Author Topic: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!  (Read 10040 times)

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GaryHinshaw

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #30 on: May 19, 2014, 09:01:54 PM »
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That is looking pretty dramatic.  It will be nice to see the finishing touches on this one.  Nothing like a deadline to spur progress!

arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #31 on: May 24, 2014, 12:29:45 PM »
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thank goodness for another beautiful weekend in coastal Alabama...heading into the last few laps on this one....

a quick airbrush coloring of the slope and vertical rock face over a cup of coffee...then some posing and final positioning of the 'mechanicals'...













and then...
quickly before we run out to do a few errands, the part that has the most effect apart from the ballast; the talus field....this is AZ Rock and Mineral Apache stone and Cajon Sandstone Rip Rap...
Alcohol to wet, and scenic cement to fix...






after a cookout of charbroiled oysters and lime-chili charbroiled Royal Reds....I'll tackle the ballast!
~Bruce
"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #32 on: May 24, 2014, 04:13:20 PM »
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Day half done and progress is going much quicker than expected....
talus slope is dry-my nature is to 'fiddle' with it a bit, but, truly, it looks better than I had all right to expect....












Sooooooo......
ballasting has proceeded....this is also going much quicker than expected (I guess it's like the 'bicycle' theory....you 'remember'...)
I use the "Kim Saign" method of ballasting....has NEVER failed to give me the best results....
the cork is trimmed to the width of the ties, or, just lay track on one HALF of the split roadbed...use a gravy seperator to apply the ballast-a few minutes and you get 'the hang of it' real quick...pretty soon, you're not even having to go back with a flat brush to 'manicure' the slope...because you're using only half the cork-the ballast forms its own slope...you end up using a tiny fraction more ballast than if using on a beveled piec of cork, but you don't have the 'Arrggghh' experience of ballast 'rolling down' the inclined bevel...also, especially if you're modelling transition period and/or secondary lines...the ballast is more prototypical than the width when using the whole 'split cork' thing...(I tend to believe that the whole split cork thing was meant to be able to model a roadbed by just painting the cork a 'ballast' color and laying track to it...)









now, for the double track main....I debated using basalt or the more 'modern' mauve....since I won't 'own' this module, and transition AND modern equipment will see time on it, Mauve it is...
Thanks for looking,
~Bruce
"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #33 on: May 24, 2014, 10:21:43 PM »
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done for the day...perhaps the weekend...progress went much more quickly and smoother that anticipated...perhaps old 'habits' die hard....
added some more scenic 'thingys' before alcohol misting and scenic cement misting...I'm really going to be hard pressed to find something that needs 'fiddling' now...(generally , when I 'fiddle' i end up making things 'less-than-desired')
going to check this in the morning, and see if any ballast needs re-visiting, but, apart from painting the skyboard with scenic landforms, and drilling the legs for t-nuts and adjustable bolts, and painting the fascia....I may end up calling this module 'done'....


















Thanks for looking,
~Bruce
"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


x600

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #34 on: May 25, 2014, 02:38:33 AM »
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Absolutely one of the best looking modules I have seen in a long time.
Nice work. I was a little skeptical about the butte in the beginning as I feel that is a hard scene to pull off, but you nailed it, Bruce.
I'm looking forward to seeing it in a layout with trains running through it.

Greg O.

arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #35 on: May 25, 2014, 01:22:18 PM »
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when everything is 'dry' to my satisfaction (first time working in the open air in coastal Alabama on things N scale related-the humidity tends to make drying times significantly longer), I'll airbrush some weathering on the roadbed and between the ties....I also like to add a hint of rust on the roadbed as well as the 'grease' strip in the center of the rails-I like the suggestion of sand on the siding rails-I haven't done that yet...I believe I'll try that here...
The very last thing will to be a 'dusting' of the predominant soil/rock color over the entire module to 'blend' the scene and give it some continuity....

I posed some ATSF warbonnets on the module real quickly to show a sense of scale....









"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


SSW7771

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #36 on: May 25, 2014, 04:16:19 PM »
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Very impressive scenery. I have enjoyed following your progress. To bad I cannot make it to Austin to see it in person.

Marshall
Marshall

arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2014, 04:35:57 PM »
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thanks...
it's been a fun ride...just some tiny things to do before we transport it to Round Rock...
it's interesting to see the 'finished' item compared to the original concept drawing...and the area that inspired the module...
the area is called 'Mesita'....I've seen it a dozen times on trips railfanning the ATSF in New Mexico...it lies just to the north of I-40...west of the junction of Hwy 6 and 40...right before I-40 approaches the Laguna Indian reservation.
the tracks run east-west, in the shadow of the mesa, before veering north/northwest to cross an arroyo on a double track truss bridge, possibly the only truss bridge on the Gallup sub...turning west to pass the old corral at Quirk...

















thanks for looking,
~Bruce
"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #38 on: May 25, 2014, 06:31:58 PM »
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last installment for the weekend...fascia painted, telephone booth painted and installed, switch motors from NZT glued down...the nice little manual switch stands from Osborn models are posed here but won't be permanently installed (I can see them being 'taken out' by a ham-fisted track cleaning crew...)
over the week, a little track weathering, backdrop scenery added (photos, more than likely), a little rock face weathering, and bus wire terminal blocks added...
Thanks for looking,
~Bruce













"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


3DTrains

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #39 on: May 26, 2014, 01:51:45 PM »
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Amazing amount of detail in only 6' - well done, Bruce!

Cheers!
Marc - Riverside

glakedylan

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #40 on: May 26, 2014, 04:16:43 PM »
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superb work done here
you have really created the 1:1 in this module
thanks for sharing

sincerely
Gary
PRRT&HS #9304 | PHILLY CHAPTER #2384

Scottl

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #41 on: May 26, 2014, 04:19:28 PM »
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Superb work Bruce.  I especially like your rock work.  I think you will get a lot of attention at the show next month, especially with some Warbonnet trains on there!

arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #42 on: May 30, 2014, 09:39:15 AM »
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Last evening, over a glass of red wine (after a VERY long day at work), I took a stab at scratchbuilding an ATSF blind siding sign for the "ARBONADO" module (THANK YOU!...those who posted the sign online here!)
have a Sunrise version on the way, but, sure would be nice to use that one to cast multiples for everyone!...
for this one, I just used the schematic posted by Otto (Thanks!) and bits of Evergreen styrene to represent the supports...I did laminate the cardstock printed sign onto .05 styrene for strength...I SHOULD have used a black marker to 'blacken' the edges...but...oh well...this will be good enough for the module..
I still want to add some tinted washes..black and driftwood...Thanks for looking,
Bruce

PS-forgive the cellphone photos...)







"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/


robert3985

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #43 on: May 30, 2014, 01:29:04 PM »
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Very cool indeed.   :D

arbomambo

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Re: new 6 ft NTrak module for the Lone Star Region set up in June!
« Reply #44 on: May 31, 2014, 03:03:20 PM »
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Well Gang,
last installment on this one until the setup at the regional convention on Wednesday....
It's been a pretty fun 'ride'...if I had  had two more weekends, I would have done just a little bit more....no time to weather the track to my satisfaction (that will have to be done by the club if they so choose)

The weather here is a little 'iffy' today, but I was able to finish it up...legs now have the adjustable T-bolts mounted, wiring harness is complete and color-coded to the hilt!...and I was able to give the vertical rock surfaces a nice black wash, and consequent drybrush....really adds depth to an otherwise monochromatic, flat surface, and blends the color of the vertical outcroppings...
 (the only thing that I'm not completely satisfied with is the vertical rock face-entirely too 'two dimensional'...even with the constraints of the trackplan, I could have given it more depth and varied the height along its face-it would have been quite easy to do this, and I'll definitely incorporate it into the Kingman Canyon layout and any other mesas and buttes I'll build)

Thanks for looking,
~Bruce















"STILL Thrilled to be in N scale!"

Bruce M. Arbo
CATT- Coastal Alabama T-TRAK
https://nationalt-traklayout.com/