Delaware & Northern Construction version 1.0

[jerryrbeach]

Great progress Jerry, thanks for posting.....

Greg,

My progress has been way slower than I anticipated when I started this journey.  I lost the desire to work on the layout for an extended period of time.  Stay tuned for more on that...

[jerryrbeach]

When I decided to build a modular style layout I had to decide how to approach my backdrop.  I had a quantity of Masonite on hand, so using it for the backdrop was an easy choice.  After some thought I decided to attach the backdrop to each individual module using some screws.  The biggest challenge was getting both ends of each backdrop piece cut perfectly square so it would sit tightly against the backdrops of the adjoining modules. The cuts not only had to be square, the pieces had to be mounted carefully to the back of each module so the ends of the backdrop were plumb when the module was level. 

With the backdrop panels in place I had to decide how to finish the backdrop.  I have little artistic talent, so I knew painting anything more than a light blue sky was out of the question.  I considered buying a one piece commercial backdrop designed to represent the area of upstate NY I am modeling.  I ruled this out because I could not justify the expense of purchasing this type of backdrop only to cut it into four foot pieces.  I had previously used a LARC Products disc to print off backdrop photos for some small modules I had built.  That seemed to me like the best approach, so I browsed the LARC website and ordered another disc that offered a couple groups of photos that I thought would work on my backdrop. 

I started by printing off enough photos to fill the length of the backdrop.  I taped them to the backdrop to see how they fit what I was trying to model.  I also needed to see how the various groups of photos looked together.  One of the biggest challenges was the transition from one group of photos to the next. 

Below are three photos showing some of the backdrop photos I printed out from the LARC disc taped to the Masonite. When I had the photos in an order I thought I liked I would leave them up for a few days. I would assess how well they  matched the changes in elevation.  I also wanted to see how well the different photo groups would look when they transitioned from one group of photos to another.  I took numerous photos of my backdrop with the LARC photos taped in place. Almost every time I moved some photos, printed additional photos, or changed them around in order I would take photos of the layout.  I would send the photos to my son for his opinion.  Apparently the bulk of those photos were on the memory card that was corrupted, because these are the only ones I could find.  On a positive note, this means anyone viewing this thread is spared looking at all those "test" photos.  

[Zephyrus52246]

I'll bet you used a LOT of printer ink.  I need a small background piece for the area of the layout I'm working on.  I'll look thru the LARC site and see if anything would fill the space.  Thanks for posting this.  

Jeff

[GPdemayo]

Great progress Jerry, thanks for posting.....

Greg,

My progress has been way slower than I anticipated when I started this journey.  I lost the desire to work on the layout for an extended period of time.  Stay tuned for more on that...

You're not alone Jerry, I really want to get started building all those kits I have, but haven't gotten motivated to get going for a number of years and the layout has been collecting dust for even longer.....

[Janbouli]

Great progress Jerry, thanks for posting.....

Greg,

My progress has been way slower than I anticipated when I started this journey.  I lost the desire to work on the layout for an extended period of time.  Stay tuned for more on that...

You're not alone Jerry, I really want to get started building all those kits I have, but haven't gotten motivated to get going for a number of years and the layout has been collecting dust for even longer.....

I have quite the same problem

[jerryrbeach]

I'll bet you used a LOT of printer ink.  I need a small background piece for the area of the layout I'm working on.  I'll look thru the LARC site and see if anything would fill the space.  Thanks for posting this. 

Jeff

Jeff, I did go through a couple cartridges of both black and color ink.  I did some financials after finishing up and I calculated that including the disk, ink, cardstock, and adhesive I spent about $200 to print and apply the photos to the backdrop.  I have quite a few additional photos that I printed out but did not use for various reasons, that are included in that cost.  Those are included in the cost.  To put this in perspective, my layout has a little less than 40 feet of backdrop.  I did a little research into buying a one piece printed backdrop from a commercial supplier.  The cost depended a great deal on what material the photos were printed on, and how involved it was to set up the photos for printing.  The least expensive one I found was in the neighborhood of $600.   

[jerryrbeach]

Greg & Jan,     

Since we've got quotes within quotes on both your posts, I'm going to start fresh. My lack of motivation to work on the layout (or even model) was triggered by so many of the photos coming loose from the Masonite backdrop. The layout sat completely untouched through the winter of 2022-23.  I did not model much of anything for a long time.  Finally I dragged myself out of the hole I had fallen into and started working on some freight cars.  That was a struggle, and there were still days, and sometimes a week or two, when I did almost no modeling. 

I'm not sure where I found the motivation to start modeling regularly again.  I did make a concerted effort to immerse myself in as much model related material as possible.  I watched YouTube videos, chased down Facebook groups, and rejoined a railroad historical society.  I was hopeful that I might find something that excite me enough to overcome the inertia and start building something.  I can tell you that in my case working on a small project and seeing it come together helped.  One small success led me to continue (in fits and starts) to reach for another small amount of success, and so on.  It was a long road, and it seemed more like work than a hobby until I began to once again enjoy both the process as well as the end result.  

The rebirth of the forum and my desire to contribute to this group as we try to rebuild so much that was lost has also helped motivate me.  I'm sure that both of you, as well as many others facing the same issue, will find a way to move forward in a positive direction.
 



 

[jerryrbeach]

I spend most of my time in the summer outside, and my modeling usually consists of smaller projects that can be completed relatively quickly.  I rarely work on the layout, and I might go a week or two without going into the layout room. I noticed one day that a couple of the individual backdrop photos had started to peel away from the backdrop.  I did not think much of it until somewhat later I saw that fully one third of the photos were partially off the backdrop. They were not only coming unglued, they were curling up as they came loose. 



I was unhappy to see this happen, but I knew I could print new photos if these could not be saved. What I did not realize until I examined the photos closely was that the center of the photos was still firmly stuck to the backdrop. I was unable to remove the photos without ruining not only the photos, but also damaging the Masonite backdrop. I was then faced with trying to figure out how to remove the curl from the 50# card stock and re-attaching the photos to the backdrop.



I had used some spray adhesive when I originally fastened the photos to the backdrop.  I used a wall paper roller to make sure the photos were tight against the Masonite, and there were no air bubbles or places that were not tight to the backdrop itself.  I began to think about what I might use that would be strong enough to hold the curled card stock to the Masonite.  It could not be something that would cause the photos to expand or stretch.  I needed to be able to apply it evenly to the backs of the photos.  I ruled out anything in an aerosol can due to over spray issues.  I could not seem to come up with any sort of a solution after an extensive time consuming search.



I realized I was simply stuck with a mess and I could not figure out how to repair the damage.  I was afraid my only solution might be to unbolt the modules so I could get behind them to replace the Masonite backdrop itself, and then start over with another set of photos.  I would not even walk into the layout room because it was so depressing.  My motivation to work on the layout was gone.  The layout sat completely untouched through the winter of 2022-23. It was a long time before I began to wander into the layout room and once again search my brain for a solution but nothing I thought of seemed feasible. 



A few months ago Dave Emery posted photos of a building he had completed.  He mentioned that he had used an adhesive called "Back Scene" to fasten the sign to the front of the building rather than white glue.  He also indicated that it was designed for fastening backdrop photographs to the backdrop.  I started researching this as a possible answer to my problem. I found this was a British product, and had limited availability in the US.  I ordered a bottle from Hobbylinc (no affiliation other than as a customer), to see if it would solve my problem. 



After reading the instructions I brushed it onto the back of one of the least curled photos and pressed it against the backdrop.  It curled away from the backdrop with little delay.  I used a wallpaper roller and pressed it with my hand until it seemed to stick.  However I noticed it again came off the backdrop within a couple minutes. Obviously, if I was going to have any chance of success I needed to hold the photo against the backdrop for a longer period of time. I had a few smaller pieces of Masonite lying around.  I grabbed one, pressed the smooth side against the backdrop and wedged it in place with some weights. I pulled it off several hours later and the photo stayed securely against the backdrop.  It took me the better part of a week to ten days to get all the photos re-fastened to the backdrop.  I do have some places where the Back Scene got onto the sky above the photos.  I also have a couple places where I got a little on the front of the photos and the photos lost some of the ink, leaving the white card.  None of this cannot be repaired easily with a little paint, or that cannot be hidden with scenery. 

[Janbouli]

Thanks Jerry , maybe doing some of my backdrop anew is a good idea , and I can get the Deluxe products fairly easy, thanks for showing this product.

[Jerry]

So good to see you back at this.  I'll be following along.

I think we all get to that point of no work on the RR.  But when it comes back it's kind of like a new day has stated again.

Jerry

[jerryrbeach]

Thanks Jerry , maybe doing some of my backdrop anew is a good idea , and I can get the Deluxe products fairly easy, thanks for showing this product.

Jan,

That's a great product.  I used a flat brush to apply it, you need a good coat, but try to get it on as evenly as possible and not too thick. if it is too thick it squeezes out and is difficult to clean up.  I used a damp cloth, but I still have some spots on the sky where it left some marks.  I'll get out my blue paint and get them touched up.  It is really sticky, hard to get out of the brush as well as the microfiber cloth when cleaning up afterward.  It can leave you with sticky fingers if you're not careful to keep it off your hands.  I found leaving the brush in a jar of water with a little dish detergent and letting it soak for an hour or so made the cleanup easier.  

[jerryrbeach]

So good to see you back at this.  I'll be following along.

I think we all get to that point of no work on the RR.  But when it comes back it's kind of like a new day has stated again.

Jerry

Jerry,

Thanks for looking in.  Most of what I've posted are the few photos I did take while the forum was down.  Once I finish posting them I won't have as much material to share. 

[nycjeff]

Hello Jerry, I hope that by catching up, as you say, with some stuff you did while the forum was down, now you can make some steady progress on your layout. This hobby is a place to relax and get away from the real world and spend some time in our own "little worlds". Looking forward to more of your work.

[jerryrbeach]

Hello Jerry, I hope that by catching up, as you say, with some stuff you did while the forum was down, now you can make some steady progress on your layout. This hobby is a place to relax and get away from the real world and spend some time in our own "little worlds". Looking forward to more of your work.

Jeff,

I'm moving forward, though more slowly than I would like.  After spending a lot of time contemplating the best approach, I'm starting to address the scenery in front of the backdrop.  Right now I'm roughing in some land forms, with a very long way to go, even on my small layout. 

[jerryrbeach]

As I mentioned before, when using individual backdrop photos I think the biggest challenge is getting them to fit together seamlessly. If you have purchased a lengthy one piece backdrop this is not going to be a problem you will need to address. If you are using photos that have already been stitched together by a computer, you may not face this issue, depending on the size of your layout in comparison to the length of the available photos.


However, if you are attempting to use more than one set or group of photos, blending the photos together is a challenge. In that case when planning the backdrop care must be taken to see that the colors match as closely as possible. The physical features also need to be constant, i.e., the height of the terrain and any trees or other features. I found matching colors to be the most difficult, as it is possible to raise and lower the hills or mountains to adjust the different heights of those land forms.


The photos I have chose to post show some of the places where I changed from one group of photos to another. As you can easily see, there are some pretty dramatic changes between photos. Just as a note, some groups of photos that are stitched together also show a color shift. I believe these are caused by both the lighting, as well as whether the photographer is able to shoot straight on, or at an angle to the landscape.


My plan from the beginning was to try to locate adjacent photos that experienced a color shift in a place where they could be camouflaged to some extent. One such location will be behind a church that sits on a slight rise, and has a large tree beside it. When the viewer's looking directly at the church, the color change between the two photos should be barely noticeable. But should the viewer peek behind the church, or even stand at an angle to the church, busted! I have similar partial view blocks planned for the other places where the photos don't match well. How successful will I be with this technique? Only time will tell.


Now, I'm going to give everyone reading this a trick I wish I had known before I embarked on designing and building this layout. I was watching a video of the late Jim Heidt's Norwood and St. Lawrence Railroad. It was immediately obvious to me that many of his backdrop scenes had been printed from some of the Larc Products discs. Jim was explained that if a viewer could see a train travel the length of the basement, it would seem that the train didn't travel very far. This is quite well known to the modeling fraternity. It is what he did to break up the distance using the landscape as view blocks that resulted in my "AHA" moment. He used a rock cut where the hill was the same height as the backdrop hills. On one side of the cut was the complete series of stitched together photos from the Larc disc. On the other side of the cut was a similar but different set of Larc backdrop photos. No worries about trying to blend the backdrop landscape from different sets of photos.


Why didn't I think of that. I have no idea. Can I do that now? Not really, as the track is too close to the backdrop to pull it off successfully. I would have to rip up at least fifteen feet of track, and probably closer to twenty feet. Then for it to work effectively, I would have to print and replace two thirds to three quarters of my existing backdrop photos. Doing that would damage the Masonite, so I would probably have to replace the existing backdrop. It is just something I have to live with and one of many things on my layout where I wish I had a "do-over".