# N Scale Pizza



## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

So after finishing most of my other layout I noticed I had some of my foam sheet left, and I had a whole oval of new track that I was probably not going to use for anything. I figured hey, while I wait for my other supplies to come in for my first layout, I can make another small one with the stuff I've got laying around for nothing at all.


Here's the layout idea.











I've actually already carved the mountain and the pond w/runoff. I just need to sand everything down and make the flat bed for the water area, then do my earth coat. At first the water will just be a painted dark blue until i get some realistic water.​


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Blue is a nice color for the water.:thumbsup:

Ask xrunner.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hold the anchovies! Looking forward to the progress!

TJ


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

big ed said:


> Blue is a nice color for the water.:thumbsup:
> 
> Ask xrunner.


:thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

I'm guessing someone made some super blue lake beds? Or someone REALLY hates them? 

I'm definitely going to play with the colors before I apply them. I guess I meant black with a tinge of blue, but I'm also looking at a tint of green or brown depending.

I am actually going to try and find some photos i took at the lake with a circular polarizer, which cut the reflections on the lake revieling the actual color of the lake itself instead of the sky.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

ptl5spd said:


> I'm guessing someone made some super blue lake beds? Or someone REALLY hates them?
> 
> I'm definitely going to play with the colors before I apply them. I guess I meant black with a tinge of blue, but I'm also looking at a tint of green or brown depending.
> 
> I am actually going to try and find some photos i took at the lake with a circular polarizer, which cut the reflections on the lake revieling the actual color of the lake itself instead of the sky.



I won't go there again.

You want to read about the colors?

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=9301


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

hahaha wow you guys are pretty entertaining  You learn something new every day.

UPDATE:

I have sculpted out my lake bed and made it nice and flat. I also finished carving my mountain. 

I was really hating the way the track was looking with the separate pieces. The trainsitions between each piece looked too fake for me, so i decided to try and fix it. I took 2 extra pieces of track, removed the rails, and cut 4 tie sections out. I then cut the weird shaped ends off of the track I am using for the layout, and placed the normal tie sections underneath. I'm not gluing anything together until I'm sure the track joiners have a good connection.


Here's an overhead snapshot of the layout with the track and hill. 










Now the rerailer is still there because I don't know what to use instead of that for a power source. Can I just solder leads onto some rail joiners or onto a piece of track? I really don't want this giant crossing thing on my lush nature layout lol.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I realize in this micro world, it's not a "mountain" per se, but perhaps you might want to include a tiny brook or stream running down from the mountain/hill into the lake? Something to provide some unity between the two?

Just food for thought.

TJ


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

Great idea. I've looked at a few images and found some good examples that I'm going to follow but I do have one question, what would be at the start of the flow? I'm guessing it would come from underneath something like some rocks or something, but I haven't found any pictures showing a place where water starts flowing out of a hill/mountain.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Around here the springs just pop up where ever they want too...You could make it start under a few rocks just to give it a good starting point. Oh and there is usually a lot of foliage there too!
And the water from a spring is clear...NO COLOR!


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## ricjus001 (Dec 4, 2011)

Now the rerailer is still there because I don't know what to use instead of that for a power source. Can I just solder leads onto some rail joiners or onto a piece of track? I really don't want this giant crossing thing on my lush nature layout lol.[/QUOTE]

Yes, that is an alternative to the re-railier power option.


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

UPDATE:

I went ahead an tried some different ways to power my rails. I ended up taking a stereo RCA cable, removed the ends, and soldered them to 2 rail joiners. Then the other ends were hooked up to my power supply. So far it works really well. I am going to have the wires go through the base of the layout once I finish painting the base coat.

I've also cut off the ends of the track that look unrealistic and cut small sections from some extra turns to fill in the area in an attempt to make it look like a solid loop of track.

Here's a quick video of my bachmann EMD f9 and a consist of boxcars running the layout.



*N Scale Pizza: Update 1-1-2012*




**​


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

PTL,

Re: soldering power leads to the rails. A good trick is to put a somewhat-wet sponge or crumped-up paper towel a few inches away from the area to solder (on both sides) prior to the actual soldering. This will act as a heat sink, and avoid excess heat buildup which could melt the plastic ties.

Also, when you're using rail joiners, carefully cut off some extra ties from a scrap piece of track, file down the bumps on the top, and then friction-fit slip the ties under the rail joiners to complete the all-tie look.

TJ


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

UPDATE:

Finished putting the base coat on the base. Also weathered the track and tested everything, all the wiring and connections are still good. 










My plan of attack on this one is going to be a bit different. I am going to tape off the lake and brook and lay the ground cover first. then I'll paint the pond and stream. After that I will build my bridge, then glue down the track and ballast. Once I get my realistic water I'll decorate the edge of the pond and stream then poor in the water.


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> PTL,
> 
> Re: soldering power leads to the rails. A good trick is to put a somewhat-wet sponge or crumped-up paper towel a few inches away from the area to solder (on both sides) prior to the actual soldering. This will act as a heat sink, and avoid excess heat buildup which could melt the plastic ties.
> 
> ...


thanks for the info but if you look back a post I beat you to it!  at least I now know that that's what an experienced modeler would do


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

UPDATE:

Won an auction for a new loco/caboose combo that I want to run on this layout. 










The UP and it's caboose aren't colorful enough for me, the solid yellow isn't that eye catching and I think I'll just run it on my desk layout for now. 

I've also got a few lots of rolling stock on its way. slowly but surely I'm building a little stable for my small layouts, and I'm saving a lot by just waiting until I find something on ebay. Bidding on my iphone is great, I can open an auction when it's in the last minutes and wait until there's 30-45sec and bid until I'm just over the other bidder. Someone got me like that on a nice spectrum 2-8-0 NIB for 60.01... my highest bid was 60


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Will you get done all ready!

Every time I read the thread I got to order a pizza!

Looking good.:thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

ptl5spd said:


> thanks for the info but if you look back a post I beat you to it!


And so you did! My humble apologies!


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

UPDATE:

So I finally got some wood supplies, and built my bridge. I couldn't find real woodworking supplies around my area, I'm not sure if I'm just not looking at the right places or if KCK doesn't really have a place for it. I ended up using small popsicle sticks and a small square dowel.


Here are some sample shots.




























I'm still working on weathering, and finishing up the earth paint on the whole layout. all of my rough areas are being difficult, and I need to go back over it with another coat of thinner paint (cut with water).


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

Is that green in the wood or just the ambient color? It looks like the wood has that aged green mold look to it. Great job.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Nice work on the bridge. If you're looking for smaller and cheap wood stock, grab a bundle of wood coffee stirrer sticks the next time you're in a donut shop. Our member John Reid here on the forum has build whole worlds using not much more than free coffee stirrer sticks!

TJ


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

Looking good. If you can't find local cheap stuff, just use what you have. A clean flat edge razor will split those craft sticks length wise, nice and clean. That would give you some better lumber sizes. Two flat toothpicks glued together will make nice boards too.


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks everyone! though it's super simple that's the first thing I've made out of small wood supplies in 8 years. Now I'll have to work on my skills a little more so I can add the final touches to my other layout too.

seabilliau: The greenish tint you see is from the paint I used to age the wood. Its a strange brown/green/nasty color that came with my woodland scenics scenery kit. It's supposed to be used as an earth coat. I painted it on with a wet brush then wiped the excess off, so the paint only got into the groves. I then went over the whole bridge with charcoal dust. So its got a gritty dirty surface with a bit of brown/green underneath. The whole process was a complete guess, I just started messing with it and stopped when I thought it looked ok lol.

tjcruiser: I never thought of that one I'll have to pick some up nex time I get coffee! those would be great for smaller free standing structures. Thanks for the tip

xnats: Yeah sadly KCK doesn't seem to be too hobby friendly, but hey at least I can keep my mind fresh trying to figure out how to make the stuff myself! I will be sure to try cutting the sticks in half for my other layout's coal mine entrance, I don't think anyone would make a quick building with those huge planks


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

ptl5spd said:


> xnats: Yeah sadly KCK doesn't seem to be too hobby friendly, but hey at least I can keep my mind fresh trying to figure out how to make the stuff myself!


Hi PT....you might also look at craft stores like Micheals, Hobby Lobby, etc. They've proven to be a good source of small wood stuff, craft knives, glues, foam core boards (for mounting scenery) and such.

Jim


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks Jim!

There's a hobby lobby 10-15 minutes away from my work, that's where I found my tiny tongue depressors and square dowel. They had a very small section of balsa wood too, but there wasn't really enough of one size to make anything out of as if they were running out or something. I'll have to see where a Micheals is near my area. I did end up finding a nice set of craft blades and some micro brushes for weathering. 

The one thing that amazed me is there wasn't a single train set in the entire store... I remember as a kid going to hobby lobby and they had a whole isle just for me, one side was train sets and train stuff, and the other side was RC cars and planes. I will eventually have to venture out into KCMO area to visit the two model train stores I've found just to see what they've got, but they're about and hour or so away so I'll have to wait until I've got a lot of stuff to do out there.


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

ptl5spd said:


> Thanks Jim!
> 
> I will eventually have to venture out into KCMO area to visit the two model train stores I've found


I know what you mean! The only "Hobby" hobby shop here is Hobby-Town USA, and they're in the same strip-plaza as Hobby Lobby! (Go figure)! Anyway, they have a pitiful selection and the prices are astronomical.

So I have to venture down into Northern, MA. That puts the nearest train-specific store at about 40 miles for me. You can imagine that with the cost of fuel I try and plan my trips there!


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

UPDATE:

So I was able to finish my basic landscaping the other day. Then I ran into an issue. When I went to put the track back on, it didn't fit 

So I'm going to order some flex track and lay that. I tried for hours to get everything to fit and I have no idea what happened but it was hanging off the edges on one side and then touching the mountain and it was just a mess. I can't figure it out, I made the bridge and cut that based on the oval itself I'm not sure how it just stopped fitting, I think some pieces were curved more/less than others and when I took it apart I messed up the order of things. Either way I think flex track will work/look better.

Otherwise everything went well. I got a new bachmann Chessie sd40 loco and a few pieces of rolling stock.


Here's a shot of everything I've collected so far.










All of my locos lined up










My new SD40 (from ebay of course)










And another new toy, that has nothing to do with model railroading 










It's a syma s107g, got it for $25. I had a 2 channel heli a while back an liked it, I was browsing amazon and found this 3 channel and decided I would give it a try. Down the line I might get serious and buy a blade 120SR. I love RC cars but never had anywhere to drive them, a heli is so easy all you need is something to lift off from


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

My two boys each have one of those copters. Pretty neat that they are gyro stabilized (more or less). Wasn't quite enough to prevent my 6 yr old from landing a bit too hard ... now waiting for a replacement landing skid to arrive in the mail!


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

ptl5spd said:


>


I thought water was blue?! ...


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

Hahaha I'll have to hide that lake/river bed just in case Bid Ed sees it


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

ptl5spd said:


> Hahaha I'll have to hide that lake/river bed just in case Bid Ed sees it


Almost looks like a Tar-River from here!! :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

haha yeah it sure does. I've actually got some matte paints that I'm going to go over it with before I add the water since it came out so shiny.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

ptl5spd said:


> Hahaha I'll have to hide that lake/river bed just in case Bid Ed sees it



I was going to say it looked like a heavy crude oil spill...but didn't.

To some that is how it is supposed to look.

Texas tea.:thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Look at a creek on a cloudy day (especially near dawn/dusk), and it'll look just like that ... nearly black. Here in RI, at least!

TJ


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> ... nearly black. Here in RI, at least!
> 
> TJ


:laugh:Well a lot of that, TJ, is because we northerners send you our run-off! 

:cheeky4:


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

big ed said:


> To some that is how it is supposed to look.
> 
> Texas tea.:thumbsup:


I heard that.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> Look at a creek on a cloudy day (especially near dawn/dusk), and it'll look just like that ... nearly black. Here in RI, at least!
> 
> TJ


Maybe Rhode Island creeks are where servoguy gets the used motor oil he uses for all his lubrication projects...


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tjcruiser said:


> Look at a creek on a cloudy day (especially near dawn/dusk), and it'll look just like that ... nearly black. Here in RI, at least!
> 
> TJ



That is because the darkness.
When the sky wakes up it turns the water blue from the reflection.
Don't you know that TJ?


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## Xnats (Dec 5, 2010)

I think Ed is onto something with this. Two good ideas in one week, The Big Gear Jammer is on a roll.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Xnats said:


> I think Ed is onto something with this. Two good ideas in one week, The Big Gear Jammer is on a roll.



Maybe that is why xrunners water always looks black.

He only fishes at night.


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

hahaha I think this will be a never ending thing with you guys 

In the end, it won't be BLACK or BLUE! 

more of a dark brown/green/blue/something. It also won't be glossy.


I will probably have my track by the end of the month, along with my water effects stuff. I'm going to lay the turf in the mean time.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

Whatever became of the pizza party?


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

Guess who's back from the dead!

*
THIS GUY.*

So, I'll make a long story short. before I finished up my mini layouts, my girlfriend (now fiance) and I moved. This was a big step, and it took us in all sorts of directions. We didn't have anywhere to really keep my layouts, so I sold off my locos and rolling stock and stored the layouts at my Grandparent's house. They got forgotten over the years, and just last week I dug them back out to get them rolling again.

I am in the process of weathering the track, painting and detailing the pond/stream bed, and getting some new locos/rolling stock to go with this layout.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Blue and green*



ptl5spd said:


> I'm guessing someone made some super blue lake beds? Or someone REALLY hates them?
> 
> I'm definitely going to play with the colors before I apply them. I guess I meant black with a tinge of blue, but I'm also looking at a tint of green or brown depending.
> 
> I am actually going to try and find some photos i took at the lake with a circular polarizer, which cut the reflections on the lake revieling the actual color of the lake itself instead of the sky.


ptl5spd;

Here are a couple of photos of a river and a small slice of ocean. Both were painted with 
Tamiya brand model paints mixing different amounts of blue and green. The top shiny coat is a product called "Mod Podge" from Walmart's craft department.

Traction Fan


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## ptl5spd (Nov 22, 2011)

I was actually looking at modge podge for my water effects! thanks for the pictures.

I had to scratch my original track as it became damaged in storage (something fell on the box it was in). No biggy, it was just stuff that was thrown in with an Ebay auction I won years ago.

I ordered some KATO unitrack with the same radius as my old track, which should be here Sunday. 

I also won an Auction for a loco and 9 rolling stock, which will be what runs on this layout. 

My "Family going fishing" scene should be here next week as well. I will be working on painting the riverbed this evening/weekend.

I might have this thing "looking" finished before Christmas, which will be exiting.


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