First Track Ballasting and Scenery on the 2x4 N Scale Layout
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- I painted and ballasted the Kato Unitrack on the lower level loop of the 2x4 foot N scale layout project, added ground cover to that level, as well as vines to the retaining walls.
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TRAIN SETS:
N Scale Kato Amtrack Set: amzn.to/3iyCbBt
N Scale Kato Super Chief Set: amzn.to/3B4ISS7
Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 1: amzn.to/3B61UHF
Kato N Scale Track and Controller Set 2: amzn.to/3Y5hflZ
More Kato Track Sets: amzn.to/3OYcZQJ
HO Scale Rail Chief Train Set: amzn.to/3OVJizQ
O Scale Lionel Polar Express Train Set: amzn.to/3EQLcNu
O Scale Lionel Hogwarts Express Train Set: amzn.to/3Y5hM7t
KATO TRACK:
Kato Unitrack (N Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
Kato Unitrack (HO Scale): amzn.to/3kl9msS
CONTROLLERS:
Battery Powered Controllers that work great for N scale too: amzn.to/3umqFfa
Awesome DCC Starter System: amzn.to/3gZVbbp
LAYOUT KIT:
HO Scale Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3uiPvN1 (my first adult railroad project)
Track set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3VPyzsS
Building set for Grand Valley Kit: amzn.to/3F1b8WQ
N Scale Scenic Ridge Kit: woodlandscenic...
N Scale building set: amzn.to/3BsZMu3
TOOLS:
Bench top hot wire cutter: amzn.to/3Voq1tk
My Resin 3D Printer: amzn.to/3gT2PEH
My Filament 3D Printer (upgraded version): amzn.to/3Uroph6
Snap-off Blade Utility Knife: amzn.to/3OXM1cj
Cordless Dremel Set: amzn.to/3VO86Mm
My DeWalt cordless drill: amzn.to/3gW5i18
My Dewalt cordless saw (current version): amzn.to/3H73Jbo
My Dewalt cordless miter saw: amzn.to/3VNnzfL
My DeWalt Cordless Brad Nailer: amzn.to/3XBvltD
Speed Squares: amzn.to/3IxfJ6h
Hot glue gun: amzn.to/3ZFcTmk
VIDEO AND AUDIO GEAR:
Rode Wireless Mic: amzn.to/3KhNlCy
Shure MV88 Portable iOS Microphone (Great external microphone for iPhone): amzn.to/3LmWw67
Smartphone vlogging kit: amzn.to/3rTXyPf
Selfie Mirror to see phone screen when recording self with back cameras: amzn.to/3KiCgRU
Canon SL3 (nice basic DSLR): amzn.to/3kdBHy1
LED light panels: amzn.to/36NZBNy
More Items:
NEC PowerCab: amzn.to/3acwox9
Digitrax DS74 Units: amzn.to/3M7KBbW
Pneumatic door lift stay: amzn.to/3x0AAb8
Toggle latches: amzn.to/3aiFt7P
Carry Handle: amzn.to/3GCsUAi
Drawer slides (Home Depot): thd.co/3M6XTpk
Drawer slides: amzn.to/3PYRjV4
Push Buttons: amzn.to/3M9eEQG
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Music: epidemicsound.com
I just started doing ballast on my first real layout. These tips are giving me more confidence. Nice to know it's okay to add more layers of ballast if needed.
that's a great idea and also I shared it on our Facebook group
Looks brilliant. I'm getting close to starting my scenery, so this video helps a lot. Thanks.
Looking good!
Keep up the god work Steve. We're all counting on you.
There's a moose loose aboot the hoose. 😁
Looks great. I'm about to lay some ballast for the first time so the timing of this video is pretty close to perfect. Looking forward to seeing your SEVEN new engines!
This is such a nice layout, and your skills are fantastic !
Hi Steve, I realy enjoy watching your chanel. (I can hardly beat the urge to grab my childhood track and start builfing again ... but that's for later ...)
Kind sugestion: Looking at the grey wall ... When traveling by train I mostly find some grafity sprayed on it.
Yeah, I have a bunch of graffiti decals but not sure if I want to do it or not. What I might do is put a bunch of lighter paint patches to simulate painted over graffiti.
How do you clean the track surface after the detailing to ensure good electrical contact? I love your work!
I'm interested in knowing this too.
Looks great Steve!! Nice.
I like using a needle bottle for applying the scenic cement, seems to go faster for me since i dont need to keep refilling the eye dropper.
A folded piece of paper and a soda straw would allow you to blow the leaf material onto the wall way easy.
Looks great! Lots of inspiration here.
Great ideas!
Im just getting started on my own 2'x4' layout. Modeling some NS in Bluefield WV. Steve you have 100% been my inspiration for my layout. Keep the awesome content coming so I can steal all your awesome modeling ideas! LOL
Steve, looks great! Especially like the added detail of the green vining plants on the retaining wall. I have used the grease and grime look added to my ballast as an after the fact add. I think I originally got that idea from an actual photo that I took at a local oil refinery. Looking forward to see those seven new locos. Are they all DCC or combination of DC and DC?
How do you handle weathering and ballasting the Kato switches.
I like to use neolube on the rails which blackens them but is till conductive (around the points and on the metal frog and such). Ballasting you have to be careful to not get anything between the rails around the points or near the switch lever. Usually I tape those areas off when ballasting.
Hmmm, I never thought about using a heavier body paint to do rails... I usually airbrush it and it looks fine, but it has its own set of issues. Also (I hope you read this far) do you have a US source for your fascia mounted controller? I looked it up but saw no US vendors.
How many days until Tuesday?
This Tuesday, June 20th, will be more on my upcoming O gauge switching layout. Week after (June 27th) will be finishing the wiring on the 2x4 layout (the wiring is done and I’m editing that video now, but still have a ways to go on the editing). Following week (July 4th) on an American Flyer train from 1950 I think (that video is almost done). And i started recording the video for July 11th yesterday evening.
I almost don't want to criticize your fantastic efforts at all. Any negative comments become grounds for either revocation of my passport, or CXL of my drivers license from the RUclipsrs out there. I get that. I keep looking at the largest portion of your layout and still can't shake the sense that 75% of it is unseeable. I might have just put a back & forth trolley in front and saved myself the time putting a track in a tunnel that no one can see. 'Ya see how terrible that sounds? I know at the very beginning you addressed this fact but it still haunts me to some degree. There is no way I'd ever be able to do the level of work you're doing, I just feel a little sorry for the engineer only coming into the light for a brief time, then back into darkness.
No worries on the comments at all. Yeah, you don’t get to see much of that lower level, but I kind of envisioned it to be something like you see in parts of the Northeast, like PA and such where there are lots of tunnels and urban areas on different levels where maybe the double track main line on the lower level is running along a river or something and going in and out of tunnel areas below the primary city level like around Pittsburgh or something like that. It is more just to have trains passing by while doing operations on the middle level. We will see how it works in practice. Obviously you have to take off the rolling stock and everything off the middle level to access the lower level when you open the lid, but hopefully that doesn’t need to happen that often. Will have to see once it is finished up.
I didn't understand it at first, but as it came together I started to appreciate it more. I am going to use the exact same design (without the 3rd layer) for my first ever build. What appeals to me is that I can get the lower level completed and running trains with little effort, just as Steve has done. Then at a later date I can complete the more complex upper level.
I have been reluctant to start my first build for such a long time now because I know how long it can take to actually get your track layout to a stage where a train can be run... and chances are I would start the build... then pause... then start... then pause... and still no sign of a train running...
Ballasting is a combo of intimidating and tedious
i hate that i have to mix it and lay it at once, same with using plaster of paris to make rock faces, if i run out or come back another day i can never get the shade or texture the same