Ok, I said I wouldn't post anything, but I ended up persuading my spouse to come with me to the Hamilton & Ancaster Model Train Show this Sunday. It's a busy place ... fwiw slightly blurry photo to protect the innocent. Don't know if this might be out of topic, but to me it's relevant as I'm (randomly) building up the fleet as I'm constructing the layout. I bought some stuff; 31 pieces of rolling stock and 5 locos (4 Atlas and a Kato F7-A/B unit set, all DCC).
No party on the JPT Sub this past week. Work sucked up the whole week and weekend. Disaster recovery at it's finest...… not.
In spite of going train chasing in the middle of the night, I managed to get the Moore warehouse building almost done. Just a few details yet to add and then on to the next project. Not sure what that's going to be yet- got lots to choose from.
Best laid plans... Instead of Layout Party activities, I spent Saturday and Sunday working on NMRA Regional Convention registrations for layout tours and operating sessions. Monday morning, I had my second eye surgery (successful cararact surgery and perfect near vision lens insertion). Monday evening, I had a looooonnngggg convention steering committee conference call. Tuesday early morning, I had an eye doctor appt to get some temporary glasses that (in combination with the near-vision lenses in my eyes) will give me perfect far vision for driving. Tuesday mid-day, I worked on adding a retaining wall to a friend's layout (his layout will also be on the convention layout tour). Finally, on Tuesday afternoon, I got to spend some time securing the backdrop in the corner where I had to shorten the backdrop by about 3 inches. Next, I'll put some spackling in the corner and paint it. Corner to be spackled and painted; tree flats and trees to be added by ppuinn posted Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54 AM I also returned the mock-up of Allied Mills. Mock-up of Allied Mills by ppuinn posted Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54 AM and most of the tree flats along the backdrop at the back of the shelf, and reinstalled the tree flats that hide trains on the helix from casual viewers, but allow operators to see into the helix, if they deliberately lean forward slightly. Tree flats and trees to be replaced and repaired #1 by ppuinn posted Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54 AM Tree flats and trees to be replaced and repaired #2 by ppuinn posted Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54 AM Tree flats and trees to be replaced and repaired #3 by ppuinn posted Jan 30, 2020 at 8:54 AM My next steps are to repair the sections damaged during removal, and put back all the lichen trees, wire and ground foam trees, Caspian Basil trees, and Scenic Express trees that helped make the transition from 3D trees on the shelf at the base of a bluff to 2D trees on the tree flats at the top of the bluffs. Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday, I worked on convention "stuff", but today, I expect to get the corner spackled and make some progress replanting the trees up the bluff. Hopefully, sometime this week or weekend, I'll be able to get that 4 x 8 sheet of 1/2 inch OSB panel for the front half of the lower deck.
Dave, many who attend conventions don't realize how much behind the scenes planning and work goes into it and how much actual hobby time gets sacrificed to get it done. Thank you for your work as an NMRA convention volunteer !
Brad, I think what you have discovered is a common theme with natural scenery materials procured in batches. The natural variation in the material over time can be quite noticeable. When I ballasted my layout in 2012 or so, I used AZ R&M products, but I had been cautioned from another person to buy all you expect to need, plus a little more in one batch so you don't hit the issue you have. I think it still looks great, but some creative scenery might be required to blend the two.
Brad, Hemi: Although definitely not as pronounced as those two different shades of the same ballast type, I've noticed subtle color variations in manufactured scenery products, too, which surprised me, because I expected that using the same recipe of dyes would have led to more consistent shades. I had stored some unopened bags of bushes, underbrush, and coarse turf in boxes for several years, and the dark, medium, and light greens of the stored bags were slightly different than the greens in new bags of the same material. Even within the same manufacturer, sometimes the shade of dark green underbrush looks slightly different than the shade of dark green coarse turf or dark green clump foliage. On a slightly different topic related to variations in texture, instead of variations in color: Last evening, while working on repairing/replacing the trees and tree flats on the upper deck, I noticed something about how I was deciding what to keep the same (repair) and what to replace with something different. Way back when I first started putting grass, bushes, and trees on my layouts, almost everything was the same shade of light green, but that looked contrived/unnatural. So I started using more variations in colors, and then more variations in both colors and textures. I initially maximized colors and textures by combining different manufacturers products, and then I combined manufactured products with natural products to increase variations in colors and textures, even more. This week, while repairing/replacing the trees and tree flats of the bluffs on the upper deck, I noticed that I had previously used a lot of the same variations in texture at both the back of the shelf and close to the front of the layout. For example, I had lichen trees, caspian basil trees, and wire and ground foam trees at the front of the layout and at the back of the layout...even though their textures were quite different. I had maximized texture variation, but I had not done a good job of matching the coarseness or fineness of the texture to the location of the trees to the front or back of the layout. I want to be able to see small details (more leaves, twigs/small branches) on trees at the front of the shelf, and more of the profile/shape of the trees at the back of the shelf. Some observations from last night: 1. Because of the fineness of the lichen armatures, I think they make great N scale trees for the back of the layout, and great shrubs/bushes in the middle and front of the shelf; and, when they are shredded and covered with blended turf ground foam, they make great briars and brambles anywhere on the shelf. So, I'm repairing the lichen trees where they'll look good, and replacing them with something different, where they won't. 2. The caspian basil sprigs make very nice tree branches or tall, narrow tree profiles, but not so great trunks of trees, and poor profiles of wide trees, so I'm repairing any that are in the middle of the shelf (where they look the best, and the trunks can be hidden more easily). The tiny leaves that looked great mid-shelf, looked too big when positioned at the back of the shelf, especially, next to the fine armatures of the lichen trees, and WAY too big when right next to the clump foliage or foliage cluster trees on the tree flats next to the backdrop...so, I'm removing those caspian basil trees at the back of the layout and replacing them with lichen trees. 3. Right out of the package, the commercially available wire and ground foam trees made good, young (albeit, scrawny) trees in the middle of the layout, but they were too short and scrawny to look good as full grown trees at the back of the shelf, so those are being replaced with something different. At the front of the layout, the ground foam "leaves" were WAY too oversized for N scale. However, if I do some tweaking (remove the oversized ground foam pieces and add finer Blended Turf ground foam or Scenic Express Super Leaves) to make them look less scrawny, I can keep them nearer the front of the layout. And, depending on how I configure them, I can combine several together to make a denser bush in the middle of the shelf or a taller or fuller profile tree toward the back of the shelf.
I have heard this advice before but thought it was because that the company was going to stop producing. I have been able to blend it to look decent and there is always some fading with scenery over time anyway.
Made some repairs and replaced a few trees on about 3 square feet of the 15 square feet of the upper deck. Staged a pic with cars on the tracks, but I still have a long way to go. Bus and feeder wires aren't reinstalled yet, I've put in most of the lichen trees that I want in the 3 sq ft, about 2/3 of the wire trees, and 1/4 of the fine foliage trees. The tree flats at the back and at the back left corner also need some work. Foreground fine foliage and lichen trees, midfield lichen and wire trees, back of shelf lichen trees, bluffs tree flats. by ppuinn posted Feb 1, 2020 at 2:34 AM Getting some of the trees repaired or replaced. by ppuinn posted Feb 1, 2020 at 2:34 AM Tomorrow, I think I'll sprinkle some WS Blended Turf on the trees next to the tree flats to darken them a little to make a smoother transition from 3D trees to 2D tree flats.
Got a bit more done on the layout during the past week. After working quite a bit on the canyon walls it is getting close to looking the way I want. Soon will be able to start on the river itself and adding some shrubbery. With the background scenery shaping up, I started to lay the lower of the two tracks. And painted the rails. And in between while waiting so things to dry, I have been working on a Showcase Miniatures MOW truck.
Finally got the years cork finished, and got the primary main glued down, wired, and tested. One of my DCC vampires was apparently assembled backward, so I had to spend about a half hour chasing a short, but the only thing left to do with this track is install switch machines and wire in the frogs. Mainline installed! by Gary Helriegel posted Feb 2, 2020 at 5:56 PM Also did some detail work on a caboose, painted the roof and striped side grab irons.
Nice start on the scenery, Brad. Definitely going to be a cool scene. Also good start on the track and wiring, Gary. Myself, I finally finished the Moore's warehouse kit- at least as far as it's going to be finished until it goes on the layout some time in the future. I wondered in retrospect if I should have gone full Jason Jensen on this structure, but then realized I wanted it to look like the business that occupied it could afford a decent level of maintenance. Now, on to the next project. And the winner is- The object of the game is to project the "feel" of Pere Marquette's Potter Street (East Saginaw) Station, not as seen here from a drive by daughter Grace and I did late in 2019, but as it looked in its heyday many years ago. Behind the tree in this next photo is the partially collapsed boiler house. I'm hoping I can find room for a smaller version between the station and the freight house. Oops. Almost forgot the first problem- removing the square tiles on the platform that aren't common in North America but seem to be a hallmark of German made structure kits. Maybe a wood chisel? I plan on covering this area with brick.
Going to get some more lumber in a day or two so I can actually get the first 4 modules of my staging up on legs. Let alone finish the other 2 modules then can test my track laying abilities and being able to test unit's also. Pics soon
Not much progress on the N scale JPT Sub this past week. Cleaned up around the cement plant and church. Still lots of work to do in these areas. Put in a dirt lot a couple of weeks ago. Cleaned up the start on the lot and began setting up the construction site. Hopefully the coming week will be a little better.
Earlier this week, I cut out a short section of track and the Homasote at the top of the lowest helix loop (bottom of the 2nd lowest loop) , but left the OSB panel that was supporting the Homasote. I cut another piece of Homasote shaped to replace the loop portion of the helix but also extent out of the helix on a tangent toward the back of the lower shelf. Then I installed a turnout, so trains can exit the helix and go to the Galesburg Yard. This first pic shows the new turnout from inside the helix. Photo Feb 06, 7 46 17 AM by ppuinn posted Feb 6, 2020 at 8:40 AM The tortoise will be mounted upside down on top of the Homasote, and linked to the throwbar by a brass wire. Traditional mounting under the throwbar is not possible due to clearance and access issues under the loop. The tortoise will be mounted a couple inches away from the turnout, so I can easily access the track and turnout for maintenance and repairs without scraping my knuckles on the tortoise or 2nd and third loops of the helix when working on the turnout and track on the lowest loop. Another view of the turnout on the lowest loop and of the first of two turnouts at the top of the helix where the track exits onto the upper deck. Photo Feb 06, 7 43 44 AM by ppuinn posted Feb 6, 2020 at 8:40 AM
It's been a good week for getting things done on the layout. The scenery window box insert got it's rock castings stained and some scenery added. The sky board got some work and it's coming along as well. This was all done with the box sitting on a couple saw horses and leaning on the staging yard. And here it is inserted into the window. Still needs some work on blending the scenery around the seams and adding some shrubs to the hillsides. The white area in the foreground of this photo shows a recently installed bridge abutment that will support the east end of the trestle on the westbound track. I also ballasted the track that was installed last week up to just past where the skewed bridge will be. I first use N scale cinder along the edges then after that has dried I do the main part with HO ballast. I use HO ballast so it contrast with finer N scale ballast that I use for gravel roads. Also dropped a pair of feeder wires on this section of track. In the background it can be seen that part of the river has gotten it's first pass with Acrylic black. Here is an overall look at this corner of the layout as it is right now. Have been starting to add some shrubs to the distant hillsides.
