Work on the tunnel continues. I casted a simple tunnel liner from Hyrdocal and got to work installing it in the tunnel. I used Sculptamold to blend everything in. I then used my rockmold castings to sculpt the tunnel mouth. Nothing too spectacular, but I wanted to have a tunnel liner if and when I ever decide to run a camera car. Not only that, but the tunnel is only about 5" wide so the viewer would be able to see through the tunnel from a few different angles. A shot before: After all of the plaster work: I have to let it dry over night before I can use some washes to stain the plaster. I still have a few other things to accomplish before I can call it done, as I do't intend on leaving the land-bridge so flat and 2 dimensional, not to mention "arch-like". But for now I'm gonna call it a night... work in the morning. -Josh
I have today off! With my daughter at school and wife at work, I decided to spend some time in the basement. Today, I worked on cleaning up the layout area a bit. There was a ton of foam shavings, dust and plaster all over. Once that was completed, I focused on my newly dry rock faces and tunnel liner. I did the usual treatment of WS stains and India Ink. I then rasped down the entire area and laid plaster cloth. Finally, I rasped the entire right leg of the layout and painted the foam with a Wal*Mart reject vinyl paint. The color is called "Morning Mocha" but it is closer to a "Poopy Brown" lol. The color does fit for NE region soil though. Some close-ups of the finished tunnel *This side of the tunnel will get a portal Tonight I'm probably going to focus on structures a bit, as it will help me visualize where everything will go. Thanks for looking. -Josh
My latest project has been building an abandoned siding complete with a small, defunct grain elevator operation. The purpose of this siding is to double as a programming track. I started by building two Rix grain bins so I knew what kind of footprint they would take up. I then used corrugated cardboard to raise the road bed up a bit. Very few parts of NEPA are totally flat, even after the excavators have had their way with the terrain. Next step was to use Sculptamold to blend the edges of the cardboard. I used the extra to place some more of my world famous rock faces. Strangely, this post tool isn't letting me hit "enter" to space things out or format my paragraphs so bear with this post. Anyway, After the Sculptamold cures, I'm gonna lay a coat of brown paint down. I need to come up with some WS Smooth It to build a concrete foundation for the grain bin facility. This concrete will also be laid over the siding and programming will be done in the facility. The tracks will be isolated from the rest of the abandoned siding not far away from the facility so I won't have to worry about anything laying on the rails. More updates to come.
Not sure if all the updates are necessary, but I did manage to get just a little bit done with my abandoned siding. I used an exacto and a pair of snips to cut the ties up a bit for the areas of track that were especially neglected. Once the contact cement dries, I'm going to go back with the exacto and cut all the little bits out between the ties. The next steps will be to prepare and then paint the siding, paint the surrounding areas, lay smooth-it, and finally add vegetation. Thanks for looking. -Josh (enter key still not working...)
Hmmm, maybe somebody already asked this but where are the waterways? Because you are modeling Appalachia.
I am trying to complete one scene at a time. However, I am working a stream in and have been toying with the idea of a small quarry pond.
Moving forward with my programming track scene. I wanted a cement slab for the grain elevator complex. I was originally going to use WS Smooth-it, but I did some research and decided to give regular old joint compound a try. I picked up an 18lb bag for about $11. In case you are curious I got the dry, 20 minute set-time variety. Ok, so mimicking the WS method, I picked up some foam tape. It was a bit pricey, but I decided to cut it down the middle to "double" my tape. Next, I threw trusty old 2608 on the rails and checked a few CV's just to be sure the track was powered-up. I then soldered my connections. Then, I mixed up the sheetrock and laid it down. I'm guessing the "20 minute set time" refers to when the compound is put on at less than 1/4" or so, because this stuff darn near took all evening. Finally, with the sheetrock ALMOST set, I scribed some expansion joints into the slab. I then used a bit of Sculptamold to build up the terrain to the slab. I also weathered up and (nearly) completed my Grain Bins and Elevator. I will be looking for some fence to put up around the compound, but for now I will be letting everything setup overnight.
Progress is slow, but I took some time to move forward with my programming track. I ordered some fence which should be arriving soon. In the mean time, I painted the area and weathered the concrete slab a bit. I also worked toward completing the grain bins and elevator kit, although it won't be officially done until I have scenicked the area. I don't plan on ballasting the track since it will be moderately overgrown. I was toying with the idea of using dirt. Anyone have a better idea?
I have been seeking some input, but haven't really received any yet? I am thinking about skipping ballast altogether and using soil? Is this a decent enough idea or is there another product that would work better? Ok, tonight I began to add some scenery to this "scene" lol. I had a bunch of WS stuff laying around, but I am also looking to seek opinions on what products to add to the scene. I know I still need to add trees, and will need to pick up some static grass, but is there anything else you feel would add to the scene? I did receive my "fence" from a seller on eBay. Turned out it is a bunch of nails and a very fine silver-metallic ribbon. *sigh* At least it was cheap. Pics: Bird's Eye View Still learning to use this DSLR camera, and I guess I need a lesson in focus stacking. Again, any input on how to improve the scene would be awesome! Thanks!
For what its worth, I would ballast the track. Only I would go very lightly with the ballast, and still throw in some over growth and weeds. If the ballast is kept very light, it will look as if it hasn't been kept up or replaced in a long while. Just my 2 cents worth.. Dean
Consider using cinders for ballast, Woodland Scenics and Arizona Rock have versions. Many of the roads out east used either a mixture of ballast with cinders or just cinders alone. Like Dean said, just use a little. Add some green overgrowth in between the ties and around the track. I'm using Silfor weed clumps strategiclly placed between the ties on my spurs. Take a look at the prototype as it will help you with the right look.
If you are talking about using real sifted dirt, be sure to bake it for an hour in the oven on a cookie sheet at about 200. Why? To kill off any bacteria and such that might be in it. ;-) Also, don't forget spilled grain randomly piled all around the loading/unloading area, it just ends up everywhere!
I took advice as a collective and made a few more steps. I decided not to go the "real dirt" route and stick with ballast. I'll let the pics do the talking. Still not quite finished. The next step is trees. That should change the mood of the scene entirely. Any suggestions on how to make the grain bin more obviously "abandoned"? Thanks all. -Josh
Nothing too earth-shattering here. I decided to make a few trees from scratch. I used floral wire, a drill, and a bit of sheetrock to make the armatures. WS paraphernalia for the treetops. They came out ok. This tree-making stuff if definitely an art form. I haven't glued them down yet, but I think next time around I am going to use copper wire instead of floral to add a bit more branches. *Just noticed my little one playing at the edge of the picture. She wanted to help at first but found some of her old toys we had stored away. Ah well...
