Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Scottl]

Steady progress on the rock work in the canyon.  I took advantage of the arrival of spring to take the removable scenic cover for the yard outside to get a coat of Sculptamold.  It is great stuff- I am finding many uses for it and it has replaced pretty much everything else for scenery adhesives.   

[Scottl]

Work is slowing now but I figured I would post an update.  The rock work is mostly done and I'm now finishing the last of the Sculptamold.  I plan to extend the ends of the removable cover but I'm still trying to decide what will look best. 



I couldn't resist putting out my modest fleet of BLMA tankers to pose on the bridge.  They will look great as a unit train- I may try to get a few more to make sure the train is as long as possible.  These cars are really superb.

[Philip H]

@Scottl wins the internet.

[basementcalling]

Scott, only on problem. Your bridge scene is so good it makes those cars look fake.   

[Kevin C]

Scott. You mention that work is slowing down but the progress is excellent. I am looking forward to when you start working on the rock / snow sheds so I can see how you tackle that part of the detail.

[Scottl]

Thanks everyone.  I had a burst of effort that advanced the new section, but I'm now facing leaving for a month of fieldwork so no more time in the basement.  Kevin, the rock sheds are underdevelopment.  I've looked at everything from laser cutting to casting in cement.  I'll probably use a combination of both in the end.  I was fortunate to come across a set of plans for these a month ago so getting the details correct is much easier now.

[nuno81291]

The new land form looks great...excited to see this progress. A real rail fanning layout if there was ever one!

[Scottl]

Thanks, it is slowly coming along.  I extended the removable section and applied more Sculptamold during the week.  Today I made my first attempt to blend the removable section with the fixed scenery.  I have laid the Sculptamold with plastic wrap to keep the separation while it dries.  I made the boundary between the two sections quite irregular to avoid a visible seam.



An overall view.  The backdrop is never enough, but it turns out this backdrop is suitable for the east bank of the bridge scene- a nice bonus!

[Scottl]

A quick post mortem of trying to blend the edge between the removable cover and the fixed scenery.  Sculptamold is a wonderful material and was perfect for the task.  I tried make the boundary irregular so it would be less obvious. 

Tonight, after about 48 hours of curing, I was able to move it and remove the plastic wrap.  Overall I am pleased and with a little soil and ground cover, I think this gap will be largely invisible.

[nuno81291]

What seam?  I agree basic ground cover will cover that up easily. Why didn't I think of this several layout attempts this would have been a great solution! Shaping up very nicely 

[Scottl]

I have to give credit where due, @mark dance gave me the idea from his layout.  It will definitely be less visible when everything is not stark white.

[Scottl]

One last week to work on this before I pack things up for a month or so of fieldwork.  I'm getting close now and starting to think carefully about the backdrop painting and some other details.  Thankfully, this scene won't require nearly as many trees as Cisco. 






I'm happy with how the Skoonka scene is shaping up and I'm starting to work on other items.  One of the distinctive features of the Thompson and Fraser Canyons are exposures of glacial and glacial river sediments that have been exposed by erosion and grading of the rail bed.  I wanted to do a bluff to represent this and came up with this based on some photos I had.  The coarser gravels often hold up near-vertical sections while the softer fines will move downslope and often rill and gully.  This is my first crack at this, using sediments from my collection and it still needs many details.  It is not fully dry yet so the dark areas will lighten up a bit.

[Scottl]

It has been a while since an update.  I have been away most of the past few months but have managed to keep this project moving along.  I have finished most of the landscaping and completed a first cut at the backdrop this morning.  Next I'll put down a layer of paint and some ground cover on that stark white. 

Even with an extra foot of vertical to the backdrop, it is never enough.   I am happy with some of the views and it will all look better when I widen the river and finish things.

[Scottl]

Lots of progress this weekend.  A coat of paint and basic landscaping as I cast tunnel portals and get ready to make the rock sheds.

I'm not 100% happy with how the seams between the removable sections turned out.  The gap was initially flush and nearly invisible, but now there is a noticeable gap which seems to be due to shrinkage of the Sculptamold.  It is going to be tricky to effectively hide it.

[GaryHinshaw]

Great progress!  (wish I could report the same...)

The seam is indeed a bit surprising.  Is there a way you could rejigger the landform a bit to make it coincide more with the edge of the erosion?  As I stare at a shot like this, it seems to me that you could get away with bringing some of the rock face up a bit higher, and then just make judicious use of soil, sage brush, and pine trees.