Weekend Update 10/7/2012

[davidgray1974]

Slowly progressing with the coal mine area.  Weathered the track, added static grass, bushes and then planted a few trees at the base of the mountain.  Not sure if I will keep the two trees at the front and back of the coal mine , so I have not glued them in yet.  Wasn't sure if they looked right.  What do you guys think?  I still have ways to go until I feel this scene will be complete.  Just don't want to add too much.

Here are a few shots of my progress this week:






Thanks for looking!

David

[Bsklarski]

Now that is how you make Unitrack look good +1

[mmagliaro]

Max,

That meadow just makes the scene. 

I favor a black fascia because it makes the eye focus on the scenery...just pops the scenery at you.

And Bart, your water makes me wish I had modeled at least one creek - but it would probably be dry, and that takes the fun out of it.  Well done!

Thanks!  And it was accidental.  It's a good thing I posted a photo before I covered it with trees.
(and looking at the photos I've seen of your scenery, I'm honored that you even noticed this!  Thank you!)

Yeah, I'm thinking an almost-black gray is where I'm headed.  I also think about the edge being too abrupt, but I know I don't
want any green or brown in it, not much anyway, because I don't want it to blend in with the scenery at all.  I kind of like
the look that black gives because the layout appears to be "floating" in space.  I am also sure it won't be flat.  It has to
be semigloss at least.  People lean and touch, and I want it to be washable.

Agreed on the color swatch idea.  I will get an assortment and see what happens.

[MichaelWinicki]

be semigloss at least.  People lean and touch, and I want it to be washable.

Agreed on the color swatch idea.  I will get an assortment and see what happens.

I settled on semi-gloss and don't have any complaints.

I went with a black curtain for hiding the underneath of the layout. 

I thought it would have been too much black with a black fascia, so you probably want to figure that (what's below the fascia) as part of the equation.

[PGE-N°2]

More weathering experiments while I build up some momentum for the bridge solid modeling project.  I tried my hand at a couple of different techniques and car styles.  I am nearly at the place where I think I can handle batches of cars with one body type efficiently.  And I had to learn to renumber locos, which was easier than I thought it would be. 

It certainly is easy to go over-board with weathering.  I find light weathering to be much more challenging and in some ways satisfying.  Luckily for me many of the FM units looked very shabby in the timeframe I am modeling, especially the Trainmasters and the units in the old "block font" schemes, so I have room for error here.  In the end I think they match the prototype photos pretty well.







thx for looking and have a great weekend (and Thanksgiving for the Canadians on here!)

md

Extremely impressed with the weathering, here! Nothing like some dirty old FMs. The Train Master in particular looks well camouflaged for working around the smelters.

[GaryHinshaw]

I continue to slog through some turnout builds.  This is summit switch, which marks the beginning of double track down the east slope, and also the lead for the cement plant which will loom in the background:



Still a bit of finish work to do before permanently installing them.  It's hard to tell in this foreshortened view, but this pair of #10's takes up 24" along the shelf, so it looks pretty cool.  But given how much time these take (me) and seeing what David is doing with Unitrack, I may have to switch....    (Your scene looks fantastic David!)

-gfh

[eric220]

The PRR executive train hauled by #6111 took a detour into Sonoma today.



The cows barely took notice as they rolled by.



Thanks to MC for letting me pose my toys on his module at the LHS open house!

[Ian MacMillan]

Now that is how you make Unitrack look good +1

I was thinking the same thing! Damn nice work.

[WP_Railfan]

Almost finished with a F-unit build. So I took it down to the club to test the decoder install.

[GimpLizard]

I've been working on adding the water to my rivers. Here are some shots of the final product.



The water was done with many coats of Acrylic Gloss Medium brushed on to the riverbed. It took quite a bit of time, but I am pleased with the results.

Thanks,
Bart

Well done, Bart. Really looks good.

[VirginaCSX]

Richmond, VA:


My first C&O car, ever.


Richmond yard tower.


This weekend was filled with more SCA stuff, so no model railroading done.  However, I took the Amtrak up from NC and am currently waiting for my train in the Colonial Tavern, the former RF&P mail station (from what I am told).  I have a nice view of the main, so it's a good railfanning spot for Fredericksburg.

Iain,

Where in Richmond did you take these pics?

[Iain]

Iain,

Where in Richmond did you take these pics?

The Staple Mills Rd. Amtrak station.  Saturday night, I spent way too much time in that station waiting on the train back to Fayetteville.  It seems that everything running southbound was late by at least an hour, so I sat in the cold at Fredericksburg waiting for the late train to Richmond, then I sat in Richmond for six and a half hours waiting on the train to Fayetteville.  I did get some more shots in Fredericksburg, however.

[unittrain]

I'm working on 2 railroad bridges I just completed field measurments and CAD drawings of a King Bridge 160' warren deck truss built in 1898 and still in use!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

My weekend was consumed with the CRHS Rail-B-Q, and a trip to the Rockhill Trolley Museum.

Here's the only pic that anyone would really care about though.

[BCR 570]

Thanks to MC for letting me pose my toys on his module at the LHS open house!

Very nice rural shack and fence - any idea on how it was done?

Tim