Jon- I'm just curious here- Is there a prototype for your work train? Or is it freelanced? Boxcab E50
Since the ballast still hasn't arrived in the post, I thought I'd carry on with the scenics at the front of the layout. I decided to do some 'cornflake packet basket weaving' - never thought I'd see those words in the same sentence. I cut up an old cornflake box into strips, some thick and some thin. A Stanley knife and a steel rule worked better than scissors for this job. I then attached the thick strips to the back of the fascia board with superglue and tore off to the approximate length to cross the scenic void. Once the strips were stuck fast, I bent over the strips, cut to length and glued down the other end Now for the thin card strips..... Jon
Although I haven't seen any photos I would imagine they would have turned up in the same train at one time or another. The excavator is a Rio Grande Models kit and the Piledriver a Paige kit. I turned both up as unmade kits at a swapmeet, and made them just after Easter. Neither fit under the bridges on either Sweethome layout, although somewhere in the future is a small turn-of-the-(20th)century layout forming in the modelling ether. Jon
Once the glue was dry, I started interweaving the thin strips over-and-under the thicker strips already in place. I worked from the bottom to the top and tamped each strip down as I went. The ends of the strips were glued in place after cutting to length. I find it much easier to use thin strips for the weaving part of the process. I also mounted a concrete drain on a wood base and worked the weaving around it. The woven card provides a reasonably sturdy base for the next part in the process - the plaster bandage Here are a test shot without the junk in the background. Jon
Jon, I wondering how a india ink and absolute alcohol mixture would work on the ballast when applied with an airbrush? I have used this mixture several times for weathering roads. I add no water to the india ink, but use straight denatured ethanol from the bottle. With the alcohol being extremely volatile, it should hit the ballast and dry almost immediately. Larry
Jon, That is some OUTSTANDING work you have going on! i love that bridge, and your concrete plant looks beautiful! Keep up the great work, and I look forward to seeing more progress soon!
That's a good idea Larry. I was thinking that the water in a coloured wash would loosen the ballast again. Your suggestion would prevent that. Thanks Jon
Having got the card strips down, I was impatient to get some Mod-Roc plaster bandage down, so I continued with the scenics on board 1. First job was was to make some formers for where the 2 baseboards meet (and separate) These were cut from foam-core board (Gator board in the US, I think) and glued in place. Each board has triple thickness formers for strength and lightness. Once dry, I glued down some 1" styrene blocks, cut roughly to size and cut them to profile with a hacksaw blade, finishing them off with a sanding block. The plaster bandage, cut into approximately 1ft strips, was applied wet and the plaster smoothed over before it dried. So far, I have applied three layers of bandage and will give it a couple of days to dry out fully, before checking to see if I need to add any more. If not I'll paint the lot a muddy soil colour on top, and white undercoat underneath to seal the construction and stiffen it further. The second board is now looking a tad bare, so it will get the treatment while the first board dries out. Jon
The work on the second board was completed much quicker, including time out to shout at the TV during the Englang v Germany football match, and I've practically caught up to the work on board 1. Next job is to link the scenery on the two sides of the bridge. Jon
The final partof this weekend's work on the layout involved adding some small stripsof plaster bandage at the base of the bridge abutment to hide the base of the stonework and also gives a first impression of how the finished scenery will appear. Now to give some thought to the scenery on board 3. I am hoping to add a stone-loading platform at the front of the layout to give a reason for parking gondolas there. Jon
I spent last night making a retaining wall for a stone-loading platform that will sit at the front of the layout. Unable to find any photos to model from, I decided to do my own thing and scratchbuilt a couple of walls using wooden coffee(disgusting sludge) stirrers from a well known outlet and some matchsticks. once built I poured in some coarse stone chippings and set them with ilduted woodworking glue, applied with an eye-dropper. You can see how Sweethome Alabama fits into the cellar with Sweethome Chicago in the background. The retaining wall crosses a baseboard joint, so tonight's job is to cut the 2 seperate wall sections to cross the baseboards at the correct angle, paint them, and glue them into position. If the glue dries in time I'll add the platform as well. Jon
Having painted the loading dock wall, I cut it to shape, added some polysterene formers and sanded to the rough shape I wanted for the platform. I then got a bit carried away and also added the basic ground shape for the road leading up to the wooden bridge at the left end of the layout. I still want to cut an access road into the hillside but the basic shape is beginning to appear. Jon
Now that the basic scenery is starting to take shape, I couldnt resist trying out some of my photo backscenes to see what the overall effect might eventually look like. I printed the background scene from the third Railroad Graphics disc(available from LARC Products) Jon
I like how its coming along..........hopefully when i start building my layout, I can use some of ur ideas.
Hi! I am becoming a fan of your awsome work! This is really cool. And simple! Just the way I like layouts! Looking forward to see the next update! Regards.
