As I progress on the layout, I have come to realize that I have fallen into the age old trap of cramming 10 lbs of crap into a 5 lb bag.
Fordyce is a good example of this. In the images below Fordyce has two industries. One is the Flappers Chicken Plant, things were fairly OK until I added in Gavilon (the one in the background of the first image), I added Gavilon so I could even out the workload back when I had two locals running on the layout. I really like the premises of Gavilon but it got too close to Fordyce.
So I never got around to working on Fordyce until now. The easiest thing that can be done is to remove the actual Flappers building and only leave the siding for the Tallow loading of tank cars. By doing this it'll leave me a lot of negative space for scenery and hopefully I'll be able to make some sort of view block.
What I've come up with is to add a slight hill, maybe no more than 2" tall and add some tall trees which will somewhat block the view of Gavilon, at least at track level. I'm also hoping it'll also help force your eye to the middle of Fordyce a little better?
This what I had planned for Flappers at Fordyce.
It's literally a stones throw from Gavilon on the outskirts of Haskell.
So I started removing everything today and wound up with this, a wide open space and one siding for the tank cars. It's a bit long but as a friend said "Try to make it a bit longer even though it will only be a two-spotter so there's "breathing room"
Just an idea for your bridge. Couple of pics on this website down toward the bottom of page of a bridge on former Rock south of Fordyce. I want to copy it on a layout. Has dead grass due to being under water and dirt on pilings where water was high but now just a small creek in pics. Like the way you can tell it floods regularly. https://www.meridianspeedway.net/tedder-green.html
ReplyDeleteI've seen those pics before and it's something I'd like to try. If not a bridge there, I might settle for a large culvert. I say this because the track is already ballasted and I don't know how hard it would be to cut in a bridge? But I will definitely keep this in mind, if not here, some where else on the layout. Thanks for the link!
DeleteThe additional open space with trees plus the fact that the track goes around the back of Gavilon should do a lot to simulate some distance. How hard is it going to be to cut the deck for the stream ?
ReplyDeleteKind of my thought as well Brad.
DeleteIt should be very simple. The deck is made up of 5/8" ceiling tile on top of 1-1/2" beadboard foam on top of 1/2" plywood. So a knife should be suffice to cut through the top two layers. I don't plan to take it all the way down to the ply.
A culvert would look good. Looks like will definitely improve that area removing that industry.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the blog link you posted earlier, I think I'm actually going to attempt to build a bridge similar to what's in the those photos? I did a little snooping on Google maps and it's still in use the way it looks, or at least it was until 2004. Thanks for the input and link.
DeleteLooking forward to watching your next masterpiece come together.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dave!
DeleteMuch better IMO Allen. Scenery can do wonders to make our RR's appear longer.
ReplyDeleteJust go for it.
Rod.
I agree Rod, thanks!
DeleteWanna come over and help me make a few hundred trees? ;)