Hog Waller Junction

John Moore Mar 11, 2015

  1. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Arose this AM and made my way to my workshop/office to have my first cup of Java and get a pulse. Didn't see it at first until about half the coffee was on board and eyes fully open. Hmm part of the layout is missing.
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    Okay Gremlins or Smurfs at work? Did the BIG GUY fall in? Did his sister the Famous Deekus the Cat finally install her open pit mine? Was that why the BIG GUY was studying those plans so intently for 30 minutes last night. Did Deekus hire her brother to do an engineering survey? Florida sinkhole? Cave in of the tunnel roof because of poor shoring? Finally attributed it to the later and repairs have already been made. However it is suspicious that neither Deekus or the BIG GUY have shown up in the room this AM.
     
  2. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Big Guy snuck in and took a bite...in the words of McD's BBQ rib commercial: C H O M P !
     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Typical behavior of those guilty. :)
     
  4. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well if I ever get to the point of installing trees I may have to set up an alarm system. All of them are partial to greens. Today I am busy filling in the void spots with foam before I even think about any hard shell. Saves on Hydrocal and whatever else, plus keeps the weight down again.
     
  5. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm gonna guess one of em was walking looking for a place to lay down...hit a soft spot and it caved in. Would have loved to have seen the mad scramble off the layout after whichever one it was fell in there. I would bet there was a mad rush to the liter box.....LOL

    :teeth:
     
  6. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm putting my money on Deekus. She was the one up there trying to develop the open pit mine days earlier until I ran her off. The BIG Guy at, almost 20 pounds, has that spot to lay while keeping a close eye on my work and he has yet to come close to denting it. And that spot is right over the tunnel where the back is open for service, an easy spot to hook it, and the break lines appear to be upward rather than downward. Plus she has yet to visit me in my workshop while the BIG Guy has been in several times.
     
  7. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    "I'm not coming in. Your layout tried to eat me!"
     
  8. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    My critters were all feral born and about 6 pegs up on the intelligence scale over a domestic born one. And not much if anything spooks them. These are the pack that rushes the front door when the mailman comes trying to get a piece of him/her. And the BIG GUY just lays there and dares you to get near him with the vacumn cleaner. They have even figured out how to turn on their motorized toys. Which means I will have to have a locked control panel for the layout or I will be waking up to the sound of trains running while each one takes turns chasing the mini meeces.
     
  9. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Deekus just knew there was a Meese in that there tunnel!!!
     
  10. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Once I get the hard shell on that should end the tunneling for meeces. Started painting and staining my tunnel portals today, and tomorrow besides filling in some more foam areas, I am going to start digging through my storage boxes for the mines I have tucked somewhere. Placed another order today for the hard shell materials and a few more Peco turnouts that are the short radius variety. Now that my preferred supplier has finally caught up with the shipping backlog from all the snow and ice events I should have it by this weekend or sooner. Maybe by next week I will be laying roadbed and track again and casting some rock outcroppings.
     
  11. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Well this AM I went digging through my storage boxes of structures. Hmm only one mine. Back sometime in the last year I had sorted through a lot of my structures, far more than needed, and shipped off a bunch to a new home. But the important one the Macie Moly Mine and ore processing was there. Also decided to change up some things. Dropped the idea of a log camp at the top and instead going with the Macie Mine. Strings of 30 foot ore cars will look better coming down that grade. Dug out my two mills, one water powered and will locate them on the lower level along with an assortment of small structures to have a small agricultural based community.

    Five boxes of nothing but structures and maritime bldgs. and vessels. The blue structure is the Macie Mine and the head house is just to the left of it. And Deekus sitting on top wanting to know what happened to the open pit mine.
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  12. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    With the decision to place the mine and ore processing facility on the upper level I busied myself with developing the terrain to fit the mine. Got into my small stash of construction grade foam. Basically it for today unless I decide to work on a tunnel portal.
    [​IMG]
     
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Getting to a point where those supervisors will need to keep watch from elsewhere.
     
  14. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Something I am thinking about. While I was sorting through the boxes for structures I had help from three of them clearing foam peanuts out of the way. When I went downstairs for a coffee break I had a trail of peanuts to follow to the kitchen.

    Getting close to being able to start some hard shell work but still have to finish up the foam work at both tunnel portal ends and do a little more sanding where the incline joins the upper level to bevel it down some.
     
  15. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Worked on the tunnel portals today and some more foam terrain.
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    Also worked at finishing the staining of the tunnel portals and retaining walls. First a base coat of wood tan and then once dry India Ink wash. India ink will separate out some in the bottle so if you dip the brush straight to the bottom without shaking you will have a much darker stain. Lighter stain just dip the brush partway. And a medium stain shake the bottle well.
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    Still working on the portals but this is about it for today. Chief consulting engineer, AKA the BIG GUY is on the job again. Once I get everything adjusted with the portals and retaining walls then I will tuck them away for later while I do the hard shell work.
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  16. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    What was the source of your tunnel portals? For some reason they have me thinking of Chooch Enterprises?
     
  17. logandsawman

    logandsawman TrainBoard Member

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    Seeing BIG GUY on the job reminds me of my old pal who used to get on the keyboard when I was trying to put together a report. She was just telling me it was her turn.

    I am enjoying watching your build!!
     
  18. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Woodland Scenics timber portals and abutments. Thought I had updated the cost involved so far but going back and checking appears I thought about it but didn't. With the new supplies arriving by this weekend the cost will be up $456. That doesn't figure in the cost of the structures I already have from kits or scratched.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 26, 2015
  19. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Had to rein in the horse a bit this AM when I came to the conclusion I needed to carve out the stream beds and places for the trestles before I got to far ahead of myself and made myself more work. So two stream beds later I am setting back and looking at what I have done. The upper level main line will get two bridges. The lower level inclines will get three trestles. Which reminds me I still have two of the three to finish assembling. Probably going to line the stream beds with plaster cloth since it will be easier to seal for water pour later. Since I am going to place a water powered mill on the lower level I am thinking about adding a small marsh where the water wheel outflow drains to the marsh and then to the stream. Thoughts are running towards digging out my HO scale rats and beating their tails with a hammer to make N scale Beavers to occupy the pond/marsh.
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    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 26, 2015
  20. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Went through my bridge selection and placed them and the trestles on the layout. Bottom bridge needs to be a two track so I will see if the expansion piece I have coming with my supply order fits the bill. All the bridges need to be shortened. Two smaller trestles still need their end bents installed which I will do this evening. Once the stream beds are in hard shell then I can adjust the trestles but they are fairly close already.
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