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T O P I C    R E V I E W
AVRR-PA Posted - 08/19/2010 : 09:51:03 AM
I'm ready to start actual benchwork construction on this project and I want to cover that in a thread separate from the "Rail-Marine Layout Plans" thread. So here goes...

Moving to a new window so I'll be able to edit.

Don
15   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
elwoodblues Posted - 06/18/2013 : 9:09:15 PM
Don,

The layout is really starting to look good now.
Tyson Rayles Posted - 06/18/2013 : 8:47:18 PM
A plan is good only if you stick to it, which is usually my problem.
jbvb Posted - 06/18/2013 : 7:24:33 PM
My first experiment in improving freight cars was one of those Trains-Miniature (later Walthers) X-29s: I removed the roof walk and sanded about half the thickness off, then cut the lower door 'claws' down to about half the width. But operate trains first...
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/18/2013 : 5:06:54 PM
Speaking of rolling stock, I did get a few more pieces on the layout.
Just to recap - the minimum standard for even being set on the tracks is:
-- trucks that have had the reamer treatment and had their wheels replaced with metal wheels if necessary.
-- Kadee 148 whisker couplers; coupler height checked and adjusted.
That's the barebones "good enough" level.

After that comes replacing stirrup steps if they're really awful; and then weathering. Some of the following cars have had just bare minimum work.

Here's a very basic Bowser Western Maryland hopper kit. It should have been really quick, but one of the steel weights was badly bent and required some serious blacksmithing and nothing else quite fit, either. But it eventually went together. Needs weathered, obviously.

("Needs weathered" is Pittsburghese. Pittsburghers do not use the verb "to be." Someone said, "In Pittsburgh, Hamlet's soliloquy would be reduced to "or not."")




Next is a P2K war emergency hopper. Beautiful model - but missing half its ladder rungs or grab irons because I broke them or lost them. I will replace the missing items with brass - someday. Or maybe I'll just weather the bleep out of it.






Here's another hopper - too big, wrong for the period, etc., but it'll do until my friend Bud Brock comes through with the "leased" hoppers he promised me. It sure is weathered, though. And is has good trucks, couplers, etc., so it should operate satisfactorily.





And here are two more cars - one for beer, one for general merchandise. The beer hauler obviously needs (to be) weathered; the PRR boxcar has been started but still needs some more detailed work with paint, Bragdon powders, etc.







Along with the new cars, I got all the other rolling stock back on the layout.



I deliberately just scattered it around. Now I'm going to use the Pennsy 0-6-0 to (laboriously) reposition everything to the locations where they would be spotted at the beginning of a session. That will give me practice on uncoupling, help me find track problems, get familiar with the Tortoise controls, etc.

It's a plan!

Don
Orionvp17 Posted - 06/18/2013 : 4:42:50 PM
Play trains.

It will help you sort out those pesky Other Issues.

Pete
in Michigan
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/18/2013 : 4:28:09 PM
quote:
Originally posted by jbvb

I've seen enough "spackle/putty/plaster or the like cracks and comes loose when the substrate flexes" problems that I am now putting down windowscreen most places I'm going to cover that way. I might even on well-supported 3/4" plywood if I was going to carve individual bricks into a substantial area. Fibreglass screen eventually deteriorates and has to be replaced, but it still makes a decent reinforcing mesh, if that helps you stick to your budget. There are pictures of mine, hot-glued to vertical hardboard, in the last page or two of my Eastern Route thread.


Thanks, James -- the idea of using window screen - perhaps held with staples to the plywood - as a base for the spackle or plaster - is a good one. I'll be interested in hearing from Al, too. I'll hold off on putting down the styrene-supporting grid while I mull these ideas over.

No shortage of things to do while I'm mulling. I asked Vagel to e-mail me some guidance on how to apply sanded grout to make cinder ballast. I can start at the Gowanus River end. Or I could build one of the structures. Or so more rolling stock. Or just play trains...

Don
jbvb Posted - 06/17/2013 : 8:49:28 PM
I've seen enough "spackle/putty/plaster or the like cracks and comes loose when the substrate flexes" problems that I am now putting down windowscreen most places I'm going to cover that way. I might even on well-supported 3/4" plywood if I was going to carve individual bricks into a substantial area. Fibreglass screen eventually deteriorates and has to be replaced, but it still makes a decent reinforcing mesh, if that helps you stick to your budget. There are pictures of mine, hot-glued to vertical hardboard, in the last page or two of my Eastern Route thread.
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/17/2013 : 5:37:26 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Tabooma County Rwy

Hey Don,

Great progress! Regarding the brick pavement, one suggestion I might offer: I use lightweight patching spackle for my brickwork in streets - the kind that is really light, light cake frosting. It carves very easily. The trick is to let is dry thoroughly. It is meant to be put on very thin, of course, so when I put it on in a 1/4 inch thickness, I found I had to wait several days for it to dry all the way through. Trying to carve it before it is dry just won't work. I used some sort of ceramic carving tool, which has a thicker blade than an Xacto knife - and a straight edge and just went by eye. Some of the "bricks" will break when using this method, which is what one wants for a street scene, I think. The result is a pretty convincing (in my mind, anyway) brick pattern. I could send you a photo or two if you want. Not real close up, unfortunately.

Al Carter


Hi, Al - sounds interesting. I know the product you're talking about - I think one brand name is "Fast and Final."
-- You're putting it down 1/4" thick? That definitely would require some drying time.
-- What are you putting it down on - is it going on plywood or some other substrate?

I bet it would carve well.

Please feel free to post pictures in this thread if you want to.

I realize carving my own stuff would be more time consuming (maybe) than cutting up Walter's street system materials - but would have the advantage of giving a more realistic edge where it meets the rails.

Don
Tabooma County Rwy Posted - 06/17/2013 : 10:11:19 AM
Hey Don,

Great progress! Regarding the brick pavement, one suggestion I might offer: I use lightweight patching spackle for my brickwork in streets - the kind that is really light, light cake frosting. It carves very easily. The trick is to let is dry thoroughly. It is meant to be put on very thin, of course, so when I put it on in a 1/4 inch thickness, I found I had to wait several days for it to dry all the way through. Trying to carve it before it is dry just won't work. I used some sort of ceramic carving tool, which has a thicker blade than an Xacto knife - and a straight edge and just went by eye. Some of the "bricks" will break when using this method, which is what one wants for a street scene, I think. The result is a pretty convincing (in my mind, anyway) brick pattern. I could send you a photo or two if you want. Not real close up, unfortunately.

Al Carter
Orionvp17 Posted - 06/16/2013 : 9:50:02 PM
Lookin' good, Don!

I think you're going to be a lot happier using the cork instead of the Fomecore!

Pete
in Michigan
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/16/2013 : 9:29:55 PM
Thanks, Robert.

Pete Magoun reminded me that Foamcore is very much not waterproof. This isn't an issue on the landward end of the layout where all the paving will be styrene. It could be a problem at the Gowanus River end, where I'll be putting down sanded grout to represent cinder ballast and also be using other wet scenery materials.

To avoid problems, I did all the fill-in work at that end of the layout with scrap cork.

Here I'm piecing in cork, gluing it to the plywood with Dap adhesive caulk, which holds pretty well and is, of course, waterproof once cured.






The cork still left a lot of gaps and voids which I did not want to fill with wet grout - I didn't want to waste the material and I didn't want all that wet stuff sitting on the plywood. So I filled and leveled with ordinary (not adhesive) siliconized latex caulk. I worked it with palette knives dipped in water. The result was fairly smooth:







After the caulk had cured for a couple of hours, I painted the entire layout with the custom-mixed Home Depot latex earth color. Partly, I wanted to seal and waterproof the Foamcore and the cork/caulk combination. Partly, I just wanted things to look good as I continued to play with the layout while working on it.

So - after all this work - the final result looks exactly like it did before we added this first layer of scenery.






I also added the final ground throw, at the top of the ramp. I added a block of foam with a piece of cork glued to the top of it (to hold spikes). I forgot to photograph it - I'll do that on the next posting.

Right now, I'm working on getting three more cars ready to go - two hoppers (Bowser and P2K) and an F&C gondola which will become a cement car placeholder.

I got some Titebond III (waterproof below the waterline) for gluing down the grid that will raise the pavement material to just below railhead height. Now I need to mill a bunch of sticks.

I'm getting the urge to finish that huge barge.

Don
railman28 Posted - 06/12/2013 : 6:26:57 PM
I think it photographs very well.
You're making fine progress.
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/12/2013 : 5:32:35 PM
Hi, everyone --

I got a lot of work done on the layout today - but it doesn't photograph very well.

Instead of my going over to Vagel's and helping with the B&SGE, Vagel and John came over to my place and helped with my (nameless, so far) layout.

As I've mentioned, almost all of the track is either in pavement - brick, concrete or stone - or buried in cinders, dirt and weeds. To create that effect, I'm following the techniques in John Pryke's book on urban modeling.

The first task is to fill in all the spaces between the cork roadbed with Foamcore - which I got for free and which is the same thickness as the cork. That's what we did today.



after adding Foamcore

Not very exciting but a huge help to me because it took a lot of hours.

Next step is to glue down a supporting grid of wood or styrene at the paved end to bring everything up to the height of the top of the ties. Then I have the pleasure of cutting many pieces of styrene brick/stone/concrete - the parts that go between the rails will be especially challenging.

Fortunately, I can take a break from paving to build interesting structures.

Also, there's still plenty of rolling stock to be made ready to use.

Thanks, Vagel & John!

Don
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/05/2013 : 10:01:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MarkF

Just checking in Don and wow, you've made great progress! Very nice. And I too like your weathering. Just enough and not overdone.


Thanks, Mark. I definitely appreciate the feedback on the weathering. I have some other cars that are going on the layout with no weathering at this point but I will take them off one at a time and lightly weather them. I might even use my new air-brushing "skills" for some of the work.

Don
AVRR-PA Posted - 06/05/2013 : 9:58:57 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Twist67

Hi there,
looking good so far,nice progress and a lot of rolling stock to work on....

Regards,Chris


Thanks, Chris!

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