Weekend Update 12/11/16

[Cajonpassfan]

Just hang in there Dave, this too shall pass.
I know easy to say for me...
Best, Otto

[davidgray1974]

Hello All.  Been a long time since I last posted but finally got the bug again to start work on the layout. Last weekend I laid the remaining rock down for the river bed, and this weekend I was able to get it all painted using Liquitex Artist Acrylics.  I started with a 50/50 mix of Paynes Gray and Neutral Gray 5 to get a nice dark gray base coat.  I used a mix of Chromium Oxide Green, Burnt Umber and Raw Umber to give a look of depth in the center of the river.  I then worked my way to the outer edge using straight Chromium Oxide Green as well as a blend of Chromium Oxide Green and Titanium White for the shallow areas.

I went back over the rock in the shallower areas with Neutral Gray 5 to help them stand out and dry brushed CSX Tan for highlights.

I plan to use Magic Water mixed with possibly an olive green.  I'm hoping this combination will give me a similar look to most pictures I've seen of rivers in the Appalachian region I'm modeling.  Below are a few pictures of my progress this weekend.  Please let me know what you think and any suggestions you guys have.  As always, thanks for looking!!!

David

[Dave V]

Glad to see you back, @davidgray1974!  I hope you can share even more of your work!

I don't really have any comments on the river bed without seeing a photograph of what you're trying to achieve.  It looks like it might be too green, but again, you might have a prototype in mind I'm not aware of.

Two things that always grab me (in a good way) about your work are your amazing rockwork and how you make that Unitrack look so much better!

[Chris333]

I would maybe add some muddy brown to the base and then just clear resin. But what do I know  took me many tries to get me a river color I was happy with.

[Philip H]

@davidgray1974

Welcome back! The river. Ed prep looks right for Appalachian water courses. But I agree with the others the. Awe is too green. An olive tint to the Magic water will help, but in the summer the streams and rivers are often a clear brown from tanic acid.

[delamaize]

Today, We (Mt Rainier N scalers) set up our layout for the Washington State History Museum's annual Train Show in Tacoma, Wa.

What started as this:


Ends up like this:



Washington State Folk, Come see us, and many other layouts From Dec 17 - Jan 1

[VonRyan]

Christmas will be coming early in the form of a GHB International Brill 250hp Gas-Electric, which was the source of passenger services on the PRSL's Penns Grove Branch in the 1940s.

Only question is, are there any PRSL decals available in N?
Searching various forms of "PRSL" on Microscale returned nothing. Google ain't no help either.

[nkalanaga]

Dave:  The brain uses a surprisingly large percentage of your total energy.  Working in your shop may not be physically demanding, but you're using your brain constantly.  It's not surprising that you're fatigued, as it probably can't get enough "fuel" to repair and work hard at the same time.

"Running trains", on the other hand, doesn't require much thinking, as long as all you're doing is running, and not thought-intensive "operating".  Watching the trains run is probably as relaxing as anything you can do, and should allow your brain to concentrate on healing. 

[peteski]

"Running trains", on the other hand, doesn't require much thinking, as long as all you're doing is running, and not thought-intensive "operating".  Watching the trains run is probably as relaxing as anything you can do, and should allow your brain to concentrate on healing.

Good advice from Dr. Nick! 

[Snark45]

Re: PRSL n-scale decals

I have a sheet of n-scale PRSL RDC decals produced by Mt Vernon Shops. Their website shows HO decals for cabin and passenger cars as well. John Frantz is a very accomodating guy and may be willing to produce some in n-scale for you...

https://www.mountvernonshops.com/


Best Regards,  Harry

[jmlaboda - RIP]

VanRyan, Clover House produces several PRSL dry transfer lettering in N.  They can be applied to either a decal sheet or rubbed on directly on the models themselves (which requires a clear coat to seal the lettering).  The link below should take you to the search results for PRSL...

http://cloverhouse.com/Store/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Pennsylvania+Reading+seashore+

[powersteamguy1790]

I had grand plans this weekend to accomplish much on both of my N scale layouts but in reality ended up doing little more than running a few trains.  I did lightly weather a refrigerator car and paint some structure parts, but that's it.  Recovery from my 22 November brain surgery is a winding road that sometimes doubles back on itself...  I'm amazed at how overwhelming the fatigue from this is.  You'd think quietly working in my workshop wouldn't require a lot of energy...but apparently it does!  I'm also still fighting the nausea at times, plus withdrawal from all the medications they had me on before the surgery.  Nevertheless it's still therapeutic to have my "fortress of trains" to retire to when I'm feeling well enough.

Recovering takes time Dave. Just be very patient with it. You'll have ups and downs, but things will look much better as times passes.

Bob

[wcfn100]

Dave's probably mostly bummed 'cause he wants to go skiing.

Jason

[Dave V]

Dave's probably mostly bummed 'cause he wants to go skiing.

Jason

QFT.  My wife took the kids to Monarch on Saturday.  Although to be honest I was feeling crappy enough on Saturday I almost wasn't jealous.

[Rich_S]

Oh, and if  looks closely, he can see that I hollowed out the bell on the horn but the benefit:labor ratio is minimal.

My eyes are not as good as they use to be and it's very hard to see in the picture, but Trainworx might have modeled the air horn shields on the trucks?

http://www.hadleyadvantage.com/products-and-solutions/products/horns/air-horn-shields/7-75-round-bell-air-horn-shield

If you'd want to model the truck without the horn shield, you need to hollow out the horn to look like the bell of a trumpet. From an old school gear jammer (now retired from trucking), the needle nose Pete log truck looks great, two thumbs up