Modular Shelf Layout Construction

Thanks for the explanation and photo!

I realized I was asking a "dumbish" question as to how difficult something is. That's all relative, isn't it? "Hey, Rubens, how hard is it to paint people?"

So, Norseman Rubens, I appreciate seeing your applicator!

Ballasting is a funny thing. I am very fussy about ballast on top of ties, etc. but have had good luck with using a small paint applicator (not foam but a short-napped fuzzy rectangle) to smooth out ballast and get it off the ties on Atlas code 55. I then have resorted to the traditional wet with alcohol and flood with diluted glue method.

Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing with us.

 

Excellent thread. Gave me some great ideas.

 

Thanks for asking. Unfortunately, progress is stalled until I can obtain a number of needed detail parts (detail 160 roadway, NJ International crossing signals, Sunrise track signals, Atlas telegraph poles, Blair Line signage, Railway Express trackside details, etc.). I ordered all of this stuff back in October but, as of yet, haven't been able to obtain any. Hopefully, one of these days....

 

Thanks jack....you have motivated me to build an module! (in Horribly Oversized scale, that is! ) I've also been inspired by back issues of Model Railroader with the V&O and Allegheny Midland.

 

I've been making a bit of progress in wrapping up the details. The following photos should provide a good comparison of the prototype "feel" I was targetting and how I've rendererd this on my module. Those road crossing signals are just the cheap Bachmann ones with some silver paint. They'll suffice until I acquire something more prototypical. The equipment cabinets are Cal-Freight and the telegraph poles are Atlas with some brown paint. These photos exagerate the "lumpiness" of the terrain, as the full 6' module length is compressed into the height of the photo. I'll work on getting some better photos when I can take the module outside (it's rainy here in Tucson today - a nice change for us desert dwellers).







[ 12. February 2005, 21:40: Message edited by: NorsemanJack ]

 

I think these photos give a better idea of the "feel" of the scene.

 

That looks great!!!

 

Jack:

You did an outstanding job on that module. I've been watching it's progress since you first began posting photo's.


Stay cool and run steam.....

 

Excellent! It was a pleasure and an inspiration to watch the progress.

 

Gentlemen - thanks for all the kind comments and encouragement.

I still have some electrical work to finish up before I'll put this module into service. I have a pair of NJI road crossing signals with era-correct black and white A-frame arms. Those will be installed at the University road crossing and wired to a flasher circuit. I'm just going to have a SPST toggle in the facia to turn them on or off. I also have a pair of sunrise track signals to install near the C&NW crossing. Again, in the interest of simplicity, I'm just going to use DPDT switches in the facia to turn them from green to red. "Someday", I may get into detection circuits, but at this point I'm following the KISS principle. I'll post photos of both when I get them installed.

 

Paul - I'll keep building modules indefinitely. It takes eight to circle my current train room, and this is the tenth I've built. The first eight were installed after the track and electrical step just to get things running. This is only the second with any meaningful scenery work. When I first took this route (vs. a conventional layout), part of my motivation was to be able to have trains running while also being able to work on new sections. I see these modules as "throw away", in that the investment in non-recoverable materials (MDF, foam, masonite, flex track, spackle and turf) is relatively small. I learn new tricks every time I build something, so hopefully over time the quality of the modeling and level of detail will improve.

A few posts back I mentioned that my next module would extend this scene to the West to include the highway overpass. Here's the first step (the "benchwork" if you will). The output in the photo represents about two hours worth of effort (or two beers worth, depending on how you measure time on a Saturday afternoon ). The construction techniques are identical to those described in detail earlier in this thread.

 

That module looks great!!!!!

Nice Job.

Loco1999

 

I'll keep posting the updates for as long as there is interest. As you guys develop your module concepts, please be sure to share those as well.

 

Thanks for all your posts and photos..... its been a treat watching a craftsman at work. I envy you the easy facility you have with the track laying and the electrical aspects. My 'comfort zone' is the scenery, so its been very instructive to be able to "look over your shoulder" while you built the module. Agan, thanks!

 

Well, better late than never....

I had hoped to share these sooner, but taxes, work, computer problems, etc. (i.e. life in America) had other plans.

I would call this "done" at this point.