Xmas Train Remodel/Completion

The magic water set fine up in the alpine lake but, down in the marsh, it actually wicked up & over the scenery to spill out into the foam grass outside the river / marsh area: basically the surrounding foam sucked the marsh almost dry!



So tomorrow will pour another (VERY) thin layer to create a still, smooth surface.

But the scene in the back is coming together:



Thought my daughter & I were going to plant a forest of trees and ballast the mainline, but ended up (after fixing some wiring glitches) mainly running trains.
Which was fine with us!

I finally located my fab 44 tonner, which runs fine on this DC layout. Even gets down to a good creep (or hurried mosey). Has trouble starting & creeping through the yard area: need to give all the track a good cleaning and fine tune the turnouts.
Really should have ripped those out & put in handlaid ones, but that would be like putting an awesome stereo & speakers into a car up on blocks in the front yard (no matter how good merle & patsy sound).

Enough! To the trains!

Trains through town!

Pass in the Pass!

Hmm… two trains & two kids… Guess the kids will have to take turns while Dada runs his!

 

Planted some more trees, got the MT flatcar four-pack, then Dad found the old box of old boxcars & cabeese.
So, had to run some longer trains!

Helicopter tag-a-long

Comin' round the mountain


The 44 tonner could pull 7 cars plus caboose, though a wee bit of slippage at the start.
Even though this is DC, it still can get down to a pretty, pretty low mosey.
Love that 44tonner!

[note: school, with playground right next to mainline, will move a safe distance off layout soon. silly zoning codes!]

 

Looks really really good!

You did a great job!

 

I am sure you and your children are having a great time working on this project together. This is a fine example of what model Rail Roading is for, to bring young and old, or young and middle aged together. Very nice story from what appears to be a very nice family. There is something to be learned by all here. It's called LOVE, something that has been lost in this current age. Seems that.... mean rotten and nasty is the current mode of operation for so many. Unfortunetly, being the TUFF GUY seems to be popular these days, and how SAD. We see it everywhere.
I commend you on your project and your family, you are a true blessing to this forum. Oh, who lives in that little house up on the top of the hill ? Grench ? LOL !!!
Well, I'd like to send you and your kids some items to add to your layout & trains as gifts for the season, I'll message you to get your address. I think they deserve something for doing such nice work. Thanks again, I'd like to see more as you finish.

fatalxsunirder43

 

Thanks for the compliments: it's been a real joy to see my kids (especially my 8 yr old daughter) get into the project.

As for the wicked water wicking wonder, I think there's not much you can do with the foam except touch up the areas around the water when all done.

It turns out the water creeped up some of the plaster-cast rocks in the alpine lake as well. That plaster is quite the sponge!
I wonder if spraying the rocks with dullcote after coloring would create a barrier & prevent the water from wicking up.
Anyone with experience know about that?

As for who lives up in the house way up on the mountain: the fool on the hill, of course!
(it's much too nice for the grinch: he lived in a cave, yes?)

 

Yes, how correct you are, he did live in a cave. Perhaps we can rent him the house,
and use those funds to expand the layout, LOL ! Make sure you get the first and last
from him or else he's liable to run off to Who'sville and never come back LOL !
Regarding your soaking issue, yes, some kind of barrier, I'd try brushing on some white glue as a barrier, it dries fairly clear, that might help.

fatalxsunrider43

 

Been trying to get everything “done” before the big family get together on Thursday, and my daughter’s been asking to come with me to work on the layout every day.
Not sure if it’s because she likes the trains or she just doesn’t want to go shopping with her mom, but either way she’s learned the joys of model railroading!

Speaking of joys, today I taught her the super exciting aspect of playing with trains: track cleaning.
(“Dada, this isn’t so fun. My thumb hurts. You do it.”)

Also today: Trees, trees & more trees.
My daughter & I planted some, made others, and blotted the landscape with bushes.
The “Pine Copse” is getting closer to “Forest” status.
Before:



Now:







You can see the strip of blue masking tape that’s protecting the track as it “disappears” into the forest.
To help create depth, I glued some scrap scrub pad cut into tree-top shapes along the clift wall and then planted trees & half-trees in front of it.
[note: use stiff wire mesh, not the flexable plastic kind, to create the shell into which the train disappears: would be much easier to plant the trees in it!]
A few more plantings and it’ll be good to go through to grandma’s house.

Last shot shows engineer hard at work, as well as a peek at the pull-out drawer my dad made for the control panel:



There’s another control pack on the other side, so two trains can operate at the same time.
I need to re-line the routes with tape, and replace some flailing push-switches, but otherwise it’s held up pretty well.
The wiring underneath & behind, OTH, is not so pretty.
But who looks under the table on Christmas?

Tomorrow: more trees, bushes & some water!
(Saving the “snow” on the mountaintop for last)(that means Wednesday)

 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Thought I should start experimenting with WS Snow.
Not quite sure what to think:






Painted on slightly thinned white glue, sprinkled the snow, then tried to do the normal thing of spraying with 50/50 water/rubbing alcohol and then eye dropping thinner whiteglue to hold.

Seemed like no matter how much I sprayed on the alcohol, the thinned glue would still bead up the snow. As if the snow just wouldn’t allow the alcohol/water to soak down.

Some areas I flooded, which creates a smooth snow-bank effect. Tried spraying the thinned glue as well, with so-so results.

I was just going to wait until tomorrow to see what it looks like, then maybe drop some more glue over the first layer, and then lightly sprinkle some more to create a more uniform surface. Anyone got any suggestions?

Also poured the final layer of water in the alpine lake and the marsh:






The white goop is Modge Podge that will dry clear into the “waterfall / trickle” as well as the stream that feeds the marsh.
I’m hoping that the first layer of Magic Water I poured last week and that got sucked up into the surrounding scenery will act as a wicking barrier, and that this pour will just dry flat & smooth. We shall see!

 

The town is coming together, too:






At some point I’ll weather the bright plastic buildings, and put in some road signs. I did install a wood crossing for the road:



Caulked the wood strips (left over from the bridge) onto a piece of paper cut to fit the track space, then sanded them down and the sides, then caulked it in place.
Wish I had done this for the other two “crossings” (railers). Looks moocho better.

Will get some people / vehicles soon!

 

Some “big” shots wrapping around the back:












The pine forest is pretty much done: the train disappears rather well!
Just need to remember to take out some of those t-pins after the trees set!
(or I could pass them off as “disguised” cell phone towers).

I'll post more video when it's uploaded.
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Looking very nice!

 

Thanks for the complements!
It's been a lot of fun so far, especially to get the kids involved.

And now: videos!

Marsh pass
(taken before I did my final magic water pour)

Mountain cut pass
(see the train disappear into the forest!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

You art teacher was WRONG!!

That's an amazingly "silky" transformation!

And having the kids helping is the best part of all! I'll bet you Dad is really proud, too.

Bless you and yours and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Darrell, quiet...for now

 

Pretty much getting closer to “done” (for now), so lotsa little details.
Never enough, it seems.

The water set up great around the marsh area:



Smooth and clear. Later I’ll try to get a pict of the vegetation just under the surface.
Will also try painting the lily pads on the surface when it’s totally set: it’s been below freezing around here last couple nights so the Magic Water’s still a little goopy.
Which worked out fine for placing the doe & faun in at the water’s edge.
I placed nine deer on the layout but didn’t tell anyone: fun to watch peoples faces when they exclaim “Hey, there’s deer! D’oh!”

In the yard I placed a fuel tank and covered the base of the water tower & freight house with dirt:



While the water tower and the far feight house are temporary structures, the plastic brown bases really bugged. Now I just need to weather them so they’re not a complete eyesore.
I did put in gravel roads to the tank & the tower: helped to fill in the "blank" cinders of the yard.

The dudes in the bottom right are quizzically inspecting a switch machine that melted during a power surge caused by a 9 year-old Godzilla with a heavy finger. Turnout & machine operate just fine, though!

Also got a crew out repairing the road:



This must be the crack team, as 2 out of 5 are actually working.
[Just realized I think I got the tamper upside down. Oops.]
[and forgot to put real dirt over that pile of ???? in the front: funny how yr eye goes straight to where you forgot / missed something!]

And the last: loaders on the freight side of the depot:



Really need a lot of little boxes, and a truck or two.
All the figures I tacked down with caulk, as I wanted to be able to remove them easier than superglue / CA. So when the caulk dries tomorrow I’ll trim down the huge snowballs each dude is standing in.

Also brushed thinned glue over the snow I sprinkled yesterday & sprinkled some more, with no intention of eyedropping thinned glue on top. Still looks a bit grainy but people will be seeing the snow through the bottom branches and needles of Ye Olde Fake Fir Tree starting the day after Thanksgiving, so it meets the “good enough” standard.

Next year I think I’ll rip out the entire “yard”, redesign and lay track with better turnouts (or, at least, newer ones that don’t wobble).
Well, got another year to think about it!

I’ll post picts & videos when the tree is up, decorated & all is in its holiday hipness.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!

 

That is great work and a nice improvement over the original. I'm sure your parents will be pleasantly surprised and don't forget your camera this time. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The yard is slowly coming together:



Need a bunch of trackside details: wheels, rails, ties, old boxcar office, etc. Got a gantry crane for the team track behind the shot, but need to build it (along with the box & crate factory that will replace the cheep-o freight house that’s temporarily there).
Gotta say: switch machines are ugh-lee! Next year might rip out whole yard, redesign & lay with handbuilt turnouts with caboose throws, saving the switch machines for the far turnouts. Or, is there any clever way to disguise the machines? Small work sheds? Any suggestions?

The Magic Water set well, even with freezing temps outside. The finished scene (oh, deer!):



You can see some of the sub-surface vegetation on the left. The Magic Water did not spread / wick anywhere the second pour, so perhaps a good strategy is to brush on a thin layer of Magic Water for the first go to “seal” the area.

I re-foamed the areas around the house that got “wet”, and, when dry, installed the farmer’s roadside stand:



Here’s a shot pulled back (as if standing by the gondola lift building), and you can see town, market, and the glint of water fall / drip in the back left:



I started using ModgePodge matte, but switched to gloss, as the shine give more of a realistic moving water effect. Will throw on a couple more coats on the falls & stream, and blend in to the Magic Water to lead up to the still marsh.
Maybe try my hand at some wire-wrapped trees for around the town.
Switch machines are still ugly, but the lavender is a soothing purple!
Hope all had a happy, healthy Thanksgiving!