Hog Waller Junction

If I remember right It was a round blob of a plastic parts sprue, although one could probably use a round dome shaped button with a flat bottom. The ones I have seen in the 1 to 1 world tend to be big and the tops are above the water by anywhere from 3 to 5 feet. Muskrat also sometimes build these types of abodes although not as large.

Mine has straw and hay layers of scenic fibers glued on and then touched up with a bit of a light brown paint. One can also add some debris from Woodland Scenics fine Fall foliage that consists of just the stems.

 

While I am waiting for the first application of the Mod Podge to completely dry I went to work scratching my bridge for the road which will be right on the front of the layout edge, and behind a plexiglass barrier. Once again a cut down Atlas bridge and severely cut down bridge piers. The deck for the bridge is heavy cardstock. Right now just test fitting the whole thing.

 

Well some issues have arisen and have caused me a minor headache. Seems like I got the 2nd coat of the Mod Podge on way too thick and after most of yesterday through the PM and through the night it has not cured. Dang nabbit. So this AM I set out to tear out the area and the stuff did not take too kindly to being removed even when wetted and soaked thoroughly. What remains under the trestle I don't dare touch for fear of messing up the trestle. So I have borrowed my Wife's head baker (hair dryer) and it seems to be having the desired effect on the remaining layer of getting it to dry. Hopefully this PM I will be able to go back and recolor the stream bed and recover what I messed up.

 

First coat did as advertised. 2nd coat was my stupid mistake of being just a bit too heavy.

My Wife being a dinosaur like me has had one of those humongous sit under head bakers for as many years as I have known her. And for as many years I have been after her to get a simple hairstyle that only requires a hand held blow dryer in the AM. Well She has one but it goes unused so I am making use of it. The sit under version will heat two rooms or more of this house when in use so I guess it could be a supplemental heat source.

Tore out the old Mod Podge where it was not setting up and have managed to already repaint the stream bed in three spots. The portable head baker is doing the job of slowly drying out what is under the trestle and drying the paint so I can start weathering it in. Meanwhile I have about 30 more trees to do.

 

Managed to recover nicely but not without uttering a few choice terms like Nottafinga, etc. Almost have the Mod Podge dry under the trestle.



And I am getting ready to do the pours on the different creek levels. The blue material is a putty or clay that is back from when I was doing some parts casting. Works well as a coffer dam for the resin.



And I have started the water for the falls. Woodland Scenic's Water Effects poured in lines on crumpled foil. This will take about 24 hours or more to dry. I simply removed the cured layer from the foil and cut them to the shape I need and use a little more Water effects to blend them in. I layer several pours on top of each other the give some depth. Will take about 2 days with the resin pours doing layers for the creek. And I most likely will pour the first layer for the mill pond also.

 

John, I'm interested in your trestle pier cofferdams. It's obvious your intention is protecting the piers from spring flood debris damage, but I've never seen such in the Northeast US. Are they a common practice for the area you're modeling?

Thank you for your "trick" of pouring waterfalls separately. Definitely eases the stress of creating near-vertical falls in place, and the imaginative use of vocabulary during such creations.

 

I am not sure where Atlas got the model for their bridge piers but I have seen similar designs in a number of areas including the East coast. Since my streams are only .75 inches deep the Atlas piers, of which I had a bunch of, have been cut down quite a bit. I would think the design came into being where there was a chance of considerable ice floes or large debris being washed down during spring floods. I have seen similar used on timber bridges also where the buttress was timber cribbing.

As far as creating the falling water effect on tinfoil it is something I have been doing for sometime now. I can crinkle the foil so that the dried water has taken on some of the shape of the foil, possible because the material is thick and doesn't flow much at all. I generally run a couple of close lines and then trowel it into however wide I want it. I have also messed with some color additive, generally a diluted water based paint that mixes with the material. That way I can have a light tinted layer under the outer layers.

When I apply the waterfalls it is done in layers so there is a effect of depth shown. And the material can be easily cut into strips when dried and shaped around a rock projecting out since it is still quite flexible when it dries.

 

With most of yesterday spent in recovery mode after my stupid mess up with the Mod Podge today hopefully I can get to casting some water in the level parts of the streams. I also used the Water Effects again to cast the underlayment for the falls with some tinted Water Effects. After about 16 hours the falls cast yesterday are slowly curing enough to have some translucent patches starting to show.


So hopefully after a good pass with the vacuum I will start pouring some water. For whatever reason my Feline pride seemed bent on a close up inspection this AM. Started with Blackie the Punk, next was Cleopatra the Queen. followed by Callie the Calico. For whatever the reason the high meadow seems to be the favored spot.



And once again awaiting a repairman, this time for an oven that decided to reach critical temperatures enough to melt steel last night while I was cooking. Had it set on warm and when I went to open it to place something in it was about the temperature of the Sun and rising.

 

Well so far my clay coffer dams are holding. The lower level at the stream outflow into the ocean.


And the first view of the hog wallow. The spring fed namesake for the layout. First pour also done there. Which reminds me that I need to come up with some hairy wild hogs.



And the first pour at the mill pond. I need to create and install the Beaver dam before I do another pour there.

 

Making the Beaver dam. Has to be in place before next water pour in mill pond.


A 1/8th inch thick foam piece cut and sanded to shape. Painted an earth brown and when dry scenic glue applied. Real wood cut to slivers with the razor shown and debris from the bottom of the WS Fine Foliage box ground up smaller then all glued on. Later when dry a coat of fine earth scenic material will be sprinkled on a light glue coat.

 

They have been done before I just don't know if in this scale. If you can't tell I am having fun now even with an oven trying to go super critical and reduce the stove to a molten mass. Got to thinking about my hairy wild hogs and then ahah the Pacific Northwest and it's legendary biped with the big feets.

 

Nice technique for the dam, and the waterfalls.

Going to have to name the forest 'catnip knob' or ' feline pines' or some such fun nomenclature!

Sure am enjoying this build.

 

Installed the beaver dam yesterday and did the 2nd pour of the pond, stream, and a little more on the spring fed hog wallow. Also fabricated a Sasquatch and a Windigo both northern climate creatures and both are about 11 feet tall. They will get tucked somewhere later. Have one problem to address at the culvert from the mill. It seems somewhere I have a fault in that area that is taking up casting resin. Either todays' cast will seal it or I will go back and plug it with a little plaster and paint it black. So far the casting has eaten up about 10 oz. of resin with the two pours.


And I finally installed the outdoor plumbing at the hunt lodge filling in that space under the large tree.

 

Well definitely not on the floor. HC door and .75 inches of foam in that area with a plaster overlay. But the 1.25 inch run right there ate a half oz. of resin that it should not have. So tomorrow I will mix a small batch and try again for that area. The 2nd poor has already hardened quite well and no other areas show any signs of loss or migration. Unlike some of the other stuff I have used this stuff does not wick its way up into stuff. It stays where you pour it.