Creating Background Flats with Depth for your Model Railroad Layout. ACHB 1-48

[@larrybaughman618]

I love watching you.I'm learning so much🚂

[@achb-railway]

Larry - always good to hear from you!

[@CNR5154]

Excellent job! Tinting the windows with auto spray was a great idea! Also, the black frames and muntins look super against the brick, just like in real life.

[@achb-railway]

When I first experimented with the idea, the printed photo was too “obvious” through the clear windows. The tint helped a lot. Thanks for watching!

[@PennCentral99]

A dilemma that most of us are faced with. I like your approach and multiple ways to look at it. I like what you did, especially with the 2nd building, staggering the depth will give it visual perspective. Another way to look at is backwards, yes, literally in reverse. A lot of railroad tracks run on rear of buildings, try modeling the backside instead of the front all the time. Thanks, Terry

[@achb-railway]

@@PennCentral99 I may do that farther along the wall. I did it this way because I already had two building “fronts” to use.

[@MarkWick]

I have an S gauge American Flyer layout in a square room that is 88" from wall to wall, so I also use the walls to give the illusion of more depth. I started building the layout by painting al the wall a light sky blue. I have a farm yard scene with a barn, but no space for a farm house, so photographed a ranch house that had been on my previous layout, lighting the house for the photo so that the light was coming from the same direction as the window light onto the layout. I printed the photo about 80 percent of actual size. Around the layout, I have placed cardboard from packing boxes, with the tip cut to look like hills and low mountain peaks. Various details, including trees are painted on the cardboard. The printed house is pasted on the cardboard near the barn, but extending along the wall where there is no layout table because I had to leave room for the door which opens into the room. Some lichen is glued to part of the front of the house to give some depth above the empty space below the house. From low angle views from the layout, it does look like there is a house there. Against another wall where the rails are very close, I created enough of a roof and support posts, a bench and a platform to give the impression that there is a full wayside station next to the tracks. I also have glued tufts of stuffing the dog has ripped from several of his beds to the walls to create very realistic looking three dimensional clouds.

[@achb-railway]

Nice! So you’re saying your dog helps you get scenery materials?

[@royslaymaker1628]

what you have started looks awesome, you could look at a tall retaining wall with brushes and trees hanging over.... so its not all building...

[@achb-railway]

I’ve started experimenting with some fence. And maybe some trees of some kind. Good ideas!

[@almarr4942]

That looks great, gave me some ideas

[@achb-railway]

Always good to hear I've helped out somehow!

[@vestafreyja]

You might consider taking photographs of a industrial areas and have them printed onto suitable paper stock and use them to give added depth to the scene.

[@achb-railway]

I took some shots in Sault Ste Marie (of Algoma Steel in the distance).with my drone this summer - I might be able to use something as a backdrop for my steel mill. I've done some editing, and it looks workable.

[@cncpgreatlakesdiv4896]

very Nice new sub and bell Thanks for sharing.😊😊👍👍

[@achb-railway]

Welcome, and thanks for watching!

[@paulflak2823]

I was watching another channel and one thing I took away from it was the use of dimmable LED lights which is going to replace my old incandescent lighting system. A little digging on Amazon and I found this, Lepro LED Lights, 32.8ft Dimmable which comes with a wide variety of colors so now I can run operations early or late at night (sun rise / set) or normal white light. All for $ 31.

[@achb-railway]

LED lights have come a long way. I also like that they don’t heat up the room nearly as much as incandescent lights. All of my room lighting is LED bars. They aren’t dimmable, but I’m thinking of adding some other smaller LED lights overhead (below my upper deck) for night/evening conditions.

[@Michael-py8ti]

Thanks you just answered my concerns on my own 13x72" empire

[@achb-railway]

We all have our “empires” somewhere. Thanks for watching!

[@flakstruk-8481]

The refracted light from the engine house in the last clip looked great too. Might be worth considering paited buildings behind fences ect. like that, for added depth

[@achb-railway]

I have a few ideas I’m going to explore. Thanks for the suggestions!

[@Floyd-Robbins]

Hey ACHB your flats look terrific. The lights and the interior detail works great!

[@achb-railway]

Thanks Floyd!

[@specterman]

The effect you’ve created is exceptional. Great job !

[@achb-railway]

Thank you! It’s a fun experiment.

[@SchuylkillRiverValley]

Nice job on the background flat Rainer, they definitely add some depth to the scene.

[@achb-railway]

Thanks! Got another one on the way on the workbench - built completely from scratch this time.

[@troysimpson9550]

I agree, That is an improvement and looks Good with the lights. Boomer, mpeterll, and Luke Towan of Boulder Creek Railroad alway have great tips and insights to this hobby. Thanks for Sharing!!

[@achb-railway]

Thanks for watching!

[@joeraderblackrockcentralrr]

Looks good. Always save them extra parts

[@achb-railway]

Thanks!

[@snuff62]

Hello a very good idea, looks very nice! Thank you for this tip 👍

[@achb-railway]

Thanks for watching!

[@havsum206]

Great video, and always amazed how lights make such a difference!

[@achb-railway]

They really do. Always worth the effort!

[@caseyvillemodelrailroad3877]

Great vidio, like the flats , done some back lighting on my Yard layout, hard to get enough light outside to see them or wait till evening but thats all part of the fun of Yardlayouting.Thanks for the morning coffee...

[@achb-railway]

My train room has one small window, so I can pretty much control the lighting any time of day. Spent the afternoon yesterday crawling in an impossibly small space I left for myself to get yard lighting wired up…

[@MRR_Shadowolf]

Very nice discussion and demo of background flats, thank you for sharing!

[@achb-railway]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@OldcampRanch]

They look great 👍🏻

[@achb-railway]

Thank you!

[@ScottRails]

Excellent effect with that factory building Rainer, looks fantastic.

[@achb-railway]

Thanks! Love it when an experiment actually works.

[@toddarmstrong.trackside.action]

Wow Rainer, that looks amazing.. I really like the way you mixed cool white and warm white LEDs in your structure.. The flats look great. Gives a real sense of depth to the scene... Nice work my friend...

[@achb-railway]

Thanks so much!

[@GRE2057]

Backdrop Buildings look good Rainer Keep up the awesome work...

[@achb-railway]

Thank you!

[@johnbanicki7232]

Look fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

[@achb-railway]

Thanks for watching!

[@dundasjunctionmodelr.r-jam8267]

Rainer looks excellent, I am working on the same idea for my elevated section of the layout , idea is industrial area close to a main line, un maintained

[@achb-railway]

Thanks! Always fun to try new things.

[@nononsense3528]

That looks excellent 👍🏻

[@achb-railway]

Thank you!

[@hansviergever958]

As always, Inspiring, Rainer. Sorry now I moved out of the Hamilton area 5 years ago. Would have loved to have met up with you but tougher now from Bracebridge and the busyness of the GTHA. What was the item number of the Walthers Carshed you did recently?

[@achb-railway]

This is the kit I built: www.walthers.com/railroad-shop-kit-17-1-8-x-8-3-4-x-8-5-8-quot-43-4-x-22-2-x-22cm I do go up to Bracebridge area frequently, far more so than Toronto if possible (I’m in Alliston). My parents lived outside of Bracebridge for 15 years after my dad retired from the ACR, so I know the area pretty well.

[@hansviergever958]

​@@achb-railwaythanks for the reply, Rainer. Small world if you know Dr Gerry Ross in Alliston. Would love to meet up for a chat/coffee if you're in the Bracebridge area. Your attendance at the Hamilton and Ancaster made me assume you might be from that area. My bad.

[@hansviergever958]

A friend up here has strong affiliation/work with the ACR and I'm sure would enjoy joining us for that coffee...first name is Reg.

[@jeffwhite3679]

Looks good. I wonder if you darkened the windows on the backdrop side of the car shop you could kill the shadow from the window frames against the backdrop?

[@achb-railway]

Possibly. I might just try putting some cardstock inside the building as an experiment. I think it will be less of an issue once I add more yard lighting and backdrop lighting.