gravel grade crossing is dry...color satisfactory...have to get those crossbucks up, some static grass, and some barbed wire...a few power poles, some road weathering and dusting...I'm probably going to weather the track and roadbed just to see how far I can take it... ~Bruce
I freehanded them with a cheap external mix single action airbrush from Hobby Lobby...Pollyscale White thinned with Tamiya acrylic thinner...I've been using the $25.00 airbrush a lot lately...when spraying one color, it's a lot easier to use and clean than my regular airbrush... Bruce
This has me thinking. Maybe next time the skies clear some, I should take a few photos of fluffy clouds on blue.
Your backdrops look good, but I have a couple of suggestions; as the clouds get closer to the bottom of the backdrop, make them smaller, because they are supposed to be farther away. Also, lighten the blue color of the sky as you get closer to the bottom of the backdrop, for a similar reason. Having no clouds at all in the bottom inch or so may yield an even better horizon, but the blue at that level should be very pale, almost white. Overall, your modules look excellent and are well executed, great work! Bill in FtL
Bruce, Your modules look great! I recently started the scenery on my corners but i see from your endcap that I forgot to include culverts under the grade crossing. I'll have to add some now. I like the highways too. My club also started a "T-Trak Division" to try and get more interest at shows. We are starting to meet at regional shows in January with the Amherst show in Springfield, MA. All of my modules are Terry's T-Kits and they really are a very simple way to get into the hobby or get more involved with your own module(s). I'll share some photos here when the scenery is a little further along. Thanks for sharing, Dave Ferrari
Bill...I did paint the lower, more distant clouds smaller...I like your suggestion of keeping them 'above' the horizon...for the next series I'll do that... Dave, the T-Kits are fantastic...no way could I-We have gotten our T-Trak group up and running in such a short time; the wiring standard is foolproof as well-because we're 'new', we can ask that all modules be wired with the same standard... just a little more detailing... a few road signs, crossbucks, and power pole...still left to do, some more 'Farm' details (tractor, etc), a barbed wire fence and corral fence, highway guardrails, and static grass... ~Bruce
I've been adding a few more items to the "Mother Road" series of T-Trak modules...these modules a re a good example of what can be done with a relatively 'plain' scene....basically these series of modules feature the double track mains, a parrallel highway, rural farmland, and just a few roadside structures; still it's amazing how many details a scene like this can support. Here the roads have been detailed with the tar-filled 'cracks' (basic weathering is ahead). I aslo raised the tilled fields using coarse Woodlands Scenics 'Earth' foam to simulate the fields (because of this I'm going to have to paint the distant tree 'horizon' about 1/3-1/2 " higher to achieve the effect I want). I've built a few road signs at the desk, using Blair Line products I realize I still need speed limit signs and a couple of 'truck crossing' or 'watch for trucks' signs; in fact, so far I just have a couple of 'No Passing Zone' signs, a speed restriction sign on the crossroad, a route 58 marker <-> sign approaching the highway, and a <-> sign across the T intersection. Simple little additions, but these go a long way to bring realism to a basic scene. A few more signs, a few more details around the service station, ballast for these modules, and fascia painting ahead. Thanks for looking, ~Bruce
Started today with my Midwest modules, with a total length of 4ft. I will scratchbuild all buildings, except for the bridge: that's a beautifull Kato item that I really wanted to use. The grain elevator have I built many years ago for an oNetrak module. The small brick house was my first building for a set of oNetrak modules that I have never built. The original building stands in Texhoma (Oklahoma).
Is the grain elevator also a scratch build? I need to get busy on my modules again. I moved one to my work bench, then was distracted by other projects....
[video=youtube;H0y2Cq_CY7I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0y2Cq_CY7I[/video] Finally performed some tweaks to a No. 4 Kato Switch (thanks to the excellent tutorial by John Sing)... Flaeless performance, which is going to be required on a T-Trak setup at shows! Thanks, Bruce
Almost done with the elevator portion of the complex for the triple module...still have a little more weathering to do, clear flat coat, and 'dust' Bruce
Hello all... recovering from the defibrillator install is allowing some good bench time for modeling... building Blair Lines very nice "Dari King" for one of the T-Trak modules adjoining the elevator 'complex'. I decided to add a floor and wallpaper interior; not sure if I'm going to light this one, but I'll have the interior if I do decide. Still much to do- tables, booths, and kitchen equipment; also need to work on the roof and finish the signage. I really do enjoy building structures and am getting particular enjoyment with the laser cut wood kits by Blair Line, AMB, and Branchline ~Bruce
Those Blair Line kits are really nice. I did the motel. Scared the ^&$($&^^%#% out of me because I wasnt sure how well those small wooden pieces would hold up. Was afraid I would break every little piece. In the end...it came together nicely. Only lost one window to the cosmos !!!!
I found that taking my time, cleaning up and test fitting, laser kits come together very easily. Well worth owning many of them for your layouts.
Here are pics of the 'completed' "Dari King" (still want to add more details to the interior), posed in the rough location on one of the 1' T-Trak modules...I'll add an intersecting road to the left of the building and create a gravel parking lot for the restaurant. Bruce
