Making use of a corner of the layout

Richie, Eliza's Corner camp site is great, has everything in a small area. Getting hungry for a hot dog.

@sidehack posted:

Richie, Eliza's Corner camp site is great, has everything in a small area. Getting hungry for a hot dog.

Hah - thanks, Ray.

Like someone else suggested, I let the grandkids "design" some of the corners and this is what my 9 year-old came up with.

027 track on my Toy train layout, does not leave much space for corner displays as wider radius track curves do.  I have really enjoyed the larger super done corner displays by all posters.

I have 4  small corner displays and one larger one.

A hobo camp.

A homemade water tower, based on Lionel design.  See how little the space is.

A small Dad made station from my childhood layout.  This space is larger as there is the straight track of a Marx switch in the corner curve.

A Plasticville Frosty Bar, the cutest Plasticville building of all. 

The large item is the Textured paint covered mountain, with two tracks in and four track out.  One out track is hidden, shown in second picture.

I also have another hobo camp in the center of my Wye.

Charlie

Hobos around a campfire feeding a hotdog to a hobo dog,

Couple more of mine ....

My only finished and therefore favorite corner.

Looking through some old pics, found I had some corner shots.

The mountain takes up a large portion of a back corner, had to put an access hole in it.

Every train room should have a napping corner.

@Mayor Magoo posted:

Every train room should have a napping corner.

I gotta say -- that takes the prize for "Best Use of a Corner" IMHO!

@Mayor Magoo posted:

Looking through some old pics, found I had some corner shots.

The mountain takes up a large portion of a back corner, had to put an access hole in it.

Every train room should have a napping corner.

I knew I forgot something in my hobby /train room. Darn !

Needed extra engine storage for a large loco so a dead end faux tunnel in a tall mountain above a canyon seems to fill the corner nicely.  So I removed some pictures and glued 3/4" cut-off scrap from a recent mountain framing job and  framed it out for the metal lath scenery base.  Boy my executor is going to have  fit.   This home  would eventually be a  great buy for an 0 scale model railroader.

Great scenery corners !!!

Thank you all for sharing.

Are your scenes mounted directly on the benchwork or are the scenes mounted on a removable base ?

Thanks in advance !!!

CB&Q Bill

@CBQ_Bill posted:

Great scenery corners !!!

Thank you all for sharing.

Are your scenes mounted directly on the benchwork or are the scenes mounted on a removable base ?

Thanks in advance !!!

CB&Q Bill

Mine are built on the layout with a couple of qualifications.

The Ameritown building can be lifted off for repairs. And the corner tunnel was built as a diorama and placed on the layout since it's in a difficult spot.

Bob

@CBQ_Bill posted:

Are your scenes mounted directly on the benchwork or are the scenes mounted on a removable base ?

Well, I'd guess most of the posted corners have been more or less permanently incorporated into their respective layouts, with a few notable exceptions.

As to my layout, since posting last year I've filled in one of the two previously "open" corners, adding a motion sensor to trigger one of eight "camping" audio files, and creating an abandoned campsite with animals featured in the audio files to cover the embedded speaker:

Here's a video I shot *before* I added the animals and extra landscaping, demonstrating the motion sensor and audio files:

Made changes last year to a corner of my layout, page 1 has before photos. Made on sawhorses then I put in place. Always fun making changes. Nice photos all

@Steve Tyler posted:

Well, I'd guess most of the posted corners have been more or less permanently incorporated into their respective layouts, with a few notable exceptions.

As to my layout, since posting last year I've filled in one of the two previously "open" corners, adding a motion sensor to trigger one of eight "camping" audio files, and creating an abandoned campsite with animals featured in the audio files to cover the embedded speaker:

Here's a video I shot *before* I added the animals and extra landscaping, demonstrating the motion sensor and audio files:

Can you please give us a link, Id like to purchase something that stores and plays sounds, Gary

@The TrainBoard posted:

Can you please give us a link, Id like to purchase something that stores and plays sounds, Gary

Sure:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's a pic of the package I bought:

Inset at the bottom right of the pic is the circuit board (showing the control buttons and the micro SD card slot), the other side of which also appears at the top left, connected to the other components. Directly below that is the white hard-shell speaker, which is just above the white domed motion sensor. The included black battery case (3 AAA or AA batteries, I believe) is at the top right.

There are a whole lot of recordable audio players out there (many for use in DIY audio greeting cards), some quite a bit cheaper than this bundle, but I selected this package primarily for its inclusion of the hard-shell speaker, which I was able to bury in the foam under the sheet of paper-backed grass roll I'd used as a surface layer for my layout, without worrying about having to protect it from damage (I *did* throw some aluminum screening across the speaker's 'pit' as an additional precaution, though). I also omitted using the battery pack, instead plugging a micro USB cable into the board and running it to a USB hub connected to line power (it turns on and off with the rest of the layout main power).

To prevent passing trains from activating the motion sensor, I fitted it into an empty section of caulk tube (decorated as a water supply tank/hot tub!), with a thin film of translucent used packing tape over the top to conceal the sensor (I considered disguising it as a roof vent instead, but wasn't sure if painting it would interfere with the sensing, and needed it to be near the camping scene, rather than on a building!). The 'hot tub' is the only visible evidence of the installation, with all other components and wiring secured under the layout or buried into the surface.

The package comes with a single audio file on the board, but you can use a micro USB cable to plug the board into your computer, and download a limited number of additional/replacement files into the on-board memory. You could also use a separate micro SD card (not included) in the slot on the board to add virtually unlimited capacity for audio files. I ended up with eight camping-related audio files that all fit comfortably in the on-board memory, so I didn't need to go that far.

The bottom line is that I ended up with an audio feature that activates any time someone approaches or passes that corner -- it still manages to catch me by surprise sometimes! The sound files are consistent with the 'natural' corner of the layout, so succeed in adding a bit more 'realism' to the scene, all at a modest cost in parts and effort. I think a similar installation could be customized to add an audible component to almost any scene, and provide a bit of unexpected enjoyment and verisimilitude for your visitors! Good luck!

@Sitka posted:

Nice looking corner Mark.

Where do you get those great looking evergreens ?

@Steve Tyler posted:

As to my layout, since posting last year I've filled in one of the two previously "open" corners, adding a motion sensor to trigger one of eight "camping" audio files, and creating an abandoned campsite with animals featured in the audio files to cover the embedded speaker:

Nice Steve .       I like the sounds # 5 , 6 znd 7.

@RSJB18 posted:

The Ameritown building can be lifted off for repairs. And the corner tunnel was built as a diorama and placed on the layout since it's in a difficult spot.

Bob

Great solution to the corner Bob.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Nice looking corner Mark.

Where do you get those great looking evergreens ?

Thanks Dallas, bought from scenic express some years back have some nice stuff, along with people.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Great solution to the corner Bob.

Thanks- like I said, access was an issue....

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Nice Steve .       I like the sounds # 5 , 6 znd 7.

Thanks, Dallas. I'm partial to the mosquito myself, but you can only hear it if the trains are not running!

@Mayor Magoo posted:

Looking through some old pics, found I had some corner shots.

Every train room should have a napping corner.

Maybe not everyones " cup o tea "  Steve.........but where's the fridge ?

@Steve Tyler posted:

Thanks, Dallas. I'm partial to the mosquito myself, but you can only hear it if the trains are not running!

Not a fan of the little mosquitoes Steve................got over a near end of life relationship👻 with one in 1969.  A few weeks on the hospital ship Repose got me back " in country ".                ( however , a great looking corner country scene like yours would certainly be lacking if it didn't have the little critters bzzzzzzzing sound around . )

Dallas Joseph, it is truly a travesty that I do not have as much as a mini-fridge in that space!  And to add insult to injury, I have to walk down to the 1st floor to get to the liquor locker!

Here are a couple of corners on my layout.

Well, this is a great subject, an interesting topic and each of us with layouts has to contend with corners, some more than others. On my layout, because I tried to utilize all the room possible for the layout itself, we made the ends of the layouts with curves making it easier for folks to pass each other. The isles are 24 to 25 inches wide, easily maneuverable but the ends are much wider for passing each other. Great pictures everyone. Happy Railroading Everyone