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Georgetown & Allen Mountain Railroad 5.0

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  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Monday, August 21, 2017 5:08 AM

rrinker
 
michaelrose55

Randy,

You make it almost sound badWink

 What you're doing isn't bad - it just makes the rest of us look bad! Fast work AND high quality. Bow

                       --Randy 

I agree with you, Randy. This thread should be locked and deleted for a clear violation of Forum Rules - - - any posts that makes the rest of forum members look bad due to the high quality work of the OP.   Super Angry   

Laugh

Rich

Alton Junction

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Monday, August 21, 2017 12:18 AM

michaelrose55
Tomorrow there will be another wash with alcohol & india ink, then I will fill the mortar lines.

Michael:

Do you really need to fill the mortar lines? I think it looks great just the way it is. To me it suggests a structure that has been exposed to pollution for many years. I can hardly see the seams, and I can't tell how deep the mortar lines actually are so if they are too deep I guess you are obliged to fill them.

My 2 Cents

Great work by the way!

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, August 20, 2017 9:34 PM

michaelrose55

Randy,

You make it almost sound badWink !

 

 What you're doing isn't bad - it just makes the rest of us look bad! Fast work AND high quality. Bow

                       --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 7:32 PM

The bridge has been painted four times. Tomorrow there will be another wash with alcohol & india ink, then I will fill the mortar lines.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 7:29 PM

Randy,

You make it almost sound badWink !

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, August 20, 2017 2:33 PM

I continue to be amazed at the speed of progresss. Saturday afternoon - mock up bridge with cardstock. Sunday morning, actual bridge is done and assembled and ready for painting. While also taking photos and posting them to at least 2 different places. AND doing other stuff on the layout (well, while the laser is running a job I suppose you could either watch it, akin to watching paint dry, or go off and do something else, so at least that part makes sense).

                         --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 12:33 PM

Old Fat Robert

Michael: I know you are busy but I wonder if you would mind just going over your method of creating those mountains? Just the bullet points would be fine . Thank you.

Old Fat Robert

 

No problem! 

I start with the ridgeline, I then glue on aluminum screen wire to create the basic shape, add a layer of plaster cloth, hot glue rock castings where I want rocks, fill everything in between with sculptamold. After that paints, washes and finally green stuff and trees.

  • Member since
    June 2011
  • 158 posts
Posted by Old Fat Robert on Sunday, August 20, 2017 12:27 PM

Michael: I know you are busy but I wonder if you would mind just going over your method of creating those mountains? Just the bullet points would be fine . Thank you.

Old Fat Robert

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 11:28 AM

Creating that ridgeline was so much fun that I just kept going...

 

 

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    December 2010
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Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 10:59 AM

The laser is done, the bridge has been assembled:

 

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    December 2010
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Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 20, 2017 10:01 AM

While my laser is busy engraving brick the patterns for the new bridge...

 

...I'm doing all kinds of odd jobs like finishing the backdrop:

 

...and working on the background mountains:

 

  • Member since
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  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, August 19, 2017 4:31 PM

Started to work on the next bridge:

 

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    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Friday, August 18, 2017 4:18 PM

I can't use the old CELEX building again because the layout of Georgetown is basically mirrored from the old railroad but at least the part of the building that sits on top of the viaduct can be reused:

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, August 17, 2017 5:01 PM

I installed a few tunnel portals and tunnel walls as well this evening:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, August 17, 2017 4:19 PM

I ran the laser most of the afternoon and cut a pile of standard roadbed:

  • Member since
    December 2010
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Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, August 17, 2017 10:57 AM

I'm a happy modeler! The laser is back up and running Big Smile!

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, August 13, 2017 10:44 PM

Michael! OH you lazy man, you!!! Do you mean that you are actually admitting that you didn't accomplish 60,000 things in a single weekend?!? Oh my, you have burst my bubble! I thought you were Superman!!!Smile, Wink & GrinLaughLaughLaughLaughLaugh

Seriously, I do think you should take a break from your usual frenetic pace once in a while. You deserve it! I get exhausted trying to keep up with your rate of progress!

Nice tunnel portals and liners by the way!

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 13, 2017 5:18 PM

I haven't done much on the layout this weekend. Only a single tunnel portal has been placed:

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Thursday, August 10, 2017 4:53 PM

The beginnings of more background mountains:

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 5:32 PM

The replacement parts for my laser won't be delivered before Monday so I'm still looking for other jobs...

Today I gave a few tunnel portals and retaining walls a first wash:

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 9:32 AM

Yesterday I had a visitor again: Jeff Shultz from Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine came to see the G&AM.

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Monday, August 7, 2017 2:16 PM

Update on the Laser:

The manufacturer has found that the power supply is bad. Because the laser tube might be bad as well I have ordered replacements for both which should be shipped today or tomorrow. With a little luck I might get them before the weekend.

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Monday, August 7, 2017 8:05 AM

I came in early this morning and put on some alcohol/india ink mix:

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 6, 2017 3:13 PM

I've laid the last few missing pieces of track in this area today as well:

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 6, 2017 2:09 PM

Today I've made 18 tunnel walls for the layout. I'm using 12" long strips of 5mm foamboard, covered with a thin layer of sculptamold to give the walls enough texture.

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Sunday, August 6, 2017 2:08 PM

Thanks everybody for their opinion. I like the way the rock looks quite well and will probably go this route.

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Reading, PA
  • 30,002 posts
Posted by rrinker on Sunday, August 6, 2017 1:15 PM

 That looks pretty much exactly like some rock cuts I've driven through. The shape, the texture, the color variations - looks spot on to me. Around here there is a lot of slate and shale (lots of coal around here, and one nearby area isn't called "the slate belt" for nothing), which looks completely different, however there is also a solid formation through the area so there are highway and railroad cuts through harder types of rock that come out looking like this.

                                     --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Dearborn Station
  • 24,281 posts
Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, August 6, 2017 9:46 AM

I thought that it looked just a bit dark. But, if you thought the previous try looked a bit too light, then you are there with the current try. Go for it.

Rich

Alton Junction

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    February 2001
  • From: Wyoming, where men are men, and sheep are nervous!
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Posted by Pruitt on Sunday, August 6, 2017 9:42 AM

Looks like rocks to me!

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 967 posts
Posted by michaelrose55 on Saturday, August 5, 2017 5:13 PM

As I need a lot of rocks for this big layout I have been thinking of different ways of rock coloring lately. One thing I didn't like the last time was the way my mountains looked, way to lightly colored. Therefore this time I want to make them look a bit darker.

Today I took a leftover rock casting and tried my new concept. This is how it looks:

 

 

So what does everybody think? Is this acceptable? Should I go even darker or is it too dark already?

 

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