Yep, the bit of styrene was just a shim. I think I did a good job in the planning as the street layout would have worked as planned, however I decided to do away with the crossing that would be further down the tracks on the left. With that gone, I figured it would look odd to have the main street just end at the tracks, so I went ahead and made the street traveling into the backdrop as the main street. The street running off and curving into the backdrop on the right is still from the original plan. This new street also allowed me to make an alley for Mr. Delphos to access his rear loading door, and with the alley comes even more scene possibilities. I'm also going to cut out storm drains from the streets, then I'll add a culvert along the front edge of the layout to which they will run out. Maybe I'll model a clown with a balloon standing in the culvert.
Mark...a street in my planned downtown area is going to have to happen. I have no experience with roads/streets so your little pics help a lot. I think yours looks great and the finished product will be even better. I'm actually dreading it. But then I dread getting started on all new areas of the layout. Once going things seem to work out fair to OK. Thanks for the pictures.
Here's the finished crossing boards. And with a train: **Oops, I moved my image files on the third party hosting site** Hopefully I can update these later on... I got ahead of myself and sanded this one down and cleared the grooves. I'll just have to be extra careful when laying the next (hopefully last) layer of Joint Compound as I originally planned that the sanding would clean up any stray JC that might have gotten on the planks. I'm still debating whether I want to be extra risky and push some JC in between the grooves to disguise the flex track spikes. :/ I probably will.
Hey Mark the grade crossings look great! I would put tape on the top of the wood when working with the joint compound and then pull it up right away while it's still wet. I wouldn't worry about all the flaws in it, whens the last time you saw asphalt without cracks or holes in it? You can probably get the joint compound in next to the rails using a flat jewelers screwdriver. On the next one try filling this in before gluing in the styrene shim.
One of the best things Woodland Scenics makes is it's Road Tape. Layout the edges of the road with your tape, and then start filling in with Joint Compound. You can do it it layers to get the height and thickness you want.
Ah yes, Pennywise the Clown. A nice touch and if you squint a bit, your town does resemble Derry, Maine. :rn-frown:
See, and I only got about 2 chapters in before I lost interest. Kept reading for another two or so, then just gave up on that one. King spends too much time on petty details for my taste. Maybe instead of just a Junk Yard, I'll make a ROCKET Junk yard, in line with my favorite author Ray Bradbury. Steam locomotives + Rockets? Oh yeah!
I was wondering, is "unfriend" a word? I think the developers of the vBulletin software made that up. Just sayin'.
Precisely why I don't read his stuff either. I struggled through one of his books (forgo which one), and the stroy effectively ended, but I still had 150 more pages of non essential drivel to go.
I've always thought more of Heinlein with my layout, rather than Bradbury. First, TANSTAFL is absolutely true with whatever you do; and I always think of keeping the roads rolling when I'm running the trains (even if those roads weren't trains).
OK, today I picked up one last can of my new favorite foam glue "Great Stuff". With it, I'll be finishing the fascia on the urban side of the layout. Before I do that however, I dove in and finished the grade crossing planks. I'm still undecided on how to finish off the sides of the crossing, and what type of crossing signals to install. I do know that whatever it ends up being has to be operational. Anyways, here are two more progress shots. **Oops, I moved my image files on the third party hosting site** Hopefully I can update these later on...
Lookin' good, Mark! Love the Q steamers. Did you know that the Q painted its most well-known excursion steamer gold?
Thanks Hemi. I did not know that! I see it's another 4-8-4 type loco. Looks like I need to put down another vote on the Steamers request list.
MMM, Buffalo wings, Had them for dinner last night and breakfast today! Not Wild Wings though, here in Buffalo we go to that ratty looking take out place on the corner of the dark alley that's been owned by the same family for 60 years to get real Buffalo wings, not a franchise sports bar! OK back on topic, Your grade crossings look great! You said you were wondering what to do at the ends of wood crossings. I know around here they have steel plates between the rails that bolt on top of the ties and are angled up to the top of the wood crossing. Most are dented and distorted and some are broken off and laying flat and the end of the wood being splintered from being hit from whatever is hanging low on the trains. Probably wouldn't be hard to model that way with some lightly melted styrene painted rusty!
