My wife has been an artist (oils, acrylics, pastels) since before we ever met, ergo I'm familiar with scrape off, cover, repaint, scrape off elsewhere, cover, repaint....ad infinitum, until finished, which in the mind of an artist is never. John, you have the mind of an artist. Though your finished canvases are always impressive.
That little bit done by the mill even unpainted, I can see a difference there. You need to sit down at the work bench and create a little crew to use by these places. Make them look like they're placing some dynamite, and using an old fashioned T-handle detonator box.
The old T-handle always looked like it was so satisfying to use. Always loved old westerns, Hogan's Heroes, etc, when they'd give the handle a hard shove down. And I can't run fast enough to get away anyhow....
You guys forget that I have a Deekus The Cat, excavator. A high speed self refueling model. As far as the fine art of painting both the Wife and I have easels and dabble a bit from time to time. When I look at a railroad photo it is often the loco that I look at last, instead I take in the background and other objects that do so much to make a scene. I researched both volcanic rocks and old lava flows. and did quite a bit of research on Moly mining and the types of rock found around the deposits. That is why there is just a touch of red for iron oxide here and there in the rock faces. And trees are yet something else that I have observed. I have noticed that just with the trees behind my house there are at least four different shades of green visible in less than a blocks length. So yes the artist's eye is helpful in trying to capture the look and feel of things.
I did this on a T-Trak module I built about three years ago. Farm field, with several shades of grass. A local HO guy saw it, and commented that he'd never even thought about doing the same. Growing up on a farm, I knew that there were always differing hues, depending upon moisture, sunlight, types of vegetation, use/grazing by various livestock....
Discarded almost all of the first attempt at the water supply from the falls to the mill. Kept the supports but the piping was giving me fits until a small little light bulb went on the old brain. Remembering that there were some straws down in one of the buffet drawers with the little accordion section solved most of my issues. I found that the styrene tube fit nicely inside and I had my bends I needed that were much neater. Cast a little bit more water to fill the void area where the culvert was torn out and fabricated a little bridge just wide enough to get a pick-up truck across it. I still have one more support to add and a platform for the bypass control valve. The bypass is just behind the mill and routed to the stream bank for when water is not needed over the water wheel. Work is going very slow since I lost a lot of my mobility Sunday morning due to a fall and some cracked ribs on my right side. I did this to my left side years ago and sleeping was a bear. Not having as much of an issue sleeping this time but it certainly crimps my style leaning over the layout.
John, I like what you've done with the piping, much cooler than a "run-of-the-mill" sluice. I never would have considered a by-pass. I assumed wheels always operated...guess not. Sorry to hear of your fall. Was your balance affected by the stroke, or are you just naturally clumsy....hboy:
Almost all water powered mills, whether undershot wheels or overshot wheels, had some way to divert or stop the water flow. With the undershot, and some of the overshot, that were fed from a small ditch diverted off a stream, sometimes by using a dam to raise the water level, and often using the terrain levels and mill siting, there would normally be a gate to shut off the water flow to either maintain the water channel or do mill wheel repairs. In the example where I am tapping the falls for the water it just makes sense that the mill crew would not want to be scaling the cliff to shut off the water thus the diversion pipe and valve control wheel located behind the mill. The Broughton Flume in Washington has several diversion points in the miles long log flume. The kit that the mill was built from was designed as an overshot wheel so the water source for it had to be at least 15 to 20 feet above the mill where the mill flume took off. Servicing when needed for the flume take off at the falls is done with a leased crane from the railroad. And some time in the future when this module is incorporated into the larger layout and that incline gets abandoned that small section up to the first trestle will be retained just for creating another mini scene of a crane being used to service the flume. Most of my aches and pains and old injuries are from my occupation including some from the military years. Only much later when things started catching up to me did I manage to lose my balance occasionally but almost always I managed to catch myself before a nasty tumble. Up until now I have managed to keep upright since the stroke even with the left side weakness. This morning I finished up the water supply pipe from the falls to the mill. Now just need to start some scenic work around the mill and install some cast water strips at a couple of locations there. Have to sand down the new little bridge landings so it fits in more snuggly. Next is to do some scenic work around the mill pond shore and apply some ground cover and trees and shrubs to what is left of the small hill behind the mill.
Obviously you're doing remarkably well in spite of your body's attempts otherwise, must be the excellent care your feline attendants are providing. Hope your ribs don't interfere with your positive lifestyle.
Yes and probably more than one since I have some other structures to go there. I don't know whether the other mill is going in also so it is sitting there while I play around with locations. Originally the mills were to go in with the brewery but now I have a reason to have some online traffic of boxcars between the mill and the brewery. One of the small stations also go in there and at this time maybe a hotel with grocery and beanery.
Thanks and the crew is taking turns keeping an eye on me. I currently have one on the top shelf of the train room/workshop/home office closet where she can keep an eye on me. And Toby just finished up a lively therapy session consisting of catch and retrieve to keep up my flexibility.
The banged up ribs have eased up some so that I can spend some time leaning over the layout. Finally installed the Eagle trees in the meadow permanently. I also ripped up one of the birch trees and moved it from the creek bed up in front of the meadow above the falls. Along the stream near the mill and beside the mill pond I installed about for Willows and a number of other small trees. The small rise in back of the water powered mill is now covered with a thick cluster of Evergreens. And a lot of vegetation was installed in the rock ledges and crevices with more to go. And started to lay some track down on the flat by the mill. Overall shot of changes. And a closer photo of where the major additions have occurred. Two Willow trees were split giving me four to place along the stream and pond. Station will most likely end up close to the spot it is in. At this point I have lost count of just how many trees I have installed but there are more to go yet.
Been busy with a number of things and finally got back at the layout this AM. Started working on my Feral Hogs and the first thing was to try and turn them into a dark brown color from that domestic pink color. Shown on the mat is a Boar and Sow. Next is to try and give them a hairy appearance. Hopefully this weekend I will install the critters who are the namesake for the junction. And while the paint on the hogs is drying I am working on the small yard at the junction. Have two tracks now in to serve the mill and the 2nd structure. The mill processes grains for the brewery and the right hand structure cleans and processes Hops for the brewery that are grown locally. And the mainline track work progresses slowly toward the rusty spike ceremony.
FWIW it's right around 100 trees here. As always, if one hasn't done layout/diorama building before, one always needs a lot more trees than expected. At least, I don't think a 6-pack of trees looks right even for a micro layout. So budget money and/or building time accordingly. Keep rolling, John! It now fully looks like the fun operating layout as planned.
Did a tree count and have right at 145 installed as of this AM. Installed the small station complex with the station, station crew housing behind the depot and a coal, oil and other supplies shed in front and dug around for one of my smaller water tanks to install. Third siding installed for something to be determined later. Still up in the air where the hotel, grocery, and beanery is going which is all one structure.
The only thing I did today was work on my Feral Hogs. Real I to I fella sitting in the mud. My version of him. And two of them fuzzied up and one before it got a coat of hair.
