 12' in N scale). That's as far of a plan as I've got. Other than a "visual joke" based on real-world experience: Junior, daughter's hubby, and a truck driver trying to figure out what to do next - because the little forklift isn't heavy enough to pick the derelict car (that they bought to restore) off of a flatbed trailer.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/4/17:*

Ok, my stuff from hobbylinc.com came today. The USPS says my order from The Western Depot should be here Thursday, and I got the "Your order has been shipped" e-mail from modeltrainstuff.com. I promised a photo of $250 of N scale scenery. I'm sure it's more than that by now. It's not a very good pic.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/6/19:* Both my outstanding orders came in the last two days. From modeltrainstuff.com: the two toyish shipping containers came off the Model Power flatbed easily although the car is trashed; the figures are tiny, the motorcycle & sidecar are nice, and the derelict car should fit on one of my Ford flatbeds. From The Western Depot: The bigfoot figure is tiny, the "era-correct" british Ford will make a nice alternative to the '59 Fairlanes, and the dark blue Daimler limo makes 5 out of the 6 I now have. I've already submitted another order to The Western Depot for the yeti figure to go with bigfoot, and two pieces of rolling stock I had to have. The 36' NP ice-bunker reefer goes with my "egg cars" (two different 40' ice-bunker reefers carrying eggs grown in Washington State to "points East"), and the Alaska Railroad caboose goes with my Bachmann ARR GP40. So what do I still need? I'd still like to have the Noch dogs set and I'd like to let Junior have the "military" motorcycle & sidecar and get the blue one for my "motorcycle gang". Beyond that, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll get a pair of Classic Metal Works beer trucks and have one making a delivery. They made Carling Black Label in Tacoma in the 1960's and 70's, so it's sort-of a Northwest brand.


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## GNfan

*Ok, here it is (sort of)*

Over the last few days I've figured out to get an actual 1" x 1" grid from Excel out of my printer; and then I transferred the "map" of the ShadyLane trailer park to it; and then with a lot of cutting and taping was able to finally set out my structures. The attached pictures does not match the map published earlier. I didn't set up my propane tanks, smaller vehicles or figures.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/10/19:* My order from The Western Depot came. A yeti figure and two nice pieces of new rolling stock for the Plywood Prairie RR. No one really knows what sasquatch looks like anyway; so the yeti can be the male and the bigfoot the female. I placed a new order at hobbylinc.com - another Imex "Maint. Handcart Office" for a third rental cabin, the blue Oxford Diecast motorcycle for my "motorcycle club", the Noch dogs and a "plain vanilla" set of Woodland Scenics figures called "People Walking" to get the figures for the third cabin. It's not as big as I expected, but that Busch Buick sedan is about the same size as the little UK Ford, so the new set of guests get it. I also found a use for that odd Imex "Maint. Shed" that isn't like it's picture - it's perfect for where Ma & Pa keep cleaning supplies, clean linens & towels, etc. for the rental cabins.


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## GNfan

*Musings:* To be frank about it, at 62 and suddenly disabled, I was giving serious thought to building an N scale "pizza box" layout to the best of my ability (and as my budget allows) so as not to put my son in "Half Throttle's" position someday, well before Half Throttle came along. I had decided to use Bachmann EZ-track because it's what I know, and 11 1/4" radius curve seems to be the only size with a Terminal/Rerailer. So based on some measurements taken on the Plywood Prairie RR, a 15"x15" square should fit comfortably inside a loop of 11 1/4" radius curve, and the loop should (barely) fit in a 2'x2' square "pizza box". (Ok, so it's a really big pizza.) If 15"x15" fits then so should 16"x14", and that's what I'm using because the modern-day "TV tray" I have my street map taped to is a hair more than 14" wide. 18"x12" (a common size for inexpensive, 1/8" thick plastic kitchen cutting boards) should also work. And so, there it is. The "ShadyLane Trailer Park and Cabins" isn't just a diorama made with supplies from online hobby shops catering to model railroaders (not there's anything wrong with that). There will be a moving train here someday. Probably a total "mash-up" of eras and roads; but hey - it's my layout and my rules. Stay tuned. 

If cost were no object, I'd get:
The Oxford Diecast VW bus w/surfboards
The Oxford Diecast VW bus pickup and make a cover for the bed from Gorilla tape
Both of the little Oxford Diecast travel trailers
A set of appropriate figures (surfers "on safari")
and expand the upper street to accomodate two trailer hookups. I'd also make the area on the far left look like a parking lot on the main road and get an Imex "Country Store" and put it in the upper left. . . . But I still need trees, street lights, etc., a loop of Bachmann track, and see if I can snag one of those new Bachmann GP40's in Alaska RR.


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## GNfan

If anyone cares, I found out (on an N scale forum) that Deluxe Innovations went out of business sometime in 2017. They made a number of N scale product lines; including a whole series of little corrugated steel buildings. I have two of them. There are a few at Amazon, although I think they're overpriced 

Also, BLMA, who makes N and HO accessories like trackside electrical boxes, has been part of Atlas since 2016.


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## Guest

GNfan, I like your trailer park town a lot. It looks "right". :thumbsup:


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## GNfan

Thanks, Country Joe.


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## GNfan

*More Musings: *I went looking for a locomotive & caboose that would better fit my favorite rolling stock; which is a small collection of wooden ice-bunker reefers with a Pacific Northwest theme - like the Rainier Beer reefer who's pic I posted to the current "Monday" thread on the O scale forum. I was surprised that there aren't any steam switchers currently available at modeltrainstuff.com or hobbylinc.com. The best I could come up with was a Kato Northern Pacific non-DCC EMD NW2 at hobbylinc and an Athearn SP&S caboose at The Western Depot. The Western Depot has a Bachmann "Jupiter" (a loco I've always liked) and modeltrainstuff has a Central Pacific bobber caboose - not exactly Pacific Northwest, but a loco I wouldn't mind having. Spookshow.net gives early Bachmann Jupiters a "C" and later ones a "B", and of course the Kato NW2 got an "A".

I think for now I'll go with my Alaska RR GP40 and caboose, but snag that SP&S caboose someday. Subject to change without notice.


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## Guest

I've been out of N for about 5 years but Bachmann made a 4-6-0 and a 2-6-0, both good runners with DCC and either would be appropriate for the reefers though I don't know if they made either in a Pacific northwest road. Model Power also made some small steam engines but I don't know about their quality or road names. Micro Trains Line made a very nice wood caboose. I don't know if any of these are still available but it's worth a look.


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## GNfan

Thanks again, Country Joe; but I didn't find much. So much is "Sold Out" at Bachmann's site. The closest I found was a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" w/DCC in UP; but this is for a loop of track so DCC is overkill and I'm not a UP fan. They have some painted but unlettered GE 70-tonners w/DCC and I have a cherry red painted but unlettered Bachmann caboose, but again I don't need the DCC which makes them more expensive than the non-DCC Kato NW2. I also looked at micro-trains but I didn't see anything "Pacific Northwest" and although Athearn isn't one of my favorite brands (quality issues) it's hard to pass up something SP&S. I should note that modeltrainstuff.com has a micro-trains GN caboose in Big Sky blue (that's numbered correctly!); but that's a really late color scheme.

Anything I'm going to do is a kludge, because the ICC banned "billboard" freight cars in 1931. The trailers are from the 1950's and I've tried to keep the vehicles pre-1960. One "bright spot" at Bachmann's site is that one of the "new tooling" Alaska GP40's (which got an "A" at spookshow.net) is listed as "Coming Soon". I bought something from them before and get their newsletter; and I'm willing to pay full MSRP for one. And I've got an Atlas caboose to go with it. I know it's not really Pacific Northwest and the GP40 didn't come out until 1965. Oh well.


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## GNfan

*A Retraction: *I must have missed it. I did find a suitable steam locomotive: Hobbylinc.com has a non-DCC Bachmann undecorated USRA 0-6-0 switcher with slopeback tender. Got an "A" from spookshow.net. That, the three reefers I've got, and that SP&S caboose at The Western Depot would make a nice little train.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/13/19: *I got the "Your Order has been Shipped" from hobbylinc.com today.

I googled (without the quotes) "n scale northern pacific caboose" and came up with an NIB Atlas green/yellow on evilbay for $30.99 "buy it now", from a seller in my state with 20-some pages of N scale. But I'm "putting the caboose before the locomotive". My trailer park still needs lots of work and $$$; and even if I buy no more trains (Perish the thought!) I can always use the older Bachmann ARR GP40 and caboose I've got, and when it wears out I've got another Bachmann GP40 mechanism I can put the ARR shell on.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/14/19* I ordered a 18" x 14" x 1/8" wood "Art Board" from Amazon.com to be the permanent base. It won't fit in a loop of EZ-track, but this material also comes in 24" x 30", and 18" x 14" should easily fit in a loop with two 5" straight pieces opposite each other. So I need to add 2" to the long side of my grid, which will fit on my TV tray. But that means I'll have space for another building (probably another Imex "Country Cottage") and another vehicle, and I want some BLMA "Trackside Electrical Boxes" to imply underground utilities . . . I see at least one more hobbylinc.com order. Ok, see you later - I've got work to do expanding the map by 2". I'll probably wait for the board to get here before printing and taping it.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/16/19: *My order from hobbylinc.com (an "office" to be another cabin, two sets of figures, and another motorcycle and sidecar) left Spokane this afternoon; so it should be in tomorrow's mail. I placed another hobbylinc.com order: another Imex "Country Cottage" to be a 4th rental cabin and an Oxford Diecast early Austin Mini. I think I'm becoming an expert on the "spotting features" of late 50's-early 60's UK and German vehicles; and the only US ones are the Custom Metal Works '59 Fairlanes and one or two Woodland Scenics "Autoscenes" that don't have an unremovable figure somewhere. I've run out of era-appropriate vehicles.

It looks like we lost "Half Throttle". And I don't know what to tell "Annmarie" except to prepare to be disappointed. If it's not imported brass, "daddy's old N scale" with it's open-frame motors, frozen gearboxes, and truck-mounted Rapido couplers may not be worth a whole lot. But I could be wrong - it's happened before.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/17/19: *My order from hobbylinc.com came: cabin #3, another Oxford Diecast motorcycle & sidecar, and two sets of figures; one of them dogs. Also, my 14"x18" board came from Amazon.com. After looking it over (and considering it cost < $10), I ordered another one so I can "monkey" with this one and have a fresh one for when I build the version where everything gets permanently glued down. I've still got one outstanding hobbylinc.com order out there - cabin #4 and an era-appropriate Austin Mini. I missed out on an Oxford Diecast vehicle I thought I wanted; and I noticed that after my order was processed the dogs went OOS, so although I'm probably done except for trees and maybe little electrical boxes if I see something I want I'll order it.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/19/19: *I bought a 20"x15" plastic tray at Amazon.com - those Classic Metal Works and Oxford Diecast vehicles are free-rolling! I placed an order at modeltrainstuff.com - trees that grow around here. I figure ~3" isn't too tall for N scale: that's 40 feet. The sycamore in my yard is much taller than my 2-story house. I also bought another set of figures; this one is the Woodland Scenics "Children". I've been going crazy over vehicles and cabin guests (I'm "scraping the barrel" for era-appropriate vehicles). Coming up with guests for the first two cabins was easy: I bought a set of ruffianly-looking figures and two Oxford Diecast motorcycles with sidecars. Each one has a driver, a rider behind the driver, and a passenger in the sidecar; and borrowing a young woman from another set gave me 3 men and 3 women - and this being somewhere in the Kennedy Administration the guys were in one cabin and the girls in another. The guests in third cabin are a family like my family (which is why I bought the "Children" set) plus my late mother-in-law on one of our many road trips - but somebody bought the last Oxford Diecast "Morris Minor Traveler" at hobbylinc.com and I refused to buy the ugly-as-sin Lemke "Citroen HY minibus" at modeltrainstuff.com. I've got a Jaguar sedan for them. But I don't have a good idea for the 4th cabin yet.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/21/19: *
1) I placed an order with Fifer Hobby Supply: they had two different Oxford Diecast "Humber Super Snipes" which ought to be era-appropriate, some prepainted cast resin structures from Model Tech Studios I had never seen, and a set of the Woodland Scenics "Dogs and cats" that I wanted. The structures seem to be things out of a railroad yard; but I ordered a little brick shed and a metal garage; and I'll figure out what to do with them.
2) I got the "Your Order has been Shipped" e-mail from modeltrainstuff.com yesterday. A Woodland Scenics "Children" figures set and some trees.
3) A couple of days ago the status of my order at hobbylinc.com changed to "Order Delayed", and the explanation seems to be that when they went to pick my order they found that one of my items was OOS. I got the "Your Order has been Shipped" e-mail this afternoon.
About a week ago I asked "What do I still need?" and all I could think of was trees and electrical boxes. But it occurred to me that the bikers need some sort of vehicle for their stuff if they're going to have passengers in the sidecars. And I need to look at my figures again and decide who's in the other cottage now that I know I'm getting it.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/22: *My package from modeltrainstuff.com came. I'd never seen Woodland Scenics trees before - they'll put the shade in ShadyLane for sure.

Anthony Bourdain once said: "There's a fine line between perfection and overkill". I count 5 buildings, 6 accessories (propane tanks & electrical boxes), 6 vehicles and 20+ figures . . . just in my "rental cabins" area! That's overkill - and I've bought most of it already. I'm seriously considering splitting this into two projects and making one a static diorama with a "stuffed and mounted" train along two of the outer edges (probably the loco and two cars of my "McKinley Explorer" plus that ARR caboose). I "test fit" a quarter-circle plus two bumpers of EZ-track on my board and the train on it and they'll fit quite nicely with a 2½" fitter piece. I'm going to let the bikers have my Daimler hearse and if I do that one of the families in one of the cottages can have the white sedan; and I can borrow figures from the trailer park to complete the second family in the cottage that's "in the mail" - I'm about one Oxford Diecast Vehicle and a set of BLMA electrical boxes from having the shopping for the "rental cabins" area done.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/25: *In the last two days I got both my Fifer Hobby Supply order and my latest hobbylinc.com order. I'm definitely going back to Fifer for more Model Tech Studios pre-painted stuff, and the "Humber Super Snipes" are nice family mid-sizes. I need at least one more hobbylinc order - another of those "Maint. Offices" I'm using as rental cabins, the red motorcycle & sidecar, and a fancy car for the guests in cottage #2. This "town" is really taking shape.


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## Guest

I think it's getting to be time for some new photos.


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## GNfan

OK, Country Joe, tomorrow. I'm still at the "buildings on 1" square graph paper" stage; but it's been a lot of fun. Like those halcyon days-of-yesteryear where the structures were made from Legos, the vehicles were Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and Johnny Lightning, and the figures were the little (~½" tall) green army men. :thumbsup:

I placed another hobbylinc.com order tonight. They showed the Oxford Diecast "Morris Minor Traveller" back in stock, so I ordered one of those, the red motorcycle & sidecar, and an era-appropriate Jaguar sedan. Plus another "Maint. Office" for rental cabin #5, and a set of Faller "Casks and Tubs". I'm getting an idea what to build out of the Micro Tech Studios pre-painted structures and scenery details at Fifer Hobby Supply - or the tubs can be water dishes for the dogs.


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## GNfan

*Here you go, Country Joe*

This is a nice "helicopter shot". I like this arrangement, although I need another inch between the backs of the cottages and the trailer and garages. Note that I've got a big HO scale crate "standing in" for the 5th cabin (which I ordered last night). I'm almost out of space for anything else. The little building sitting by itself on the lower left is that Model Tech Studios brick shed I got from Fifer Hobby. I want two or three more of those pieces and try to make something that suggests Pa brews his own beer or cider.


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## GNfan

*Update 6/28/19: *I got the "Your order has been shipped" e-mail from hobbylinc. com today (cabin #5, two "era appropriate" Oxford Diecast vehicles, and a set of casks and tubs). I asked for suggestions on how to proceed on a scenery thread. I got some good ideas; and my next hobbylinc order will have a "Summer Grass" mat and a "Desert Sand" mat. The small ones cost < $5 each - I can monkey with them and see if I can make it work. 

In the next day or two I'll be placing another order with Fifer Hobby - I want some more of those Model Tech Studios cast resin structures, and they have a set of era appropriate Classic Metal Works tanker trucks I could use someday, so I might as well get them now.


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## GNfan

*Another approach*

I ordered three more little structures by Model Tech Studios and a pair of era appropriate Classic Metal Works tanker trucks from Fifer Hobby Supply. 

In "my minds eye" the trailer park and the rental cabins don't go together. What goes with the rental cabins is the Imex General Store and the Bachmann Ice Cream Stand. Why? Because circa 1970 all three existed (or at least something like them) within a mile or two radius on the road out of Granite Falls, WA up to Mt. Pilchuck State Park. 

And why am I telling you this? The attached photo is the trailer park spread out over most of an 14"x18" Art Board, with a quarter-turn of Bachmann EZ-track taking up some of the space. I think this would look good as a static diorama with some of the cheaper freight cars from my collection permanently glued to the track. I didn't fill in the road - the entrance is to the lower right.


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## GNfan

*Musings:*The USPS shows my latest order from hobbylinc.com as "On Time" for delivery tomorrow; but it hasn't made it to Spokane yet, and if it doesn't get there before around 1 AM tomorrow it will spend all day there. 

I found a new manufacturer of pre-built N scale structures I may check out. They're called "Old West Scenery" (the owner is apparently a member here) and they make laser-printed structures for "wild west" era layouts. Fifer Hobby has some of their unpainted ones, and the smaller ones are no more expensive than Imex, so I might get one and just explain that "it's well white-washed". 

If anyone's still reading this, I have a "good manners" question. Suppose there's something you want that the manufacturer shows as "in stock". Up until now, you've been getting things from this manufacturer from an online dealer; but this item isn't on their website. Do you buy it from the manufacturer, or ask your dealer if they can get it for you?


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## traction fan

*Ordering stuff*



GNfan said:


> *Musings:*The USPS shows my latest order from hobbylinc.com as "On Time" for delivery tomorrow; but it hasn't made it to Spokane yet, and if it doesn't get there before around 1 AM tomorrow it will spend all day there.
> 
> I found a new manufacturer of pre-built N scale structures I may check out. They're called "Old West Scenery" (the owner is apparently a member here) and they make laser-printed structures for "wild west" era layouts. Fifer Hobby has some of their unpainted ones, and the smaller ones are no more expensive than Imex, so I might get one and just explain that "it's well white-washed".
> 
> If anyone's still reading this, I have a "good manners" question. Suppose there's something you want that the manufacturer shows as "in stock". Up until now, you've been getting things from this manufacturer from an online dealer; but this item isn't on their website. Do you buy it from the manufacturer, or ask your dealer if they can get it for you?


GNfan;

I've done it both ways, sort of. I still have a local brick & mortar train store. To help them stay in business, I've ordered things through them, even Tamiya paint, which they don't stock. However, there are limits to my "support your local hobby shop" sentiments. When I can buy brass tubing online, including shipping, for less then a third of what the train store wants for the same thing, I buy online. If you have feelings for your online dealer, and want to at least ask him to order what you want, then that would be nice. If he can't, or wont order it, or if his price is really way more than the manufacturer's, you might want to order directly from the manufacturer.

regards;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## GNfan

The dealers price for a similar item is actually a little lower. The item would cost less either way than it will cost to ship it USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground. Don't you hate that? 

*Upon Further Review: *Forget about it. This is all over a pair of modern ice machines (like outside a 7-11) that are wrong for the trailer park's era anyway.


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## GNfan

*Ice vending*

I got to thinking about it, and remembered that there was an ice "vending machine" in my town in the 1960s and early 1970s, but it was almost the size of a 20-foot shipping container. Like the pic on the left. Maybe I can start with the "Jacksonville Terminal Company 2018 Holiday" (the pic on the right) and come up with something


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## GNfan

*Update 7/2: *My order from hobbylinc.com arrived. I didn't expect the "Casks and Tubs" to be an easy-to-assemble kit, but it's not a big deal. What I was really after was the tubs for dog water dishes; and all I have to do is cut them off the sprue. I also got the "Your order has been shipped" e-mail from Fifer Hobby; although all that really means is that the shipping label was created.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/5/19: *My package from Fifer Hobby is somewhere between El Paso, TX and Spokane. Woodland Scenics was ~25% off at Hobbylinc.com, so I ordered another set of trees, a grass mat to fiddle with, and another set of figures. I also bought another Imex garage and a set of three non-working Model Power HO scale street lights that were 47% off. They're supposedly 1½" tall (20' in N scale) and less than $5.00. Worth a try at that price. 

My wife has a Kindle Fire, an Amazon Prime account, is always on some "cheap deals at Amazon" site, and buys almost anything but food (so far) there. Is it sexist to call her an "Amazon Queen"? Anyway, I made the comment that I could use one of those paper cutters that's like a machete bolted to the right side of a board for cutting grass mat and sandpaper and such . . . and my son remarked it would make quick work of cutting dryer sheets . . . it will be here Monday. BTW: Maybe it's that I'm in an area sufficiently rural not to have Uber or Lyft; but it's still the USPS and FedEx making Amazon deliveries here.


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## PoppetFlatsRR

I bought a upper grade paper cutter. I use it to cut 40K styrene. Works fantastic. It has become one of my favorite tools. Will order another one, I think it cost me 25.00 on Amazon. Lighter styrene will be a piece of cake. 

I made a small two story train station for a friend using it. All of my new projects, I have used that paper cutter a lot. Pretty sure you are going to find all sorts of new ideas and will find them much easier to do using it. Square is made easy with it.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/6: *Both the paper cutter and my order from Fifer Hobby came today. Gee, guess what? Remember those "ice vending machines" I thought I wanted? Turns out Model Tech Studios discontinued the walk-in freezer and re-used the item # for those machines; and Fifer Hobby didn't notice the change. I've had a pleasant exchange of e-mails with Robin Fifer about this; and that I'm not unhappy in any way and was just letting them know. The vehicles are nice and I'm going back for more of those little "electrical boxes" - they look great covering the ugly "storage for rent" signs on one side of the green Imex garages. The Model Tech Studios brick shed #1 is nice but too big for a "guard shack" at the entrance. It will go somewhere, someday.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/7/19*

I placed another order at Fifer Hobby Supply last night. Two more of those little Model Tech Studios "Electrical Boxes", a set of "Stoops and Steps" for one of my trailers, a pair of the large BLMA trackside electrical boxes (they're OOS everywhere else), a pair of "SP style" trackside call box booths, and an Old West Scenery "Trading Post". The BLMA boxes are to "fake" underground utilities, one of the call box booths goes at the entrance (instead of a guard shack) and I think most people understand that a building signed "Trading Post" with an ice vending machine on the front porch is probably a mom-and-pop convenience store. This one is "3D printed and laser annealed" so I don't expect it to have the black highlights of the example, but like I said, it's well white-washed. 

I went to Ace hardware and got 2 kinds of sandpaper: light brown 150 grit multi-purpose to simulate dirt areas, and black 400 grit wet-dry to simulate tarmac. I've got some green construction paper; so now that I've got my paper cutter and almost all of my major structures I can do some more photos in the next day or two.


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## Chaostrain

Sandpaper for modeling. I never thought of that. I'll have to keep that in mind. Thank you!


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## GNfan

I saw someone model a dirt road that way in the "My layout" forum (Atlanta, I think); although I got the idea from traction_fan; who was actually suggesting it to "fake" ballast under turnouts. 

*Correction: *Well, I was close. It was Atlanta, in a thread called "Wood or Plastic?" on the "Structures" forum.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/8: *I got the "Your order has been shipped" e-mail from Fifer Hobby today.

*Musings: *I've been going over in my head how to build a layout on a card table, and I think I've come up with an answer. Understand that I don't have: a truck to bring lumber home from Lowes; an assortment of power tools (I have a drill, a saber saw, and a pad sander so old they're corded, and a Dremel), any particular woodworking skill (although I did used to binge-watch "New Yankee Workshop"), or any place to put a layout other than a 13"x~48" wire shelf - and I'm not interested in a switching-only shelf layout.

This "art board" I'm using (it's like the wood of a wooden clipboard) comes in assorted sizes - the one I'm working on is 14"x18", and they also come in 11"x14". If I could frame one of each of those together along a 14" edge; I'd have a board that was 14"x29" and would fit on my shelf. There's space for another shelf, so let's build a second 14"x29" board. Now if I have some way to connect them along the 29" edge but take them back apart (I'm thinking carriage bolts and wingnuts thru holes in the framing) I have 28"x29", and a standard card table is 34"x34". My calculations show that a loop of Bachmann EZ-track with 5" straight sections opposite from each other should fit in 28"x29"; and a 14"x18" "scenery piece" (which is what I'm building) should fit in the infield. 

I'll try to draw this in Excel. And I need to get those art boards. I'd rather have them sit on my shelf in their wrappers than get around to this two years from now and find one had been discontinued.


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## GNfan

*What I have in mind*

All dimensions are approximate.


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## traction fan

*Hinged layout?*



GNfan said:


> All dimensions are approximate. [
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> GNfan;
> 
> It looks like it would work, based on your drawing. It would be an extremely basic "layout" a circle. That's quite OK, if that's what you want, or if that's the maximum space you have. I don't see where the card table comes in. You mentioned a shelf, and gave dimensions for it. You say you plan to build a second shelf, and attach it to the front of your present shelf. Is the card table to go under this second shelf and support it? The wood part of the clipboards I've seen, owned, used, is Masonite. You can get that in larger pieces (2' x 4' for example) that would eliminate the joints between art boards. Home Depot/Loews will cut it to size for you.
> If you want, you could mount the extension shelf on a piano hinge and be able to fold it up out of the way. Speaking of fold away layouts, maybe you could even build something bigger, as long as it could be folded, or otherwise moved and stored out of the way.
> If you can possibly get more length, perhaps by attaching the new shelf end-to-end along the shorter dimension of the shelves, that would be a better shape, in my opinion, than an obvious circle. Yet you say you don't want a switching layout. In that case. for the long narrow shape to allow continuous running, the shelves would have to go all the way around the room. The only other continuous running option I can think of would be using deeper sections at the end of each shelf, big enough to hold turn back loops.
> 
> All this is purely theoretical "spit-balling," since I don't know your available space. I'm just putting some alternatives out there, for you to consider and decide on.
> 
> good luck, and have fun with whatever you choose;
> 
> Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## GNfan

I guess my drawing is a little crude - the track isn't a circle but like a racetrack; with two little 5" straightaways that straddle the yellow line and aren't permanently attached (I'm thinking little Atlas bridges). The idea is that as I've pictured it, it's sitting on a 34"x34" foldable card table. When I'm done watching the train go around in a circle, the "scenery piece" comes off, and then board comes apart at the yellow line. Each half goes on one of the shelves, the "scenery piece" goes in a shallow Rubbermaid or Sterilite tub with a lid and the two bridges with it. I've done some experiments and Bachmann EZ-track and Atlas code 80 generally work together and you can actually span a 5" gap in EZ-track with nothing more than a 5" piece of Atlas code 80 and the train will never notice. Enough of the end of the Atlas track sits on the end of the EZ-track to support it. But for appearance I want bridges and something the ends of the bridges can rest on and cover the ends of the EZ-track ("cribbing" made from HO ties?)

Yeah, I know I'm going to want a power connector on each half, and it does seem a lot of work for a little train chasing it's caboose. But considering how little my house is, a train chasing it's caboose beats no train. Just ask "Full Throttle".


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## GNfan

*Update 7/10: *I got the "Your order has been shipped" email from hobbylinc.com. My order from Fifer Hobby got to Spokane, so it should be in tomorrow's mail. I ordered the art boards from amazon.com. 

Musings: I got to thinking about it, and I may not need the bridges and such. If I can disable the locking pins on the EZ-track, I can do it with 5" sections of EZ-track, which is a lot cleaner. I went looking for flower bushes for the trailer park. if I want them, they'll have to be HO.


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## traction fan

*Sounds good*



GNfan said:


> I guess my drawing is a little crude - the track isn't a circle but like a racetrack; with two little 5" straightaways that straddle the yellow line and aren't permanently attached (I'm thinking little Atlas bridges). The idea is that as I've pictured it, it's sitting on a 34"x34" foldable card table. When I'm done watching the train go around in a circle, the "scenery piece" comes off, and then board comes apart at the yellow line. Each half goes on one of the shelves, the "scenery piece" goes in a shallow Rubbermaid or Sterilite tub with a lid and the two bridges with it. I've done some experiments and Bachmann EZ-track and Atlas code 80 generally work together and you can actually span a 5" gap in EZ-track with nothing more than a 5" piece of Atlas code 80 and the train will never notice. Enough of the end of the Atlas track sits on the end of the EZ-track to support it. But for appearance I want bridges and something the ends of the bridges can rest on and cover the ends of the EZ-track ("cribbing" made from HO ties?)
> 
> Yeah, I know I'm going to want a power connector on each half, and it does seem a lot of work for a little train chasing it's caboose. But considering how little my house is, a train chasing it's caboose beats no train. Just ask "Full Throttle".


 Now I understand a bit better. You have only that space, no more; and you want continuous running. That limits you to an oval. 
You refer to the second, front, shelf as "the scenery piece." If you plan to build scenery, here are some thoughts/questions. Is there any chance of cutting away part of the shelf below the bridges? This would give a reason for having bridges. Perhaps the creek I suggested, that would border the trailer park, could pass under the bridges? That would give the "trailer trash" folks someplace to fish.  It would also let you put larger, actual abutments under the ends of the bridges, though cribbing for a very low bridge/culvert is a good idea.
If the scenery included some form of view block that separated the oval into two scenes, that would help disguise the "round-and-round" look. If your original, fixed, shelf is attached to the wall, or part of a piece of furniture, then the view block could be a hinged/removable backdrop along part of the line between the two shelves. Can you post a photo of your existing shelf? I'm not able to visualize it from your description.

Going further, if you want, you might use a turnout, or two, instead of straight track, on one, or both, sides of your oval. Yes. I know turnouts on bridges are quite rare, but there are some real-life examples. This is particularly true when the bridge is very low, or it's just a culvert cut into the roadbed. Or you could simply forget the bridge, in favor of a turnout.

Having two separate scenes, with a siding in each, would allow some basic operation, setting out, and picking up cars, along with running around the oval. If you choose do this, I recommend using Peco turnouts, for their reliability. Atlas code 80 "snap switches" and Bachmann EZ-track turnouts are not known for reliable operation, to put it mildly.  The Bachmann EZ-track ones are also quite expensive. On your small layout, switch machines wont be needed. They would just add cost, and be in the way. Just flip the Peco turnout(s) by hand. Their built-in spring will keep the points in place. Or you could use Caboose Industries ground throws, if you prefer.
Power connectors shouldn't be a problem. Any two-terminal plug & jack set will work.

have fun;

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## GNfan

*Note:*When I use the word "infield", I mean the auto racing sense of "the area inside the racetrack" and not the baseball sense.

Actually, my idea is that the "scenery piece" is a third 14"x18" sitting in the middle of the infield that can be lifted out and safely stored when not in use. My idea is to build up the remaining area in the infield with cardboard to the same level (1/8") out to the EZ-track, and then cover it with some appropriate scenery mat (I've seen some JTT Scenery "wild grass" ones that could work).

One of the reasons I abandoned the Plywood Prairie RR was how long in took to set up my collection of little buildings and such. The solution I came up with was a lavishly scenicked "scenery piece" on a single board - and that's what the "ShadyLane Trailer Park and Rental Cabins" will be. And if I can wangle more permanent "right-of-way" for a permanent layout, I can move it without taking it apart.


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## GNfan

It's this kind of thing,

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rubbermaid-TightMesh-4-ft-L-x-20-in-D-White-Wire-Shelf/3338622

with the existing one being about 6 feet off the floor and space for another at 6½ feet. The 14"x29" section below the yellow line on my diagram goes on one shelf when not in use, the 14"x29" section above the yellow line goes on the other, and my 14"x18" "scenery piece" goes on the lid a upside-down plastic tub.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/11: *I should have gone out for a Slurpee. 

My order from Fifer Hobby came today. The "Trading Post" definitely needs paint, but it's the kind of building I wanted. The "SP style" call boxes will work at the entrance, the BLMA trackside boxes are what you'd expect, the steps will work for the trailer that doesn't have them, and the Micro Tech Studios "Electrical Boxes" will go with the green Imex garages. This order gets :thumbsup::thumbsup:

So what do I still need? I thought Ma should have rose bushes or something in front of her trailer, but all I found was HO. For totally frivolous reasons I want the Woodland Scenics "Black Bears" figures, and park benches or picnic tables in the grassy areas would be nice. I saw cast metal N scale V-8 engines at Fifer Hobby and I've got plenty of trees, and I could use thread for rope . . . nahhh. The USPS projects my hobbylinc.com order to arrive Saturday. We'll see.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/12: *My boards and my order from hobbylinc.com came. The trees are - trees, and the figures are (as always) tiny, and the Imex garage is my third one. The grass mat is interesting. The real surprise are the 47% off HO streetlights. They're actually meant to be working - not with LED'S, but tiny 14V, 30mA incandescent bulbs from the AC supply on a "power pack". Since all but one of my structures are cast resin and virtually impossible to light, I think I'll cut off the leads inside the base. But I don't think they're oversized; and if they're still available at the discounted price next time I order from hobbylinc.com, I'd order another set.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/13/19 Slight change of plans: *To "make a long story short", my wife decided she would rather I use the scenery mat Woodland Scenics calls "Desert Sand" for roads and parking lots rather than use the new paper cutter to cut sandpaper (so no "tarmac", which is probably more accurate anyway). She also agreed that the brownish-green "Summer Grass" mat I had bought wasn't green enough. (I can use it when I fill in the areas between my "scenery piece" and the EZ-track.) Woodland Scenics was still on sale at hobbylinc.com, so this morning I ordered two 12"x14" sheets of "Green Grass" and two 12"x14" sheets of "Desert Sand". I also ordered a set of 1950's 7-Up vending machines (the upright one goes next to an ice machine on the porch of the Trading Post), a set of pallets (to go with the forklift), another set of those HO Model Power street lights, a set of HO JTT Scenery "potted plants" to put out in front of Ma's trailer, and (since Woodland Scenics was still on sale) that set of bear figures. I'm thinking of staging a "tourist kitsch" scene of the standing bear defending her cubs against the Model Tech Studios Yeti figure out behind the Trading Post. They're meant to be statues guests can take pictures with. Elsewhere, an actual sasquatch (the Model Tech Studios bigfoot) and one of the other bears are casually walking along like a scene from "Grizzly Adams".


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## Guest

I agree with your wife. I don't care for the Summer Grass mat. On my layout I used the Green Grass mat.


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## GNfan

*Musings, and more*

I was looking at that Faller "Casks and Tubs" kit I bought (not realizing it was a kit), and it occurred to me how simple it would be to use the casks as planter boxes -just leave off one of the sides and add a pinch of ballast material. In a similar vein, the stoops in the Micro Engineering "Steps and Stoops" are just little "battleship grey" plastic boxes I could pass off as concrete blocks. If they're too tall for Junior's trailer, they could be used for "Rusty's Regret". Maybe I do want that pack of V-8 engines. "If your kids use an engine hanging from a tree as a swing . . ." - Jeff Foxworthy 

While I was moving my buildings around, I came to the realization that (for me) that the simplest thing to do was to make a 2" wide "green belt" of grass and trees around the edge of my board, filling the center with a big parking lot, and putting the cabins and trailers around the edge for the shade. I made the attached diagram in Excel and Paint originally to figure out how many trees I needed. The "caption" notes there are 12 trees and I've got 13. One is a big Oak tree - maybe I can make a little grassy area near the Trading Post, put the oak tree in it, and stage "Mama Bear & Cubs vs. Yeti" beneath it.


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## GNfan

*Update 7/18: *I got the "Your order has been shipped" e-mail for my latest hobbylinc.com order; but all that means is that the shipping label was created. I wouldn't be surprised if the USPS doesn't actually have it until Monday. I got out to my local Home Depot today. I bought some wooden yardsticks and a small plank to frame the art boards into a 28"x29"; and some hand tools like a square and a small hand saw. 

*Oops: *When I wrote: "I wouldn't be surprised if the USPS doesn't actually have it until Monday." I must have thought yesterday was Friday. I'm starting to have what my mom calls "senior moments".


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## GNfan

I didn't mean to, but I accidentally started a new thread :
https://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=182594

so if anyone's still with me, let's continue over there.


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