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 Posted - September 07 2020 : 4:16:06 PM
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Here's an overview of the layout I'm currently working on. The layout is set in the fictional city of Queensdale some time in the late 1950s / early 1960s. My goal is to capture the bright, optimistic feel of the mid-20th century, with a little bit of futuristic whimsy. So far it's an eclectic mix of objects ranging from 70 year-old rolling stock and plastic kits, to 3D printed structures, and everything in between.
The track plan is a single oval with a trolley loop in the middle, point-to-point on the outside, and provisions to expand to a double oval in the future.
A current overview of the scenery work. Construction of buildings is slow as many are being custom built.
View from one end of the layout.
City Hall, as seen in BotW, is a 3D printed model. It is printed in ~15 pieces and assembled like any other kit. The fountain is also 3D printed. Work is currently underway to install a monorail station beside City Hall.
Looking down the main strip, a familiar row of buildings from my old trolley layout is visible, including the scratchbuilt Cinema.
The opposite side of the street features the Plasticville motel, a classic example of Googie styling. Next door stands a bus station, the main building made from styrene, and the canopy a 3D printed model.
A view looking down the main strip towards City Hall.
Here are a pair of 1954 metal Athearn RDCs restored and custom painted for local passenger service.
Also in the works is a GM New Look bus, almost ready for service in Queensdale. This is another 3D printed model.
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 Posted - September 07 2020 : 6:04:43 PM
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Nice concept Eric. Vintage and somewhat modern items on your layout.
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Posted - September 07 2020 : 10:53:05 PM
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Great looking layout! Love that custom cinema and the 3-D printed bus & city hall. Cool!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - November 06 2020 : 02:06:27 AM
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Thanks gents! I'm having fun so far.
Monorail Station going up. You can see the cutout at the end of the platform where the beam will enter.
Work progressing on a new Atomic engine for the Atomic Lake Railroad.
Edited by - DaCheez on November 06 2020 02:08:00 AM
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Posted - November 06 2020 : 08:52:53 AM
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| Wow! That is areal one off with craftsman look.
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Posted - November 06 2020 : 2:16:57 PM
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quote:Thanks gents! I'm having fun so far.
Monorail Station going up. You can see the cutout at the end of the platform where the beam will enter.
Work progressing on a new Atomic engine for the Atomic Lake Railroad.
Originally posted by DaCheez - November 06 2020 : 02:06:27 AM
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both nice, both 3d printed?
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Posted - November 06 2020 : 9:08:56 PM
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Cool! That Monorail station looks so futuristic, especially with the curvy supports. 
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - November 07 2020 : 01:32:25 AM
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Thanks, yes! The station and engine are both printed. A bit of a departure from the styrene buildings one block over, but the printer really is a great tool.
RP, glad to hear you got the futuristic vibe! I based a lot of the design elements on the Disneyland people mover and monorail, which feel futuristic, even today. Gotta keep Queensdale looking modern!
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 01:30:48 AM
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I haven't done a whole lot on the layout in the last year, most of my projects have been individual models.
Here's a current overview showing the monorail track in place, still needing paint.
I finished the Atomic Lake engine a few weeks back along with a matching set of aluminum Mantua cars.
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 10:31:11 AM
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Nice Eric. Has a bit of a futuristic Disneyland setting in some spots.
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 11:05:42 AM
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I like the consistency of the retro-futurism. I notice that the vehicles are from the "space age" era of the 1950s and 1960s when plain old diesel locomotives were decorated to look like jet aircraft. It really captures an era and an attitude.
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 11:35:05 AM
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now it needs The Incredibles figures & the Incredemobile on it
looks great tho  
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 9:35:09 PM
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Love the uniqueness of your layout, combining past with future.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - October 11 2021 : 11:58:24 PM
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| Thanks guys. I'm trying to keep enough period pieces present to make it alllllmost believable. I love the Tomorrowland scenery at DisneyWorld and it's obviously spilled over on to the layout, the monorail being the most obvious.
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Posted - October 12 2021 : 01:02:25 AM
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| A very disciplined, tight view. Stays on focus. Amazing stuff.
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Posted - November 22 2021 : 11:31:00 PM
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After paving/painting the road ages ago, the trolleys were getting hung up in a couple of spots. I found my little Tyco industrial switcher would breeze through the street portions without issue, and ran some short freight trains instead. Whatever was bogging down the streetcars was evidently worn away by all the freight traffic and I now have a working traction line again. I took a short cellphone video. Let's see if it works with the forum...
https://i.imgur.com/wztA4qr.mp4
Edited by - DaCheez on November 23 2021 01:28:01 AM
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Posted - November 23 2021 : 9:53:04 PM
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Looks great!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - November 24 2021 : 07:34:34 AM
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The Imgur link will not open for me. Pooh. Queensdale
is among my top ten favorite layouts. 
Edited by - Chops124 on November 24 2021 07:35:11 AM
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Posted - November 24 2021 : 1:05:38 PM
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Try this one Chops! I mashed up all the cellphone footage and threw it on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/NbGsu-IvNa0
Edited by - DaCheez on November 24 2021 1:08:22 PM
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Posted - November 24 2021 : 9:00:28 PM
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Awesome angles and layout! Your trolley runs very well on the track in the middle of the street. Impressive.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - November 25 2021 : 12:38:30 AM
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Thank you, RP! That was worth the wait. DaCheez has created
an alternate universe. As a former bus driver, I get a kick out
of those city buses, as well. AND the place is so tidy; DaCheez
could you come over to El Paso and clean my garage???
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Posted - November 25 2021 : 01:36:18 AM
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The layout was cleared last weekend to do some paint and detail work... trust me, it's not usually that tidy. You also can't see the floor under the layout.
I'm actually surprised with how well the trolley runs. That's an old Pennsylvania Scale Models PCC car from the 1960s. They built them well.
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 Posted - November 25 2021 : 1:00:17 PM
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| *zooms a Big Boy on the trolley line*
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Posted - November 26 2021 : 01:21:01 AM
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| Good luck on those curves Bus!
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Posted - December 13 2021 : 11:48:46 PM
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Chops asked in another thread for a video of the Atomic Lake rolling stock. Here it is, most of it anyway. The Hornet is running a car short; the baggage car jettisoned a truck screw and I haven't been able to find it.
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Posted - December 14 2021 : 01:02:49 AM
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Colorful set Eric.
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Posted - December 14 2021 : 9:46:35 PM
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Great video and train action! Those futuristic custom locomotives lettered for your railroad are awesome.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - December 15 2021 : 10:20:49 PM
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| Thank you gents! As much as I like the futuristic locos, I think the next few I do will be more Varney or Athearn F-units. I just can't beat the F-units visually.
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Posted - December 16 2021 : 4:52:50 PM
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Thank you! And terrific videography, too. The signature feature of
Queensdale is this almost sterile panorama, like a high end golf
course where every blade of grass is neatly manicured.
Seeing those old Lindsay's moaning down the line- what a treat.
Beautifully conceived and rendered, it is startling and enjoyable to
experience.
Thanks, Cheez!!!
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Posted - February 06 2022 : 7:05:14 PM
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Glad you enjoyed the video, Chops.
I did a little work a few weeks back on the scenery. This is the park beside City Hall. The play equipment is 3D printed.
Here's a Varney engine fresh from the paint shop, done up to match the Tomorrowlander passenger consist posted above. It's currently sitting on a belt-drive mechanism, which still needs work.
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Posted - February 06 2022 : 7:14:05 PM
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| SUPERB.
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Posted - February 06 2022 : 7:44:16 PM
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Gorgeous views. Definitely looks like scenes from a brochure depicting a city of the future with its past still intact in the landscape.
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Posted - February 06 2022 : 7:46:04 PM
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It's nice to know there are still parks and trees in the world of the Jetsons. 
Carpe Manana!
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Posted - February 06 2022 : 10:09:52 PM
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Great schemes and photos!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - February 07 2022 : 10:05:48 AM
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Thanks gents! I spent a couple hours in photo editing software trying different paint schemes for the #65 engine, but in the end just went with the same layout as the other F3. It's an easy mask job and gives the fleet some cohesion.
The landscape on the layout will hopefully have a lot of greenery. I like the contrast it gives to the hard surfaces of the city.
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Posted - February 07 2022 : 11:01:54 PM
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| The different Atomic Lake paint schemes sparkle.
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 12:41:59 AM
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The second half of the layout is currently under construction. The benchwork and track is done. I spent a couple hours today soldering rail joints and installing the missing ties between pieces of flextrack. The two halves of the layout will eventually be pushed to either wall and connected in the middle by a bridge at each end.
Picture prior to replacing the missing ties. The two tracks on the left are storage sidings.
Scenery has progressed slightly on the first section.
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 12:47:04 AM
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I know what is missing!
the GM Areotrain!
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Bamos
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 05:46:02 AM
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Very nice, it's the future, as told from the past.
Bill
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 2:58:28 PM
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Glad to hear that motif is coming through!
Bus, maybe one day! I like the Aerotrain and it would certainly fit the theme.
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 3:05:17 PM
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Here's a current video of the layout running. Everything on the track is Tyco, with the exception of the NH F-units, which are Athearn rubber-band engines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M0KEk5zadA
Edited by - DaCheez on February 02 2023 3:11:17 PM
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 4:11:40 PM
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quote:Glad to hear that motif is coming through!
Bus, maybe one day! I like the Aerotrain and it would certainly fit the theme.
Originally posted by DaCheez - February 02 2023 : 2:58:28 PM
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Agree & I have one hehe
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 5:51:35 PM
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Queensdale is one of my top ten favorite layouts. A sharp discipline
in where a new Alternate Reality is seamless invented, like something
out of the Twilight Zone. That street runner is the cherry on top. I don't
know if I've ever seen that modeled beyond trollies.
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Posted - February 02 2023 : 10:16:09 PM
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Very unique theme for a layout - looks awesome! The futuristic past is very well done. Looking forward to your expansion.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - February 03 2023 : 11:03:03 AM
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Thanks guys! I've got some preliminary scenery plans for the new section. My next step is to add feeder wires to the various blocks, then push the two layout sections against the wall and construct the bridges. We'll see how long that takes me.... 
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Posted - February 17 2023 : 11:46:20 PM
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The layout sections have been pushed back to their respective walls. I built the bridges yesterday, and will hopefully get around to mounting them in place this week.
The preliminary building/road layout is shown below. The bus depot is on the left, with a neighbourhood on the right. The track curve in the back right corner will have a small hill/mountain that the trains will run through. The road along the back will rise to a bridge and cross the tracks just before the mountain. As you can see, I'm hoping to incorporate the old Eheim Trolley Bus in to this layout. Seeing Chops' example running has motivated me to set my own up.
I purchased two Plasticville "Contemporary House" kits from the local hobby shop. Here's the first mostly completed. Paint makes an enormous difference.
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Bamos
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Posted - February 18 2023 : 12:50:30 AM
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Your house looks great. Anything Bachmann definitely looks better with paint. I downloaded the file from your chairs from thingyverse for a future project.
Bill
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Posted - February 18 2023 : 11:11:00 PM
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Good luck on your continued layout expansion.
Man! That Plasticville house looks infinitely better with paint - looks excellent!
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." - Matthew 5:16
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Posted - February 19 2023 : 11:11:30 AM
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Thanks Bill! I hope the chairs work for you! They're a bit of a delicate model, but I don't recall having any print failures.
Thanks RP! I went down a little research rabbit hole of HO scale houses. The contemporary was my favourite design I found. Gary B did a real nice paint job on one a few years back as well.
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Posted - February 20 2023 : 1:54:12 PM
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Oh, wow, Queensdale just keeps getting better! I see the city is branching into trolley buses!
Those critters are a treat. There is a strong element by which Queensdale has created an
alternative universe, as has RP's famous Ephrata Valley, or Bamos's Clover Valley and a few others.
From my own experience, it is so hard to keep to one theme and not get sucked into a
hundred directions, but you seem to have kept your focus laser-like.
Edited by - Chops124 on February 20 2023 2:08:11 PM
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Posted - February 22 2023 : 10:15:47 PM
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Hey Cheez,
It's been a long time. Love what youre doing here. What caught my attention is the 3d printed Queensdale building. I got into 3d printing myself recently and have been making my own custom designs which I can post in another topic. I actually downloaded the Queensdale stl files a few weeks ago. Did you make those?
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