Just a chance it might work

What Scale is Scenery?

Funny thing happened on my way to the forum (model rr club) today.  I turned around and came home.  Nebraska Huskers were playing football on TV.  Actually playing in Memorial Stadium located in Lincoln.  Memorial Stadium seats over 86,000 people, making it the second largest city in the state, second only to Omaha.  I always thought it was third behind Omaha and Lincoln.  But the TV said second and if they said it on TV it must be true.  They have been sold out for over 360 straight games so they are adding 6,000 more seats and luxury suites for those like Larry the Cable Guy; ya, just another home town boy like Johnny Carson and others.  Watched the game.  WE WON!  Went back out about 1pm with three boxes and another roll of Plaster Cloth.

I wanted to see if my full length (80 foot) HO passenger cars would fit around the turns and through the cuts.  They made it fine with a bit of unrealistic overhang at the corners, but no scrapes.  I forgot my big Pacific steam loco was broken so used a couple of little steamers to pull 3 or 4 cars around the upper level.

Still not making any progress on the scenerys second coat of plaster cloth when I spotted a box I had brought out some weeks ago labeled "On30 trains".  OK, I wondered if they would make it around the layout; O scale (1:48) narrow gauge trains running on HO (1:87) track, scenery and clearances.  It worked.  Round and round they go, where they stop nobody knows.  But, the Phantom do!  When I tried to use the upper reverse loop there was one rock too much.  Quick blast of some dynamite  (really just a snip of the scissors) took care of that.  Getting more nerve I ran it down to the lower level.  Bump, it hit a cardboard truss support of the 3 section.  Tore off the cardboard.  Bump, hit the 1/2" pressed board sub-roadbed.  We designed the layout with 3-1/8" clearances.  The On30 locos require 3-1/4".

So now the question again.  What Scale is Scenery?  Here are a few pictures.  What scale do YOU think it is?

Yes, there is that nasty rock outcropping I had to blast away.

The same cut before I tried the branch to the right where the overhanging cowcatcher caught the nasty rock.

You have to admire the detail that O scale allows.  Did I ever tell you that I like cute?

  

Did I ever tell you I like cuts?

 

And still need to add some industry on the branch to the right.

Keep in mind the scenery is without color or texture, only the basic shape and size.  I took several videos, but was unable to load them.  Maybe just too big.  If you know how drop a line in the comments below.

 Armchair

LO#13 - Covering the Cardboard Strips

My last post, LO#12, consisted of a lot of pictures of hills and cuts formed from corrugated cardboard strips interlaced and secured with dabs of hot glue.  Both strips and hot glue are new to me as I have lived with yellow carpenters glue and foam-core board for the last several years. Today (Tuesday 9-11-12) I covered those cardboard strips with the first layer of plaster cloth.  I failed to get any shots of how I use the strips so I will delay the details until later.

Here are some 'Before' and 'After' shots to compare todays progress.

#1

#2

#3

This is the upper track (as it leaves the 3 section bridge) passing through the cut just above the creek.

Here is a better shot of "Two Tired Creek" from the 'other' end located on the 'other' long side opposite all the other pictures.  Marvin has done a really great job with the coloring and texture, using many of the artistic skills he uses on his original PRR railroad paintings.

Now, just a couple thoughts on the past couple days work.  Corrugated cardboard strips can be cut in two ways; LENGTHWISE, along with the corrugations and CROSSWISE, across the corrugations.  Lengthwise produces a stronger strip that I prefer for the vertical supports.  Crosswise produces a weaker, but more flexible strip that I like to use in a more or less horizontal position to interweave between the vertical strips.  To increase the flexibility I pull the strips over the edge of the table from both sides.  I also do it with my fingers, but watch out for paper cuts.

This will be the road passing under the track to connect the upper level (maybe I will call it 'Overton' or 'Highland') to the future 2'x8' extension with yard, engine facilities and maybe some industries and staging.

This time I tinted the water that I wet the plaster cloth with.  I mixed several colors to get something of a ground color.  It is not as dark as I would like but will prevent the white spots if chipped or scrapped.  If you work the plaster cloth with your wet fingers or foam brush it will begin to blend and cover the course 'cloth' weave.  Saturday I will add the second coat of cloth and the following Tuesday begin a couple coats of Light Weight Spackle.  I color and dilute the spackle with water to make a thick, soupy consistency and apply with a 2' foam brush and try to hide cloth details.  To help hide the weave and edges I have been 'stippling' the spackle coat using the side of a 2" foam brush to quickly tap the still wet surface, drawing little beads or pimples of spackle.  I am still not really happy with the results, but does do away with the dull smoothness of just brushed spackle.

Hopefully more-useful info for the next post.

Armchair

LO#12 - Creating Hills

How high are the hills?  How deep the cuts?  Last week I got the hot glue gun going, cut a lot of cardboard strips and spent 5 hours putting it all together along the 10 foot side of the layout.

Tunnels need BIG hills to look real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that is a HILL!

And this is a deep cut revealing Marvins head.

After a week to think about it, the skinny cross section of the hill needed to be dealt with by lowering the height of the front face and the depth of the cut.  Out came the scissors and several inches removed from the hill.  Here are the results to compare.

The hill is still big enough to look real.

The cut looks better, even without Marvins head.  And the branch has a nice cut also.  I like cuts!

While I was working on the long side of the layout, Marvin was working on our creek, a small but wonderful view site.

Marvin has turned my quiet, clean, mountain stream into a littered backwater he calls "Too Tired Creek" in reference to the two old tires half way up and my often expressed condition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday I will be laying out a lot of plaster cloth to give a basic ground level for all the cardboard strips.  I will also be covering the front edge to the lower track.  This will be finished with a fascia board when scenery is finished.

Until Tuesday,

Armchair

LO#11 - Touch-up on the Layout

 Before we got started today Marvin took his PRR K4 Pacific out for a run (just to test the track).

 

While much of the layout is still without any scenery work, the scenic end with rock cuts, tunnel, bridges and more is taking shape and is semi finished.  Before the tunnel portals can be enclosed the ballast must be applied to that area.  I use a small brush, normally used to apply flux to copper fittings before soldering, to apply full strength white glue to the side slopes of the cork roadbed and sprinkle a generous amount of ballast to the area.  I do this for about 6" into the tunnel and an inch or so outside.  After it sets for about 30 minutes I vacuum and collect the excess ballast using an old handkerchief over the hose end where it enters the machine.  By doing the sloped edges first it provides an edge to hold the rest of the ballast in place.  Now I pour ballast over the ties, both between the rails and over the ends of the ties, and use a small foam brush to level the ballast between the rails and level with the tops of the ties all the way to the edge where the ballast was previously glued.  When leveled I mist the ballast with a spray bottle of wet water (a drop or two of dish soap) until wet and then drop white glue diluted half and half with water onto the wet ballast and allow it to soak in.  When set I vacuum the excess as before.

This ballast will be just inside the tunnel portal.

Ballast as seen from outside the tunnel portal.  The edges need to be cleaned up before we close the tunnel.

Marvin has been painting the small creek bed and today started to apply gloss medium to give the surface a wet look. Several more coats ans some assorted debris will be added before it is complete.

Our little creek serves no purpose but to add interest to an empty corner.

Glen Larsen, introduced last week, was put to work lightening the dark gray I applied last week to the rock cuts by adding a coat of light weight shackle thinned with water and some 'sandstone' acrylic paint.

Rock cut and mine area with spur track.

That about does it for this Tuesday's work day.  Stop in again next weekend for more "Exciting" news and views.


Armchair

LO#10d - Updates on the 5'x10' 8-12-12

Unseen changes are hard to see.  Marvin has painted all the track and turnouts to blend their color and now has to clean out the turnout (switch) points of any stray paint, clean and check, clean and check.

Air brush painted rails and ties to take away the "New" look.

 
 Our newest 'year round' member is Glen Larsen.  Glen has a backyard shed he hopes to convert into a train room in the near future after clean-out, adding insulation and A/C.

Glen L. is shown here trying out one of his long stored HO engines.

Fellow "Founding Member" Marvin Crim feels the need to run some trains after his long time track laying and wiring efforts.

Marvin is helping Glen L. check another engine from his stored supply.

I, on the other hand, keep my nose to the grind-stone and continue adding ground surface to the layout.

Cardboard strips will change a flat foam sheet into a slopped and textured blasted wall for the mine.

And here is the other side of the blasted wall, all that is left of the original hill.

 
I have been applying the second coat of plaster cloth so white on white doesn't show very well.  The two layers are to give it strength, followed by a couple of colored, flowed and brushed coats of lightweight spackle to create realistic texture.

Slow, but sure progress.  That is the motto.

Armchair

LO#1a - Layout Track Plan for 5'x10'

Here You see the Original Drawing from Dec. 1967 Model Railroader.  This is shown with the original 4'x8' grid markings.  Most of the recent scenic work with profile boards and plaster cloth has been at the lower part of the plan where the lower track curves under the upper and dives into a tunnel.  This is also where the 3 section truss bridge will be placed.

Sorry about how long to post a track diagram.  I just figured how to import images from email today, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.  More later.

Armchair

Armchair Modeling Downunder

I just came across my namesake from the land of OZ,written by Brad H.
Brad has been blogging a few years longer than I and enjoys the experience of attending model railroad exhibitions, something not happening here in the hot and dry area of SW Arizona.  He has a long list of layouts visited at such exhibitions and a lot of ideas for portable layouts, also not seen much in the SW USA, excluding the module type.  Drop by Brads site and say hello.  Search for "  armchair modeling downunder " and work from there.  I can't get it to link right now.

Armchair


 

You Can Build My First and Smallest Diorama

I thought I would break away from the 5'x10' Layout Build Clinic Thread with something a bit smaller, 4-1/2 x 9, ......INCHES!

I started this scratch built log cabin some years ago on a small table at a street fair that Marvin and I attended, buying the last booth for $50, to introduce our proposed & un-named model railroad club to the Yuma community and Winter visitors.

I also use it to debunk the theory that model railroading is expensive.  I invested $1.39 in 1/8" dowel sticks and spent an enjoyable (and FUN) 20 or 30 hours completing it.  Like most of my projects I built it to learn new skills and try out new techniques; build a stone chimney and well using sand, hand cutting shingles from manila folders, modeling very small details like the wood pile, chopping block and ax (now missing the ax).  The well also lost its roof somewhere along the line.  The outhouse is a card model one holler downloaded from a free internet site.

I started the build with corrugated cardboard walls to give the logs something to line up with and glue to.  That framework was edge glued to a piece of cereal box that warped while doing the ground cover and thus stapled to the wood block.  The engineer in me measured and cut all the logs before starting the build so all I had to do was pick up the appropriate length log and work around the walls.  I used diagonal cutters to cut all the logs and give a more chopped appearance.

Front view

Those with sharp eyes will now notice that the logs are not notched and therefore only every-other log end goes through.  The door frame is lined with thin wood stock (no pun, I didn't go) to help align the logs.  The logs on either side of the door are of 2 different lengths, a short one to butt into the mating wall logs and a longer one to extend beyond the other wall to make it look like a log cabin.  If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.  Sorry rivet counters, but I take my lead from the live theater - caricature.

Right side

This right side view shows the only window in the house.  It is a 2 over 2 with the frame lined like the door.  On the left is the stone well missing the roof and one roof support post.  The well was formed by rolling paper around a 3/8" dowel several times and glued.  When dry, I coated the outside with glue and rolled it in some sand until covered and allowed to dry.  Then I glued two 1/16" square stock x 1" long to opposite inside walls.  An upper cross piece connected the tow uprights and a folded piece of card stock completed the roof.  By the way, all the wood items were distressed and stained prior to the build.  The red rock on the right rear is just there, something to look at.  It was found in the sand i collected for the well and chimney.

Rear view

The back of the cabin is plain, no openings.  It would maybe make a place to store junk and unused items in among some weeks.  If there would be a garden I would put it on the right side near the well, close to the water source.  The outhouse is on the opposite side of the house from the well, just cause that is how I would do it.

Left side

The door is open to the outhouse simply to show the inside.  My relation always kept theirs closed with a hook or large twist knob.  There is a lot of detail on this side, the outhouse, stone fireplace and chimney and wood pile.  I chose to show some wood stacked and ready to use while chips and kindling was scattered about.  The silver, single blade ax was shown set in the chopping block like I would imagine it to be.  Like all tiny details, these things get knocked off with handling.

The fireplace and chimney was formed with three 1/8" square wood, one tall one forming the chimney and two shorter ones, with the top edged tapered, glued to either side to form the fireplace section.  When dry, I coated the outside and side surfaces with glue and pushed it into the sand supply left over from the well.  The chimney is centered on the wall and simply glued to the log wall.  Missing stones were placed with tweezers and glued.

The roof is supported with a ridge pole running the length of the cabin.  In future builds I would add a couple of support poles from the ridge to the front and rear walls to prevent the roof sag that seems to have occurred over the years.  If you look carefully at the roof line you will see a board right below the roof and covering the log ends that I didn't trim very well.

The shingle details will have to wait for another day as it gets long winded without needed pictures.  If you are building this and really need shingling information get to me.

Armchair

Paper & Card Models I Have Built

Paper and card modeling is an economical way to fill a scene with buildings and structures.  Over the last several years I have downloaded and printed over a ream of 110# card stock of which most is still un-built.  Some were for my railroad layouts, others because they were historic, and still others just because I wanted to.  In its simplest form, card modeling is just cut, fold and glue.  The more complex aircraft and ship models require learning to manipulate the paper in ways it does not usually lay.

 

If you are my age (73) you may remember the cereal box models from the 1940's, tabs and slots like the paper dolls the girls had.  In my recent past I tried a little HO scale (1:87) model of an old store.  I trimmed out the windows and doors, had extra trim on the false front and tried adding corner trim, all in card.  After doing a simple roof I added hand cut card shingles, one side old & worn, the other new.

This lower photo shows the old 'worn' shingles.  There is a wood sidewalk attached to the front of the building.  The red strip above the false front is part of a layered addition, common on buildings of that period.

The two building to either side of my store are railroad buildings downloaded from the internet in color.

The large building top left is from Build Your Own Main Street, also in HO scale.

A large wooden trunk is visible to the right  of other familiar structures.

This last scene is taken on the earlier version of my 4'x4' HO layout Camp Swampy.  All the buildings are card models, those inside the circle of track are models of WWII German prisoner of war camp   buildings.  The base of the layout is 1/4" plywood covered with 1" extruded foam as are the hills front and rear.  The trees are from China and bought in bunches of 10.

I hope you have enjoyed this little side trip to another side of me and my modeling interests.  I will close with a list of several sites and forums I visit daily.  I will try to link them for a simple click, but if not working try just searching for the tag line on Google or Yahoo or your choice.


http://railroad-line.com
http://thewhistlepost.com
http://modeltrainsforum.com
http://ModelRailroadForums.com
http://papermodelers.com
http://fiddlersgreen.net


Armchair

LO#10c - More "How To"

Not a lot of visible progress again this week.  I missed the Saturday meeting as I had to take the wife to her heart doctor for test results.  She passed them all and can wait another year and a half to return.

The recent pictures showed a lot of cardboard strips and profile boards.  I again started with Elmers yellow carpenters wood glue as that is what I am familiar with.  It  grips quickly and sets up in just minutes.

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But, I found that hot glue is even quicker, just look out or you get burned fingers.  The profile boards were trimmed to fit using a single edge blade or utility knife.  I like to support the boards from below and at least one edge or from 2 edges.  Glue will run down the corrugations so build it up along the paper edges.  Hot glue will build up better if you give it a good squeeze.  And NOTE: hot glue doesn't work well on foam, it just melts the foam.  I made a lattes of strips as you see on the right and just connected the profiles on the left.  The cardboard frame gets quite stiff after the intersections are glued.  Of course this is all to support the plaster cloth that should be coming in the next week.

 The outside profile boards were started with white paper sided foam core board as seen on the right above.  I spread glue along the bottom edge and lined it up with the outside edge of the frame.  When my cheap supply ran out I switch to cardboard boxes, but found I had to add strips on the outside surfaces to hold in position.  These strips can be plainly seen on the brown left side boards.  After the internal structure of profile boards and strips are glued in place I am able to remove the strips.  To ensure the outside boards remain vertical and inline with the frame I check it with a vertical surface from time to time.

The final fascia will be 1/8" or 1/4" tempered hardboard which will start at the lower edge of the frame board and be trimmed to the top edge of the outer profile boards.  I plan to attach it with glue and screws, maybe set in finishing washers.

I have to paint and ballast the track just inside the tunnel and maybe a few other places that will not be accessible after the plaster cloth is applied.   I will also have to form the inside walls and roof of the tunnel for several inches inside the tunnel that will be visible.  I will also have to cover all the track in the area to protect it from plaster and paint during scenery work.

My homework for the near future will be creating two tunnel portals, a plate girder bridge for the mine track entrance, and 3 inside and outside trusses for the curved 3 section bridge.  Here are some prototypes.

This sample was made from foam board, same as foam core, but without the paper surfaces.  I simply used a dull point to scribe the stone outlines and stained the whole thing with light brown or dark tan, take your pick.

This truss is built of 3/64" square bass wood with card gussets. The real ones will have gussets on both sides and support the cross beams between trusses.  The joint between the center section that meets each end section will be supported by an extended beam reaching out to clear the lower track, one to the inside and one to the outside.  You will see later.

The girders will probably be made of card with a rolled strip for the top.  Not on paper yet, still in my head.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 7-10-2012 and I hope to have a lot more pictures to show.  I lost my camera so these will be taken with my phone.

Till then,

Armchair

LO#10b - More History & Corrections

My friend and fellow RRoY Club member, Marvin C. passed on the correct name and magazine month for our HO layout.  The correct name is Pigeon Creek & Thawville RR and the MR edition is December 1967.

Another item I passed over was how we laid out the curves for the sub-roadbed.  I used a home made beam compass, or trammel, with a hole drilled for a large marker pen at one end and holes drilled and marked on inches through about 30 inches.  You could make your own using a yard stick drilling the pen hole at 1" and holes as required.  Just remember to ADD 1" to your desired radius.

 While I am not doing any of the track laying or wiring I can explain a little of what I have observed.  Marvin solders all rail joints using track joiners for alignment.  We are using Peco Electo-Frog turnouts that are power directing so do not have to power each piece of track, but must power the turnouts from the single (left) end only.  The power is directed whichever way the turnout is thrown, BUT the other two ends must be gaped if power can be fed from  another track, otherwise you have a short.  In this case the turnout is at the beginning of a reverse loop so there is a "section" of track that is isolated inside the loop to allow the mains polarity to be reversed for when the train returns to the main.

The control panel will be located in one of the corners and have provision for one, DC, power pack.  The future extension to a lower yard or town will have provision for a second power pack, but may be controlled from the main panel for 'one man' operation.

Armchair

 

LO#10a - How We Are Building the Layout

As I review this series I realize that I tell what is happening, but not much how it is happening.  Some of you may be old hands at building layouts and may find this old stuff, but for more recent members of the hobby I hope this will explain some of the techniques Marv and I are using to construct our yet Un-Named, HO railroad.

Marvin found a layout, Pigeon Creek & Thawville RR in Model Railroader Magazine from December, 1967, that he had considered before.  Designed as a 4'x8' he wanted to see how it would look as a 5'x10'.  I redrew the grid lines over a printout of the original to give reference points to a 5'x10'.  Satisfied that it would work I set about designing the frame and developing a bill of material as seen below.

With mutual agreement I proceeded to purchase the material, approximate cost $45.00.  Wanting a more quality source, I used a local lumberyard with 1"x4" straight boards and would cut to our specs. I used some 2"x2" from my own stock to reinforce all the joints as I don't really trust screws into end grain.

The results are below, the early joints were screwed and glued, later ones screwed only.  Some may cringe, but we used drywall screws throughout the construction.  They mostly don't require countersinking in soft woods like pine, but the head will split the wood if used too close to the end of a board.

 

 At this point we established more parameters;

• 23" minimum curve radius
• 1.8% maximum grade
• 4" minimum center line of track to edge of layout
• lower level track to be at 4" above the frame to allow below track scenery
• #6 Peco turnouts on main & #5 on some sidings
• Code 83 Peco track, later changed to Atlas to withstand handling
• Laid on cork roadbed
• 1/2" plywood or chip board sub-roadbed
• DC control

I brought my 8" band saw to our meeting place at a local church and began cutting curved sub-roadbed.

 

Below is  the very earliest beginning of the actual track plan.  The silver finish on some curves is on material one of our winter members found at a building site and cost, nothing.  All sub-roadbed joints were reinforced with splice plates on the under side.  Turnout locations were laid out using actual Peco turnouts.  Most were OK, but some had to be realigned when laying track.  If I do it again I will solder about a foot of track to all three legs to ensure the curved leg would properly align with the main and that the turnout is not too close to a curve.  You will also note some added 1"x2" cross member to prevent  excessive twisting 

Risers were made from 1"x4" capped with 1/2" ply to screw sub-roadbed from below (later changed to from above because of old men).

As you will notice in the title, this is LO#10a, meaning I will be bringing several more editions to detail features up through this time.

Stay turned, check back often for our latest exploits.

Armchair

LO#9 - Creating the Earth

Life would have been simpler if I would have been comfortable with a hill no taller than the tunnel portal.  But, those who follow this blog know I am not that simple.  Today a railroad would simply make a huge, wide, cut or fill, but that removes those tight, scenic views we modelers desire.

Over the last few weeks I have been making a mountain out of a molehill.  There was always a tunnel for the lower reverse loop that is just 5" below a proposed industrial area.  My goal is to construct scenic view sites that highlight only one elevation at a time unless a somewhat realistic profile can be devised.

This earlier photo shows the basic sub-roadbed for the entire HO layout.

As you can see we struggled to gain elevation to clear the lower level while keeping our 1.8% maximum grade.  This would simulate the early days of tinplate, almost everything visible from everywhere.  Today's modelers use view blocks to separate scenes and increase the perceived size of the layout.  This end section of the layout will receive the most attention with bridges, tunnel, mountain, overpass, mine, creek and road.

A few weeks ago I mocked in the tunnel portal visible from the long left side in the above photo.

The curved white piece above the portal simulates the mountain that requires the tunnel and also blocks the view of the upper level track just 5" above.

Just a couple of feet along the main we will use an underpass or bridge to allow the mine entrance track to logically pass just below the upper main.

As both tracks reach the end of the layout they curve to the left with the lower passing under the upper and running through a deep cut before plunging into the tunnel, obscured by the cardboard wall of the cut.

The upper track will be supported by a three section truss bridge before it runs through its own cut as it skirts around the edge of the mountain.

This next photo shows most of the scenic action in this corner, the lower level tunnel, the 3 section truss bridge, the creek with floating blocks of wood.

The last pic is of my prototype outside truss member.  It will be about 55' HO scale and the inside truss will be about 46'.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Come back often and maybe you might just leave a little comment , if you really want to.  Or not.  As the old country song says " Oh Lord it's hard to be humble when you're  perfect in every way"

Armchair