| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jbvb |
Posted - 01/31/2008 : 8:10:46 PM
I'm modeling the Boston & Maine's Eastern Route in HO standard gauge in my 207-year-old house's attic. The attic has its pluses and minuses - plenty of space, just up the stairs and finished, but the combination of the sloping ceiling and a 36" minimum radius meant I could only do an around-the-walls plan. Also, it can get a bit hot in the summer and cold in the winter.
The layout incorporates my Rowley MA modules, presently the only finished scenery, in the rural northern half of the attic. The southeast corner is where I'm building my compressed version of West Lynn, MA including the General Electric River works and the West Lynn creamery.
This photo shows the mainline curve passing the future creamery (spur under the file) and the Saugus Branch (long staging tracks) coming in from the left. I'm spiking rail on the branch, building the switch comes next. The flying plywood is actually pretty rigid with the flange below and the backdrop partially installed, it will get better when I bring the backdrop around to the left edge of the photo.
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/19/2013 : 07:55:41 AM
Thanks, Robert, I've seen plaster/putty/spackle lift when the substrate flexes or expands/contracts, and don't want to lose my investment in carving. The diesel is an EMD BL-2, a bastardized F-3 rushed into production about 1949 to compete with Alco's RS-2. Not many were sold, and few were as long-lived as the GP-7s which replaced them in EMD's catalog.
In pursuit of completeness, the last couple of evenings went to building the H-arm:
To the Rix parts, I added a cable termination box (.125 square styrene tube with .060 channel for the wire hoods) and a work platform (Plastruct 3/64 angle brackets, .020 wire rail w/ .010x.018 flat brass braces) for signal maintainers. Now that I've built it, I'm sure to find the slides I took 20+ years ago.
I also added a few tall grass bunches, I will do more based on the picture. |
| robert goslin |
Posted - 06/18/2013 : 8:11:04 PM
James, Really nice stonework, and a good idea to use the wire to give it some grip.
Just wondering what sort of diesel is that, and from what era? |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/16/2013 : 6:37:55 PM
A discussion in another thread got me thinking about how I model; I tend to get a project to a certain point, then work on something else. For a change, I'm going to finish the High St. scene as best I can. This hasn't kept me from making progress elsewhere this weekend, but most of the effort went here:
The house is a temporary view-block, not what goes there in the long run. This needs more diverse grass, the H-arm (left) where the open wire changed to cable and telltales. |
| Orionvp17 |
Posted - 06/13/2013 : 8:58:07 PM
Looks good to me, James! That "No Loitering" work is a nice touch, and one not seen in most places.
I need to file that idea away.... [:-idea]
Pete
in Michigan |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/13/2013 : 8:30:17 PM
The last couple of days' hobby time has been focused on the south side of the High St. cut:
I couldn't recall seeing this style of 'no loitering' done commercially, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was to be found somewhere in a German or UK catalog. If I'd had more than 15" to do, it might have been worth making a mold. But I decided I could probably manage it in wood putty.
The other night I made the base wall.
Last night I applied a 1/16" layer of wood putty to the top. While it was still wet I carved the nubbly tops with a hobby knife. This could probably be done with 'leather hard' plaster, provided you made the whole wall in one go, to avoid issues getting new plaster to stick to old.
The dilute black latex wash reveals that a lot of finish work is needed before final painting & mortar-line carving. So I'd better take advantage of the rainy evening and get upstairs. |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/11/2013 : 07:56:37 AM
A good deal of progress on the High St. scene, working both in the evening and before I leave for work:
I wanted the stone rougher than I can get by scribing styrene, and proud of the concrete/steel above, so I wrapped aluminum screen wire around the lower abutments.
Here's wood putty applied to one side of the cut, and part of it painted/carved.
Here's the finished carving from the west side.
And the east side. Still needs some touch up and a weathering wash.
If anyone tries this, DO NOT USE semi-gloss latex paint. The film is too strong, so it is prone to peeling when you scribe it. Working on the Merrimack St. retaining walls, I got the same amount of carving to this stage in half the time using flat black latex. |
| MarkF |
Posted - 06/07/2013 : 11:47:36 AM
I've seen that used on Harsco's work and it looked great to me, but I must agree with James. I haven't tried the 'rattle can' spray paints on models yet, but will give it a shot. I know that George Sellios uses Rustoleum for a lot of his buildings, which surprised me, but he gets away with it. Not sure if because it was just for his back ground buildings, but I figured if he can get away with it, I sure could give it a try and see what happens! It's worth experimenting with. |
| deemery |
Posted - 06/07/2013 : 10:45:28 AM
Next time, try a paint-on texture paint like this stuff:
Dab it on, rather than brush it, so you don't get brushstrokes. Let it dry thoroughly (and if you don't like the effect, before it's dry you can wipe it off with a damp cloth.)
dave |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/07/2013 : 07:58:02 AM
Thanks, Joe. Here's last night's progress:
Apropos of my question about Elliot Moore's use of rattle-can texture paint for concrete, what I found at Amesbury Industrial Supply (an excellent reason not to drive to the big box stores in Seabrook) was Rustoleum Multicolor Textured 223524 Desert Bisque. I like the color, it doesn't attack .040 styrene, but boy is it thick: I completely lost the rather deep scribed joints in the sidewalk.
This is my first experiment with rattle-cans for model work, and I'm not a convert - no control over how much paint, not sure exactly where the nozzle is pointing till you push the button. Still, I managed to mask/paint three wood-putty concrete retaining walls & abutments this morning, in situ. |
| jatravia |
Posted - 06/05/2013 : 09:49:32 AM
James,
Nice looking bridge. Styrene is such a nice material to work with. I look forward to seeing your progress.
Joe <>< |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/05/2013 : 07:56:16 AM
Thanks, Mike. I brush-painted a couple of Athearn blue-box GP-9s in McGinnis blue, and added a Hobbytown drive to one back in my High School years. I should figure out where they are one of these days.
Last night's progress included re-cutting rail gaps (not photogenic), a try to improve the color of my fake fur marsh grass for Little River (not dry yet) and adding concrete sidewalks to the High St. overpass.
I scribed joint lines in .040 styrene and glued it to the parapets. I used a pencil to make a guideline so the sidewalk curves to match the road. The west (longer) side doesn't have its curb yet.
This test shot is for comparison with a prototype photo from 1949. Close enough to be recognizable, but not exact...
[edit: fixed a typo]
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| Mike Hamer |
Posted - 06/02/2013 : 11:17:45 AM
Hi James, I'm just catching up on your recent developments trackside. Love the idea of the cows out in their pasture doing what cows do best! Ha! I also love the McGinnis Bluebird scheme on the GP9's. I had two locomotives painted in these colours a long time ago and they remain two of my favourite locomotives. Looks like Athearn did a really nice job on them! I also really like that roadway underpass. I'm looking forward to seeing it completed on your layout! [:-apple][:-apple] |
| jbvb |
Posted - 06/02/2013 : 08:35:47 AM
Another "so a search will find it" post: My Overland 3899 HO brass model of the B&M's C-100 - C-137 cabooses came with wheels that intermittently shorted against the sideframes - not bad enough to bother my DC locos, but unhappy-making for DCC. The problem was the axles were too short (or the holes in the sideframes too big). Reboxx 33-1-0.995 replacement wheels cured the short and made it roll beautifully. My trackwork is OK for .088 width wheels. |
| jbvb |
Posted - 05/21/2013 : 8:40:19 PM
This is how the ~80 year old concrete has looked for most of my life:
I've been thinking about the Rustoleum "American Stone" that Elliot Moore (ETinBH) showed, with a light overcoat or wash of a more sandy color. Assuming I can find it, and I'm not otherwise too annoyed at RPM/Rustoleum, and that the assembled wisdom doesn't advise me against using it on a styrene base?
I need a little surface roughness, but maybe about 200 grit, not 60 grit. I might be able to get the effect by simply airbrushing it from too far away, with too much air pressure, but that's chancy. |
| jbvb |
Posted - 05/21/2013 : 07:33:15 AM
The High St. overpass dates to the 1920s, when an earlier gauntlet-track 'arch' was widened to 3 tracks and made strong enough to carry a trolley line.
I have tree-free pictures (which I could have taken in the '70s, but didn't), but they're copyright the Walker Transportation Collection.
I had to compress both the width and the depth, so there's space for longitudinal girders but no room for water lines etc. I used half a package of .015 x .100 getting to this point last night.
My first try at marsh grass didn't have enough green, though I like the texture and color variation. I'll try applying more when I see a good drying day in the forecast. |
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