Best Of Modutrak Updates

[Sokramiketes]

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[shark_jj]

Thanks for the info, I am going to give that a try.

[dem34]

Not sure if it would make things too busy. But think it would be cool "storytelling" to have a couple old rails cut to 18' sticks and beat up ties along the track replacement.

[Chris333]

My friends.

[Sokramiketes]

Not sure if it would make things too busy. But think it would be cool "storytelling" to have a couple old rails cut to 18' sticks and beat up ties along the track replacement.

I like where your head is at!

[Sokramiketes]

My friends.

Muh Frens

[Sokramiketes]

I used some lo-temp hot glue to hold the rubber rocks in place per the manufacturer.  Seemed to work well before blending with some sculptamold and starting to color everything. 

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[Chris333]

I use Loctite quick grab, but whatever holds it.

[chessie system fan]

I like how this is coming together.  Are there any updates on the Everett Street Station Section?

[Sokramiketes]

I like how this is coming together.  Are there any updates on the Everett Street Station Section?

This is what I do to stay sane while handlaying turnouts for the depot leads!  Will have some updates there as things progress, but here's how it came together for its first operating show:

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[Sokramiketes]

Let's talk buildings for a second.  The image from Model Railroder shows three houses, a bar (hidden behind the tree, but clearly there in the aerial track plan) and a gas station.

The houses are non-descript boxes, and I don't see too much of a need to overthink what they end up being modeled as.  Walthers has a perfect, non-descript 1920's box of a house:
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So we grab a couple kits and some slave labor and get to work:
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The gas station is more unique.  Here it's worth trying to match the HO layout a bit better.  But what is that building?  Was it scratch built?  Was it a kits?

After some doomscrolling on eBay under HO Gas Stations, I found an obscure kit from Columbia Valley Models.  A match!  Now a search for that kit directly dug up three listings, each with different views of the kit instructions and drawings... so now we know what it looked like!

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Here's where @skytop35 came in and offered a building to contribute to the project!

Hot damn:
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I'll let him describe how he did it. 

[wcfn100]

If you guy ever look to update the pumps, let me know.



Jason

[skytop35]

Mike was looking for someone to scratchbuild the gas station. While I didn't want to go that route, I suggested this Micro Engineering kit.
 


Mike countered with "What about the ME kit as the base, and add some styrene to make the canopy look like the HO kit?"

So basically that's what I did. I built a new canopy and added some triangle shaped pieces of styrene to get the look of the original gas station kit. I also built the sign post shown in one of the photos Mike sent me. A fun little project to help honor the HO layout (and brothers Bob and Matt Kosic from the HO group) that inspired our N scale Modutrak layout.

[chessie system fan]

Everett Station is off to a great start.

1064-sep-27-1963-milwaukee-035_15585527364_o by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr


Every time I see pictures of you guys, it makes me wish I was closer.

[Sokramiketes]

It may seem early in the process for pouring the resin water, but I often have Magic Water creep way up the banks like it doesn't care about gravity.  So I'm doing it now to see how it plays out, and will paint and scenic back the creep if needed.

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Since ballast repairs are ongoing, it was time to get the signals planted too.  They've been boucing around unmounted for 10 years... eek! 

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With the base work out of the way, I couldn't help but to start moving back some of the telephone poles and trees.  Here's where the scenery upgrade is at on half the module.

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