Building a 18-ton Climax from a "Kato Kritter" chassis and one of Randgust's fab resin Climax kits:
It's a good thing I got two Kritters when I did, as I pretty much destroyed the first: playing too much with the contact strips & cutting away too much to install a decoder under the chassis. At least now I know what to do!
Firewatch trail scene over tunnel:
Looks like Vern forgot something down at the town (hint: he's only got 1/2 of the "pack horse").
Daughter doing switching ops before I started ripping out some turnouts to power the frogs with slide switches:
Here's installing the new fixture (straight & curved turnouts built as one, each with slide switch under styrene base to power the frogs):
Given that I'm using smaller, earlier steam, powering the frogs turned out to be the smart way to go.(Will never go back to dead frogs again!)
[cont.]
M.C. Fujiwara
My YouTube Channel (How-to's, Layout progress videos)
Silicon Valley Free-moN
JV models watertower, new weathered Ten-Wheeler:
For the BMann Ten Wheeler, I reamed out a little more space in the front and installed MT905 Z couplers:
They just slide right in, and look moocho better. I also swapped out the stock tender (with it's "dual decoder") for a Spectrum Small USRA tender with a DZ125 decoder:
The smaller tender looks better (IMHO) and the DZ125 performs much better, especially at slower speeds.
Then Modge Podge Gloss (with one layer of matte at the bottom) created the moving river effect:
Started building up some fab 20T coal / ore car kits from Republic Locomotive Works (have to modify a bit, as the kits are Nn3, but work great on N when done):
But, after reaming out the bolster pin hole, don't push too hard down on the pin:
Fixable, or will become part of mine scene as discarded car.
Trees, more trees, polyfiber, groundfoam, more trees, static grass, some chopped moss for texture & more trees:
Still need many more textures (at the very least mix up some different static grasses): bushes, some sand or gravel, weeds, etc.
The trees are Ace twine fiber between Michael's floral wire twirled in a drill, spray painted grimy black, & then hairsprayed with WS "conifer". You can still see the twisted trunks, but I need 300+, so only the outer trees will get real trunks in the end.
Started scenicing the main mountain / scenic divider:
And then got my daughter into making trees:
I figure she can make 5,000+ before she "earns" her driver's license!
Ballasted with cinders, then poured some tinted Magic Water:
Needed a couple of thin pours to plug up all the leaks!
But turned out fine.
Magic Water leaked (a wee bit) through blue-tape dam:
Here's the finished structure (minus fire barrels and the code 40 guard rails) installed:
Also scratched a small ore/coal unloading dock:
Those are Randy Gustafson's fab V&T ore cars lookin' good on the dock.
Still need a crane / hoist & lots o' clutter on there.
Started scenicking in the gorge:
Plaster rock molds, paint, dirt, ground foam, & pine trees.
There's no backdrop or board used as a scenic divider: the mountains in the middle (5-6 layers of 2"foam plus 3"-5" pine trees do the trick!)
Had to handlay a 3-way turnout, and had to figure out how to power at least one of the frogs:
[the slide switches are gorillaglued under the styrene bases & stick up through the throwbars][later I figured out how to make a styrene "cradle" underneath for the slide switch to snuggle into so all tension isn't only on the glue]
I'm now in the process of going back and rebuilding all my turnouts with slide switches to power the frogs.
Built up the harbor area with a basswood retaining wall:
And carved a stone retaining wall / bridge abutment directly out of the pink foam:
Scratch built the approach trestle & howe truss bridge from basswood:
Basswood. For my "protolance" plan I took an old HO "A-frame" plan from a mid-90's MR, shrunk it down and trippled it: fit perfect!
Although freelanced, wanted to have a few Columbia River signature scenes in there.
The Cannery:
The river-side trackage & tunnel:
Given the tight space, I handlayed the curved turnouts in fixtures of multiple turnouts:
That's about a 9" radius at its tightest.
And used "great stuff" to foam the mountains together:
[Great for simulating nuclear waste disasters!]
I would not use Great Stuff again: caulk, though it takes longer, is easier (after drying) to work with. Great Stuff is way more airy & files / shapes significantly different from the foam. It also takes paint differently.
Back after several years absence due to new jobs, new house, family crisis... let's say a lot of "life" has happened. Luckily, still have wife, kids, health and love of model railroading!
Since earlier this year I've been working on a table-top 23"x41" N-scale layout based on the cannery industry along the Columbia River (Oregon) in the early 1900s. Thought I'd share some construction photos (I would have started posting earlier, but couldn't figure out why I wasn't able to post pictures until today: turns out IE9 doesn't like the editing boxes unless you use "Compatability View". Argh!).
So sorry with dumping all this at once: please feel free to give whatever feedback you think. I'm always looking for better / different ways to model & improve my skills!
The layout started as a "chunk" from an old layout that screamed "don't chuck me out!" as I was staring at it in the garage. I have a specific future layout in mind, and so I thought this "chainsaw" would allow me the opportunity to develop certain skills: handlaying curved & three-way turnout fixtures, scratchbuilding structures such as mines, canneries, wooden truss bridges, ore unloading docks, various pines, etc.
Funny how the temp layouts soon become time- & skill-sucks on their own! The layout that was supposed to be done in a couple of months is now, after 9-10 months, almost 1/2 way done!
So bear with me as I post the construction highlights of the last year.
Here's the original piece recovered from the previous layout:
It already had that section of foam knocked out, but it seemed to scream "waterfront!"
And here's the layout design [or, the latest version] I came up for it:
Was thinking "table-top", so included adjustable feet on the corners.
Planning on DCC, though everything wired for DC as well (a few sidings / spurs).
Initial layer of foam, supports for the fascia, roadbed:
Notice the space created for the NCE DCC panel. The wiring all goes along the channel cut out of the bottom of the foam. 16AWG bus wire, with 22AWG feeders. There's also a separate bus for all the lamps / LEDs that will (eventually) illuminate the structures.
And then piling on the layers of foam for the mountains, assisted by by 9-year-old daughter:
[Initially thought I'd have a storage track inside the mountain (thus the cut), but quickly abandoned that idea]
Cork roadbed, attached with caulk.
[I think there's still a four-image-per-post limit, so: cont.]