Long Island Rail Road in Z Scale

John Bartolotto Sep 25, 2010

  1. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I love your step by step scenery. We learn how to do it if we plan to something similar.
     
  2. Mzbringh

    Mzbringh TrainBoard Member

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    And I like when you back up the layout scenery with photos of the real buildings and real operation with Google maps images of the area. It put the layout in a historic and geographic context that makes the layout bigger. Fantastic. I follow every entry in this thread.

    Thank You for sharing John

    Mikael
     
  3. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    John - Thanks! Really like what you have done on your Z Bend Module!

    Mikael - Thanks! Loved your Pizza layout and your Highland Terminal layout is looking really cool!

    John
     
  4. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    So a month has gone by quickly with Christmas, New Years and visiting family taking priority. In between I scratchbuilt a steel quay wall out of styrene and then cast copies. Finally was able to get a few hours today to finish painting it and install all the walls. Priority now is to finish the Dutch Kills port by placing groups of wood pilings, rocks and plants prior to pouring the "water". I am still experimenting with the color of the water but have decided to use Magic Water as the medium. More to follow.

    Enjoy,

    John

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  5. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    [​IMG]

    img]http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/2321/Dutch_Kills_Wood_Piling_Wall_9_Jan_11_1.JPG[/img]

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  6. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    I’ve been working on the “scenery” that colors the entrance to Dutch Kills. In real life this still very polluted area is played out around Newtown Creek which runs into Dutch Kills. I love the junky look of Malcolm Furlow’s “Carbondale Central” so I did research on Newtown Creek and found a wonderful site that has numerous photos of that area that I used as reference Newtown Creek Alliance Image Galleries Next I will place in some more pilings, seal up any holes so that my “water” will not leak when I pour it and do some test water shots to make sure I have my polluted water color just right before I pour it on the layout.

    Enjoy,

    John

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  7. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    Additionally while I was waiting for scenery glue to dry I decided to make a Z scale water heater, refrigerator and stove that I could use in my junk yard that will be part of the businesses surrounding the Dutch Kills port. I may just make a bathtub also in the next few days.

    Enjoy,

    John

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  8. MrCONRAIL&BNSF

    MrCONRAIL&BNSF TrainBoard Member

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    looks great! but here in long island and new york, that poor car thats in the canal would have been stripped to nothing but rubble by now haha.


    what did you use to make and mold the appliances they came out really well


    I need garbage for a scene on my new layout and make soda cans some crushed, and wrappers for food like bags of chips and twinkle wrapers. there really small but look really cool! I can send you about 40 pieces of trash if you want to add them.
     
  9. Mzbringh

    Mzbringh TrainBoard Member

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    Hi John

    The water looks sick, the river banks looks fantastic. That gives life to a layout. And the site with photos is a gold mine, I agree.

    Mikael
     
  10. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    Mikael - Thanks! Still working on the river color, its just not right yet

    MrCONRAIL&BNSF - Thanks. I haven't casted them yet, these are the masters made from Evergreen styrene. Thanks for the offer but I have plenty of scrap metal, rusty parts and trash, been making them for the past year. Have a nice pile now and will be ready for my scrap metal / junk yard scene.

    John
     
  11. Loren

    Loren TrainBoard Supporter

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    John,
    Is that a Fridgadare or GE Westinghouse frig? I think I have some spare parts that might make that old fridge work again :eek:)

    Really neat looking appliances !
     
  12. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    Loren,

    Thanks! Its a Philco frig ;). I had a "Wile E. Coyote super-genius" moment. I saw Bruce Monroe did them in HO scale, so I thought, wow those would look super cool in my metal scrap yard in Z. My wife Sue thought I had lost my mind as I walked around our house measuring our water heater, refrig and stove to get reference measurements. The rest is history. Once I cast them I'll send them to Russ Kaufman to be included in our NSM line.

    John
     
  13. MrCONRAIL&BNSF

    MrCONRAIL&BNSF TrainBoard Member

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    Can't wait to see it mate
     
  14. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    I had a really productive weekend. I was able to complete the bath tub that I scratch built, now this week I will cast it, the stove, refrig and water heater, then I’m looking at adding these to my Nansen Street Models Z scale accessory line. Most importantly I was able to complete the scratch build of the pilings needed for the Dutch Kills area and completed my water color test box. I made the pilings out of mini dowels 2 mm in diameter item # 1021190 from Loew Cornell sold at Michael’s craft store and I used the same painting process for them as I did for the piling walls (Dave Frary’s painting seawall techniques) in order to ensure that the colors matched. I made three different types of pilings: groups of three and five piles tied together with tan colored sewing string and individual pilings which will be cut at various heights and placed in various locations in Dutch Kills. The water test box was made from strips of styrene 2mm thick x 13mm wide. It has five test areas 2” square with each test area labeled as to the paint color I used. The test box was painted with Valspar gray primer before each area received its individual test color. This week I will pour a 1/8” high amount of Unreal Details Magic Water into each test square to see how each color looks so that I can decide which color I like the best before I finally paint that color in the Dutch Kills bed and then pour the Magic Water in Dutch Kills. I am taking this part slow and deliberately because it is the first time I am doing this sort of water color and I want to get it correct.

    Enjoy the photos,

    John

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  15. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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  16. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Amazing work John.
     
  17. minzemaennchen

    minzemaennchen TrainBoard Member

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    cool details
     
  18. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    Tonight I had some extra time due to the snow storm here in DC so I worked on prepping the Dutch Kills harbor for pouring Magic Water. I used a 1/2” strip of styrene, lots of tape, clear bath tub caulk to seal any cracks and foam nails to give some extra holding strength in order to dam up the end of the harbor so the Magic Water would not leak out the end when I pour it in the next night or two. My test shots of Magic Water are almost dry and the color I think I will use is the one on the far left - Floquil Depot Olive 110044 with a light coat of Timberline Scenery Pond Scum on top.

    Enjoy,

    John

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  19. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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    It was a slow and deliberate process that took 13 days but the water for my Dutch Kills port is complete. I have a few minor scenery additions to do to complete the scene but the water is done! I am very happy with the results of Unreal Details Magic Water. I added all the pilings and two rusted pipes with waste sludge pouring into the port. I painted the bottom of the port with Floquil Depot Olive 110044 and then gave the port walls a light coat of Timberline Scenery Pond Scum half way up each wall to simulate the high-tide mark. I then mix up a batch of Magic Water following the directions and after thoroughly mixing it I then added 10 drops of Floquil Depot Olive 110044 and poured the water to a depth of 1/8”. After a few hours I then mixed up another batch again with paint added in and poured another 1/8” layer. I let that dry for a week. Then I applied a light coat of Timberline Scenery Pond Scum on the top of the entire water, added some Polly-S Oily Black F4114326 swirls in random places on the water to simulate pollution and the oil that seeps from the bottom of Dutch Kills (see P.O.V.'s Borders . Environment . Water . The Invisible Creek | PBS and Up The Creek: Sets Sail on Newtown Creek | The City Concealed) and I dabbed on some Polly-S Reefer White F414113 around the area where the sludge from the waste pipes hits the water to simulate foam. I let that dry for about three days then applied a last 1/16” layer of clear Magic Water with no paint added. I let that all dry for about three more days. Tonight I took the dam off and was impressed with the results. I highly recommend Unreal Details Magic Water, it takes time but the results are awesome! Now I can concentrate full speed ahead on adding scenery and buildings around the port.

    The tug in the photo is from Joe D'Amato and the barge is first of three types of barges that will be released soon as part of my Nansen Street Models Z scale accessory line.

    Enjoy the photos,

    John

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  20. John Bartolotto

    John Bartolotto TrainBoard Supporter

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