# My layout



## jprater1

I started about 3 years ago, and didnt really pattern it off of anything but imagination. Most of the mountains I made out of drywall mud and cheese cloth. I had to buy stuff that was green, tree's and such. I use Ross switches, Ross track and Gargraves track. 

I still am working on the background, I havent really come up with a solution to paint that. I am not good a drawing things or painting, I can make just about anything from looking at a picture, or blue prints, but can barely draw stick figures. 

I plan on adding tree's, lots of them, just need to figure out a cheap way of doing them. 

My next project I was planning on doing with it is making some coal cars or flat bed cars maybe. Thats if I ever get time. Maybe when I do I will post a build thread. I plan on making them out of aluminum. Should be cool. 

Hopefully some of the pictures show up.


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## jprater1

a few more


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## Ranger

that looks great!


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## Magic

Very nice layout and it looks BIG.  :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:

Magic


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## California RailFan508

Nice work, jprater1. Looking forward to future updates/images on your layout's progress. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## jprater1

thanks, Whenever I get caught up on my work I plan on trying to make stuff. I have one area that is a lake I am working on, and thought about making a "flying Saucer" that crashed in it. I just need to free up the mill for a couple days to do it. 




Can I use my own host to post pictures, I use picture trail and pay for the service so there is not adds or other undesirable pop ups, or do you all prefer the site to host them? its just easier to post what I can see from my site


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## wingnut163

try www.http://photobucket.com/

people will tell you that its not a good sight.

its because if you move a picture,rearrange an album, the picture on the form will disappear.
i have used it for 6/7 years and i have yet to have a picture go missing.


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## Fire21

Boy, I envy you guys with tons of room...but that equates to tons of $$ expended too.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I updated your post to put the pictures in-line.

Personally, I prefer people upload the pictures directly to our site. While some folks swear by PhotoBucket, a lot of people forget they have links to pictures here and move or delete them at a later date. That makes the threads with the pictures pretty worthless many times. If you upload them here, they'll never disappear unless you want them to.


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## doorman29

Wow, that looks awesome and HUGE!


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## Big Ed

Nice Jeff ,welcome to the site. :smilie_daumenpos:

Looking at the back of the roundhouse it looks huge.
That is only 4 bay?
You didn't scratch build that did you?

We have tree threads, use the search.......type scratch trees.

It should bring up this page,
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/search.php?searchid=919652

Look through the threads. Make your own or,
If you want a lot of trees pretty cheap you can find them on e bay, one seller I can think of is wehonest.  I and others have got stuff from them, not bad deals.
I can search for the threads if you want a lot of cheap trees to fill in spots.


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## raleets

big ed is so right....."we honest" from China has supplied a boat load of trees on my layout.
They're cheap (would expect that, right?), look decent, and arrive within a couple weeks or sooner.  
The Dollar Stores also can supply trees at a reasonable price, but I wouldn't know anything about that..... right, big ed?


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## jprater1

Here is a few more I took tonight, This is what it looks like so far. I just added the coal mine stuff. Since I work with metal, some of my buildings and the turn table are made from 14 gauge steel. Got to use what you got the most of right? its cheap to. a 4x8 sheet of 14 gauge is only about $50.00. the CNC stuff to cut it all is a different story, but hey might as well have fun to. 

The "bridges" to get in the center are swing up, just hinged and use alignment pins to guide them in place. I plan on making them look like bridges some day. steel of course. It is kinda big I guess, I wanted the whole basement, but the old lady said no. Good thing though, it could get expensive.


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## jprater1

*This is my future pond, of a crash landing of a "flying saucer" *


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## jprater1

one more. The telephone poles are made from 3/16" steel rod, I even welded insulators on them and painted them green. they turned out better than I expected. The rod has been outside on the steel rack for some time and was good a rusty, which make them look like wood poles.


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## jprater1

Thanks for the info on the tree's, as you can see I would have to take out a loan for the amount of tree's and greenery I need. I also need people and critter's, but some of those are crazy money to. 

I have seen some other cool stuff I would like to figure out how to make, one is a working playground, and the house on fire. I have been in the fire service for 25 years so it is a must. My business is military and weapons related, thats why you will see stuff like that, and I have a welding shop in the town next to the surplus store. only fitting I guess.


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## Big Ed

big ed said:


> Nice Jeff ,welcome to the site. :smilie_daumenpos:
> 
> Looking at the back of the roundhouse it looks huge.
> That is only 4 bay?
> You didn't scratch build that did you?


:dunno:


Some flickering red led lights and a fan driven smoke unit smoke will make the burning house look on fire. 

A thread on the flickering led for you to look at if you want,
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=15380&highlight=campfire+led


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## jprater1

Thanks Big Ed,
The round house was a Korbor steam era kit, it was a 3 bay and I added 1 more. I have to give those folks credit, it is a real nice structure. 

I do have pictures someplace of the layout before, and as I went, those are always fun to look back on to get an idea how far it has come.

The switches and the round house was where the most money is, The track wasnt to bad, but man that big one in the rail yard.... let me just say..... whooooooweee. glad there was only a need for one!! most of the other buildings were $50.00 and under, the firehouse was was over that. But hey, we all need a hobby or three, and its just money, if you dont spend it the old lady will.


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## dfischer

Looks to me like you have tons of talent!


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## jprater1

thanks, a lot of the ideas probably came from this site, I finally decided to join. I am on a bunch of gun forums and just never had time to join another one. I posted most of my pictures there, but those lacked the info and ideas you guys have.


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## Big Ed

It is a nice looking round house, I guess the windows are tinted blue?
I like the lighted blue look to it.

That is the only problem with O round houses they take up a lot of room.
It is too back you couldn't have added a little rail leading into the house, off the turntable.
I only had room for a small section getting into mine.
The doors need a little weathering?

I like the turntable pit, I have the Atlas turntable.


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## jprater1

I need to weather everything, just lack of time. Normally the only time I have left for the train is when I come in for dinner around 6 to 9 PM. Being self employed behind the house has its advantages and disadvantages. 

The lighting inside that is a small LED lantern, it looks really cool in low light. it was another re-purpose of a existing item. 

I cheated a bit on the table, the track to the house is all linked together. I did have it to where it turned, but again lacked the time to make switches and such to make it work. The motor I used was a rotary box thing for a TV ant. you would hit the button to make the turn and I was using small switches to make contact in front of each door. if I had it to do over I would have made the table smaller. I think it is 32" across. Heck I only have the one train. I tend to go a little over on things. 

O scale is big and cool, and much easier to work with when our eyes are not as good as they use to be, but it takes up a lot of space. If I would have stayed with HO and used the same space I imagine I could have modeled it off of a big city..lol.. oh well, no complaints.


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## Patrick1544

Looks really nice. I like the layout design and the way it travels around your basement with the duck-under tracks. Great work!


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## jprater1

it use to be duck under, till the back and knees took to long to recover every time. now they raise up on hinges.


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## Patrick1544

Oh how well I know that!


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## sjm9911

Very nice, lots of work and great results. The roundhouse is awesome.


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## WxToad

Love that "evening" picture of the illuminated round house.


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