Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Scottl]

A great weekend, with a NMRA meeting in town (my first ever) and a few hours here and there this week advancing the scenery in the Thompson River.  I experimented with spray foam as an adhesive for the rock castings and it works nicely.  After it cures, it is easy to trim and I will cover it all with some kind of spackle or the like.

I've resigned myself to leaving the ends of the staging exposed from above.  It is not very conspicuous even from my operators position, and I am sure it will be handy to be able to get in there.  The removable scenic cover is not fitted yet but is solid and light, so moving it won't be very difficult.

A few shots for posterity.

[nuno81291]

really starting to come together... being unfamiliar with the river/bridge in question I must say any compression or fiddling you did to the prototype to fit your space looks very natural and should be a scene rivaling your bridge. epic rail fan layout! 

[Chris333]

I hope you tested the yard! 

Hey those snow sheds would be perfect for laser cutting and pretty cheap too. Maybe some 1/8" thick basswood and spray with texture paint. Just draw one color line to cut and a different color to etch (don't even think you need etch lines). I have used Mount Blue Models and Monroe Models is the past, I'm sure there are others.

[GaryHinshaw]

Coming together nicely (and quickly)!  I'd love to see a close-up of your tunnel liner. 

[Scottl]

Thanks, most of the scene is close to scale, even the river will be.  The vertical dimensions will be pretty accurate so it is basically uncompressed.  Of course, the backdrop is still too short 

I hope you tested the yard! 

Hey those snow sheds would be perfect for laser cutting and pretty cheap too. Maybe some 1/8" thick basswood and spray with texture paint. Just draw one color line to cut and a different color to etch (don't even think you need etch lines). I have used Mount Blue Models and Monroe Models is the past, I'm sure there are others.

I definitely tested the yard a lot.  It was all running well, but I still have access if something happens.  The turnouts are just over the hill and exposed and the mountain of spray foam comes off in a flash.

I'm pretty interested in the idea of laser cutting the sheds.  My experiments with casting plaster have been OK for tunnel portals, but anything more complicated has not worked very well.  How expensive is laser cutting, say compared to metal etching?  I've also been contemplating cutting up 1/8" hardboard for the key components.  With some surface texture, it is almost to scale for the 2'-wide side pillars.

Coming together nicely (and quickly)!  I'd love to see a close-up of your tunnel liner. 

In the lull between classes and fieldwork, the sweet spot for the train room. 

Not the greatest focus, but here is one of the tunnel liners.  They are all similar- foam board walls and a 0.010" styrene arch.  They are not meant to be detailed but just to fool the occasional eye that manages to look past the portal or the rock shed in front.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Coming along very nicely Scott. Rod.

[Chris333]

I would guess around $25-40 to cut those 3 sheds. It is all based on laser time and those look simple. If you had like scribed wood siding that would be a lot of back and forth with the laser. I had 4 cabooses cut once for $8.00. It is a much simpler drawing than etch work, just lines. Leave a gap the width of the thickness being cut for tabs.

http://www.monroemodels.us/proto.htm
http://mountbluemodelco.com/index.htm

[Scottl]

Thanks Rod, I'm hoping it will be as great as your version.

Thanks Chris for the details, I can see that drawing these up for cutting would be quick work.  A few parts are tricky, but I might give it a try.

[Trainmaster247]

Interesting moutnain technique, i have actually never seen anything like that with the spray foam

[Scottl]

It is quite easy to work with, but the can needs to all be used at once or it will clog up.

 I used it because I had 7/8 of a can after sealing a gas pipe entry to my foundation, but I like it a lot for both an adhesive for castings and other material and for spraying out to get a nice irregular surface.  Some people are worried about smooth surfaces and go to the trouble of sanding and rasping foam, but I am the opposite.  I want lots of irregularity and muted roughness, which is much more realistic.  When cured, it cuts cleanly and easily with a knife.

[C855B]

I've also seen some guys use the spray foam as a strong adhesive for pink foam. It's really sticky, but that's a waste since, like Scott said, once you start using a can you have to empty it, or throw it away. There are other adhesives that work as well.

Somebody here - @rodsup9000 ? - is using the "pro" foam kit, which has a stainless steel nozzle that can be cleaned out, so you can use the foam only as needed. I need to look at the kit again, but my assessment last time I checked at the local D-I-Y store was the cost of the kit + foam cartridges exceeded the cost of the individual cans and throwing most of it away.

[Scottl]

I was checking out the pro kit as well, out of interest.  It is probably not worth it, unless you have, say, a layout the size of a commercial building... 

The foam is not for everyone.  You need to wear gloves and really need to watch it as it keeps coming even after the nozzle is released.  Ventilation is a must too.  It cures tack free in about 20 minutes and you can accelerate the cure of thick layers by spraying water on the first layer first.  It requires water to cure, which is a bit unusual with many synthetic materials.

[Missaberoad]

It is quite easy to work with, but the can needs to all be used at once or it will clog up.

A Bamboo BBQ skewer (got mine from Dollarama) stuck all the way down the hose and tight into the nozzle will extend the life of a
partially used can. Not a forever solution and must be applied tightly (the curing foam can eject it from the tube otherwise) but can buy at least a few weeks from a can. 

[Scottl]

I'll have to remember that trick, thanks!

[C855B]

You mean to say that bamboo skewers have another use besides uncoupling? Heavens!