Pat, nice choice of engine. I also like your module. Maybe you can take more pictures of it and post it in TB.
Hey Rob, is that a NP Bay window caboose I see in this photo :tb-ooh:. Also bridges look great everyone.
Pray your layout is beautiful can I see more pictures of the whole thing. It's a very similar scenic look to what I want to accomplish. I want the same exact balast colors and grass colors, along with a similar river. Your bridges are perfect, except on the camel back I would have went a little darker, and then perhaps stained it, and rusted it a little more. But to everyone there own. Looks great though, how was it to build that kit? also is it Micro Art? P/S what color and brand of ballast did you use, also what method did you use for your wood tress, and parts? Also how did you sculpt your rocks on your mountain what kind of plaster? ever think about using this?
Hi Rush, thanks for the compliments. I don't really have a layout, due to no space, so I build modules to take to train shows. There are several of us here on Trainboard in the same situation, so we formed the BAZ BoyZ (The San Francisco Bay Area Z Scale Modular Cooperative) and we build Z-Bend Track standard modules. We also have alliances with several other Z-Bend Track clubs, and connect our modules to theirs at shows too. Our regulars are ZoCal (Southern California Z) and SOZME (Southern Oregon Z Scale Model Engineers), and everyone else building ZBT modules is welcome to participate. If you look through my Railimages albums, and my NP layout site, you can find lots of pictures and info on how we do our scenery and build the modules, as well as lots of models. As far as ballast, I use Arizona Rock & Mineral "N Scale Copper Range Green" because it looks the closest to the Northern Pacific ballast used in the Seattle area. I tried all kinds of ballasts out, and took photos of them, which I used to decide which looked best. I used to use Woodland Scenics Fine Light Gray ballast, but it really looks terrible in photos for Z Scale. Pretty much any real crushed rock ballast will looke better than Woodland Scenics ballast. I do use everything else from Woodland Scenics though. I use their rock molds, and hydrocal plaster to make mountian rocks. Their ground foam makes decent grass and weeds. And I like to carve up blue or pink foam into hills, then lay W.S. Plaster Cloth over them to make the terrain. As far as the bridges, they are scratchbuilt, and I am going to make them into kits after the convention. What's different is the bridges are removable for easy track cleaning. If you look over some of my posts here (the Shrimp Boat thread) you can see I have been painting and repainting my bridges different colors and weathering, trying to come up with a color and look that I like, but sometime you just have to keep re-doing things till it ends up how you want it. The wood trestle is also scratchbuilt. I use a laser engraver to cut all the parts. It took 80 hours to assemble, and I tore the top half off once and rebuilt it, because i did not like it. I do that a lot. Rework it again and again until it works for me. This river was easy to make, just look through the Shrim Boat topic to see how. Also search modules under the Z Scale forum, and you will see how other build theres too. Jeff is real good at scenery, and is our module and DCC guru. Look over the BAZ BoyZ videos, and my videos, for more ideas. We are Z Scale addicts!
John, I had pix of all my modules on the Yahoo Z Scale group, but just now noticed that my album has been removed. Here is another shot of the crossover module. Pat
Of course I'm very far from the above works, but I'm happy with my Micronart girder bridges! However, as I used code 55 rails as guardrails I finally came to the conclusion that code 40 would have been better. Maybe I'll change them one of these days.... Dom
Code 55 rail is better Dom, I used code 40 guard rails on a bridge with code55 track, and the code 40 really looks too small and out of place. I had to rework it. You did good with the code55.
Ah, OK. Thanks for the input Robert. I didn't imagine what you're telling us.:tb-wink: In that case I won't change anything, and it's better like this.:thumbs_up: Dom
same kit i got and i completed 2nd one tonight. One is grey base one is black. Both are rusty as hell though :tb-biggrin:, Also Dom what is the height at the up most peek of your abutments? 3 inches? I'm going for similar look and just got my abutments in mail today in stone. They are Scale though, but who cares. Also what did you use for your grades to reach that point of elevation? 2% incline? what brand of raisers? I just ordered 3 starter sets from scenery website that sells all the crazy grasses and rock molds. I also ordered 2 really long 2% incline sets. Each set raises to 4 inches max . Now that I finally have my wonderful track plan I can't wait to get them to start it! Pray in that black long trss pic, what is the substance used for the cutoff from layout to space? I see a lot of people have it. in iether black or your case tan, Almost like the squiggly lines that form the mountain and elevation but dosn't look messy to the public viewing from that angle. Also where can i get the Arizona Rock & Mineral, do you have a direct link? I'm far from balasting but wouldn't mind stocking up a little. Thanks!
That is the Facia Board. My facia's are all black, Loren likes hunter green, and whoever's the long bridge is tan. On the tan one, it looks like they used Masonite or something similar. Many people like to leave their trackwork flat and level so you can run longer trains reliably, then make the scenery go up and down instead, and by adding a facia board cut like that, it forces the perspective of more hills and mountains. Pretty much we all start out building several flat layouts with track risers, and have figure 8's, folded dogbone's, up and overs, and spaghetti trackwork. Later on, we decide we want to run longer trains, and decide to make scenery go up and down, then leave the track as flat as we can get it. Cutting a facia board to match hills and cuts, fakes out the scene to look more realistic for the viewing public. Kind of like what they do at many museum displays. I get my Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast from both my local hobby shop and when I want a big order I get it direct. I read on their website that the guy is planning on retiring, so I would stock up with a lifetime supply before he does. I have read here from Don Avila that there is another company, Smith and Sons, that also sells crushed rock ballast, but I have not seen photo's of their stuff yet, or their website.
Ola amigo!:tb-wink: My abutments: I only used those sold by Micronart matching girder bridges. But I had to shorten them a little bit in order to remain thoroughly on my goal: having a track overpassing another on the girder bridge, but allowing enough clearance for double stack or any other increased gauge equipment (autoracks, HiCube boxcars, etc), such as shown below: My other goal beeing opposite was having grades no more than 3% (it was already a terrible choice as I definitly wanted to stick to the maximum recommended grade of 2%, but considering the above bridge's data and my layout's size it was not possible). Coming back to the abutments, I had to file them a little bit: the computed height was 41 mm starting from level 0 (provided the lower track sits on a 3-millimeter thick subroadbed and on a Z scale IBL cork roadbed). On the picture I showed earlier I put my abutments on a piece of IBL cork roadbed because I filed them too much and I was below my requested 41 mm height. My inclines: 3% from Woodlands Scenics. It's a sort of styrene caterpillar, very easy to use as you only have to twist them following your railroad's path. I'm using Woodlands Scenics #Light Gray Fine B74. Hope this helps, Dom
