Thanks, fellas. Bob, I have some paint left over from an interior paint job on the house about six years ago. It is called 'smoked oyster', and I would call it a slightly purplish-brown. Hard to describe. Anyway, I want to try that first to see if it 'works'. I can always paint over it if it's a bust.
I have added more fascia elements today. I have also been painting all the rock faces. I tried a tanny-grey, but it was far too grey. I have spent the last 25 hours in about five short sessions trying to stain the grey surface back to a lighter tan. I think I'll have to do more of that, and also paint some streaks of white and darker brown to get more realism. I'm learning as I go, and so far the grey was a complete bust.
As in....YIKES!!!
Mouse, I'll have to come up with a name for both the pike, itself, and the mountains....I guess. That task is always one of the last things I do before I consider the layout 90% complete...with the remaining 10% taking a few years. No more Seneca Falls, though.
Crandell
Great progress, Crandell. The facia really brings it all together, like the scenery contours. Figure out what color yet? Dark or Olive green (pullman green would work also) Hope the "Semi-permanent" layout can end up being more permanent.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Hey Crandell you can't be running your steamers at full speed along the edge like that. LOL
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
this is looking great... I'm glad I took the time to leaf through this thread
Very cool. Big Mountain should be named Peek-a-Boo Peak though.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
I have been spending a couple of hours most days in the train room. Here are some photos showing progress.
First, I have started the fascia which is recycled cladding from the old layout cut down to length and width. It will be painted.
In the first photo, I tested a steamer by placing it slightly outward from the rails and encouraging it to fall over. This is how it came to rest...confirmation that I have the top edge of the fascia at the height where it won't interfere with enjoyment of the view but where it still saves a top-heavy steamer that jumps the rails.
Next, a view from near the entryway looking along the yard module and the far mountain showing the fascia.
Wife has agreed to get some darker cotton material to fashion some short drapes to hide the rest of the legs.
Lastly, what the Big Mountain looks like. It is in four pieces. The lower front face with the tracks and portals is one piece, including the steep slopes between the tunnels. You can make out the seam behind which are two lift-out sections, one larger one on the left and a smaller one over the middle tunnel. I have not covered the entire mountain, but fashioned a lightweight frame and cover of EcoCork Foam to darken the inside of the mountain. I sprayed the inside surface of the cork foam with flat black paint, and all the tunnels have black Bristol Board light baffles running back from the rear face of the portals.
The top rear frame slides back on rails and can be lifted off with ease. It would have taken many hours and a lot of expense to cover this monster, about 6.5 feet across.
I'm having fun, taking my time (no, really...), trying not to make any errors that really set me back. So far, so good.
Thanks, Mark and Mike.
That opening, Michael, since it is vertically aligned with the edge of the layout and the aisle, will be covered with 1/8" mahogany plywood or doorskin fascia. I know it looks a bit weird, but once the fascia has its top edge mated to the surface of the mountain there, and is screwed into position, and possibly painted (not sure yet because they came off the outside of the last layout and were painted with urethane. I don't know if their natural wood colour will look good or if I'll have to paint it a dark green or something else...it won't be black, probably not grey) it will look like a typical layout with fascia applied.
I love how you landscape your mountains, they are so real looking its crazy good.
That opening (first pic) in the side of the mountain. Are you planning on closing that up? Or is that for track access?
Do you have any plans for backdrops?
And lightning-fast man strikes again!
Looking great, Crandell! Want to come to South Carolina and do some fast work here?
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks, Chip. I have lived a lot since my last entry, but I have also done a lot since then. First, I meant to post this earlier than now, but the first mountain is largely completed...just some rock carving and staining over the tunnel portal just to the right of the bridge in the distance, and some trees. Later, I'll tackle the close wide portal and its surrounding terrain to complete it.
Next, I am doing the facade, or the frontal face, of the helix mountain. I have applied the hot glue and screen to the embankment below the tracks, and have applied it to create washouts or ravines between the tunnels. Above thaem, seated atop the shaped plywood deck, notice that there are two separate smaller removable frames of 1X2 with screen applied. They will be removable, and behind them, covering the bast opening, will be two larger frames covered in the eco-cork. I won't be scenicking the rear side of the mountain because it won't be visibel much of the time, and won't be in images due to its location across an L-shaped aisle...biiiig gap!
This doesn't look any screamin' heck, but I hope it will look pretty decent when I am through with it:
I haven't really provided a good look at the last rock face near the portal leading to the tail of the wye that doubles as access to lower level staging. I am slowly carving it up to look like real rock. It will take some time. It's easy enough physically, but artistically it takes some experimentation and learning for me.
Also, it shows what I mean by not scenicking the rear 2/3 of the helix mountain. I don't need it for an illusion, it would add many hours of time and dollars of material to scenick it, and I don't ever expect to image it for reasons already given. So...
Tomorrow I begin to mix the probably 26-30 batches of ground goop it will take to cover all the screen. I have to scrub the utensils and the bucket between mixes, so it isn't very fast.
Wow! What an exciting read! Full of suspense and drama (not the good kind). And you'll be happy to know I helped you find hand holds in your climbing video. I enjoyed the progress. Very nice.
Crandell,
Really nice to see more progress on your layout! You're doing a great job on that mountain. I don't know how you can possibly do better with the new mountain, than your old layout. But apparently you are out-doing yourself with this new one.
Well done sir, well done (golf claps).
It's great to see you making some progress, Crandell! I missed the March 29 postings, but now I've caught up.
You sure work fast!
Wow, nicely done. Nice to see you are still ticking away at it.
I slowed down quite a bit to on my little layout until recently, but guess the spring has given us a boost.
That is going to be nice sweeping main line run through there.
Best Regards, Big John
Kiva Valley Railway- Freelanced road in central Arizona. Visit the link to see my MR forum thread on The Building of the Whitton Branch on the Kiva Valley Railway
Thanks for all your comments. More domestic intrusions have taken place, but they are temporary. Meanwhile, I have completed the mountain and points beyond the bridge, and I have commenced the rock wall beside the lone portal that provides access to the track that doubles as the ramp around the lower part of the helix and on to staging and as the tail of the turning wye.
First, the completed module in the corner, minus finishing touches like trees, brushes, ballast and rail weathering....heck, I guess I have a lot to do yet.
Next, I show the module with the helix and the scissors-type turning wye in the foreground. The portal to the below-surface staging is at lower right, and recall that that access to staging also doubles as the tail of the turning wye.
Here is how I created a barrier, or a dam, to hold the ground goop I had to place against screen there to create a rock face right next to the portal. The barrier is eco-cork underlay that I earlier cut into strips to use as roadbed. Tight clearances near that portal. Note the heavy objects used to stop the bottom from slipping out under the weight of the wet plaster goop.
Next is a top view showing the first batch of goop dropped behind the barrier.
And last image shows how I intend to carve the rock face to make it look more than just goop hardened behind a barrier of eco-cork underlay.
Your layout is looking great. The mountain is coming along well.
S&S
Modeling the Pennsy and loving it!
Thanks, Bob. I have soooooooo much left to do, but I tend to work quickly once the boiler pressure is up.
I see I forgot to answer the question about the bridge. It was a kit bridge assembled by a person on this list who sent it to me out of kindness. He had no further use for it, and when he learned of my need for it, he offered it to me. In fact, he shipped a couple of cartons of stuff to me, including the tunnel portals. So, my public gratitude here to that gentleman from the USA.
Welcome back, Crandell....your mountain scene & rock work are absolutely awesome!!!!!
Bob
Wow Crandell, you're doing a nice job on that mountain scene. Love that bridge, is that from your old layout?
I know how well you model water, so I'm anxious to see how that river scene turns out, its gonna look really nice!
Layout is looking good. Sorry that your family is going through so many hard times right now. Best of luck with everything and I hope everyone makes a full and speedy recovery.
Rob
Galaxy, my apologies for not seeing your post. I don't look in the diner thread, sorry, so I didn't see your story and photos. I'll take a look now that I know they are there, though, and thanks.
Yes, wife pointed out the sugar cane train in Lahaina. This is the honest truth...when she mentioned it, browsing through the brochures we picked up while awaiting our luggage at the carousels in Kahului, I told her thanks, but I wasn't interested...it wasn't to be a priority. And I meant it. We were travelling with friends, and I didn't want to impose an eye-rolling train agenda item on anyone, not my loving and well-meaning wife nor our mutual friends. But, she was firm, and said, "We're going." And that was that. I haaaate it when that happens!
Now, an update. I have put out most of the fires, although there is plenty of smoke billowing around that forces me to keep my guard up. What a year last year was. It was a bear, and just wouldn't let go! I gave up all interest in the layout when my eldest daughter came to stay with us because of a rather serious and severe mental disorder. Then, my wife fell at work and injured her brain and tore her rotator cuff on the left side. And on and on it went.... The past couple of weeks, the weather has improved, I am able to get on my bike and try out my severely sprained ankle that happened a week into the Maui trip, and my mood is improving. So, I went into the train room and finished the mountain in the right far corner, the bridge ramparts on both sides (still have to install abutments), and more terrain using ground goop on up the grade to the left under the large glass-brick window (which are plastic, I learned).
Here are some photos showing the small riser supports screwed under the screen sections to help support them over wide distances, the gobs and strings of hot glue, and then the covered sections with the ground goop applied. Ground foam and clumps come soon.
First, the 'before' photos with the bare screen:
And, two showing ground goop applied just yesterday afternoon:
The goop looks rough when it is applied. If it looks too bad, I will smooth it with coarse sand paper. Ground foam in two or more layers, two or more types and colours, does a good job of hiding the roughness, though, so I'll test the worst looking sections to see how they look with ground foam applied.
selector Mark, thanks for the jab. I took months off from the project due to family issues, a Maui vacation, and doing some restoration of a suite adjoining the house structure. Believe it or not, I have actually finished building the mountain and am now embarking on building terrain along the far wall, under the window, around the bridge and beyond. Crandell
Mark, thanks for the jab. I took months off from the project due to family issues, a Maui vacation, and doing some restoration of a suite adjoining the house structure. Believe it or not, I have actually finished building the mountain and am now embarking on building terrain along the far wall, under the window, around the bridge and beyond.
Ah, the pause that refreshes...isn't Hawaii fantastic? DId you stop in the Diner thread last month to see my pieces on RRs of Hawaii? All month long I posted in the Diner thread of Hawaii's RRs, past sugar cane trains, present tourist steamers on Maui, and the future they are currently building around/through/to Honolulu, with extension to Waikiki! WE can't wait to go back again, but until MOH has a job again, it looks slim on the current horizon!
Hope you get ot work on your layout soon,Crandell...
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Crandall, glad things are well with you and family. Great to see that you are still working on the layout even w/ uncertainty of a possible future relocation.
Glad things are improving for the family, looking forward to our next series of posts about the layout.
One of my stalling points was figuring out how to make a removable mountain top for the large mountain containing the helix. I think I know my way ahead, and I will discuss that process in due course, probably not for several weeks. Meanwhile, I hope to be able to post some photos in the next week.
Bob, thanks for your good wishes. Things have improved thankfully, and I hope to be able to apply myself to the railroad during the spring and summer.
I hope your family is doing well, it sounds like you have plenty to deal with at this time.
Best wishes
Hey Crandell!
Remember this thread? What's the latest
selector More of the same-ol' over the past couple of days. I had planned to do some work in the loft today, but She had errands and two health-related appointments, and can't drive due to her state with the rotator cuff repair. So, my day was otherwise occupied. In desperation, I told her I wanted an hour in the loft. I went out, planning to cut out, sand round the top corners, and paint a strip of 1/4" MDF that would be the retaining wall on my liftout bridge. When it was dry, about 15 minutes, I would press it into position on the outer deck wall with wood glue and leave that until I return from the trip into the central interior for a week. Everything went well until I attempted to spray the item with Krylon flat grey primer. I had painted the bridge and the first retaining wall, a total of maybe one full minute of spraying. All I got was a small string of spaghetti goo. Grey spaghetti. Oozing, not spraying. I heated the can, shook it some more, and got.......nada. So, it was a bust of an hour considering it was the first time in a month that I have taken up even a simple little project. Now I have a week to fume. Crandell
More of the same-ol' over the past couple of days. I had planned to do some work in the loft today, but She had errands and two health-related appointments, and can't drive due to her state with the rotator cuff repair. So, my day was otherwise occupied. In desperation, I told her I wanted an hour in the loft. I went out, planning to cut out, sand round the top corners, and paint a strip of 1/4" MDF that would be the retaining wall on my liftout bridge. When it was dry, about 15 minutes, I would press it into position on the outer deck wall with wood glue and leave that until I return from the trip into the central interior for a week. Everything went well until I attempted to spray the item with Krylon flat grey primer. I had painted the bridge and the first retaining wall, a total of maybe one full minute of spraying. All I got was a small string of spaghetti goo. Grey spaghetti. Oozing, not spraying. I heated the can, shook it some more, and got.......nada. So, it was a bust of an hour considering it was the first time in a month that I have taken up even a simple little project.
Now I have a week to fume.
Been there.....done it......Except the paint managed to go all over me and my clothes. My father has been very ill so after arranging for his care, I am heading back to the basement for some relaxation (?) and work on the layout. It does get better after a good fuming.......
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
It's looking quite nice there, Crandell. Will be great to see some steamers ripping through that tunnel - in BOTH directions.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.