That's museum quality work there, Jim. I didn't even notice the welded rail laying along the ROW because everything just looks like it belongs right where it is. Jamie
The scratchbuild jinx strikes again! From the American Limited Models web site: 5200 HO Snyder Fuel Cranes $6.50 5150 N scale Snyder Fuel Cranes $4.95 Tooled from Snyder Company's drawings, our HO kits are operating fueling stations that plug into your diesel's fuel filler. Piping is hinged in two places so the crane can operate in a large area. N scale cranes are cemented in place but can turn to face the locomotive. Two highly detailed fuel cranes per package. A modern fueling station used in large or small service areas. You may recall not all that long ago I wanted some and found they were not available, so built a couple... and there you have it! Come to think of it, I scratched a cell phone tower and lo and behold BLMA comes out with a similar one...
Jim, your scratchbuilt ones look great! thanks for the heads up on the new released ones; I think I can find a spot for one or two of those.
Thanks! My cranes have wire baskets for accessories...need a tighter shot for that, though! The foreground ACe's are running intermodal now...
At Oakville this week the construction crews are once again busy putting in a crossing. Wonder where they get that white looking stuff...
It could be Marble Dust. Maybe they lay the stuff down and compact it before paving. Although the "Sculptamold truck" backing up and dumping a pile of the stuff would look cool...
Hey, I am real happy to see I am not the only one who is using Sculptamold over static grass. And I still love that rail liad along the ROW. Jamie
Well, gee, I hate to break everyone's bubble, but that's NOT Sculptamold! It's plain old drywall mud. (The ready mix truck was a great idea, though...) I favor joint compound because it's really cheap, readily available, and easy to work with. Did I mention REALLY cheap - I buy it by the five gallon bucket... By using multiple layers I can get the contours exactly where I want them - and if I don't like what I see, it sands and carves pretty easily. Other than for rock castings, I use it for pretty much everything.
Craig, if you put it on thick it WILL crack. Joint compound is good stuff, but not for the modeler who wants it done in one step. I've got four layers on that crossing, and the first layer got a couple earthquake type cracks. You can lay it on thick as long as you realize it will crack while drying. But another layer fixes that. All my mountains got a minimum of three layers, put on with a broad (four inch) drywall knife and then brushed out with a watery brush for texture. Once the stuff is completely dry - I always allow a day - it's very stable, and as long as there's no movement it won't crack. It adds a surprising amount of strength to the lattice.
And the upside is that the N Scale cement mixers can carry / deliver the stuff easier than scuptamold. I will be trying this out when the weather in the basement cools off a little more. Thanks for your thread Jim. Your layout is awesome.
A UP auto parts train is in the area I've been working recently: Here's the area without train: Now, onward and upward to the next project!
