The M-K & Eastern RR

[graffen]

Tunnel portal in wood.


Instead of staining the wood, I'll paint it to look like wood. This was due to the strange veins in the wood which did not look good with stains.


I use Vallejo's wood weathering kit. In the pictures I only just primed it with IDF-grey primer.

[graffen]

Painting of my tunnel portal. I used Vallejo's "Old & new wood effects" color kit.

IDF gray.


Painted concrete lightly and then random boards in IDF sand gray.


Some boards painted light brown.


Dry brushed with ivory sand.


More dry brush with IDF sand gray.


Dark gray wash all over.


Airbrushed soot with weathered black.

[davefoxx]

Maybe I'm confused.  If the tunnel is to look like blasted rock with no concrete or wood liner, why do you have a wood portal?

DFF

[graffen]

Maybe I'm confused.  If the tunnel is to look like blasted rock with no concrete or wood liner, why do you have a wood portal?

DFF

Because of loose rocks/soil at the opening...

[graffen]

The portal is installed and the tunnel tracks got cinders.





The hidden staging tracks are finished as well. Only the servos left to install

[CRL]

Because of loose rocks/soil at the opening...

Don’t forget to add the loose rocks and soil your portal was built to hold back. 😁

[graffen]

My solution of current pickup on brass locomotives. 

They pick up one pole on one side of the locomotive and the other in the tender. 
And it's via spring blocks .... It doesn't work well on digital. 
I replaced the gearbox cover with a piece of circuit board laminate. 
There is not enough space on the underside, so I had to sand the laminate 1 mm. 
The holes next to the gear are filled with epoxy for strength. 
The pickups are phosphor bronze which has a small spring coil made by wrapping the wire around a 0.7 mm drill bit. 
The power cables are soldered to the old pickup points. 
Now you have full power pickup on the locomotive, now the tender trucks will receive the same treatment.

[graffen]

Made some more on the town of Holy Cross on my layout.



Made a road tunnel.


The tunnel to the staging.


My rendition of the Silver spur mine.


The church.


I'm slowly getting there.

[graffen]

[Chris333]

wow, coming along nicely!

[narrowminded]

This is fun to watch.

[graffen]

Bought a horse and wagon kit yesterday.


Really nice metal kit.


I've also started on the DCC and sound install on my K-27 #455.


I make ports in the tender for the wiring between loco and tender so they don't get tangled.

[Hawghead]

Bought a horse and wagon kit yesterday.


Really nice metal kit.


I've also started on the DCC and sound install on my K-27 #455.


I make ports in the tender for the wiring between loco and tender so they don't get tangled.

Please document the DCC/sound install as much as possible.  I've got a couple of engines I need to do myself soon.

Thanks,
Scott

[graffen]

You take what you have on hand... 😉😀 
I needed to install DCC and sound in a K-27.
So I found a sound decoder in an old locomotive.

A 21-pin ESU V4.

I took out the circuit board to avoid having to solder new contacts on the decoder.
I manufactured phosphor bronze pickups for the locomotive.

I also replaced the gearbox cover with a piece of circuit board laminate.



The decoder did not fit straight into the tender, so I 3D printed an angled holder.

[graffen]

I just finished a coal bridge for my layout.

As it's a laser cut kit, I decided not to use a wash to color the wood, instead I painted it.


I used Vallejo IDF gray primer.


I then applied an oil based wash from AK.


The crane got weathered by various rust colors and powders.
Then some gloss oil spill.



This will be a nice addition to the engine service facilities.