First completed scene on my new layout

Very nice Allan. The farm scene looks great. You certainly have a good group of train buddies.

Don

Looks fantastic Allan. Are they all going to be modular type scenes?

That's awesome! The scene comes together so well!

I'm considering building some of my structures off the layout to make future moving easier. What did he use for a base to build on? Just plywood?

Looks great.

Nice looking scene, but that one cow looks "udderly" lonely - sorry, couldn't resist.

Wonderful! :-)

VERY well done. Not unnecessarily cluttered. I really like farm scenes.

@Richie C. posted:

Nice looking scene, but that one cow looks "udderly" lonely - sorry, couldn't resist.

Actually, there is a second cow, but she is laying in the grass and is hidden by the shed. I may even add a few more cows and/or critters over time.

Allan, very nicely done. When adding animals I would include a dog.

@BillYo414 posted:

I'm considering building some of my structures off the layout to make future moving easier. What did he use for a base to build on? Just plywood?

This scene, and likely most other scenes on the layout, will be constructed as easily removable sections so they can be worked on off-layout when desired. At my age, I don't particularly feel like crawling over or under a train layout unless absolutely necessary.

Chet constructed this farm scene on one-inch-thick Extruded Polystyrene foam, and it is very light weight. In the near future, I will be purchasing a number of two-inch-thick, 4x8 Extruded Polystyrene sheets (pink foam insulation board) to have on hand for a number of other scenes, including a mountain or two. Locally, these sheets are available at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Not cheap, but ideal for this use and easily carved with a hot foam knife or a variety of other common cutting tools.

Very realistic!

@Allan Miller posted:

This scene, and likely most other scenes on the layout, will be constructed as easily removable sections so they can be worked on off-layout when desired. At my age, I don't particularly feel like crawling over or under a train layout unless absolutely necessary.

Chet constructed this farm scene on one-inch-thick Extruded Polystyrene foam, and it is very light weight. In the near future, I will be purchasing a number of two-inch-thick, 4x8 Extruded Polystyrene sheets (pink foam insulation board) to have on hand for a number of other scenes, including a mountain or two. Locally, these sheets are available at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Not cheap, but ideal for this use and easily carved with a hot foam knife or a variety of other common cutting tools.

Very nice start Allan.  Would you like me to draw it for a magazine feature?  LOL!  Seriously I really like the scene.  I've always been partial to farms on layouts.

@jim sutter posted:

Allan, very nicely done. When adding animals I would include a dog.

You can be 100% certain that there will be not just one, but many, dogs on this layout. I not only like dogs; I LOVE dogs! We had to put our beloved Kali to rest this past Nov. 5, but are on the list for a new puppy in late spring or early summer.

@Allan Miller posted:

This scene, and likely most other scenes on the layout, will be constructed as easily removable sections so they can be worked on off-layout when desired. At my age, I don't particularly feel like crawling over or under a train layout unless absolutely necessary.

Chet constructed this farm scene on one-inch-thick Extruded Polystyrene foam, and it is very light weight. In the near future, I will be purchasing a number of two-inch-thick, 4x8 Extruded Polystyrene sheets (pink foam insulation board) to have on hand for a number of other scenes, including a mountain or two. Locally, these sheets are available at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Not cheap, but ideal for this use and easily carved with a hot foam knife or a variety of other common cutting tools.

Gotcha. Thanks! I'll have to get some when the time comes.

Beautiful scenery work for your farm, Allan. I absolutely love the colors, all the scenic detail and the scene's openness (lack of clutter).

Lately, I've come to appreciate how much "less can be more" when it comes to model railroad scenery. Arnold

I appreciate you sharing the scenery with us Alan.  And I like the USA engine going by the farm place.

My wife's grandfather had a galvanized shed just like that in your scene and it was called the gas shed.  You filled up your can with anything flammable from this shed.  And their favorite tractor brand was the green and yellow john Deer.

Beautiful scene; very realistic! I can almost smell that barnyard on a hot day in August! 😉

Curt

Nice farm scene, Allan, from a guy who spent the last 50 years working on one. I think it’s probably good enough to make a magazine someday. 😉 As for more cows, you need just enough to predict the weather.

@Allan Miller posted:

My train buddy, fellow VN vet, and Forum member, Chet Lichota, created this farm scene for one corner of my under-construction layout. Chet brought it to our weekly Tuesday Train Team get-together in Mercer, PA, last night, and I brought it home and placed it on the layout this morning. I think he did a first-rate job with this, including the painting/weathering touches applied to the Woodland Scenics barn, farm house, and outbuildings.

That looks fantastic Allan!  All I can say is I need some buddies like that!   I have a ton of scenery to create, and that's way out of my wheelhouse, so it should be interesting to see the result.   A few dioramas like that to drop into place would really hit the spot!

Congrats on getting going on your new layout, I sense you'll be finished a long time before me!

Great to see that folks appreciate the scene that my pal, Chet, created. He is already chomping at the bit for another one to work on, and I sent him some of my thoughts this afternoon. I think he has an idea for one of my stations, which would be great because, in addition to the U.S. Army and Ohio Central, Amtrak will also be represented on the layout. I have way more trains than the layout can handle at any one time, and most reside in nearby glass-fronted display cases when they are not being operated. Problem is, I have already run out of display case space. Nevertheless, I do try to rotate things on a fairly regular basis.

You touched a nerve! Please elaborate on how it felt to see items you had purchased over the years finally operating on YOUR layout!  A lot of us arm chair modelers and collectors could be encouraged to get started with our dream layouts. Your precise ability to put words to paper has always been admired. Perhaps a future article in the magazine?

The home near the barn reminds me of the scenes in the tv show Lassie. All well done.

Allan, that’s a great scene, Congratulations on starting your layout, it’s looking good. Please keep us updated like Gunrunner John does as it’s an educational process for the folks reading this forum. We love pictures. Living in Clarksville Tennessee, 3 minutes from Ft. Campbell, seeing your army engines is amazing.  (41+likes, wow) Happy Railroading Everyone

(Earlier I misspelled Gunrunner John dies, instead it should have read does, I apologize very much for that typing error, forgive Gunrunner John)

Beautiful scene, Allan. I’m really looking forward to seeing your Army based layout progress. I’m also planning on building a military based layout in a newly accesible spare bedroom for my considerable military collection. Hoping to get some great ideas from your future posts/ogr magazine articles.

Very nice scene.  Looking forward to your layout progress.  
 Interesting that you have so many Army engines.  

@leapinlarry posted:

Allan, that’s a great scene, Congratulations on starting your layout, it’s looking good. Please keep us updated like Gunrunner John dies as it’s an educational process for the folks reading this forum. We love pictures. Living in Clarksville Tennessee, 3 minutes from Ft. Campbell, seeing your army engines is amazing.  (41+likes, wow) Happy Railroading Everyone

I'm sorry (GRJ) John!  I did not know you were dying.
(I just couldn't resist, Larry.)
D.

Gunrunner John, forgive me for my typing error earlier, I did not mean to say dies, but does.... Wow.... I had a Senior moment.... Happy Railroading Everyone

@leapinlarry posted:

Gunrunner John, forgive me for my typing error earlier, I did not mean to say dies, but does.... Wow.... I had a Senior moment.... Happy Railroading Everyone

I was certainly hoping that it was a typo!

I love a good farm scene and your buddy did a great job.  You mentioned that you were on the list for a new puppy.  Please consider adopting an adult dog from your local shelter.  There are lots of great dogs just waiting for a loving family to give them a forever home.  Thanks.    
                              By the way, I am a volunteer at the Humane Society of Missouri so I have first hand knowledge that there is a special dog just waiting for your family to bring home.

    Allan, that is a wonderful scene. One of the things that gives me great pleasure with this hobby is seeing the expertise and creativity of others building their models with their unique interpretations of reality in place and time. Really well done!

    Congratulations to your friend Chet and to you, on what looks to be a great layout.

Jerry

Very realistic terrain. Your friend did a good job with this scene.

Allan,

That looks so realistic, beautiful work !

Alex

Nice Job!

@Strap Hanger posted:

I’m really looking forward to seeing your Army based layout progress. I’m also planning on building a military based layout in a newly accesible spare bedroom for my considerable military collection. Hoping to get some great ideas from your future posts/ogr magazine articles.

Here's a not-very-good photo (I was too lazy to take the glass doors off) of a portion of my U.S. Army motive power roster. I only keep a couple or three Army trains on the layout at any one time, and have several conventional-power engines that don't see any running time at all because everything I currently operate is DCS and TMCC/Legacy.

That is an incredibly well done scene.  I am not used to seeing so much attention given to barns, or to the pump windmill.  I suspect on close inspection the grain silo roof will be just as good.

Alan, great farm scene. Captures everything. I have seen many farms just like that in my travels. Looks so real.

Tom

DCS will run conventional locos. So will Legacy/TMCC. You just need a Powermaster or TPC300/400 for Lionel's systems.

Very nice!

Allan.......that is a magnificent scene......looking forward to seeing more!

Peter

@Dylan the Train Man posted:

DCS will run conventional locos. So will Legacy/TMCC. You just need a Powermaster or TPC300/400 for Lionel's systems.

Yes, I do know that both systems (I have both) will operate the conventional items I have (probably about half a dozen or so in Army livery, from Weaver, K-Line, and Lionel), but for the most part I tend to prefer running with command control most of the time. Several of the conventional units I have can certainly be upgraded to command control, but the very smallest ones will likely have to remain conventional. That's still fine with me because I can still operate them from time to time.