Wrightsville Port: N-Scale Waterfront Layout

Nimo Nov 20, 2010

  1. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Weathering Rolling Stock and Loco

    This was again a long pending task on my layout that I managed to start last Saturday, and made a good progress in just two days.

    I don't have an airbrush, hence I used something rather unconventional - dry pastel which proved to be very effective, and in some essence more versatile than an airbrush.

    The method was very simple - take small amount of matte varnish and spread it all over the body of the rolling stock/loco. Then use a flat brush, rub it on the block of dry pastel of suitable color (I used earth, white, black and rust), then dab the powder on top of the wet surface. Then move the brush rapidly in vertically and down motion till you get a dusty, matte finish. Repeat this process across all portion of the rolling stock, including the trucks.

    The matte varnish and the natural property of pastel will give a very nice dusty finish. The powder also gets inside the cracks and crevices of the rolling stock and truck, just like the real thing and reveals the details of the model very nicely.

    Note that the rust is modeled using acrylic paint - a mix of brunt sienna, Indian red and yellow ochre, and then the appropriate places where rusted using a size 00 brush

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    And here are some before and after shots.

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    It's surprising how much of extra detail that I can see now in my locos and rolling stock that I could never spot so easily before. I amconfident now that weathering is mandatory for all smaller scale - smaller the scale, more important it is!
     
  2. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That Shell tank car has seen a few loads!
     
  3. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    It surely has! :) though over a period of just 3-4 minutes - god knows how that happened! :p
     
  4. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    One quick load of some really, really nasty waste oil? :)
     
  5. virtual-bird

    virtual-bird TrainBoard Member

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    I stand by my statement on NSN.. Hurry up with the Detailing Video ;)
     
  6. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Ah! right! that must be it! These lilliputs really don't know how to handle oil... :p

    Yep! heard ya! I have just one car and a loco left to weather - gotta put those to some good use this weekend. :)
     
  7. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Though 2014 started with some great spirit as far as model railroading is concerned, I was thrown out of the hobby for the whole of last quarter of the year, and continued for the whole of the first month of this year. And this time work was not the main culprit (Though I had changed my job in between), it was primarily another hobby of mine - astronomy. I just graduated from casual observer to a casual astro-photographer, and though it doesn't look like a big change - it actually is!

    I managed to clean the layout in the long weekend of Jan 24-26 as I had a friend visiting us with her family, so it was a good excuse to pull up my sock, get my ass moving and get the layout clean and functioning again.


    Post my last serious work in weathering in September, all I could do was set up some additional characters and port details on the layout. So tonight, I just spent some time running trains and taking snaps of things that I haven't posted yet. So here are some photos. I hope I get the momentum to start with the pending pieces and get some real progress done soon!


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    [TD]Mike and Andre taking a quick break from their duties as the crane operator lifted the the 2nd 20 ft container from one of the flat cars.[/TD]
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    [TD]Juan and Jose are two brothers from a family of four brothers and two sisters (and their parents of course). Their family moved to the US from Mexico 10 years back, and unlike many Mexicans in the US, they are actually legal from day one.[/TD]
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    [TD]At the end of the first shift it's a regular routine among Sam, 'Sully' and Steve to have a lazy, useless conversation about everything under the sun - Union Politics, Vietnam to beer comparison - nothing escaped their warm-up sessions before heading out to the nearby bar every evening.[/TD]
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    [TD]A general scene of the dock workers in a busy day at the port. We will get introduced to each of them later. :)[/TD]
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  8. Noah Lane

    Noah Lane TrainBoard Member

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    Kaustav and Mouli- I first saw the Wrightsville Port in the N-Scale Magazine article. Your layout is fantastic! You've really nailed the tracks set in cement look. Also, your lighting really sets off the whole look.

    I remember you saying that you got the cement texturing from a website where you pay to download PDFs. Can you give me the website you used?

    Keep up the great work!

    Noah
     
  9. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Nimo - The weathering effect looks real nice! It is always amazing just how much detail a guy can see after the dirt and grime is applied! Your layout continues to be an inspiration, thanks for keeping us up to date with it!
     
  10. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks so much Noah! :) You can keep your eyes open for another article of mine in N scale Mag in the coming release. This time I will focus on only one of my scratchbuilding projects in vivid details. Let me know your feedback. :)

    You can download the concrete patterns (and many more exciting models) from scalescenes.com - I like their models much better than other companies out there. They provide very detailed instructions and the print resolution is excellent. I have a friend who has built multiple of their models in OO scale and even those look awesome from a little distance, so for N scale, it's just perfect. The only downside of using them for an American layout is that they are British! so you gotta select your models carefully.

    Thanks. :) after getting my hands dirty on weathering, I now cannot imagine a model without one! :)
     
  11. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Finally some progress! Started working on the layout after the longest gap in 4 years - nearly 6 months! Aim is to complete the background scenery and the town scene first. More to come!



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  12. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I hope so. You have been quiet for a while!
     
  13. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    yeah I know. :( got distracted by another hobby of mine (astronomy), changed a job, and you know the drill! My approach to model railroading is to take slow now, and let it run its own course. That reduces stress! :p
     
  14. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    All right - guess this is definitely a milestone! Given that I'm building a layout where the tracks are meant to be modeled in concrete, having to finish the last bit of such modeling certainly is a good feeling - a feeling like seeing light at the end of the tunnel! I might be able to complete this project after all. :p

    anyway - here is the completed town scene with the last bit of track modeled to be molded in concrete. A little larger area than your typical level crossing as this is still the extension on the port - a small street running sort. All that it needs now is some final detailing, some figure, a few lighted cars - then the town scene is complete. Oh! yes, I almost forgot - the boat yard in the foreground.

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    The layout certainly looks like it's near to the finish line. Once the town scene is done, the only three remaining sections will be the coal transfer facility, the conveyor belt for the grain elevator and the oil storage facility. I think then I can call this done!
     
  15. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Forgot to ask last time- Who is the manufacturer of your tug boat?
     
  16. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    it's me! :D
     
  17. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ah. It does the job nicely. I was wondering, as I've been looking around and one I have seen is by Sylvan Models. Just looking at something more like a harbor tug, not the larger ocean going sizes.
     
  18. Nimo

    Nimo TrainBoard Member

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    Mine will pass for a decent harbor tug, and even a railroad tug for that matter. In fact i had built that when I still had plans to model car floats in the layout, then that idea got scrapped, but the tug remains.

    If you are modeling in N scale, it is fairly easy to build a tug boat if you are up for some casual ship modeling. You can build something unique and totally custom, and it's fun to scratchbuild something like that. I have an old build thread in another forum (before joining here), so let me know if you are interested to take a peek - will send you the link.
     
  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Sure. I'd be interested in the link. Or you are welcome to create a topic scratch building about it here...

    Yes. I am N scaling. 42+ years now. But scratch building is becoming a bit of a problem, as I have increasing neurological issues due to age, illnesses and injuries.
     
  20. Pete Nolan

    Pete Nolan TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've got a few harbor-sized tugs in my line-up. The 109-footers (Edna G and the Navy/commercial tug) are toward the bigger end, while the 80' fireboat is just a tug with a few watercannons. Edna G:

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    Navy/Commercial:

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    Under construction:
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