Mt. Coffin & Columbia River - N-scale 23"x41" layout

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Thanks, Ulrich.

I'm really enjoying seeing your modules grow, too.  Great work!

For those of you unfamilier with the Columbia River and the Pacific Northwest, here are some picts of cannerys in the early 1900s for reference:

As you can see, many options! (especially since the buildings were added to in somewhat haphazard ways as they expanded).

Check out the angle of the end of the far left building in relation to the square end of the building with the "Pioneer Packing Co." sign parallel to it.

An upper addition wouldn't be much, mainly to add some mass and make the structure look a little different than the engine shed (just realized that they both have the same basic shape). I'm planning on adding an awning & a bunch of cannery stuff outside (including pile of fish), but I'm still playing around with heights, roof angles, door sizes and styles, etc.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Haven't gotten a whole lot done on the Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout lately.
Though I did finally get the shingles on the roof, as well as some doors and a chimney:







I need to go back and stick some glue under the shingles, as the heat causes them to curl up a bit.
Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Been spending a bit of time working on the switching layout with my daughter, so I thought I gotta get something done on my own layout.
As a way to procrastinate further on building the cannery, I decided to scratch a small freight shed out of styrene:



Wood I do ok with, but styrene continues to stymie me. I can CA it together, but the painting & weathering part just seems to elude me.
I painted the walls Floquil SP lettering grey as base, then sprayed (lightly) with a flat white primer I had.
That worked out alright.
But then I "washed" it with stain from my Big Jug O' Stain, which was ok.
Took some weathering powders to it, & it just got smudgy.

Also got in a bit of a hurry, so I glued the bottom posts on 1. last & 2. by hand so they came out a little caddywompus.

Here's the prototype, from along the Columbia River somewhere between Portland and Astoria:



And here it is sitting on the layout:






Still need some stairs at the dock end and for the truck-side door.
And crates & stuff.

I think it'll come together more when I install it proper on the layout and get some dirt around the pilings.

Otherwise, it's nice to have another structure on the layout!
Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Was going for a slightly "peeled paint" look by using rough-grit sandpaper to expose the grey base coat through the flat-white primer cover, but it didn't really work too well (should have done that before installing the windows and doors).

Really need to learn the salt / peeled paint technique (so I guess I'll have to build another structure to try it out!)

Here's a photo I just like the composition of:

 

 Any / all weathering styrene suggestions appreciated.
Cheers!

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Haven't really done much on the Mt.C&CR.
Was planning on doing quite a bit today, but temperatures inside the garage skyrocketed this afternoon into the upper 90s / 100s & so I found myself sweating too much to do much modeling.

Got a bunch of trees done, though, so that's a good enough excuse for me to take some more photos:







Hope to get more done when things cool down.
Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Finally got a bit o' building done.
Scratched this shack out of styrene & shingles & wood:



That's actually all that's there: no rear or far side wall.
[and for a weather-beaten shack, that's an awefully newish-looking door]
Originally I was going to have it nestled in the trees up a hill, but when I finished I realized it was too big for the space, so it got moved down to the "town":



Ok, right now it is the town, along with the engine shed, watertower and freight shed:



But I added a few more textures to the area: some bushes, gravel bits, static grass & some more trees.

Also added some textures around the frieght shed:



So things are "growing" right along at Mt. Coffin.
Not so happy with the lighting for the photos: my cheap-o CFLs half-crapped out and a rainy day didn't allow as much natural light to creep into the garage as I'd like.
So will have to wait a bit for more "enlightened" pictures.

Thanks for looking.

[cowman]

What did you use to carve the foam for your stone retaining walls?  I have seen a couple of methods, but I think yours shows the deliniation the best.

Keep up the good work.

Have fun,

Richard

[mcfunkeymonkey]

cowman

What did you use to carve the foam for your stone retaining walls? 

I think (and this is sending my mind waaaaaaaay back 11 months or so) I smeared a thin layer of lightweight spackle over the foam surface to get a more rock-y texture.

Then, when dry, I took a pizza cutter and ran it along horizonally.  Wait, no: I tried the pizza cutter but it just dented the foam.  I'm pretty sure I just used an xacto knife and lightly ran it horizontally, then went back and wiggled it back and forth, pressing gently up & down to widen the cut and separate the foam a little:

 

You can see on the narrow face up top where the knife got away from me a little for a little wavy look (which is under the bridge now, so...)

Then I went back and scored in all the vertical lines.
Some people say use the back of the knife, but I found that just pressed / dented the foam, so I actually cut it and then pressed left & right to widen the gap.  Sometimes I cut too deep, but oh well.

Then I glued some foam strips for the columns and caps:

Spread some spackle on those and then hand cut them the same way.

Using cheap-o craft paint I colored the whole thing a base medium grey:

 

And then started staining it with washes out of "The Big Jug O' Stain" (alcohol, india ink & whatever other blacks, browns & greys have found their way in over the past couple o' years).

Now it's like this:

(sorry about the light: this is my only "under the bridge" shot)

I'm sure there's other ways to do it, but this worked for me.
Hope this helps.

[BerkshireSteam]

Cut stone abutments, very nice. When will you cover bridge construction?

[cowman]

Thank you for the description of your carving.  One of the folks I talked to earlier, said their method worked better with older foam.  One of the companies changed their formula slightly and his method didn't work as well on the new foam.  He couldn't remember which company had changed the formula, but it made quite a difference in the way his method worked.  Your method would work easily on either.

Thanks again,

Richard

[mcfunkeymonkey]

I've seen people carve directly into the foam, but even after sanding the pink stuff was a little too grainy for me for N.

I think the thin layer of lightweight spackle really adds to the cut-rock texture (and if some chips / flakes off, that's ok too).

As for the bridge, it's just stained basswood wood-glued together with some piano wire & NBW head details.  Used a HO A-frame drawing from an old MR, shrunk it & repeated it three times:

As soon as I finish the bridge (guard rails, firebarrels, ladders, etc.) I'll submit a how-to article for publication.

That photo was back in August.  You can compare the background ground & tree coverage with this recent photo:

Doing a little bit on the layout each day / every other day adds up (though still so far to go!)
Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Over on Trainboard we had a "Build-A-Boxcab Challenge", and I just finished mine (only 3 weeks late!)

So here's the boxcab beast bred in the blacksmith shop of Mt. Coffin:





Hank, the hapless Mt. Coffin monkey mechanic who built it out of Climax & cast-off parts, ran out of whiskey so there's still a few more bells & whistles to add.
(Namely a bell and a whistle)
Could use some more weathering, too.

The board-by-board shell sits on a Bmann 44-tonner mech, and just lifts up, so I can build a more modern boxcab and slip it on whenever I want to change eras.

But I'm kinda digging it.
Definitely adds some 1900s character to Mt. Coffin:



Here's the relief train, bringing much needed medicine to Mt. Coffin:



It's been a blast to build, & I'm very happy to finally have a boxcab.
Not sure if it rocks, but it definitely doesn't roll: front truck pickup strips turned out bent, so until the replacement truck comes from Bmann, this thing won't roll over an unpowered turnout.
Hope to have video soon, though.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Some more boxcab picts:





Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work we go:



Thanks for looking.

[wm3798]

What a hatchet job!  I mean really, that wood sheathing looks like it was hewn with actual hatchets!

Splendid work, MC.

Lee

[304live]

thank you for posting these pictures.... there is some amazing craftsmanship going on in here!

 

cant wait until the next installment

[mcfunkeymonkey]

wm3798

What a hatchet job!  I mean really, that wood sheathing looks like it was hewn with actual hatchets!

Splendid work, MC.

Lee

Thanks, Lee.
Hank had to use a hatchet, as the Blacksmith's shop is empty!

Hopefully sometime this week the shop will get done (with working / lit forge, machinery and lights).

Then Hank will have no excuse not to do some decent work ;)

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Just finished scratch building & installing the Mt. Coffin Cannery Co. ("A taste to die for!"):









Still needs a bunch of details here & there and some weathering.
Not quite sure I'm liking the single-story: I might build a smaller second-story office off-set towards the rear.
Also need to figure out some signs.
Would be great to get the faded white "hand-painted" over the doors, but might be too late for that.
(any/all suggestions welcome)

Tomorrow's supposed to continue the sunny 60+ degree "winter" we're having here in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I'll try to lug the layout out into the sunlight for some better photos.

Now I just need to figure out how to model some mounds of fish!

Thanks for looking.

["JaBear"]

Thanks for posting.

Cheers,The Bear.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Thanks, The Bear.
Fun to share.
(Hey, that rhymed there!)

Well, I finally made a video of the layout at it's current state, and with the boxcab running!
(Only the rear truck has pickup right now: thank goodness for powered frogs!)
But it's still able to do it's job!

First video with the new camera, so pardon the lighting & focus issues.
Hope to have some better ones soon.
Thanks for watching!

["JaBear"]

I like that type of medicine!!, video as well.

Thanks again,

Cheers, The Bear.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Been adding little details around the engine shed and in the shop:





I attached some decapitated T-pins in a hollow wall that poke into the foam so the whole shed can be lifted off for more detailing later.

Would have loved to put an overhead belt drive in the shop, but I'm getting to the point where I just want to get this layout "done," and I still have the mining scene on the back side to finish!

You can see that Hank, in a fit of nostalgia, left his anvil in the center of the shop, even though there's more modern metal-working machines in there.

I don't want a large coal tower in front of the service track, so I'm thinking of using some of Randgust's V&T hoppers that accidentally got vacuumed up as the tarp-covered "temp" coal bins, and I'll build a hoist crane & bucket for loading. Haven't finalized that so I haven't glued the hoppers in yet.

Will probably put in a water trough & tie post for horses on the right side of the shop, and there'll be some tools hanging on the wall as soon as I figure out how to remove those little flimsy brass things from the sticky pad they came on.

On a whim I realized I could rest the camera on the water to get this funkey shot:



It's nice to get something done on the layout, even if it's little details, here & there.
Other detail suggestions appreciated.

Thanks for looking.

[lone geep]

Looking Good! Any shots of the other side of the layout?

 

[mcfunkeymonkey]

lone geep

Looking Good! Any shots of the other side of the layout?

 

 

Um....  

 

Well, I haven't really even seen the otherside since I put this layout against the garage wall to clear the workbench for the "Summer Shunting Shelf Project" my daughter and I have been working on since back in June.

When last I took a photo (with the old camera), it looked something like this:

 

Lots of work to be done back there:
Rip out track, rebuild with better turnouts and a runaround, build the mine, scatter all the little details, etc.

I just want to "finish" (get to "good enough" point) the cannery side before turning the layout around.

And to return to the side currently in progress, here's a wider shot:

[What oversized catapult groundthrow?? ;) ]

That right side really needs some details, like a water trough, hitching post and some horses, and/or a bunch of Hank's "works in progress."

Thanks again for the feedback.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Today I braved the 100+ deg. heat of my garage to build a flatcar tanker using a fab casting from Republic Locomotive Works ($4: no picture in the catalogue but worth the chance!):



The flat car is a 35' log flat from N Scale Kits. The tank load is a little short for a flat load (in my artistic composition estimation), so I added a strip of 0.08" styrene underneath before painting.

Built the cradle with HO 2'x4' stripwood painted the same boxcar red as the flatcar:



Added a brakewheel on some wire, weathered with powders, and:





Need to do a better job weathering.
Maybe some drybrushing.
Definitely need to get Tom Mann's The Weathering Book - great techniques that look amazing.

Should have also added some railing/pipes, perhaps.
But with a great $4 tank casting, have plenty of opportunity to practice.
Thanks for looking!

[CTValleyRR]

MC --

Having seen your article in the last MR, I looked at your thread with interest.  I was a little surprised to find that only the cannery side was even close to done.  Your work so far is absolutely fantastic; keep us posted on the progress.

I was also a little surprised, seeing as you're such an avid photographer, that you haven't set up some kind of backdrop that you can use when you photograph.  Any thoughts on doing something like that?

 

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Thanks for the kind words.
I'm really looking forward to finishing this thing soon, just as soon as I finish the couple Free-moN modules I got on the workbench.
[As for the photo backdrop: I always intend to figure out Gimp to add some background, but haven't gotten around to it yet ;) ]

That said, I took a break from all the Free-moN scenery and finally finished Randgust's fab 18-ton Climax kit I started about a year and a half ago.
I hauled the Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout outside, vacuumed off all the dust & cobwebs that had accumulated, cleaned the track (not enough, as it turned out), and set up in the sun for some photos:









It was a lot of fun chopping N-scale lumber (from a toothpick) to pile around the boiler.
Yes, those workers are from the WS "Hobo" pack: seems to be the only figures in early 1900s clothing around.

And, of course, a video:

watch?v=zsamXrOL3g4&feature=plcp

The Climax ran great on the test track, but stalled a lot on the layout.
Really need to clean the track better, as the Kato 11-105 is a bit finicky (especially since I probably tweeked the contact strips more than I should have)(again).
But it can creep along at scale 9-10 mph, as it should.
And it looks great pulling Chris333's 20-ton wood hoppers from Republic Locomotive Works.
Cheers to Randy for a great Climax kit!

It was so hot in the sun that my iPhone kept shutting down with temp warnings.
Ended up putting an icepack in my back pocket to cool the phone off between takes.
You can see the heat waves ripple up the screen at times ;(

Sorry about the blue tape and exposed wiring: didn't have the time to put on the fascia.
See if you can see the harmonica player at the end.

Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Forgot to include a shot of the other side of the Climax, showing a dude blowing his harp as they chug along:


The WS Hobo people pack seems to be the only ones with 1900's clothing.
If anyone has any other sources, I'm all ears!

Thanks for looking.

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Well, it's time to say goodbye to the Mt. Coffin & Columbia River layout.

After much debate, I've decided to scrap it and start over rather put umpeen kabillion hours and dollars into fixing all the little "arghs!" that I created myself when I was learning how to handlay track.
And while the layout looks alright right now, all those "arghs!" make it difficult to have fun running trains.

But never fear! All the scratchbuilt structures will be saved, and all the trees (450+) will be transplanted to the next late-1800s / early 1900's layout!
And then the chainsaw will finally come out.

But before it does, I gave the fascia a new coat of paint, screwed it on, then hauled Mt. Coffin out into the late-morning sunlight for a last photo shoot:









[cont.]

[mcfunkeymonkey]

Well, thanks to all who helped me out over the past couple years with words of wisdom, advice ("Never play leapfrog with a unicorn!"), and sharing all your experiences to help me learn to be a better modeler while working on this chainsaw.

Goodbye Mt. Coffin & Columbia River:
Pink foam to ground foam,
sawdust to dust.

But, of course, there's a video (and in 1080p, too!):

watch?v=b T4syB9UUU

Thanks for looking.

[Doug from Michigan]

It's been enjoyable watching it grow.  Sorry it has to end, but I know the feeling.

I trust that the demolition will be just as well documented?