the lower level is DC, and all the track points etc are wired up, along with most of the building lights still a few more building light to wire up, and a lot more scenery to get finished, the new upper level i am building ia going to bee all DCC, , the wood work is all but complete, then painting, track layering, wiring etc, the DCC level will have three complete loops with points sidings etc, I already have three DCC compliant locos, and i will be converting a few more of my many locos to DCC, thanks for looking and comments good and bad are welcome

 

Hi Andrew,
Nice to see some photos of your layout(s), looks like you have been very busy, like the idea of the two layouts too. You have certainly seemed to have also fitted a lot into the current DC / lower layout as well, & are well on with its overall construction / build now too.
As you say there's always more to be done, but would we have it any other way
Thanks for posting & will look forward to further posts / updates idc. Cheers for now & Happy Modelling, Norm

 

Looks great, nice selection of trains too. What’s the Blue loco in the 5th photo?

 

Clever arrangement Andrew. Broad range of locos- nice'n varied!

 

thanks for the comment mate

 

Looks great, nice selection of trains too. What’s the Blue loco in the 5th photo?

Looks great, nice selection of trains too. What’s the Blue loco in the 5th photo?

Hi Carl, its a Great Western, King class, King Charles III

 

Metcalfe buildings are nice to look at, and so nice to build, imo.

I have some tips for realism from building these two, in case you make more.

1, put curtains in every single window. I made these by cutting a straight strip of paper, and folding it back and forth to get the folds, then cutting to the right size.

2, take the back side of a knife blade, and etch the edges of the roof shingles in just enough that they don't look like they're just a flat image.

3, take a pencil of appropriate color, and shade the exposed edges of the walls, so they look like the textured material instead of exposed cardstock.

4, shading window frames with a pencil helps too, since the outside of real window frames get dirty and don't get cleaned often, especially on upper floors. Having slightly dirty looking window frames, instead of bright white like the models come with, makes the buildings look a bit more lived-in.


5, adding interior walls makes a difference if you have a building like this one, where you can see in one side and right out the other. Details on internal walls aren't important, but making it so you can't see the building is a totally empty shell adds realism. (Yes, I made the bay window removable in case I'm able to put a table and chairs right inside later on)

 

Hi Alex,
Some good tips there on the Metcalfe / card kits enhancement front.
In particular like the additional work to the roofs, makes a significant difference in the final appearance for sure.
There are quite a few useful videos on similar "easy" ways to improve card kits which make useful watching too.
Thanks for sharing & Cheers for now, Norm