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Messages - SteveCuster

#1
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
March 15, 2024, 03:18:03 PM
Jerry,

Envirotex takes forever to set up, so even though it's pretty thick it finds its way around everything. I had some pretty large, uncovered areas under the dock when I went to bed but by the morning the stuff leveled out and found its way around all the pilings. Unfortunately, this also means it will find any small holes you miss when sealing the base. I poured a river on the layout, and I must've missed a little void or hole. About 2-3 hours after I poured, I noticed a quarter sized drop on the floor. I followed the drip path under the layout and duct taped any possible drip path from below. It worked but I lost a little bit of the Envirotex and got a bunch of it in my hair.

My advice is to pour it when you can periodically check on it every 30 minutes or so and don't touch it to see if it's ready. Save the pouring container and touch that instead. When you think it's set, check it with a piece of wood to see if it's tacky, not your finger. It's much easier to hide a little mark from wood on the surface than it is to hide a fingerprint.

-Steve
#2
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
March 14, 2024, 12:17:28 PM
Thanks everyone!

Jerry, it does creep a bit on the pilings and everything else, but the next pour won't be very thick so hopefully it will flow right up to the creep line and make most of it disappear. Once I add some waves to the surface, any creep that happened will make sense when the water feels more "in motion".

Envirotex pours are one of the most nerve-wracking parts of a layout, mainly because they are difficult to fix if it doesn't work out. This is the biggest one I've ever done and it's right up front so that added to the stress a bit. I plan on doing the next pour this weekend, the epoxy is still tacky, so I need to wait.

In the meantime, I started working on some small buildings and a mess of castings so I should have an update on some other areas soon.

Thanks for following along,
Steve
#3
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
March 12, 2024, 01:06:00 PM
Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone!

Just when I started to get some momentum, I ended up getting pretty sick for the last 2 weeks. I managed to add a few small things and pour the first coat of water to the dock area.


I thought these walls were boring and needed something to add some texture.


I ended up adding some slime using AK interactive enamels. I used a mix of light and dark slime. It came out just how I wanted it, and it was incredibly easy. I haven't done much with thinner based paints since I got away from Floquil but this changed my perspective. I ended up ordering a bunch more of the washes.


I built a few little boats from some wood kits made by Seaport Model Works. They are a little tedious, but they came out decent. They are glued in place but suspended up using small blocks to keep them above the water.


Another of the same type of boat.


This boat is from the same company but a different style. I only built one of these, but I think 3 or 4 came in each bag.


First Envirotex pour is down. I need to do one more pour to get the water to the height I want. I tinted this with a bunch of different blues, a few dark grays, and a couple drops of green. Reaper Miniatures Solid Blue, AK 3rd gen Anthracite and Grey Black with a few drops of Reaper Meadow Green.

That's all for this update, I'll give the epoxy a few days to cure then I'll do another coat. My FSM Pile Driver will go on top of the water, and I'll add some ripples once all the epoxy is set.

Thanks for following along,
Steve
#4
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
February 26, 2024, 07:08:20 AM
Thanks Curt, Jeff, Jerry and Mark!
#5
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
February 23, 2024, 04:37:08 PM
Thanks Jim, Lynn, and Jeff!

I've been making small but steady progress over the last few days. I tied in the missing scenery and started to build it up to where it's beginning to take shape.


I filled in the gap between the waterfront and the track, then I added some dirt and grass. Still a bit more detailing to go with bushes, trees and castings but it's starting to take shape.


More progress. I added a little boat launch since I really didn't know what to put there. The boats aren't permanent yet, I just dropped them there to get an idea of how it would look. I don't know how high the water will go yet so I'll wait to add things that I don't want submerged till then.


Another shot from the other side. I still need to put the crossings in and a ton of details. It's still pretty boring but that'll change.


I made this little fence to add some boundaries to the truck shop building. If I can't figure out how to make an area work with details usually a fence will help. It provides something to lean stuff against build around.


I'm working on building some little sheds and work areas using some of the castings I have around. I have no idea where most of the castings came from, but the base came from one of the FSM casting kits from RailroadKits. Either Wilfred G. Brambell or Sewalls Foundry. These are all nicer castings so I'm thinking they are mostly FSM or SierraWest.


Most everything was already painted so this only took me and hour or so to build. All the wood came from my scrap box and the corrugated metal was already cut and primed to this length so that gave me some parameters for the roof and framing.


I'm thinking it might go here but I'm not sure yet. It looks a cattle ranch area right now but that'll change once I add more details and ground cover.

That's all I have for this update. My plan is to start to really finish the area directly behind the water so I can pour the Envirotex without risking scenery glue seeping onto the shiny water and fogging it if I add the scenery after the pour.

Thanks for following along.

-Steve
#6
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
January 04, 2024, 01:02:03 PM
Thanks everyone!
#7
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
January 01, 2024, 09:55:34 PM
Thanks everyone!

Dave, I primed both sides of the walls with khaki spray prior to assembly and I used a much heavier coat than I would normally use. Adding dullcoat after that may have helped but I'm not so sure. When I weathered the building, I made sure to use no liquid, only chalks.
#8
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
January 01, 2024, 03:21:33 PM
Hello everyone,

Over the last 2 weeks I finally finished the replacement roof on the shipyard.

Here are a few before pictures of the original roof.







Here is the replacement roof.






I've never done an individual shingle roof installation on an existing diorama, it was pretty challenging but I somehow managed to not disturb any of the pieces. I used scale 1x6s stained with A&I for the shingles. I've used cedar sheets in the past, but I end up finding it difficult to get a nice gray color from them.


I installed the diorama onto the layout, once the glue dries, I'll start to tie everything together with
plaster.


While I was waiting, I glued this yard tower into its spot. This is from Monster Modelworks. I like the way these kits look but I find them to be very susceptible to warpage, they can be exposed to almost no moisture or they warp like crazy. The toothpicks are in place to keep the walls from bowing out from the ground cover glue mixture.


An overall shot of where it lives.

Now that this obstacle is out of the way, I plan on tackling the mountain of detail parts I need to paint and install, as well as all the vegetation missing from the layout.

Thanks for following along,

Steve
#9
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
December 14, 2023, 11:44:02 PM
Thanks Darryl!

The dimensions you asked for are:
A= 237"
B= 133" to the inside corner behind the closet, 90" to the closet wall.
C= 61"
D= 86"
E= 42"

If the configuration of the room is similar, I'd be glad to share what I would do differently if I did it over. 

-Steve
#10
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
December 12, 2023, 07:39:52 AM
Thanks everyone! I should have an update soon. Once I'm done redoing this one structure, I can add it to the railroad and start to make some progress again.
#11
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
November 16, 2023, 11:31:21 PM
Since the forum as reopened, I thought I'd update everyone on the progress of the layout. I've changed my strategy a little bit and focused more on adding structures, detailing the scenes later. The details and little scenes were really bogging me down, so I'll add them later in a large burst of painting and weathering. I'll try to pick up where I left off.


If you look at my previous post, this area was only partially completed. As you can see the vegetation and detailing is minimal, that will change of course. Also, the pile driver doesn't belong there of course.


Moving around the layout, this is the front left area in that photo. Some of you may recognize the salvage yard diorama from the expo in Altoona. The light gray building is half of SierraWest Railroad Camp, the other half is on the other side of the layout. I still have tons of detailing to do to this area. I have a few hundred castings painted and ready to go for here, I just haven't gotten around to working the scene.


The building on the left is something I scratchbuilt using windows, doors, and some other castings I had around. I'd say it's a little inspired by FSM Jefferies Point, mainly in the flow of the rooflines.

Another shot of that same building.


The area to the left with the green foam is home to The Shipyard by SierraWest. I removed it some I can put a new roof on it, I'm about halfway but adding individual shingles onto a structure that's already finished and mounted is pretty irritating and I'm lacking motivation to work on it more than 30-40 minutes at a time.

EJ Whiley by Sierrawest

Moving out a little from that area to give a better overall view. The locomotive doesn't belong in the road and that boxcar is just one I use to check my track.

This area is all new but pretty sparse with details. It's right up front so I want to get the detailing perfect, I just kinda roughed it in for now. This is part of the Sand and Coaling Station from Fine Scale Miniatures.

This area is a little to the left of the sandhouse. The gray and stucco building is based off of FSM Bailey's Produce. I built the kit years ago and I sold it. I still had all the templates, so I used them to build a knockoff. I'm trying to use up all the little odds and ends I have around, for this building I used some BEST asbestos siding shingles instead of the Campbells that FSM used.

FSM Freight House - Not the first one but the second one. Still a ridiculous amount of detailing to do in this area. I've shown the station area before, but they are all FSM kits. The water tank was also at the Expo in Altoona. I built a signal tower that I haven't planted yet, it'll go in front of the station across the tracks.

It all ties into Cartwrights Machine, one of the first kits I built for the layout.

Moving to the left of Cartwrights. I added a river and some waterfalls but the water isn't done yet. I still need to add ripples and all that. For some reason the surface got some wierd fogginess but it won't matter when I add gloss medium to it.

Moving further to the left...You can see how the water flows. You can also see the rest of the SW Railroad Camp on the left.


Closeup of the Railroad Camp scene, still quite a bit of detailing to do but this area is a little more finished than the other foreground parts of the layout.

More from the same area.

As I update and detail the different areas, I'll add some more detailed closeups. For the most part the structures are all done minus maybe 2 small ones I'm thinking of adding. Once I get this roof on The Shipyard done, I'll plant that on the layout then really start to tie it all together.

I'm glad the forum is back up and running, thanks for following the thread and providing your feedback everyone.


#12
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
February 02, 2022, 03:26:07 PM
Thanks Craig!
#13
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
February 02, 2022, 10:29:19 AM
Thanks Bob and Steve! I really appreciate it!
#14
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
February 01, 2022, 05:16:54 PM
Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone!

I added some fencing, vegetation and details around the service station last night.






Filling in the junk along the fence and in this corner. Still lots to go.


I added some castings around the structure to help tie it in and bring it to life. I also had some major gaps under the structure due to a pretty uneven plaster coating for the concrete, these castings cover anything visible.


This side got some castings and some junk in the corner along the fence as well.

I need to build a ton of vehicles for this area and the layout overall. I plan to make this area pretty busy with traffic.

Thanks for following along.
#15
Layout Tours / Re: Cypress Creek Railroad
January 31, 2022, 09:05:40 AM
I've been making some decent progress on the layout over the last few days. I added the base concrete under the service station and the road the leads up to the covered bridge. I also added a small structure, Val-U Fuels from Showcase Miniatures and I detailed around it. I also poured my first batch of envirotex for the stream/river.


Val-U Fuels added in its spot...




The concrete under the service station. Same method as the rest of the layout, plaster of paris painted with thinned gray chalk paint and weathered with ground up charcoal briquets.


The service station is glued down in its final home.


Added the ground cover around the fuel company.


Detailed the loading dock on the rear of the structure.


More details added on the dock and around the structure.


More of the scene.


This shot shows the flow of the area a bit better.




I detailed the interior of the garage.


I started running the fence along the rear of the garage.


First pour of the envirotex is down. I plan on running out today to get more.

Thanks for following along, more updates later. I painted tons of castings all ready for around the service station next step is detailing the area and pouring another envirotex coat.



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