Ez's 2013 duff challenge

[Tyson Rayles]

Very nice!

[Ralph]

Looking good Don!

[ezdays]

The next giant step, I thought the small, flat hill in the corner would make a good grazing pasture.

This is the area I'm talking about:

   

I changed the background by adding a run-down farmhouse and barn. I made the backdrop from several separate pictures, then added the trees. I printed the picture on thin paper, then cut away the sky.

   

Here's the overall view. I decided that the grass should be brown since the farm is neglected. There are a few cows hanging around since the land is leased from the government and it stipulates that they have to have cows grazing otherwise they'll loose the one-dollar per acre land lease.

   

   

[Catt]

[doctorwayne]

Big improvement, Don.

Wayne

[ngauger]

Nice!!!

[Tyson Rayles]

It's a perfect fit for that space, very nicely done!

[ezdays]

I had many a sleepless night concerned about taking those walls out, even though I agreed that things turned out better the way it is, but something inside of me said that I needed a wall there somewhere. I had the right end of the hill tapering down to ground level but I didn't like the way it looked and figured I needed more real estate for whatever I plan on putting in that area, so I had a lightbulb moment.... Cut the hill down and hold it back with.... a wall. I made the wall out of scraps of what I found in my "wall" bin and the rockwork seemed to match OK. The big thing is that I recovered about 36 square inches of level space, or around 6,400 square feet in N scale, enough for a good sized building. Oh, I did add some neatly trimmed bushes along the bottom of the wall until I figure what to do there as well as to keep the city from complaining about a half-finished project.

   

   

   

[Tyson Rayles]

Oh no ! Not the wall again !!!

Just kidding, the wall does make sense there and is looking good.

[ezdays]

Oh no ! Not the wall again !!!

Just kidding, the wall does make sense there and is looking good.

Wasn't that an episode of the Twilight Zone a few years ago????? hock: Something about the wall that wouldn't go away........

Oh, and thanks, I appreciate that... Ahh, no more sleepless nights.

[ngauger]

Wasn't that an episode of the Twilight Zone a few years ago????? hock: Something about the wall that wouldn't go away........

That was: Night of the living wall.. --- I think :evil:

Oh, and thanks, I appreciate that... Ahh, no more sleepless nights.

.......... until the next major catastrophy

It does look like it belongs there!!!

[Sumpter250]

Any "wall" that makes room for another "industry" for the Railroad to service.......is a good wall !
And - - -that one even "looks" good ! Waiting to see what you put into the available real estate.

[ezdays]

Any "wall" that makes room for another "industry" for the Railroad to service.......is a good wall !
And - - -that one even "looks" good ! Waiting to see what you put into the available real estate.

I was thinking that for now, a FOR SALE sign (ie: "available real estate") would be appropriate to put there.... :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Sumpter250]

[ezdays]

Okey dokey, I'm to the point that I'm going to declare this challenge finished. There's a lot more to work on as far as the rest of the layout, but I think I've accomplished what I said I would. Here are some of the results:

I added details to the hill below the pasture and roadbed:
   
I extended the area between the hills and added trees and other greenery:
   
I added talus and other details to the bottom of the hill:
   
More details added as well as finishing off the roadbed:
   

And one overall shot: