Question - Reducing Baseboard Size

F

fredyale

New member
Hello,

I want to create a "layout" in a model railroading scale (i.e. "z", "n", "ho", etc.) that has a shelf portion of about 2 feet in width connected to two unscenicked (is that a word?) portions on either end that are essentially reversing loops for staging.

I have not been able to find a method that allows any reduction of baseboard size to less than the 72 X 72 10 meter squares that the default represents.

Am I missing something obvious? I have tried to reduce the height of the non-essential portions to way below the visible surface, but this has proven to be unsatisfactory.

I'm sure that I am not the first to have been down this road. If anyone can give me a hint as to how to go about this, I would be grateful. I'm willing to bet it is something that I should have figured out by myself. :o

Thanks,

Fred
 
The baseboards are square and you can't change that. In Z scale a ruler will measure the board to be about 11 feet by 11 feet.

Bob
 
When you create a new layout, it gives you the option to select a scale to represent. Chose the scale you want to model, then use the rulers in the tools menu (one of the little tabs on the side) to measure out the desired layout area, and the "use height" function in the top section to raise the table above the rest of the baseboard.
Paint the lower part as the floor, the vertical parts as the valance, then go to town on building the layout.
I use 1 meter as the default layout scale height, so for HO scale I would set the height of the layout at 87 meters.

:cool: Claude
 
fredyale said:
Hello,

I want to create a "layout" in a model railroading scale (i.e. "z", "n", "ho", etc.) that has a shelf portion of about 2 feet in width connected to two unscenicked (is that a word?) portions on either end that are essentially reversing loops for staging.

I have not been able to find a method that allows any reduction of baseboard size to less than the 72 X 72 10 meter squares that the default represents.

Am I missing something obvious? I have tried to reduce the height of the non-essential portions to way below the visible surface, but this has proven to be unsatisfactory.

I'm sure that I am not the first to have been down this road. If anyone can give me a hint as to how to go about this, I would be grateful. I'm willing to bet it is something that I should have figured out by myself. :o

Thanks,

Fred
Click to expand...
Hi Fred, I think I know what you are talking about, apart from the scale problem that may be there. You want part of the baseboard when your trains may do a loop around or even go into a Portal, and that no one driving the train or another train would normally see.

If this is the case I have seen some layouts using Backdrops, by placing these at angles but in the correct place it may then look like the train running off into the distance. In actual fact though it just goes behind the Backdrop and does whatever you want it to do.

Hope this may help.

Craig
:):):)
 
2 feet in 'HO' is about 175 feet. A 10 meter square is about 30 feet. Call 175 feet near enough 6 'squares'. Yes those are broad approximations, but Trainz is not a model planning tool and six squares is near enough 2 feet in HO.

If you confine your sceniking to a six-square wide strip along one edge of the board(s) and place backdrops behind, careful placement of trackside cameras should give a very 'model railway' look, specially if you allow some of the black front edge of the boards into the view.

Might try it myself actually.......

Andy :)
 
Thanks

Hello,

Thanks to all for the replies. Some good ideas there and I will begin working on them. Claude pointed out the "use height" method which hadn't occurred to me. The backdrop idea and scale info are also helpful.

Many thanks,

Fred
 
Last edited:
Hi, I saw a tutorial on Virtual Railroader about doing a shelf style layout. As said above, they used a backdrop behind the route, and placed cameras facing the route from in front. Then in front of the narrow route they depressed the unused terrain a short distance down and painted it with the built-in texture of "Pitch_Black" (KUID:3801:21013).
http://www.virtualrailroader.com/basic_trainz.html
See the third link under Layouts....
Let's get on the shelf: Creating a shelf layout in Trainz (VR Nov-Dec 04 - page 42)
 
Great Resources

Hi Sylvicolus,

Those links are great. I have done a few hours more work since I originally posted this, and have begun to get a good feel for how surveyor works - but still much to learn.

I have come across some of Al Barten's other stuff, and it is excellent. Thanks very much for these links, which are exactly what I was looking for.

Really good people on this forum.

Fred
 
In the layout "Nscale', or "N scale" or..., on the DLS, only a small portion of a base board is used. The unused part is darkened. A row of trees seperates the darkened from the layout. Check it out and see if you want to use this technique in part of your layout.
 
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