END OF THE LINE UPDATE #9:
Today I tackled the task of scenicking the top of the right side mountain.
I kind of wanted to try to make it look like the suggestion of a tree covered Eastern mountain like you might see in Tennessee.
In the past I have done this with Woodland Scenics scenic green fiber over toothpicks and then sprayed with ground foam. This was OK, but looks more like Kudzu than leaves, and if you lean on it... OUCH!
I decided to mix up a bucket of Woodland Scenics Clump Foliage with 2 parts dark green, 2 parts medium green, and one part light green.
My wife came out to the garage to check on me. She asked what was in the bucket, and I explained it. Then she started calling the mixture "Mountain Fluff", so that is what it shall be called from now on.
I started at the top of the mounting. The shelf above the mountain represents the bottom of the cabinets that will be over the layout, and I need to be able to work underneath these. They were mocked-up on this layout segment so I could test methods in as real-world a situation as possible. If I could not do the scenicking around this obstacle, another method would need to be developed.
The first attempt worked! I think sprinkling ground foam over scenic fiber in this area would have been much more difficult.
The finished product is pretty good. We will need to wait until later to see if it looks good in properly posed photographs.
Stay tuned...
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Looking good Kevin. I've lost track, is this your lay out under construction? or the diorama your making to use for photographs?
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewi I've lost track, is this your lay out under construction? or the diorama your making to use for photographs?
This is the 8 foot layout segment/diorama that I am building in the garage to test my benchwork and planned conctruction methods.
I am planning to take a few hundred pictures for Show Me Something, a photo for Trackside Photos, and photos for two MR articles before it heads to the landfill in three weeks.
I need to get back to work on it!
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #10:
Today I finished the ballasting. With this, all the layout is scenicked in at least one layer.
Now all I need to do is add the detail to the sceney, put the bridges in place, and finally I can start taking a lot of pictures.
I really hope Steve-O is back at work!
I have used this technique for ballasting turnout on my last two layouts. It does not look fully realsitic, but I have no problems with the operation and functionality of the turnouts, and that is most important to me.
I install the turnouts with a lot of clearance underneath the throwbar. This is the big trough I carve out of the roadbed. This makes sure there is almost zero chance of gluing the throwbar in place, and no ballast will get in the way of the points.
After the ballast is installed, it looks fakey when viewed from the top. The big void under the throwbar is pretty obvious.
But, it looks much better when viewed from the side. Not perfect, but OK.
When I take the actual photographs on this segment, if it is a problem I can always obscure the offending gap with bushes, brush, or any other prop.
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #11:
Today I began getting the bridges ready for final installation.
The long bridge, that I bought for $5.00 at a swap meet, was missing a couple of pieces.
I fabricated new pieces from Evergreen Styrene Strip, and installed them. Once these are painted, this bridge should look just fine.
The little girder bridge just needed decals identifying it as part of the STRATTON AND GILLETTE system. No problem.
The deck bridge does not need any work, so it is ready to go.
Tomorrow final detail paint will go on the bridges, and they can be installed.
END OF THE LINE UPDATE #12:
Today I made the bridges ready to install.
A long time ago, and old-timer showed me an easy way to install bridges. He would purposely install the bridge supports a little low, then add strip styrene to get the bridge deck within 0.010" of even with the trackage.
On the long bridge, I needed to make these spacers almost 1/2" thick. This is because I have already packed the bridge shoes away that I intended to use on this bridge.
On the two shorter bridges the spacers ended up at 0.080", which is a good and happy medium.
After I test fitted the bridges, I painted the spacers and added scenic detail around the bridge abutments.
I painted the Micro-Engineering bridge track for the long bridge with Floquil Roof Brown with my airbrush. The tracks on the shorter Atlas bridges were already painted.
Hopefully tomorrow I will finally get the bridges into position.
THIS IS IT!
I installed a bridge and cleaned some track.
For the first time in over three years, a STRATTON AND GILLETTE train is running on a STRATTON AND GILLETTE piece of layout real estate!
I am thrilled.
SeeYou190For the first time in over three years, a STRATTON AND GILLETTE train is running on a STRATTON AND GILLETTE piece of layout real estate!
Woot, woot, woot!!!!
Well done Kevin!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Mike
Looking great.
Since I'm on my first layout, I can't believe you are doing all this great work with the knowledge that you are going to get rid of it in several weeks.
Have fun.
York1 John
Congratulations Kevin! It's nice to see that you've reached the point where you could get a train up and running on you're new layout. I'm very happy for you.
Dave, Mike, John, & Wolf: Thank you for the comments. I have been having a good time watching my trains make their ways back and forth.
I finished the installation of the last two bridges, and everything is working perfectly.
Maybe I will stop playing with it and finish the scenery so I can take some real pictures!
This is my problem, once a train can run, I run trains and progress slows.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
END OF THE LINE... LAST UPDATE!
The layout segment is finished.
One of the points of experimentation was the mountains being strong. I tested the mountain contruction with no additional supporting structure inside. When I build the real layout, of course, there will be a structural support inside the mountain.
On this one, the big mountain on the right is a huge hunk of plaster, rock castings, and scenery details. It is heavy.
Inside, it is just a hollow shell, but it has held up for more than a year with no problem. This is a success.
I installed the tunnel liners today. I tried this Noch embossed printed paper products for the liners.
I cut out sections and attached them to the tunnel portals with Aleen's Tacky Glue. It seems to be working just fine. This is an easy way to add a liner. Tunnel liners really are a huge improvement that everyone should add.
The wooden tunnel portal just received a simple cardboard liner painted black.
There you have it, the completed project. I plan to take a couple of hundred pictures on it for Show Me Something, then it will be disposed of having done its duty with honor.
Thank you for following along with me.
Plaster built on a webbing is remarkably strong. Just don't try to push yourself up on it.
When I cleaned out my Mom's house a few years ago, my old N scale layout from about 1979 was still in the basement. Actually it was sitting out, my nephew had discovered it and pulled it out from where it was standing against a wall and was messing with it. Possibly could have gotten it going with some MAJOR track cleaning. On that layout, 3x6 in size, the entire right side was a large mountain - built in the days when all the hobby press was saying Hyrdocal was the way to go. I had a wood support structure, just some square stock supporting 1/8" or 1/4" underlayment plywood scraps to 3 levels, then it was sovered in window screening and then hydrocal was slathered on. The front edge started after the curve, so the train started into the curve before going into the tunnel portal, at the back, the train was already on the rear straight before emerging. I had a big access hole in the back to reach in in case of derailment. And I stuck a light in there so I could see. Heavy? Oh was it ever heavy. Just that mountain likely was heavier than the ENTIRE rest of the layout. Wish I still had pictures. It actually wasn;t as tall as the mountain we had on our old HO layout that only got set up at Christmas, but proportional to the trains it was higher.
One of the tunnel portal castings I used fell off as we were taking it out to the dumpster, so I saved that as a momento. I should have saved my homemade CD power supply for the switch machines.
rrinker Plaster built on a webbing is remarkably strong. Just don't try to push yourself up on it.
This was a very pleasent surprise.
In the past, I have always built up very strong supporting structures on the inside of mountains. These make access to anything very difficult.
It will be much more convenient to have the mountains hollow and able to reach up to the inside.
That mountain isn't just hollow, it has no right side. I am just amazed at how much of the weight is really self-supporting.
I have no mementoes from my first N scale 3 by 7 layout other than one poor photograph and my "kitbashed" boxcab locomotive.
I have been spending the last week doing a lot of experimental photography on the layout test segment.
Also, for the past couple of years I have been making photography scenes on a poseable 30 by 30 inch diorama board. This I have enjoyed a lot.
I built a couple of "scenic areas" into the layout test segment to see what it would be like to pose photo-props on a layout. This has been so much fun, and more successful than I anticipated.
This has settled one thing. On the final layout, permanent scenery will be minimal. I will be able to pose interesting scenes all over the layout. The permanent scenery will be just neat rolling green hills and roadways. Eveything else, as much as practical, will be able to be posed for interesting photography.
Tank car scene normal and enhanced:
Gondola scene normal and enhanced:
I really like this. I am glad I tried it out.
Great job Kevin. Everything looks really good. I especially like the wooden portal seen.
That S&G 4 locomotive sure is a character. The thing looks like it has eyes man. I know you have shown that before but where did you get it and what is it called.
Well I have to tell you I always enjoy when you do a step by step project. It's entertaining and fun to see it all go together.
Thanks
TF
Track fiddlerThat S&G 4 locomotive sure is a character. The thing looks like it has eyes man. I know you have shown that before but where did you get it and what is it called.
STRATTON AND GILLETTE #4 is a treasure.
I started a new thread in General Discussion about our best treasures that has more information.
Well, the layout segment experiment is complete, and now it no longer exists.
It was cut up today and loaded into the dumpster for its trip to the Lee County landfill.
Stay tuned for the next STRATTON AND GILLETTE project.