CNO&TP Layout Pics

[NSyorktown]

With the up-coming Holidays and "poor" weather months in the Midwest, it's that time of year to get a lot of work done on the train layout.

Can't wait!

In the next few months, I'll be taking down a lot of my CNO&TP pike, to make it better (more scenery around my Nemo Tunnel area, a continuous loop, etc.).

In the meantime, here's some images of the current layout:

1) My Bellevue, OH yard area with an engine shed
2) Northern Kentucky area with a Kings Mountain cut
3) Foreign power rolling through the Kings Mountain cut
4) The Tenn. region with Nemo at the far left (a section of the layout I'd like to enlarge on a new plan)

RDS

[Gage O'Dell]

Those are some awesome pics of the CNO&TP  got any scenery around Danville of Bowen or Palm??   Great Pics

[NSyorktown]

Sorry, Danville didn't make the original pike . . . nor make it into the plan currently on the drawing board.  Great area, and I love to railfan that region.

At present, I have a point-to-point plan in HO scale, from Bellevue, OH to Chattanooga, TN.  That's about 550 miles selectively condensed into 42-some linear feet.

I started the scenery that far north, since I grew up in north-central Ohio (near the Greenwich CSX and Bellevue NS yards).

The break-down on the current plan includes the following:

Ohio / I model from Bellevue to Columbus to Cincy - 217 actual miles (but only about 10 feet on my plan)
Kentucky / I have the Ludlow area south to the TN border - A total of 200 miles (about 15 feet on my pike)
TN / From the KY border south to Chattanooga (DeButts Yard) - Right at 138 miles (and about 17 linear feet)

Both the Gest Street (Cincy) and Danville yards fall too close to the middle of the layout plan to be included . . . . just now enough room.  The same can be said of the facility at Oakdale, TN.

Therefore just the two anchor yards made it at the end of the point-to-point plan.

Per your question, the major scenes include a coal mine at the TN / KY line and a foundry setting in mid-Kentucky area (see attached photos).

Thanks for the note!  RDS

[NSyorktown]

Well, it's summer time . . . . and for someone in education (like me), that's layout season.

From earlier posts in this thread, you can see what my CNO&TP layout looked like before I completely dis-assembled the thing and moved it out of the room.

Now the walls are re-painted, new carpeting in place, and the layout is getting rebuilt.

These two pictures show key steps:

1) The bridge over the Ohio River (outside Gest Street Yard) is shown, leading into my hillsides of northern Ky.

2) The Kentucky region is now over against one wall of the room.  Note my "old Kentucky home" on the hillside!

As more work is completed, I'll post more images.

Rich

[E.M. Bell]

Looking good!  You missed one thing for the old KY home...a giant satellite dish in the backyard and some cars up on blocks in the front. 

[NSyorktown]

Well, Mr. Bell . . . got you covered on both accounts!

When I moved that center section out of the room, I had to turn it up at about a 70-degree angle to get it out the door.

So anything that "might" fall off was removed.  Things are back in place now.

As you can see, the satellite dish is on the roof (top left section).  

The red spot in the lower right is an old (crushed) automobile.  Plus an engine is in the back of the truck.

Naturally, I get a lot of laughs when people first see this scene.  Fun stuff!

[E.M. Bell]

You now, at last, have the perfect layout depicting the CNO&TP in Southern Ky.    (at least we wear shoes around here)   

Seriously, it all looks awesome! 

[thpbears]

You all have the layout looking as real as it gets. Good Job.

[NSyorktown]

I now have a few updated photographs of the Summer '09 progress on my HO-scale CNO&TP layout.  It's been fun!

One the major areas I've been working on is the Kings Mountain, Kentucky region.

These first 2 pics show the "original" scene, the first one with foreign power running southbound through the big cut.

I've always been pleased with the west wall (at left).  The second photo includes a 5" x 7" image of the rock formation at Kings Mtn itself, sitting up against my scenery.

You can tell that the plaster casting matched-up pretty well with the photo I had taken on a previous trip to central Kentucky.

So one wall was fine!

But from the first view, you can tell the east wall needed some HELP (it was too short, the gap too wide, etc.).

So to re-mold the east face, I assembled a temporary mold made of ceiling tile . . . . cut and torn, then stacked at the proper angle / size / length.

The completed mold is shown sitting on the tailgate of my truck in the garage (it's too messy to do in the house!).  

BTW, the mold is a "reverse" of what is needed, so that's why it slants in.

More pics in the next post!  RDS

[NSyorktown]

The next photo shows the mold in place, with plaster poured between the mold and the side of the table.

I had coated the right side of the ceiling tile with latex (mold release) . . . here's the product:

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/items.cfm/TerrainAccessories

I made the plaster kind of water-y so that the material would in-fill in all the voids as I made the pour.

After allowing the plaster to dry for 2 days, I tore away the layers of ceiling tile to reveal the molded east wall of the Kings Mtn. scene.

With some acrylic paints and scenery materials, this will look much better.  

That job will take about a week, adding the proper color and texture.  RDS

[E.M. Bell]

looks like it will be a good improvement. You have it down, right the to strata of the rock

[thpbears]

Very nice.