Chicago Meet Layout Photos - photo heavy!

Hmmm, the video seems a bit squished side to side.  I attached it straight from my computer.  Is there something I can do to get the aspect ratio correct?

Jim

Gorgeous!

Peter

Beautiful pictures! That ship has to be about 8 ft long? That's something you don't see often. Thanks for posting.

You can never have two many photos, when it comes to Scale 2-Rail.

It's something like that.  I don't know if it's full scale.  But it is big.  The last time I was at this layout the area the boat now occupies was empty until a suitable use could be found for it.  Apparently in one of the years in between then and last year, somebody had the boat for sale at the show.  There was a one page description of how they managed to move it and get it into the basement.  I wish I had taken a photo of that.

Jim

I wish I had more pictures and video of this layout but my battery died unexpectedly about part way through.  Just as I was getting on with the videos.

Jim

Layout #2

Working on video formatting so I can post them from Photobucket....hold please.

Jim

I just realized that the ship is a model of the freighter that sank in Lake Superior in the middle 70's. There was a History Channel documentary I saw several years ago. Very interesting model. Again, thanks for posting!

Wow...stunning!  I also like the model of Big Fitz.

the ship was the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gordon Lightfoot wrote song about it.

I really enjoyed the pictures.  Thanks Jim.

Great photos.

So THAT'S what happened to the model....   It sank!

I was told by someone that was there at the same time I was, that the model of the Edmund Fitzgerald is actually a remote controlled model eh 

What a nice shot (as are the rest too) but this particular one is super!

Certainly wish there was some 2 RS action in western NC...

Although the first series of layout photos are pictorially interesting and informative the unfortunate lack of proper overhead (flourescent and or incandescent) lighting to my way of thinking compromises the overall pictorial quality of the layout scenes. The lack of both uniform overhead lighting and the discrete use of directional overhead lighting obscures many of the finer details of this and many other layouts. All to often not enough attention is given to proper lighting which compromises an otherwise fine example of layout building. What might seem to be a insignificant matter to many can result in a major weakness for layout photography.

There's that sanding tower again. The one I'm always drooling over! Love that scene.

Look at that signal tower too.

Although I may agree, it can take several hundred or even thousands of dollars to achieve in a large room. Per dollar, those older fluorescent tubes to a decent job.

Florescent lighting is" THE Worst" lighting that one can have in not only in the train room but in your home. Florescent lighting will fade any and all materials in your home(especially family photos and dyed materials). It will also fade your locomotives that are cast in colored plastic. If you want to see what it can do, go to any place that sells florescent fixtures and look at the shields how yellow they became when displayed for a while. Joe - If you have a large room for a large layout, one has the funds to do the proper lighting. Besides if you have any size layout, the proper lighting is crucial to preserving your investments. Led’s is the way to go to replace those old, out of style, damaging lights. In the long run florescent light will cost more in the long run. Stephen

Great modeling scene (and tribute). Probably a 1/100 hull waterline model. The drawback of full scale ships for us is that many are so big you can't fit one in the layout room. The Edmund Fitzgerald was about 730 feet long which would make an O scale model would be 15 feet and change.

I was fortunate to visit this layout a couple of years ago. The model is awesome up close, as a model and as a tribute. As I recall,  the owner said it's scratch built in 1/48 scale width and height but shortened by ~50% to fit in the scene.

Cheers,

Pete

Testing video.  This is the first layout posted above.  Unfortunately my camera battery died before I could take more videos on the other side of the layout.

Layout #2 videos:

More pictures of layout #1 taken this year:

Some pictures from the Midland Terminal switching shown in Chugman's 3-rail thread.  I didn't take video of this layout.  I'm really not sure why it didn't occur to me.