Hog Waller Junction

Several step process. The hogs came in basic pink for the most part so I chose a brown water based paint that came the closest to the actual color. Once adequately dry I coated most of the body area with Woodland Scenics Hobby Tac which takes about 15 to 20 minutes to set up. Again using some Woodland Scenics fine earth I applied a light coat and rubbed off a lot of the excess. That light coat gave the shaggy hairy look, plus increased the size a bit, and Feral Hogs tend to get a little larger than domestics for whatever reason. The ones that are a bit too shaggy I will just rub them a little bit between the fingers and squeeze them a bit which will get the hair to lay flatter. I have just enough to place some at the high meadow spring and have another group walking along the edge of the tracks toward the spring. Plans are to have the Sasquatch or the Windago hiding in the edge of the trees waiting to pick off one of the younger stragglers for dinner.

Takes a little more time, but I am in no hurry, to develop these small mini scenes as I go along, and a welcome diversion from some of the more tedious work.

Other than possibly work on some of the terrain scenery around the recently installed sidings my next object is to come up with a small engine service area before I go much further. Then I plan to go back to the stream and mill pond again since the falls areas are almost completely dry.

Costs so far for this small layout is at $780.

 

John, your patience and attention to detail is remarkable. Also, and to my nerdy surprise, your costs to date are almost equal to my first business trip on Amtrak's Crescent between Slidell, LA and DC in 1990. Our chief bean-counter was in orbit about my taking "THE TRAIN" until I pointed out that the trip cost less than half than if I had flown and rented hotel rooms.

Your creation gives the appearance of an effort far more costly than your accounting...well done, sir. I've been watching your progress with envy, though absorbing ideas. No, I am not plagiarizing...OK, maybe just a little.

 

One thing to take into account with this endeavor is that part of the materials I have had in hand for sometime especially the scenic materials. The only thing I have bought has been some trees and the other materials for the scenery to some degree and some turnouts plus flex track. If I factor in the cost in todays dollars for the structures and some of the other items I have on hand the cost will probably run about an even $1000 to do this small layout.

 

I decided to set down this evening and start the small very basic engine service facility. And the key word here again is small. I had a surplus laser cut barn kit and thought about using that for the structure if the roof was tall enough to allow a door high enough to get at least part of a Shay inside. With a built up foundation it will work out for a facility to do minor repairs and service. Another case of my repurposing a structure to another use.

 

The hawgs are excellent, John! A very nice effect. Now maybe a mointain lion in a tree across from squatch.....who is going to win?
hboy:

 

Almost finished the small car repair barn that was repurposed from a regular barn. Maybe tomorrow I will get to the window glazing and the tarpaper roofing. I added a stone foundation which gave it the height it needed to pull the Shay in and the double windows on each side plus a side door. Repair barn is for light running repairs only.

 

Added some more leads in the small yard mainly for loco service. Finished the small engine service shed and it is temporarily mounted on the layout. And sand and oil service is in front while the next track is for a gondola of sand and a tank car. The red tank car seen is going to be dismounted and set up on blocks for the fuel oil storage. Also sanded down a water column to mount between the tracks to the left of the station. And that is the south end of a Shay sticking out of the service shed.


And just when I thought the meadow was safe and the problems solved I heard a rustle behind me while I was at the puter. And there was Halfbit a youngster with disabilities we are nursing back to health. Just small enough to squeeze in a displace a few trees. Arrgh.


Having rudely interrupted Halfbit's nap and banishing her from the room I straightened some trees and installed the Sasquatch. He is watching the procession of the Feral Hog family up the small rivulet heading to the spring and think about young suckling pig for dinner.


The Sasquatch is a scale 12 feet tall made by combining a large standing N scale Bear and a HO scale figure.

Warning the next shot will cause eye strain. There are five Feral Hogs around or in the spring pond.

 

When I hollered at her I got the Feline equivalent of the flying fickle finger of fate and no movement. And grabbing her would have only resulted in those sharp paw extensions grabbing hold of everything. Finally nudged her out of there with my small vacuum. Then I went downstairs to fight with the Raccoon raiding my garden out back.

 

Let's get this straight right now.

Repeat after me..."I, John Moore, do humbly acknowledge that Her Highness, HALFBIT, is the Absolute Queen of the Hill".

IS THIS UNDERSTOOD?

 

Until I get another snag or two installed up there. I want that meadow to be at least partially open for the sheep herd. I am trying to avoid putting a vacation lodge or chalet up there. That is for the next module in hopefully another year or so.

 

I like Sasquatch. I have C-3PO, R2-D2, and Obi-Wan in various places on my layout. This is the third one they have inhabited since my son was little in the nineties and I put them on the layout for him. We also had a mini NASCAR track on one layout when he was into that.

I also like how the little area there where the mills and servicing facility is taking shape.

Doug

 

I have had a number of HO scale figures to use as statues in the park somewhere so I tapped into one for the head of Sasquatch and a large N scale Bear became the body. Not wasting any parts I also made a Windago which has the HO scale figures body and the Bear's head.

I have changed up some on the original master plan.


Down in the left lower corner was supposed to be the Moly Mine and the brewery and both mills which would also be the termination for the upper level of the point to point. This module will be where the upper left area marked as a sheep camp and part of the quarry is. The quarry gets relocated to the lower left. So from the right this will eventually transition into the log camp and the ranch area. The area to the left of the current layout will have a section of some trees and meadow with grazing areas and maybe a Hops field. The brewery and the quarry will then be at the end of the line on the left of the current layout. The lower track area will remain running back to the port area and the sawmill.

So I may yet take the upper meadow on this section and place my chalet and hotels there and have a better area for my sheep camp. But part of this is for the future, except for the meadow, and won't be happening anytime soon. And when this does start to be incorporated into the larger layout that incline will go and be replaced with a road, and the present tunnels and hidden trackage will go. Maybe part will stay as a hidden staging.

 

John here is a photo of my Bella

 

Started yesterday adding the ground cover and mounting bldgs. in the engine service area and at the station area. Since it takes a month of Sundays for the stuff to dry with the humidity levels where they are I used the time to work on a fuel storage for the engine service area. Again saving some money and keeping things small, plus keeping the flavor of a backwoods little short line, I am using a MP tank car. Detrucked the tank car and broke out some wood rail ties from my supplies box. Stained the ties with India Ink prior to gluing. Simply used some Special Oxide Red paint to cover the lettering on the car.


Created some cribbing to raise the car to what I deemed an acceptable height. The little sand house was from a kit and I added the oil column.


Poor picture this AM but it shows the end result. Just need to add a pipe on the bottom and maybe a manifold and ready to go on the layout.


And Deekus the Cat has decided the fate of the upper meadow. The plans to have sheep grazing in the meadow is scrapped and the area becomes a resort, catering to hunters, fishermen, and hikers, and a bunch of wacky folks in pursuit of the elusive Sasquatch rumored to inhabit these woods.


For her size, about four times that of Halfbit, she did not bend a tree but planted her butt right in the middle of the meadow.

 

"If I fits, I sits" is everycat's motto. It's surprising nobody has tried out a tunnel yet. I can see the meadow being a good one for watching the watchers and watching you. So I fear any future meadow might be also end up being a hangout for scale 1:1 cats.

Could the meadow become uninteresting to felines if the sheep and shepherds were glued in (not just put down for easy sheepnapping)? You could always use this as a temporary installation while you work elsewhere: http://thezone.info/post/36573106816/wallace-harrison-and-j-andre-fouilhoux-trylon .

 

Cats love to squeeze themselves into compact spaces. Probably the old safety and security trait. Can't get at them except from the front and then you are facing teeth and claws. But Deekus and Halfbit have caused me to re-examine and rethink the high meadow. The future final layout, which this will be part of, will have its own space where I can shut it off from critters and rambunctious grandkids when not in attendance. Exposed in the location that this module is currently I could not guarantee that the sheep would stay glued down when I turned my back on some of the younger felines and the herder's wagon would not end up downstairs as a play toy. The more I rethink this portion the more I am leaning to locating my log and Alpine type structures up there as a resort. Perhaps a small corral and barn for riding horses. I will remove a tree or two to bring in a road which will come from the future connecting section at a later point in time and a couple of more trees at the very back of the layout to install the other small station.

The backdrop that eventually goes behind this is heavy forested mountains with some snow capped peaks in the very back that are on the Washington State mainland. And the front of the layout is bordering the San Juan Straights. So I think that is the direction I will end up heading with this as a small resort community with some light industry that is rail served.