Model Railroading > A Dramatic Improvement - Backdrops!

Hello All!

Last night marked the first installation of the new 12'-long photo backdrop scenes recently in from Backdrop Warehouse.  Thanks to extensive planning, measuring, following directions (a rarity for me), and good execution with good help, the first installation was a success!  We have several more to install as time allows into the fall.  But here's a first peak at three images showing the area ready for install, the same area with the new backdrop in place, and then that scene with cars and structures back on the railroad.  Even with plenty of ballast and foliage yet to be installed, the results are dramatic.

The full story of the install is on my blog at http://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com/ but here's a few shots showing the change.  I am pumped now to continue this installation around the rest of the railroad!

1.  Euclid Yard on my Minoa & Euclid Railway, a shortline that comes to interchange with Conrail.  I moved all the cars and structures out of the way to make room for the work.  My painted backdrops here just don't cut it compared to today's detailed models and track.  Add in some weathering, and my effort at painting leaves a lot to be desired.

2.  The same area with the photo backdrop installed, and a few buildings in place.

3.  The scene with the buildings placed as needed and cars back in the yard.  What a change!

Thanks for looking!
~RGDave

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Looking good!  The photo type backdrops in your 2nd two photo's also show how color in painted backdrops can make a difference - comparing the color of green in the photo's to the painted back drop.  Rob Spangler discussed this in his blog on the MRH website - in his case he has hand painted all of his back drops and with great effect but shade of color of the acrylics he used was the defining factor on realism.  I would hope some day to be able to do what he did but that kind of skill is something which may take time and practice.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

Dave, these look great! Jim makes a great point - that the slightly faded color of the backdrops increases the perception that they are somewhat distant.

It's an excellent point Jim, and agreed, Alex!  Some of my favorite backdrops are painted - Mike Danneman's D&RGW, Eric Brooman's Utah Belt.  They are works of art in themselves.  

That said I am not an artist with a paintbrush.  That's one of the reasons the process took so long on the OC.  Backdrops are region- and season-specific, in addition to location-specific.  There is some latitude in each but each is critical in order to get the general atmosphere set.  For me, modeling a later summer period in the Northeast, I needed skies that weren't too blue, and air that wasn't too crisp and clear.  Humidity compounds distances as you note, and grays out the colors.  Also, with relatively shallow scenes here and there, the backdrops needed to be detailed and high-resolution images.  These backdrops accomplish that.

I first thought of going back and trying to paint the backdrops with less saturated colors and tones to accomplish that, but even with the right colors, it's an artist's work that stands up to today's modeling.  The sky color works for me, it's actually the same exact hue as the photos, which is an amazing coincidence.  

Painting backdrops is a noble effort for sure!  For me, my time is spent maintaining and prepping for a robust operation, creating superdetailed and sound-equipped locomotives, and detailed and weathered freight cars and structures.  I'd also like to get all the scenery to a good 'finished' look, with detail to match the models.  Learning to paint detailed backdrops was something far down the list of things I had time for, and something that stood in the way of serious scenic progress in front of it.  That's when I started saving to purchase the photos - for me, they are clearly the superior option!

Thanks for the comments & support!
~RGDave

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/16 10:12 by RGDave.

Nice modeling, very realistic. Love the back drop, nice seeing this level of realistic detail. 

Looks great!

- Jeff Carlson

I'm not skilled with a paint brush either so photo back drops may end up being my best option too.  Back when I was a kid I used do well with artistry but in my later years I seem to have a lot of it.  Perhaps I'll give it a go in the future and try to learn something from Rob Spangler.  Actually my first effort with any paints was recently on a river bottom using acrylics following Rob's methods for that - it came out decent but I don't have the photo's where I am to upload.  Maybe when I get home if I can remember.

Cheers, Jim Fitch