Rainier Great Western Const Update

Not sure, but we have a strict 3 inch clearance requirement between tracks and glass!

 

Tonight's focus was on the one section of the railroad that never quite sat well with my mind's eye. At Palmer Jct we crossed through the backdrop as you can see to the left side of this picture:



The problem for me has always been how to scenic the transition. I could never get comfortable with any of the options we considered. The problem as I could see it, was the horizontal cutout in the backdrop, no way we were going to effectively hide it and/or scenic it to my satisfaction. I pretty much would ask everyone who came through the railroad their opinion, only one person's idea made sense, Dale Kraus.

Dale suggested cutting the backdrop in two and passing between the break. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I could keep the view block in place across the aisles, I could wrap the north side toward the helix and block most, if not all the view through to the south side and I could easily scenic all four sides. Winner!

The first step was to cut out the transition:



Then test fit a scrap piece of the fascia board we used for the backdrop:



Then cut the contour along the north edge and clamp it back in place:



Once we had it in clamped in its ultimate location, we added foam landforms on the south side on the cutout:



We only glued the foam to the fascia, not the subroadbed. This allowed us to remove the piece, giving us ample space to paint and ultimately scenic the narrow inside wall section.



After the paint dries, we'll scenic the landforms and I will paint the backdrop landforms on. We will take advantage of the piece being loose to do the same to the north side of the south backdrop. Once both are complete, we will reinstall the new backdrop and scenic the opposite sides. My anxiety just took a hiatus, thank goodness.

More later, thanks for checking in. M

 

Hi there,
Reading the whole thread the last three days.Waht a fantastic piece of work.It´s great to see all the things coming together nicely.Benchwork,Scenery.....WOW!!!!! Love that saw mill and how it develops,the pond and creek and so many other scenes.Can´t wait to see more progress on this masterpiece.
Kind Regards,Chris

 

Thank you Chris, I appreciate you following our progress and the kind words. Michael

 

I am too Ken. Put in first layer of dirt last night, then painted the purple base for the background landforms. Tonight, I will begin detailing the landforms.

 

Here is the backside (south facing) of the north backdrop. First layer of real dirt applied and the beginnings of the painted backdrop.



More later tonight. Gotta go sell some insurance to pay for this monstrosity. M

 

Today is another red letter day for the RGW. My customer has one of his guys here finalizing the install of the rubber Pilates flooring.







Very pleased!

 

Last piece going in.

Glue:



Seam with a transition piece (needed because false floor in foreground is 1/4 in higher than concrete floor):



Done:



Nice!

 

Well, first you're always welcome here, so please do. Second, the other day I put carpet protector down during scenery, went about 45' on my knees before I realized what I had done; basically half way around without ever thinking I was on the floor. No pads, just bare knees in shorts. Try that with concrete. This stuff is awesome.

 

That's very unfortunate. Sorry for your loss. M

 

No doubt about that logo. For we Washingtonians, it takes us right back home.

 

Finally got around to the process of painting the backdrop. Here is a thumbnail of how I try and pull that together.

The set up; artist's palette, paper plate, four paint colors (all acrylic) and four brushes. The paints are pine and olive green, burnt umber and tan. The brushes are #6 and #8 fan brushes, a 1" flat and a chisel tip.



Start by painting in the basic landforms. I use a very light purple as the base. Right out of purple mountains majesty:



I use the 1" flat and a combination of umber and tan to rough in the contours I want. I also create random areas for highlights. The more solid areas are clearcuts:



Once that's in, the fun begins. No rhyme or reason to any of it, just paint. I use the olive and larger Fan to create tree lined ridges. When the paint no longer is sufficient for trees, I just rub the brush into the surface to stimulate grass or bushes. I do small areas at a time and step back and take a long look. I then come in with the pine green and follow the same ridge lines, but longer strokes and darker trees. If the mountain is distant, trees might look like dots.

I finish the scene with hints of pure tan to simulate flowers and scotch broom. I also use pure umber to add color and simulate dead grass.

Once again, step back often and make changes as desired. Don't like a section, get the purple back out and start over. Here is a shot of the final product:



That's the north side backdrop and the painted side is the one that will face south. Here is the opposite side:



The final two steps are to mist in a light white/gray mix. A little heavier (more light coats) for the distant mountains, fewer for closer ones.

One other note for really distant mountains, I don't paint anything on the purple, at that distance your eyes can't discern trees or slopes.

Hope this helps. Thanks for checking in. M

 

Here is an example (referenced in the preceding post) of how to simulate the most distant mountains. As you can see, it is left alone. You could add snow, as it would be visible, but you don't have to.



The cool part is your mind tells you that the unpainted mountain is in the distance.

 

Thanks Alan, your rr is coming along very nicely too. M