Working on my Pair-O-Dice Module

And too little time ) This summer I hope to get back on the boats again and get all the patterns I have started. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Estero_(AG-134) I have a pattern started for an AKL (Mr Roberts fame) both civilian and military versions. Makes a great coastal freighter. But need to get the work bench cleard before starting anything.

Robert, if you want some castings of the tugs, let me know and I'll send you some.

Joe
MTL

 

Joe,

No issues, kinda figured you were knee-deep in alligators with planning the Z convention. All good. Wish I could be there.

John

 

The old Lindberg models may be of some use. I found some on eBay, I believe from Japan.
Another source of small fishing boats-- lobsterboats from Bluejacket. Tiny boats, could make small shrimpers for Z. You could use the hulls and superstructure from the kit, would have to scratch nets and rigging.

I have a much much smaller space for my N scale shrimpboat harbor, 8 inches long by 5 inches front-to-back at its most, stuck against the background. And I am forced to run a track that should actually be hidden across the dock in front of it. I will have to usse some cutouts and painting on the background to give the effect of clutter of boats.


But I just gotta have it, and right at this spot, because this is where it works for the prototype.


This is the shrimpboat harbor in Fulton, Texas, location for the movie "Alamo Bay".


For what it's worth, an unfinished HO corner module representing the Aransas Pass. Texas shrimpboat harbor. A Lindberg "Tuna Seiner" kit, probably close to N scale, was used with scratchbuilt superstructure and rigging to make an HO model of a smaller shrimpboat.
Except for the pier and the bulkhead along the levee, all the other structures are just cardboard mockups for scratchbuilt models of specific prototype structures. One was a bar overlooking entrance to the harbor. Shrimpers' wives could sip a beer and when they saw hubby's boat at the harbor entrance, they could get to the pier before the boat tied up and say they had been waiting.

 

You did it! I was wondering what you're going to do with the bridge. I was betting with other Z-ers, you'll shorten the bridge or open the water, they said it's OK as is. I won, and there is a big lesson to learn for many, who think they know better. True modelers stick to reality. Thanks for maintaining the higher atandards.

 

Come on down!!

Robert, Come on down to Texas and I will show you around Galveston. Take in the wharf and the Railroad Museum practicallt across the street. We can talk over lunch at Willie-G's right there on the water. Of course I just got here to Page, AZ about an hour ago and won't be travelling back home to Texas for anotherr 4 weeks, but that'll give you time to make plans!!

Actually, it has been 1.5 years since I was down on the Strand and at the wharf, heck, the hurricane might have wiped Willie-G's out!!!!

Excellent Seafood!!!!! Making me hungry. Nothing here in Page except Navajo and snow!!!

Hobo Tim

 

Nice progress. Weathered black could be the better choice for the smaller bridge. For water, did you ever try "Envirotex"? Based on my experience, this is the only product that doesn't change the base color. You can even make stormy water with the help of a heat gun and a cheap air brush converted to an air nozzle.

 

Wow Robert! Keep up the great work! Is that module coming to Medford?

 

This thread has made me hungry to do something with my planned shrimpboat harbor. I have intended to get one loop of track around the room, with the turnouts in that line, up and running before spending much time on scenery and structures. But I have an excuse- I want to get the background details painted and/or pasted up before I get much built in front of it, so it makes sense (I say to myself) at least to mock up enough of the shrimpboat harbor to see how the background pictures of shrimpboats will fit in.

I have had an opening for the harbor cut in the blue foam of a layout section for over a year. The opening is a five-sided shape, 8 ½ inches long by 6 inches deep at its widest, set against the back of the layout. I cut a piece of white plastic bathroom “ripple-surface” for the water. It sets an inch below the top of the blue foam main layout surface so it is at the same “sea level” as my causeway bridge and seawall (shown here)


However, that is going to be too low for viewing the shrimpboat harbor. You can barely see it when standing beside the layout which is 4 feet 11 inches high. I think I will use one or two pieces of foamcore board to raise the “water level” half an inch.


I set the mostly unassembled pieces of some of my boat kits in place to test for size and looks.
For people who asked about boats--
The Lindberg “Tuna Seiner” is 5 inches long; In N scale, equivalent of 67 feet. That is not too big compared to some prototype figures I found:

Licensed Texas commercial shrimp boats in the port of
ARANSAS PASS-Rockport-Fulton 1979 per Texas Parks and Wildlife
Under 25 feet 83
25-40 feet 112
40-55 feet 8
55-70 feet 21
over 70 feet 10

However, it is too big for the small harbor scene. I am going to try cutting it down to 4 inches long, and cutting the bottom of the hull to make it lower in the water.

Bluejacket lobster boats 2 ¾ inches. N scale- 37 feet. Right at the median size of Texas shrimpboats.

At left side of harbor--
Kibri boats (from set of 8 sailboats, rowboats,etc. all same hull size) 2 ¼ inches. N scale- 30 feet. Look a little small, though still within the median. Might be used towards back of scene or in some way to suggest forced perspective.

Or could I possibly decide to leave out the big Lindberg tuna seiner and use only the smaller boats and more of them?

I scotch-taped a printout of my Fulton shrimpboat photo (shown earlier in this thread) to the background. I think I will do it for real. The picture just cuts off at the right-hand side. I can paste a cutout of a fishhouse to cover up where it stops.

 

I have pretty much completed the background for the shrimpboat harbor on my N scale island seaport layout. I still have to paint or draw in some rigging and shrimp nets on the boats printed on the background. I thought it would be easier to draw the fine line detail than attempt to cut it from a photography. My intention was to lay off track laying a few days to mock up the shrimpboat scene enough to do the background. I put the unbuilt kits on the layout, and some old small industrial structures and vehicles to mock up the scene.

The entire scene is about 14 inches wide and 7 inches deep. The recessed harbor surface is 8 inches across and 6 inches front to back at its greatest dimension, near the right end.
The photo I made and posted two weeks ago to mock up the scene showed me some modifications I needed.


The water surface was originally one inch below the land lever (1 blue foam thickness). The boats were so far down, I could hardly see them from ma close-to-eye-level view. I put two thicknesses of foamcore board under the water surface to raise it, to approximately one half-inch below the land level. I hope to install improved lighting in my train room- at present I just have one light fixture hanging under the ceiling fan in the middle of the room. With the layout at about 5 feet above the floor, any buildings near the background cast a shadow. Originally, that shadow appeared on the scene that is supposed to be a quarter mile away across the channel. No realistic. I used Photoshop, stock pictures and a “lot of et cetera” to print flat building fronts to glue on the background as if they are part of the shrimp fleet buildings. That way, any shadow cast by 3 buildings near the background falls on the face of whawt is supposed to be a nearby building, a possible occurrence.
NOW, back to the track so I can get a train running.

 

The bridges came alive nicely, the whole scene is showing more and more character. It's a high class continuation of your module building saga. ModuleZ rule.

 

This layout section looks very cool Robert, the bridges are just gorgeous! and the water is very well done! :thumbs_up: & :thumbs_up:

Ben

 

Robert,

Looks fantastic! Great looking bay window caboose! Did you scratch build or kit bash the caboose?

John