Yay! Found energy and motivation today to do some scenery in this transition corner from the old layout to the new. It's a 6 foot piece leading up to the bridges. I wanted a curved fill leading to the mains on their way to the bridges. So, got busy with foam, mud and chunks of sandstone. Also trying a new technique sifting drill cuttings from local stuff onto the wet sheetrock mud. We will see when I get the area done up some more. Now, waiting on letting it dry. Drain pipes under the fill, for the sharp eyed! Cut out for drainage. Tape the track and mud! First sifting. Hmmm... Got to build some bridge piers next.
Have found time to color up the new stuff these few evenings! The sand I sprinkled on just hot loose and mixed in with paint as I worked. Just gotta love the tape, I was such a messy worker this time! I really like the way these drains are looking under this fill. And this cut looks so much better than my earlier ones. Practice, practice!! Next are some bridge abutments so that I can run trains again!
Built some abutments and put on feet. And then got busy putting on mud. I think this spot will become an abandoned quarry from building the railroad. Some left over equipment and scattered rocks and debris...Hmmm
And we're making progress! bridges have more detail and weathering and inner guardrails. And two semaphores are in. Had to add extensions to the actuator rods and wires, and mounted them in square brass tubes glued through the ground. Next is some weathering on these and then deciding how to actuate.
Got some ballast laid in here and some greenery and other rocks and sand put down today. Ran a train before that,
I always enjoy seeing how quickly the character of a scene changes, when some color and/or scenery is added. It all begins coming to life.
Have had issues with the cab-forward picking switch points and crawling up the outside rails on curves. Finally put the gauge to the wheels and the first driver was a half a flange too wide. Dissassembly time, which is a delicate adventure. IM was smart in making all of the piping in flexible plastic! However, squeezing the wheels back together was a bit tricky. Ended up using a wheel press and gently shifted it over. Voila! But, reassembly is only partial at this time. I need to get traction tires and then I can reattach the running gear. This side will require some lock tite.
I have never had issues working on diesels. But disassembling steamers has always been scary stuff for me!
Box - All it takes is patience, a good light and a fairly steady hand. Fairly! Mine shake some here n there! Jeff - Thanks!
Made time this weekend to finish up the crodss bracing in my CV truss spans. Then got all four spryed with rattle cans. And here is their future home, maybe..... And here I soldered tohether bits of 1/16 brass tube stock to create outside timbers for the ties. These will hopefully provide more ridgidity to the flex track as it runs through the spans. And lastly, some progress on the double tracking of the steeper hill. All in all a productive day in here!
So the track gang has been able to start laying track to double track "the Hill." (Ain't come up with a name for it yet.) The gang spent time leveling the grade out and widening it to make room for the double tracking. Here is where the siding at the bottom of the hill will be getting a new crossover. And a couple of views of the curve. And here I tried my hand at soldering up a freehand, non-jig #8 switch. Success! So I built a second one and tied them together all set up to become a crossover. And where it will go in on the straight section of the hill.
Got the crossover soldered into place and cut gaps etc. Tested them with a multimete and no shorts. Rolled a truck through them, have a little gauging to do on the one switches points. Now to fonish with the flex track connections and some more switches. Getting a twirch going from not driving trains! In the real world, we are having a very warm fall, so I have gotten started replacing windows at this 1956 church. The originals are well past needing replaced. I have custom tin fascia ordered to cover the cross on all 8 of these, which will be fun to install. Then on to the rest of the windows in the whole building. And this guy showed up to pray for me towards the end of the day! I didn't even know they existed hereabouts!
Got the new switches wired in and the double track all laid around the grade. I even super elevated the curves, which sure looks really cool! And here are two overviews of the mess I call a railroad ! Out of place, but more wiring. And lastly, a short video,
I love the elevator on top of the hill! One question though. How do they get grain up there? Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Hmm, going to have to build a switchback and use a Shay? Or, maybe Dorothy's tornado put it there? Naw, I think that the fickle 5 fingered hand of fate will probably get involved somehow . . .
Did some scenery buildup with foam to try and get a vision of this climb. I also had to run two trains and test for clearances track to track. The old readbed will become a bit of abandoned track with a road alongside to get to the town site. The freighthouse is just there for the pics, a depot will be up above a couple feet to the right. And today was mostly spent building three #8's while running trains around.
Nice work and steam action!!! I see you like to use insulation foam to build up your scenery the same as I do. It's so easy to work with. The guys over at frisco.org think I own stock in foam because I talk about it so much. lol Joe