New Layout: The CSX Dixie Line

Great work Jamie

Ben

 

I seen that you was changibg from modern to old 1966 on you r blog, but I will start lchecking on there more often than weekly I still can't wait to see this beautiful layout.

 

Appreciate the compliments everyone!

Yah I'll have to claim temporary insanity on that one. I just couldn't bring myself to ripping up all of the existing trackwork. Also, I really like modern operations and equipment more (for now). Jamie

 

I'm just wondering if you've test to see if the plaster will leak thru the masking tape?

 

Oh that 3M masking tape is $$$ compare to the Shurtape Tech's Sherwin Williams Painters Tape it'll save you more $$$ in the long run.

 

I am just using the masking tape for "shaping"; not to keep the plaster from leaking through. Although I think the masking tape will help a lot, I still plan on using drop cloths when I do the plaster work. As for the tape, I hated paying $5 a roll at Home Depot but that's all they had. They have the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart for under $2 a roll, but they have been out of it for ages now. Jamie

 

Jamie, Your layout is looking great!

I can't wait to see some trains running through those hills.

Craig

 

This week, I fixed some track that had popped up due to benchwork shrinkage caused by several weeks of very low humidity in the Atlanta area. As you can see by the first photo, this was a significant pop. Surprisingly, I only had to nip a tiny bit off the ends of the rails to get this track to settle back into position:



I also built the spline roadbed for the Emerson house track. I had delayed building this roadbed because I thought I could use 2" thick foam sheeting for the track and scenery base in this area. However, I decided my standard spline roadbed for track and cardboard web for scenery was the best approach:


Finally, I was completed the cardboard web between the tracks and the backdrop all the way to the north end of the Emerson scene. The flat area is where a residential neighborhood is located adjacent to the tracks:

Next up will be to complete the cardboard web between the tracks and the fascia.

Jamie

 

Cool, cool. I gotta try spline roadbed someday. looks great!

 

Looks like you're the new spline king.

 

I love the free flowing nature of spline roadbed. Your layout is coming together nicely. Keep the updates coming.

JSL

 

Spline looks great, it's easy to build, super strong, has nice flowing curves with natural easements--and everything I have put down so far costs less than $10 total. Hard to beat that! Jamie

 

Emerson house track installed, wired and tested:



Distant hills pencilled in using prototype photos and some (hastily assembled) scale trees as a guide:



Distant hills painted using a specially mixed blend of my foliage green and sky blue colors:



Cardboard web and masking tape layers of the scenery base completed in the town of Emerson (gotta fill them gaps between the tracks soon):



Jamie

 

Looks really good.

That CSX power will be really nice on that layout.

 

This week I finished painting the distant hills and foreground trees on the backdrop. With this done, I can move on to the actual hard shell terrain using plaster cloth and Sculptamold.

Here is a look at the completed backdrop at South Emerson:



Completed backdrop at North Emerson. The backdrop behind the flat town area in the middle distance has been left blank because I am not sure at this point how the actual town scenery (structures, roads, etc.) will be laid out:



A local freight led by a Conrail GP15-1 is holding the siding as a northbound vehicle train passes on the mainline. I-75 passes below both tracks in this scene:



Jamie

 

Wow, the backdrop makes a huge difference.

 

Looking really good Jamie! :thumbs_up:

Mike

 

Looking really good.

 

Great work Jamie.

I see I need to invest in masking tape stock. The stock must be doing very well.