22 May 2021
Finally, after nearly three months, the Planning episodes of my YouTube series "Building Casper" is nearly done. Part one is "in the can" and has been posted on my YouTube channel. Parts two is nearly finished, and will be published in two days. Two days after that, part three (the last part) will be published.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks Dave!
8 May 2021
Ballasting is proceeding in Casper yard. First I taped over the tracks
Then I applied plaster and dirt over the cork underlayment
Then I pulled the tape up. It left an impressive looking debris field!
Ten minutes with a vacuum cleaner took care of that, and tracks are ready for ballast!
Ballasting started yesterday afternoon. By this evening, I should have most of the ballast in place on the classification tracks. Then a day or so to glue it all in place and I'll be ready to move into the yard ladder.
Great progress Mark.
Your friend did a magnificent job of weathering the steamer!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I just posted my latest layout update video...
Thanks guys! I'll pass the compliments on the loco on to the guy who did the work.
Selector, the gloss medium is a great idea! I may try a bit of it on the tender to start with.
ChrisVA, Rocky Mountain Drilling is a very old Model Hobbies kit - their HO Feed Mill. It's pretty basic, but I'm adding an interior floor (because I'm leaving one set of warehouse doors open), probably an interior partition or two, and adding lighting to the structure.
As far as tips on the weathering job goes, all I really know is that he uses an airbrush, and he hates steam locomotives! He's a dyed-in-the-wool diesel fan. But he sure does a great job on the steamers! And he doesn't charge an arm and a leg - he enjoys doing them, so he works for the cost of materials for club members. He's about to get whole pile of locomotives to do !
Scott, I'll let you know what I think of it, but it will be awhile. Right now it has almost no place to go except back and forth in the yard or on the CNW track above the yard.
Mark,
I will also be curious to see how you like the BLI Consolidation. Been thinking about getting one in CNW livery also.
Scott
Is Rocky Mountain Drilling a kit or scratchbuilt?Great weathering on the locomotive - any tips on how he does it?Thanks!
Yes, that is very realistic, Mark. Nice job. I have thought, once or twice, of very carefully painting over the weathering with some gloss medium to simulate water overflow here and there on both the tender deck and sides, and of course on places on the steamer. This would require some thought, a careful touch, maybe micro-brushes, and possibly the Mod Podge should be very slightly thinned...I'd have to do a trial. But, with the fine weathering and some water evaporating still visible on parts of this fine locomotive model, you'd have something truly spectacular.
Well down the road, of course. You have miles to go before you begin to think of projects like these.
Still watching...
30 April 2021
I've continued to work on Rocky Mountain Drilling. Here I've set in place temporarily on the layout.
I still have to add tar to the roof, add the chimney and the loading platforms. I also need to complete the weathering, of course.
Nathan, our local club president, weathered this switcher for me. It came out good! He'll be getting more of my locos to do.
Thanks, Dave! After it's been run in a bit I'll ask a guy at the club to weather it for me (I'm a bit reluctant to tackle that myself).
27 April 2021
I've been working on completing scenery into the corner on the CNW line over Casper. Track has been ballasted almost to Hudson, and I'm ready to remove the wax paper over the backdrop and begin the final detailed scenery.
This month I've also been building Rocky Mountain Drilling. I'm about half done, I think. Here I've installed half the tarpaper roof.
This is a very old Model Hobbies HO Feed Mill kit.
Pruittthen spent most of it on a new locomotive - a BLI Consolidation in Chicago and North Western livery.
That is a nice locomotive!
richhotrainMark, I am having a difficult time determining whether that is your normal relaxation position or your lean-to position when working over the layout. Rich
Rich
hon30critterI am curious to find out how long you can actually lean on the Topside Creeper before it starts to get uncomfortable. Dave
20 April 2021
I spent this past weekend at the North Platte Nebraska train show with a few members of the Central Wyoming Model Railroad Association (the Casper Train Club). I made several hundred dollars selling stuff I bought years ago and now won't ever use, then spent most of it on a new locomotive - a BLI Consolidation in Chicago and North Western livery.
Meanwhile, I've resumed ballasting Casper yard, finishing up the second section today. The ballast is still wet on the inside tracks.
I did the track with the turnout before I went to North Platte, and I'm pleased to be able to report, with the ballast fully dried, it still works! Will wonders never cease!
I've also continued to add dirt in the area east of Hudson, but I don't have a shot of that. Maybe in a few days.
Pruitt
Which is it?
Alton Junction
Pruitt Rich, I'm thinking you meant the failed plaster aspect. Otherwise, I guess I know what you think of the road!
Rich, I'm thinking you meant the failed plaster aspect. Otherwise, I guess I know what you think of the road!
Glad to learn that you got that plaster to work.
Hi Mark,
I'm glad that you have finally solved the problems with the plaster. I have learned a lot from your experiences. I'm sure that others have too.
I am curious to find out how long you can actually lean on the Topside Creeper before it starts to get uncomfortable. Before I came up with the concept of having my layout rotate I had seriously considered using a Topside Creeper to solve the reach in challenges with my layout. I can't remember exactly how I tested the concept, but I do remember finding that leaning on my chest was extremely uncomfortable. Both my chest and my back protested loudly! Given all the back problems and other issues that I have suffered, I wasn't surprised that the creeper concept was uncomfortable. I dearly hope that it works for you!
Cheers!!
Thanks for the kind words, Bear and Dave (I hope I don't have too many "opportunities" to show you what doesn't work!).
Anyway, about that plaster faux pas...
11 April 2021
I stripped the entire area back down to bare styrofoam (I mentioned that in my "Plaster Disaster" thread), and started over.
I roughed up the surface of all the styrofoam, then used paper drywall tape to cover the gaps between subroadbed and styrofoam.Then I applied plaster again over most of the area. It worked great! It's well stuck down to everything (except the masking tape over the track, I hope!).
I sanded it lightly to remove sharp little peaks, and had this:
So today I applied some of my tempera / plaster dirt mix in the back corner. It needs a second layer, and in this picture it's still wet, but scenery is once again progressing (I was beginning to wonder if it ever would)!
On April 1st I also got a Topside Creeper (no, really!). After assembly, I posed it over Casper yard (with me on top, hamming it up for my wife - sorry):
Having this thing will allow me to postition Casper permanently back in the corner right after I get the backdrop finished. That, in turn, will allow me to extend the mainline both directions out of Casper much sooner than I would have otherwise, since I can easily do scenery work from the creeper.
I watched the entire video, paying close attention to the failed road aspect of the project.
It seems to me that plaster of paris is not the answer. If Hydrocal were available, I would use that. Otherwise, I would go with pre-mixed joint compound.
If adherence to the smooth pink foam doesn't work, and if roughing up the pink foam doesn't work, I wonder if a layer of screening nailed over the pink foam would provide better adherence when the plaster is applied. The screening would act like rebar when pouring concrete. Just a thought.
I'm with Bear, Mark. I appreciate your openness. I will face the same issue about how to add a bit of texture to pink foam so I'm certainly glad to learn what works and what doesn't work.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I just posted my latest update video:
Glad I could be of service, Dave!
Yes, I did tint the plaster, using tempera paint pigments. I did that before and it worked fine. I didn't try spreading the plaster on latex paint, though.
Yeah, I'll start a separate thread.
Scott, wetting the paint is something I was thinking might help. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll do that next time for sure.
On a happier note, the reballasting of Casper yard seems to be going well. I've applied new ballast in the section I honked-up way back when, and it's looking much better. It's not glued down yet, but right now it's looking pretty okay, I think. Tomorrow I'll glue it down, and then we'll know for sure.
One thing that you might want to try is to pre-wet the surface that you are applying the plaster to. I've found that plaster(especially plaster of Paris) dries too quickly without additional water on the surface it needs to adhere to. Doesn't need to be soaking wet.
Since I've got lots of different surfaces(plywood, foam, hardboard) on the layout, I stopped using plaster and only use Scultamold which has a longer drying time but needs the same type of surface prep and seems to stick to everything.
Scott Sonntag
Like I said previously, I'm learning from your mistakes! However, that doesn't mean that you have to keep making them just for my benefit!
Seriously, I do have a question. It looks like you tinted the Plaster of Paris before applying it. Is that correct? If so, did you use paint or just pigment? If you used paint I'm wondering if it interferred with the ability of the plaster to set properly. Years ago I was trying to make a bird bath out of concrete. I had a bunch of powdered Tempura paints left over from when the kids were young so I figured that I could colour the concrete with the paint powder. Bad idea! The concrete never set! What a mess!
I'd really like to see this puzzle solved. Would you consider starting a thread specific to this issue? That might get people with direct experience involved.
Thanks for the thoughts, Rich.
I've looked all over town - nobody around here carries hydrocal. I'll have to order it online. Meanwhile I've put together a test panel where I'll try painted, painted and sanded, and unpainted tape (plust a bit of untaped bare styrofoam) with patching plaster, and a bit thicker coat of plaster of paris. I've just applied the plasters, so tomorrow evening if they're dry I'll see how all those variations fare.
Pruitt Well I'm sure learning a lot about what not to do! That thin, brushed-on coat of plaster of paris I applied to the painted substrate on the line near Hudson didn't stick to the paint at all! It just started crumbling off! I expected it to adhere to the latex paint. It just lifts away, braking into flakes as it comes up.
Well I'm sure learning a lot about what not to do! That thin, brushed-on coat of plaster of paris I applied to the painted substrate on the line near Hudson didn't stick to the paint at all! It just started crumbling off! I expected it to adhere to the latex paint. It just lifts away, braking into flakes as it comes up.
So here's what it's looking like right now:
I'm stumped.
HELP!
Well I'm sure learning a lot about what not to do! That thin, brushed-on coat of plaster of paris I applied to the painted substrate on the line near Hudson didn't stick to the paint at all! It just started crumbling off! I expected it to adhere to the latex paint. It just lifts away, braking into flakes as it comes up. I'll post a few photos later.
Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks David, Dave and Rich. I wasn't at all sure about that hopper ...
26 March 2021
Since my last post I shifted my attention away from the crossing and began working on the CNW line above Casper again. I finished the static grass nearly into the corner (the backdrop looks odd from this angle, but you'll never be able to see it this way once Casper's in place):
Then I started working my way around the corner and into Hudson. I filled in the benchwork grid with 1/2" styrofoan insulation, covered it with masking tape and created a very low rise along the backdrop behind Hudson itself. I painted all of that a tan color.
Then I mixed up a thinish batch of paster of paris (tinted with brown tempera paint) and slathered that over most of the painted area:
I haven't done the rest yet because I still have to install the siding.
Remember a couple years ago when I tried to start scenicking the Casper classification tracks? Yeah, this mess:
Well, since I couldn't do any more on the CNW line until the plaster dries overnight, and since I wasn't in the mood to start building that old Model Hobbies structure I'm going to use for Rocky Mountain Drilling Co., I decided it was time to give this another go. Hang on to your hats!
I stripped off the tape that was protecting track from the scenery work and cleaned up the debris. A lot of very bright white plaster had seeped under the edges of the tape, and in between ties. Oy vey!
It looked worse in person than it does in this photo. At this point I've learned to always tint the plaster.
I chipped it out using a small screwdriver (a much easier task than I anticipated), then made a wash of tempera brown paint and stained the remaining white edges of the plaster. At this point it looks like this:
Next step is to apply (and re-apply) ballast, then darken the brown stain with black tempera. After that we'll see where we are.
I'm thinking it might be best to chip out all the old ballast to start with, since it was kind of a mess. What do you think? Your ideas, thoughts and suggestions about what will work here and what won't are very welcome for this part of the project.
hon30critter The dirt crossing came out really well! I like the covered hopper a lot too!
The dirt crossing came out really well!
I like the covered hopper a lot too!
I like the covered hopper a lot too! I have a bunch of CP and TH&B slab sided hoppers that will get a similar treatment. The cars were all black and the white stains on the prototypes really stood out.