Hi,
For the people who don't know me, I am a retired jack of all trades and sciences with a lifelong dream of actually completing a layout. I've started and scrapped three previous layouts because of all sorts of excuses, all which you have used yourselves. This time I'm determined to complete this layout or die trying.
It all started as a small diorama based around the SWSM Shipyard, then into large diorama based on the SWSM Twin Mills and Logging kits. i slowly realised it became dull, repeative and did not reflect the environments I knew and loved. The SWSM kits are western in style with bland earth soil colours that lacked the bright vibrant tones I grew up with. So I sold off all the SWSM (other ones I did not need) kits and built structures on eBay. This was a hard decision as I had invested in them and lived the quality of the kits, but they just would not fit into the layout.
So with a fresh (re)start having done major renovations on the garden all summer, I can focus on building the layout. I have already hit some snags and will get to them in later posts.
That's all for now.
Sounds like you have a plan Marty.....and plans and direction are good things. I keep modifying what I want to do and think I have settled on a plan, only to find it won't work or can't be done with the space available.
I know what you mean about the kit designs and how they seem to be more appropriate to a certain area of the country. FSM, FOS and SRMW all have great kits, but they are very New England oriented and don't fit, without heavy modification, on layouts whose setting is other parts of the country.
I have those kits and I can appreciate the time you have invested in putting them together. Luckily, I have decided to do a mining and timber operation that will incorporate those type of structures.
Good luck with your new direction and I look forward to seeing your progress. :)
Marty,
I'm looking forward to following your layout construction.
I love watching others build layouts. But it does remind me that I haven't worked on mine for awhile. :(
Jeff
I will be following along. I had a couple false starts before I finally decided on plan which will take the rest of my life to implement.
The more the merrier...
Now the sage begins...
I decided that I was NOT going to start from scratch but do a change in direction and strategy. I come from a computer control theory background, so the layout MUST be computer controlled. So getting the track work set out and the blocks, sensors, etc was very important to get the granularity I wanted. Getting the track work set and working was my biggest pain in the lower part of my back, literally. It took days to get every handled part of the track in gauge, level and working flawlessly (he says knowing that is not true).
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The hand made turnouts were a crazy pain. I had a #5 turnout jig, but I needed #4 turnouts to fit everything into the space I have limited the layout. I thought of buying a #4 jig, but I fell on the lower part of my back when I saw the shipped price. So I made my own from a chunk of pine and the template from Fasttrack's web site. It work quite well, so I sold my #5 jig so I would not be tempted to extend the layout.
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However, not everything came up roses. I mistakenly used the #5 Fasttrack form point tools to make the frog points. Boy that was a big mistake as it caused all the #4 switches I made go out of gauge. It took 2-3 hours per switch to get everything back into tip top shape. The approach to the point needed to be adjusted, the point shape and gauge was a filing nightmare and let alone the exit from the diverting route being rather tight. I think I ended up with a #4.1 switch after all the filing, unsoldering, re-soldering, filing testing, etc. Maybe spending the $200 CDN would have been worth it.
Here is what it looks like now,
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A bit closer look at one of the points,
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I then questioned the gauge of al the railroad and found many areas had slipped out of gauge. Maybe because of heat/cold or the mid-night elf I keep on hearing. So every inch of the 30+ feet of the track and 10 turnouts was measured with a NMRA thingy. Then spiking, un-spiking, re-spiking measuring went on for days. In the end I have a reasonable belief that it all is good. So I ran the GP 44 Ton switcher around is various directions and all was ok, however, to-day I found out it is jumping track a one point in the layout.
I will look into that problem sometime in the future. Right now I need to get the documentation in order to help fix any issues that will come up with the automation.
I'm looking forward to progress on your layout.
Jaime
Quote from: JusticeCity on October 18, 2018, 05:48:54 PM
I then questioned the gauge of al the railroad and found many areas had slipped out of gauge. Maybe because of heat/cold or the mid-night elf I keep on hearing. So every inch of the 30+ feet of the track and 10 turnouts was measured with a NMRA thingy.
Ah, thanks. I thought it was an NMRA doo dad. ;D
I am also planning to automate, although not to the level you appear to be. (I'm interesting in automating mainline running. It appears you want to automate switching as well.) I would love to exchange notes with you sometime if you're interested.
Vince, give me a break... it was a challenge to remember that I had one of those things let alone remember its name. ;D
I intend to automate the switching as my "mainline" is only long enough for a GP40 + a 40' box to move from the upper level to the lower level.
I had not planned (yet) to added DCC controller decouplers mostly for structural issues. I have between 1" to 2" plus 1/2" OSB to go through to retro fit and decoupler and already have so much more to do. I think I need to add some 10+ two aspect signals into the mix which I have not really considered yet.
Post any questions to this thread so others can benefit from the shared knowledge.
The next posts will be interesting I hope.
The biggest issue I had/have is remembering things (I guess this comes with old age or a life of stress) so i have to write everything down. As a matter of fact I have to write down that I have to write down things as I live of life that needs to have everything in its place and easily accessible. The act of documenting the layout helps clear the mind and uncover issues that I would never had seen until it was too late.
Documenting is even more important when it comes to using computers to automate the layout. Programs like JMRI (Vince did I get it right?) and TrainController demand everything have names and address otherwise they don't work! It is imperative that the computer information match the configuration for your layout. Some people use paper wiring diagrams, charts in binders, but I am not one of those people. I have spend much of my life designing and managing data centres and contractually a design and "as built" set of documents had to be produced. In the more modern world of automation systems this is called a Configuration Management DataBase (CMDB).
A CMDB is just an ordered collection of how things are connected together with historical and current timelines of the changes and design decisions. It can be as simple as a binder with paper documents, or a software package that goes out and auto discovers how things are connected together. (These are very neat tools in the data centre world, but there are not any in the model railroad world - yet). For my layout, I choose the Excel spreadsheet route as it was the easiest way of me to tweak stuff.
Here are some of my Guiding Principles for my CMDB
- that the labels on the cards, turnouts, wiring, etc will have the same name as it is in the automation program
- the naming between various automation programs be consistent whenever possible
- references to and name will be "linked" so a change would be reflected to others parts of the CMDB
- there will be a way to reflect what's under the baseboard to whats on the top of the baseboard
This sounds way too complicated, but by not creating a CMDB live would be much worst if issues and changes happen.
To put things into perspective here is a block diagram of the layout electrical system. This is the high level view and represents what is currently connected. I know there are more accessory decoders to add, but that will be documented when I design that part of the layout.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F688-191018104553.jpeg&hash=bbc6c5e49d29dafe9bcf536f99c2d9af2e65e47f)
Here is an example of the CMDB record of the power ratings and consumption
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The rest of my CMDB records are attached below.
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Here is one for how the Circuitron SMails are configured. Setting here are often duplicated in the automation programs, so knowing what is setup here if very important as a "closed" turnout can have various meaning. More on this is a later post.
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I hope this is useful to someone on how to create a CMDB for you layout. I will get into the lighting CMDB in the next post.
These posts may seem a bit dry in the reading, but I cannot stress the importance of standards and documentation needed for automating a railroad. It might be easier to just connect it all up and magically it works for the first time. If that happens, power to you. However, computer automation can be very complex and sometimes a small little quirk can take days to understand and even longer to resolve. So document as you design and build, it will pay you back.
Ok, I will get off the soapbox and onto showing the CMDB for lighting.
One of my biggest issues with the lighting is how it should be done. There is lighting for structures which I documented in a number of Youtube videos,
https://youtu.be/Up7RpMhx4Eo?list=PL9wlL7wHNjWCFz5sTMYPFrsWQLIABDNwv (https://youtu.be/Up7RpMhx4Eo?list=PL9wlL7wHNjWCFz5sTMYPFrsWQLIABDNwv)
The conclusion from those videos is that we as modellers need to change the way we add lighting to our structures. The transition through flashlight builds, to "grain of wheat" bulbs connected to 12 Volt/AC/DC has long since been replaced by LEDs, resistors and/or current limiters. LEDs in 5 mm sizes were soon replaced by 3 mm and then to various SMD (Surface Mounted Diodes) sizes.
With LED we had to worry about what resistor value we needed to get the light intensity a particular structure scene we were trying to create. Getting the best effect was a hunt and peck strategy that was often too cumbersome to manage. Then there was the issue on where do you put the resistor, in the structure or outside of it. What is you wanted lights in different rooms? How many resistors do you need? Where do you hide them all? Then wouldn't it be great is you could simulate someone coming home turning on the porch light then the hall light then the kitchen? This is were the LED/resistor based world kills those dreams.
This is where the NCE Light-it comes to the rescue. It allows you to connect three LEDs each drawing 20 ma and program each with various lighting effects. The Light-It is attached to the DCC buss and is treated as a DCC accessory for the computer automation programs. I will not go into how to program the Light-It as it is well documented in the NCS manual.
Well, the NCE Light-It is not nirvana and has it's issues/limitations. Firstly, the on/off control of an LED string is not easily accessible. Like a normal DCC accessory you can turn all the LEDs on/off by "throwing/closing" the accessory, easily done with automation. To turn on/off an individual LED requires you to change a CV in the accessory, which is a manual process. I have not yet found a way to automate this process and is on the plate to investigate further.
Q: Ok, what about the NCE Illuminator?
A: It "just" a Light-It with mini plugs in it. Otherwise it is exactly functional to the Light-It.
Q: So what about the issue of multiple resistors and that wiring you were taking about?
A: Sign, sorry to say you will have to throw out the selection of resistors and current limiters; they are no longer needed. The Light-It has them onboard.
Q: But how do you control the light intensity?
A: You will just have to use your DCC controller to change a CV. BTW: once set it is retained until you change it again, even after power failures.
Q: Where do you put this Light-It card?
A: The light-It card is "very" small and in my experience it is best mounted in the base of the structure or behind a removable panel in the structure. Its power consumption is very low and heating is not an issue.
Q: How is the Light-It powered.
A: For automation the only way is to connect to the DCC buss. While, it works on a 12 VDC source, it has to be programmed with you pressing buttons and I do not recommend doing this as it is a pain to do. Stick with the DCC source.
Q: Do you have any other recommendations/comments about the NCE Light-It"
A: Yes... The NCE Illuminator, Light-It or the Woodland Scenics Just light it give you great options for layout automation, but are static. What I mean is once you have set it up, it gets repetitive and boring. There is not easy way to turn off multiple Light-Its with the push of a button or the flick of a switch (not at least from what i have found to date.)
There still some interesting automations things that could be done. For example, as a train drops of a boxcar at a loading dock, you could turn on the dock light and left be on for a set period of time or when the boxcar was removed. This would use the Light-It as a NRMA signal function. A flashing red light could be used as a warning light, etc. The imagination is the limitation here, not the products.
Heh, you were talking about the CMDB for lighting, where is it?
Yup, here it is and you will now understand why documenting the setting is important.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F688-191018104326-347392236.jpeg&hash=ae6f5511774322a04d79a5f8bd4ffb5bdce2d06f)
Enough lecturing and the dry stuff, the next posts will have some pretty pictures.
Interesting stuff, Marty. I hadn't started thinking about lighting, yet, but you have reminded me that it's probably not too early to do so. I didn't know about the NCE lighting products - I will look at those in more detail. It is certainly a decent price point for three outputs. For my part, I have been assuming that I would use some Raspberry Pis or other single board computers to do the job. That would be partially for the flexibility but more because I don't want to be pulling amps off my DCC bus that aren't being used to run engines. Lots of study to do there, though. I haven't really looked into the current capacities of the various boards' I/O, e.g.
I am really enjoying your posts. I agree 600% about the documentation. Trying to go back "later" and change/expand/fix an electrical system without documentation is NO fun to do by tracing wires....especially when much of it is not easily accessible (under the layout, for example). Here's an example of a few pages from the ring binder I have been putting in place for my circuitry. Nowhere near the structure of what you have, but hopefully will keep me out of trouble. I have north end staging that represents Chicago on my layout. Occupancy blocks are set up as follows:
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My staging blocks are all broken into three blocks. The middle block is the large block and will usually contain most of the train. The end blocks are each about three feet in length and allow the software to recognize that the train has reached the end of the block when coming from either direction.
I use a lot of Railroad CirKits products - really like them. They can operate on the Digital LocoNet bus but allow you to supply external power. The Watchman is their occupancy sensor product. Each board gets its own address (you can see them on my diagram -- note they can go above 9999) and can inductively sense down to 500 microamps via 100:1 current transformers enclosing a feeder lead. To track the mapping of individual wires to each block, I keep a terminal strip diagram as follows:
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I keep screen captures of all of the JMRI pages needed to program the Watchman boards needed to set up the CVs to make all this happen. I won't post those - probably not interesting.
Once the information is in JMRI, I connect it to CATS (Computer Automated Traffic System -- http://cats4ctc.wikidot.com (http://cats4ctc.wikidot.com)) to build what I hope will be the CTC dispatching station for my operating sessions. Yet to be determine how much automation can happen within the open source software and how much I will need to modify or add myself.
I have similar documentation for turnout control using the RR CirKits Motorman boards. This is one place where I really appreciate the ability to use external power (to control the Tortoise switch machines). I will shortly be getting some Signalman boards to manage signals once I have the mainline completely blocked, wired, and sensed. You brought up an interesting point - using signal controllers for general light control. I also hadn't considered that. Some more good ideas to ponder.
More later.
Interesting, I will get into the NCE vs "X" in a later post.
So you ask "... so what..."
This is why ...
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and this maybe another reason ...
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F688-181018173710-3472458.jpeg&hash=d07f32055c61338d077ef3d2cecb0df979e409e9)
ok, this is not a reason for a CMDB, but a way to reduce the number of things I have to screw into the baseboard.
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Q: Why the Circuitron Small?
A: Because I can. No, it is because I did not want to have a 12 vdc buss, or a 5 vdc buss and I wanted to simplify the wiring.
However, I wavered on what type of control of turnouts I wanted. Initially I thought servo based was the cat's meow, but I quickly learned it is a screaming messy, pain in the neck with too much effort to get the working just perfectly. "Oh, it simulates the real turnout...", I thought I wanted that, but that is not really what it does. It is too slow in fast clock time and consumes power even if it is never used. Which forces you to turn off ALL power to the railway to stop doing that. (unless you have an on/off switch in the DCC buss feeds.
While the documentation for the Small is 6 sides in very small print, it references something called "auto-align" and points you to a application note # that does not exist on the companies web site. Of the 10 Smails I have had 3 are "flaky". I use that term loosely as there is an air of unreliability to the servo action. For example, I toggle a turnout to a thrown or closed position it moves over to that position then immediately returns to the position it started from. If I power everything off and re-boot the DCC controller a different Small will behave the same behaviour and the original one works perfectly.
Now, is it the Servo part of the Smail or the NCE Switch-it in the Smail or is it the NCE DCC controller? I really don't know and have yet to be able to replicate reliability to troubleshoot it. I suppose I could just use the 12 VDC to switch them, but that is so not helpful to what I am trying to do.
Do I believe my decision was right selecting the NCE ecosystem?
Yes, and no. Yes, because the supply of NCE components is greater in my area (Toronto, Ontario).
If I had infinite funds, I would rather of gone for the ESU ecosystem. So what is done is done and I have to live with it until I win a Lottery. So until that has happened I needed to add manual toggles to activate the turnout. As temporary as it gets.
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Can you guess what this mess is for?
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F688-181018173755-347291055.jpeg&hash=eb1b744263e0e7411f1603c592e7579970dbfd0d)
You guessed it and did you realize how bad it could be?
I liked the idea of having a simple small tablet that I could use as an elegant way of programming and playing with the trains. (I'm the type of guy that watches the train move back and forth a couple times and then walks away. I need eye candy to keep me interested.)
First a little background, I have built magical control panels using plastics, aluminum and wood and never liked them. A tablet is the way to go, but it must be easier then connecting 100 wires to switches and terminal blocks. I wanted to use as little space as possible for the control panel so I built a sliding drawer under the baseboard where I could slide the control panel out do something, then slide it out of the way as the trains did their thing.
I walked into Staples a year ago and I saw this 10" Acer tablet that ran Windows 10. It had a detachable keyboard a single Mini-USB connection with a MicroSD card reader. I thought I finally had a solution and put down the $300 minus the employee discount and was off to the races. Yes, it has limited memory and was not the fastest CPU on the block, but a railway does not need that. The selling point was it ran Windows because most of the other cheap tablets were Android. The train software I looked at the time did not run on Android.
I had previously tested JMRI and TrainController Gold to see which I like and would suit my needs. It could be either one, so I decided to spend some PayPal money and buy TrainController Bronze for $139 USD. It seemed to have all the features I needed for my small layout. After the purchase I got an e-mail stating I would be receiving a package in the mail in the next couple weeks. I just figure it was just going to be a registration key and was surprised that it was a large USB stick. I shook my head and figured it was just the "Non-Demo" version of the software. It was not! It is a security dongle that you MUST have plugged in order to run the TrainController software.
Here is the fun part...the tablet does not have the "normal" USB connector. So I needed a Mini-USB to a Normal USB adaptor to plug in the TrainController Security dongle. But how do I connect the NCE USB interface to control the layout?
Oh, pooh! I need to find a Mini-USB to normal USB Hub so I can connect the security dongle and the NCE DCC system to this Acer tablet. Yuk! I could not find one that was cheap, so I had to get a normal USB to Normal USB hub. Double Yuk!
You thought that was a pain, just wait.
To edit and create the layouts on the screen with just the tablet and my cold finger tips was impossible so I need to make sure I had a mouse connected to speed up the hand to pointer connection. There goes another USB port on the hub.
I wanted to be able to edit the TrainController/JMRI configurations on my main desktop so I need to move my files back and forth from the Acer table to the desktop. I asked Freiwald if I could put my files on their security dongle and he said it is NOT a recommended practice and could screw everything up. There goes another USB port on the hub.
So to connect the hub to the tablet there are a few choices,
A stubby adaptor that causes the tablet to lean to the left when the USB hub is connected. (Notice the power plug is needed to give enough power to the USB connect to power all the USB connections.
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Or, my other choice,
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At least there is no stress on the mini-usb connector, but looks like pooh.
So where are we today? It looks like this,
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Its gawd awful and cumbersome when the tablet is sitting on it elegant iKea tablet stand.
This leaves me with a number of options,
- buy a tablet with more ports. Never going to happen with my budget
- use one of my 10 year old desktops. Very unlikely as there is no room for it, not pretty and makes too much noise
- mount the hub under the baseboard and have a longer USB cable connecting to the tablet. Best choice so far.
Sorry, for the long post but these are the things that de-motivate and frustrating in trying to create simple elegant solutions.
In the next post I will get a bit into the Freiwald TrainController Bronze. Not much detail, just enough to show why I chose it.
TrainController, what can I say about it?
Its sort of like the sweet smell of a good hot chilli - your are drawn in by the heavenly aroma of the ground beef, onions, cumin, hot peppers and various other secret herbs and spices. As you bring a spoonful of that lovingly made chilli to your mouth the aromatic fumes fill your nasal passages and into your lungs. You cough slightly as the hot spices penetrate the lining of your throat and the anticipation is quickly satisfied as you take a full mouthful of promise. Your stomach aches for a taste of that homemade nirvana. As the first taste passes the uvula you realize that may have been a mistake! What to do? The stomach is crying for it, but your taste buds have just experienced the second coming. Do you spit it out? Or pretend to choke and have someone give you the rap on the back? Or do you take it like a man and swallow it? You swallow!
The steaming chilli has left a trail of singed flesh down your throat. The stomach is beginning to question its life choices. Only one thing to do. Shout out gleefully that it "is a hot chilli and it tastes great". They man up and toast the chef for such an excellent chilli; then drink a gallon of your favourite fluid to numb the burning. In an hour or two your digestive system brings you back to reality and is telling you that it demands attention; which you quickly attend to.
Wait! The stomach is calling you. Initially, just as a rumble that turns into a full out scream as digestive juices seep up your throat. It needs something, what can it be? Oh yes, I forgot that soda and chilli do not like each other. Where was the cow? Then you remember your aunt acid, she always knew what to do. Yup! That does the trick.
I wonder if the chilli would re-heat tomorrow?
That sums up my review of TrainController Bronze.
Interesting, but way beyond my pea brain in setting it all up.
Tom 8)
Marty,
I managed to buy a full-fledged Toshiba laptop for $125 on Black Friday....
Carry on.
Jaime
Quote from: NEMMRRC on October 22, 2018, 07:28:17 PM
Marty,
I managed to buy a full-fledged Toshiba laptop for $125 on Black Friday....
Carry on.
Jaime
Was it a touchscreen with detachable keyboard?
So what does TrainController look like and what do I like and dislike about it?
Why so many questions? They are so tough to answer without someone saying JMRI does that or program xxx is better. All these are valid statements and have their individual merits but sometimes you have eat the extra hot chilli (Yah I spelt it right. Dang, I meant spelled it right.) My decision to but TrainController Bronze came down to the simply to use interface and did not depend on loading up my computer with tons of files and their dependancies. You have one executable to run and it runs fast without having panel z, panel y and panel k all up on the screen. If you know JMRI you will know what I mean.
Here are a series of screen captures of my small Acer tablet to help show why I chose the product,
First the opening splash screen,
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The first thing to do was to setup the contacts (sensors),
Give it a name,
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Setup a connection to the NCE USB interface/DCC cab. Notice how simple it is to enter the DCC accessary address to the NCE AUI; not like JMRI where you have to calculate the address by a magical formula.
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Then setup the blocks,
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Define the block properties (notice there are lots of setting here that I have not setup yet, such as places for the train to ramp up/down speed, signal lights, etc. Way too much to get into at this point in time.)
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Then the turnouts can be configured. This is a very confusing part of what I had to go through. Needless to say I did the minimum to just get the turnouts to switch. Don't worry there is a simple drawing feature that will be connecting the contacts, blocks and turnouts together. I will leave that for some YouTuber to show you the fine details on how to do that. Just search for TrainController and you will see them.
I created the connection to the DCC cab.
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I then gave it a name,
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There is an "Inspector" window where the properties of the contact (Sensor), block, turnout and etc are displayed. A great feature to use because it shows in which routes it will effect. (BTW: all available routes are automatically calculated in the background and its just a matter of selecting the one you want. I will not be getting into that either.)
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So how track diagram look like? I thought you would never ask. This shows how everything is tied together.
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The menu bar at the top gives you all the options I can play with. The middle window is the drawing/editing and operating track plan. The bottom window are the engines and trains I have configured so far.
This is about as much detail as I dare to get into as the legume will get over-cooked and I will begin to start talking garbage. There is so much more to implement and features I have not even begun to think about. This is the most basic setup to get block detection and turnouts working. Running engines and trains; not right now.
Ok, what do i like about TrainController Bronze,
- It was very easy to setup in its basic form. It took less than an hour to setup the 16 contacts, 16 blocks and 10 turnouts
- Drawing the track plan and making it pretty was about 2 hours
- The basic setup on an engine took less than 15 minutes including the custom thumbnails for my engines
- Easy install and interfaces is a standard windows style so learning curve was zero
So what don't I like about it,
- New nomenclature that I was not familiar with (i.e. contact vs sensor)
- This version does not have turnout feedback, i.e. sensor contact that the turnout is on the thrown or closed position. This feature is ONLY in the GOLD version that costs an unbearable cost of $649 USD. JMRI does have this, ok get that smile off your faces JMRI fan boys,
- I am not yet sure if I use the NCE Power Cab to throw or close a turnout (or the manual toggle) that the program knows about it. For example, if I use the toggle to throw turnout T100 would the program know it was thrown or just assume it is still closed and/or would it close it as part of running a train.
- The same goes to the use of the throttle. This is still under investigation.
Are confused yet? I am. There is still so much to learn and you never know I may convert to JMRI.
Comments?
Well, I think I have cracked the unreliability of the electrical part of the layout. It has been a battle to have some predictably between the hardware and software.
Here is what I found out,
- I had a 12vdc bus for lighting structures that I powered with a supply that had the same size plug as the track power. At times I would confuse them and plug that one into the track power plug. (NCE Power Cab bus). It did not always connect and just did not have enough juice. So I eliminated the 12vdc bus jumpered it to the DCC bus and added a switch to control all the lights on the layout. Then I removed all 12 vdc ONLY structures from the bus and moved all the Nce Light-it connections to it. Now the track and lighting are on separate buses [size=78%]powered from one transformer supply.[/size]
- next I bought a NCE SB5 and UTP panel to replace the NCE Power Cab and power supply. Then everything started[/size][size=78%] to work as planned.[/size]
A post mortum turned up that the SB5 was running 1.65B firmware and the Power Cab was running 1.65. This improvement of the firmware version, added amps and faster SB5 command station accounted to getting it working.
TrainController Bronze now works reliably, however JMRI does connect, but still not there yet. Somehow JMRI's configurations are just not right, I believe it is a known bug in 1.65B. I need to spend sometime looking at this.
I can now run trains from the computer and plan on getting routes and thing setup. There is so much to learn in TrainController and expect it will keep me busy until next year.
That's all for now.
(Sorry no pictures yet.)
I've taking some time off from trying to get TrainController Bronze to behave as I think it should. The developer stated that NCE systems will no longer have any support for future versions and will not "fix" and bugs that are reported with NCE systems. I am now questioning my life choices.
So I decide to actually build a model for the next few weeks. The Goodman and Wolfe distillery's main build was built a while ago with the intention of adding the fermentation building next to it. That is why there is a gap in the background.
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I wanted the fomentation building to be a continuation of the lower part of the main building as it is in the prototype. This means I could use the existing mould that I use to create the main building. I cast a few lower panels to have some extras to work with. When the Hydrocal was still wet I pressed some card stock to its back to stiffen it and to provide a over lap to the adjacent panel. A bit of epoxy and some strip wood helped keep the wall nice and straight.
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From the back you can see how it looks. The left edge of the wall has the card stock cut back so I can but up the end wall (this will lead to the chimney.)
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Hydrocal is a finicky plaster and sometimes a corner break off; no problem I will fix that later. In the prototype that are columns/buttresses to support the walls and the roof. I will file down a section of the wall between windows and add strips of the cast panels.
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Adding the buttresses was a messy job, but with the help of a cut-off wheel in the Dremel and a shop vac the job when quickly. The buttresses were epoxied inlace and Hydrocal was used to fill in any gaps. A bit of file/blade work restored the block mortar lines.
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This is roughly how it will look when completed.
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This step was the easy part but very messy. Getting the side walls and roof framing is a bit more challenging. Then comes the hall to the chimney and colouring the building to match the main building. Lucky I kept the palette for from colouring the main building.
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Until next time.
Very nice modeling.
Curt, I appreciate the compliment.
Martin,
Looking forward to the finished building and how you will add the weathering.
the TrainControl Bronze system is very interesting.
Tom ;D
Tom, I think I will do a video on the process of colouring the new building. I hope I can get it the same as the main building.
Ok, back to the regular scheduled program,
I need to add the rock foundation to the building. I made a mould of a rock/block wall I got yard ago and cast a 1/4" thick copy with Hydrocal. I have tried to cut Hydrocal with all sorts of methods and tools from saws, No. 11 blades to files and snapping the piece off. I even have used "tile nippers" to get a rough cut and then file the edges flat. All of those methods are all very risky. The best method so far is using a cuts-off wheel on a Dremel or Jeweller's Flex-Shaft tool. I set up a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the dust and use a straight edge to score the cuts-off line with the thin cut-off line. Then slowly work down into the Hydrocal. It takes a bit of time and is still dusty, but it works very well.
As you know already I use Epoxy to stick Hydrocal to everything. It is a simple matter to make sure the mating edges are clean and flat and making sure the epoxy does not flow out to the visible surfaces. If it does wait until it dries and the cut it off, or alternatively use a IPA on a cotton swab and hip the epoxy up. (You may have to do a bit more clean up when the epoxy dries.)Here I have epoxied the foundation to the wall segment. (The wall next to the main building is just some mat board to provide some support for the roof later.
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I did a similar thing on the exposed wall. Here you can see the seam left from the epoxy pressing out too much. (BTW: the side was is from one of the "broken" wall casting and is for the same level of the front wall. This way the blocks sorta line up.)
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Ok, I'm not perfect! There are cracks in the seams and casting bubbles are in a number of places. I fix this with a "magical" trick. I use the dried Hydrocal bits and grind them up into a fine dust and mix it with too much water. This slurry does not cure extremely hard and is rather soft and flows/brushes very easily into cracks and almost dries instantly. It can't be used as a structural paster, but is great for getting into those places when "properly" Hydrocal cannot.
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As you can see from the end wall the seam is virtually invisible and I have carved the stone to flow around the corner.
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With the wall roughed out, I need to start considering the windows, roof supports and the roof slates and whether or not I will use the chimney.
See you next time.
Really nice job with the hydrocal.
Yes, Marty -- very nicely blended around the corner.
Curt, Vince, thanks for dropping by. I have this love/hate relationship with Hydrocal, it colours lovely, but creates such a mess with its fine dust that goes EVERYWHERE.
I managed to do a bit of work on the building roof and windows. I have tried many ways to build a roof, and found that this is the fastest and easiest way fro me.
First I start with some card stock cut to size and lined to the half with of the shingles.
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Then give the bottom and sides a coat of brown and black spray paint.
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Then I spray the back of the shingles with a flat black rattle can paint to make sure the edges are dark. Then The fronts are randomly sprayed with brown, black, khaki and grey spray can paint. I do twice as many shingles then I think I need.
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I cut the shingle sheets into strips and mix them all together. This way I will pick random shingles when I glue them on. Yes, I glue them on and do not use the transfer tape from 3M or any other solvent dissolvable glue. From past experience I have found that if I decide to colour/chalk the shingles using any alcohol the shingles will stay put.
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The roof card then turned out like below. I got lazy here and did not cut the strips into random lengths so there is a pattern still in the shingles. If you zoom into the picture you will see they look very real with bright and dark areas the glisten.
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So here is what it looks like so far.
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See you in the next one.
Progress has been a bit slow because of the season, however I have managed to get the windows done.
Plastic windows painted dark green,
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Then plugged into the window openings after a bit of fitting and dirty glass,
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I need to build up the baseboard foam so the structure lays level. Not a big issue and there is time to do that later.
Have a happy New Year.
I thought I was going to film the weathering of the walls in this building but I got lazy. Here is how it turned out.
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It was weather a very traditional way with free flowing thought and adjustments. Here is what I remember what I did,
- Soaked in IPA
- Used a dark grey chalk/IPA mix and slopped it everywhere there was Hydrocal. This makes the motor lines a dark grey and begins the process of toning the plaster.
- Then I randomly coloured the blocks with various red, brown, sienna and rust chalk/IPS mix. Most of this will be hardly visible in the end.
- Then slopped Ink/IPA solution everywhere. It flows into all the hidden spots and mixes the various chalks together to give a smooth tone.
- The corner blocks were coloured with a very diluted mix of white hobby paint, IPA, brown, black and sienna chalk. This mix from the palette was painted on the corner blocks, sills and lintels.
- Then a final slopping of Ink/IPA to help blend everything
- This is the weird part - A very light dusting of varnish to fix the colours of the wall. The next stuff I do will then mix with the wet varnish to provide a durable finish.
- When the varnish is still damp a dusting of white chalk is applied to lighten the wall colours and to provide various highlights. (This is very much a feel step.)
- I use a coarsish brush and mix and blend the chalks to get something I like.
[size=78%]I was not really trying to match the main building as it would be really too much trouble since most of this [/size]building wall will be hidden by the woodworking buildings. The building is also very low down and close to the track and would be very messy.Any questions or comments?
I keep on tweaking until I like the look; I'm getting closer
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Marty,
That little addition to the larger structure turned out very nice. Well done.
Tom ;D
Tom thanks. There is still more work to be done in that area at some point in time.
I finally got to building a small wooden bridge to go from Gran Ma's property toward town. This will eventually go through a small orchard (maybe). The bridge is not wide enough for a car, but a golf cart or tractor could go over it. I decided to make a arched bridge to add some interest and allow for the span of 20' HO.
I used some matte card, scored the under side of it to look like planks of wood. I then worked it a pleasant arch and glued some 2x6 boards on it.
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I trail fit it into place before adding more 2x6 planks. Strange as it seems the arch remained after the glue dried.
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I glued a couple 3x12 board together and cut it to the curve and glued them to the edges of the arch. I then inset some 4x4 posts into that beam. The four end posts will be used to plant the bridge in the final location.
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The hand rail (2x6) was epoxied to the top of the posts and held inlace until the epoxy cured dried.
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It now looks like an arch wooden bridge.
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I struggled on how to colour the bridge. It could be a worn grey colour (unlikely because the house is well taken care of) or it could be a white. Hmm, so I decided on the fresh cedar wood look. I might paint it later, but I want to see how the scenery will turn out.
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Thats all for awhile as I escape this brutal cold weather.
Really nice foot bridge Marty.
Nice job Marty
Excellent Marty.
Thanks for the nice comments.
To-day I planted the bridge and did a few minor things to make the scene look better
This is how it looked stuck into the baseboard.
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I added some rubble into the creek/river and a first pass of colour to kick-off some ideas. The bridge was given a wash of diluted white paint to soften the bright red wood and give it a weather look. The figure helps to give some scale to the bridge to provide it is the right size.
I also added the path on both sides of the bridge to begin to outline how the apple orchard will look like. If you notice in the background there is a weathered fence to provide some separation from the railway track. To the left of the bridge there will be small veg patch in the future.
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Looks great Marty..... 8)
HeyMarty;
Great looking bridge. Thanks for sharing.
Karl
the whitewash definitely did the trick! I find that a whitewash, or dry brushing white improves just about everything on my models!
Wondering what I have been doing?
You will see soon as I collect myself and get back into the swing if things and add some posts.
Meanwhile I have been cleaning house and selling stuff.
Marty, I love how the bridge turned out :) Dennis
Here are a few pics of what I've done with Gran Ma's House, now known as Gran's B&B.
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That's nice, I've always liked that kit.
dave
I am so dis organized and need cleanup and catch up on the videos I made over the last few months.
(VIDEO DELETED)
Marty
Nice to see the new owners taking such good care of that old house!
Gran's B&B turned out great, Martin.
Cheers, Mark.
I have to agree. You did a Great job.......Dennis
Hey martin:
Grandma's House looks great.
Karl
Thanks guys. I even impressed myself.
See you again in another six months.
\Marty
I shook together a quick view of the Gran's B&B scene. It's good enough as a first pass and lets me get to the next part of the build.
Enjoy
(VIDEO DELETED)
Really nicely done Marty.
Here is evidence that you can do so little yet make a big impression on a layout.
(VIDEO DELETED)
Its all click bait!
Hello again,
My life has been crazy over the past 6-7 months with getting my daughter moved into the University of Ottawa Geology program, renovating the gardens to make them less maintenance (read as more cedar hedges, landscape fabric and mulch), levelling and re-seeding with better seed and eliminating all the weeds by hand. Then there was the 35 year old promise to give my wife a laundry room to die for and the fun that entails. Replacing all 60 year old copper pipes that had layers of sand in them with a PEX solution.
Oh yea - there was that work on the street to replace all the water mains that increased the pressure to the water shutoff in the house that leaked and flooded the basement. This ruined all the carpeting in the main part of the basement and it had to all be replaced with laminate flooring. This meant I had to spend the past few months cleaning up this mess in the basement.
I took the water main flood a chance to re-locate the Justice City Diorama out of the workroom/furnace room into the main part of the basement. I did manage to record some of the action for your entertainment and ridicule (LOL).
Here is the first video in a series of 5 phases,
(VIDEO DELETED)
and if you are reading this after 5 January 2010, here is the playlist for it,
(VIDEO DELETED)
Enjoy
Looks good Marty.....I bet you're glad all this is behind you so you can move forward with your modeling. :)
Gregory, yes I am so looking forward to it. But first I have to get the workbench back in order. It never ends.
Marty,
Glad to see you back at modeling again. Six months is a long time.
Tom ;D
I'm taking geology courses at UNH (one per semester, so "half speed.") My summary so far, "Mineralogy is hard." But I'm really enjoying it, and I've been looking at my scenery with a much more educated eye (with some things being reconsidered because they no longer look right.)
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 06, 2020, 11:25:45 AM
I'm taking geology courses at UNH (one per semester, so "half speed.") My summary so far, "Mineralogy is hard." But I'm really enjoying it, and I've been looking at my scenery with a much more educated eye (with some things being reconsidered because they no longer look right.)
dave
A little knowledge is always dangerous.
Quote from: deemery on January 06, 2020, 11:25:45 AM
I'm taking geology courses at UNH (one per semester, so "half speed.") My summary so far, "Mineralogy is hard." But I'm really enjoying it, and I've been looking at my scenery with a much more educated eye (with some things being reconsidered because they no longer look right.)
dave
That sounds great Dave.....I wish I had taken a few geology courses in college so I could understand what I was seeing when we head out west to the Rockies. Pegi and I love being in the mountains, but I don't understand what I'm seeing beyond really big hills, lots of trees and a bunch of snow. ???
The "Roadside Geology" book series is a good place to start. My geology profs aren't real fond of them, too simplistic. But for someone with no background, they're good. The other book I'd recommend, the one that got me back into geology, is John McPhee's "Annals of the Former World".
Also, many states have introductory books/pamphlets on geology. One of my favorites was from the PA Geologic Survey, "Geology of the Gettysburg Campaign."
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 21, 2020, 04:15:17 PM
The "Roadside Geology" book series is a good place to start. My geology profs aren't real fond of them, too simplistic. But for someone with no background, they're good. The other book I'd recommend, the one that got me back into geology, is John McPhee's "Annals of the Former World".
Also, many states have introductory books/pamphlets on geology. One of my favorites was from the PA Geologic Survey, "Geology of the Gettysburg Campaign."
dave
Thanks for the information Dave.....I'll check into them for our next trip out west. :)
Nice video Marty. I'll follow along.
Jerry
Hey Marty:
Glad to see you are building A model. Will be following your progress.
Karl
Marty,
Nice videos, neat build also.
Tom ;D
Hey Marty:
Enjoyed the videos. Great job with the peeling paint. I will be following along.
Karl
Well I am finally done the garage as far as I want to take it at this time.
Give this video a glance to see how it turned out.
(VIDEO DELETED)
Beautiful work Marty.....loved the lighting in the video.[size=78%] [/size] 8)
Awesome Marty.
Marty,
Love the lighting, great job. Interior is wonderful.
Tom ;D
hey Marty:
great looking interior.
Karl
Guys, thanks for stopping by, it is appreciated.
Here is a quick one day build of an old storage shed that will be hidden behind the engine house when I eventually get to it.
(VIDEO DELETED)
Be kind with this build.
Another quick update.
I bought a FSM Sand House kit back in late 2016 and started to build it. Then I put on the back shelf until some other tasks were completed. Now is the time to finish it.
Join me in the journey in build the kit with no instructions, only templates and stripwood that was sized wrong. What would I should have expected for a $20.00 CDN kit?
Click the Justice City link below to see what has been happening.
Hi Marty,
I saw a pen with the digital logo in one of your videos. It brought back memories from my old PDP11 days!
regards,
Joe
"PDP-11, that's a name I haven't heard in a very long time...." ;D
dave
Wow, there are DECies here!
I work for them for 20 years running the infrastructure in Canada for 10 years and Professional Services for another 20 years.
PDP-11! That was the first computer I ever touched! I was a kid and my father was using it to analyze flights on the Jaycopter at the Navy base in Pensacola FL. I still remember the smell of the electronics and the enclosures. It was what hooked me on computers back then.
BTW, love the interior.
The first computer I touched is a tie between the PDP-12 (a PDP-8 plus LINC subsystem) and an Intel 8008. I was destined to be a computer nerd. 😆
I still have the technical bible I used when I was one of the on site Dec crew at Citibank 399 Park Avenue in New York City. I really enjoyed going to work fixing my favorite equipment which were 1170 systems, RP04 disc drives, TU16 tape drives and DH11 multiplexors. Hard to believe the disc drive was about the size of a washing machine, weighed about 600 pounds, held 100mb and each system had a bank of them. The monthly "Decservice" maintenance charge for one RPO4 was about 400.00 a month if I remember correctly and that 400.00 was worth a lot more back then!
I moved on to management later on in my 18 years with them but the days as a tech were the best.
Joe
Now that the house renovations are complete it is time to start collecting supplies for the backdrop. I had decided to to do a simple spray painted one mostly because I was lazy. My test backdrop I did a few years ago looked ok for the layout so I decided to expand it to the whole diorama.
I went to Homedepot to get a bunch of Rust-oleum colours, in particular the ones I used on the test panel, Aqua and Oasis Blue. Would you know both are out of stock in all the HD, Lowes, Ace, Canadian Tire and Home Hardware stores in the Greater Toronto Area. Even the art stores do not have them! I saw them on eBay for $32 CDN per can and that is insane and Amazon.ca does not have them, yet they are still listed as being manufactured by Rust-oleum.
There must be a black market for them?
So I have to spend the next year thinking how to do the backdrop over ;D
Oh well.
Hi there,
If you have not realized I have exited the world of creating videos for YouTube and have delete the couple channels that I managed. This was mostly because I was spreading myself too thin and not having the motivation, time or resources to do the channels justice (yes, a pun this early in the post.)
So for the next few posts I will be catching you up what I have been doing in this year of isolation. In this post I will show you where I got in building the FSM Sand House.
Here is what the kit box looks like,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131121-466111379.jpeg)
It looks great and a snap to build, but will it fit into the diorama? It looks like will since I have the Shay to fuel up.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131121-46609990.jpeg)
The question remains can I actually build it and tune it to look natural in the diorama? The marketing says I should be able to. Taking a look at the blueprints it should be done in a few sessions (not)!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131121-466101230.jpeg)
Given the instructions that came with this $20 kit it is going to be longer than I think.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131121-46612832.jpeg)
So I started the build,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131121-46613508.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131245-466142096.jpeg)
then I gave up! After giving myself a stern talking to I buckled down and finished building the main bone os the structures. This I what I ended up with.
The actual Sand House,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131245-466151450.jpeg)
Coal bins,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131245-466162492.jpeg)
and some sort of shed that I have no idea what it is for?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120131245-46617932.jpeg)
So that is where I stand with the FSM Sand House... sitting on the diorama looking lost and forgotten. It just does not fit into the diorama in terms of space and functionality. I need to build the Engine Shed first to see how the engine yard will look like.
Meanwhile, I got onto working on the last of the background build, ITLA Industrial Build "D". In the next post I will show what I have done to that kit to spark my creative juices.
Until later.
Before I get into the ITLA build, here are a few snaps of the Lighthouse Garage build I worked on last year, ut never actually posted any pictures of.
This build started with a "free" kit from the last FineScale show. It was a gasoline station kit that just did not fit into the diorama. See a trend here and why the motivation wavered over the past year. Anyways, it turned out great and will fit into the lighthouse scene very well.
The mandatory set of the different views of the garage, notice there is an interior detail, but the garage doors are not built yet (some day soon...sing along ... some day soon ... ;D )
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120134238-466182297.jpeg)
The other side,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120134239-46620357.jpeg)
Can't forget this side. Notice the paint peeling effect. I used "WhiteOut" tape from Staples and pressed it onto a grey painted background and burnished it until it looked absolutely perfect.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120134238-46619634.jpeg)
A quick drone shot gives an view of the interior details. Like all my builds they are never done.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120134239-466211456.jpeg)
And they all have "light-it" controlled LED lighting to add that sense of realism.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120134239-466222026.jpeg)
Ok, the next post will "really" be the ITLA Industrial Build "D" build done Marty' way ... through trial and error.
Great looking build.
Marty,
Good to see you back working on the layout. There are so many aspects of this hobby that it is very easy to get side tracked.
Tom ;D
Quote from: ACL1504 on November 09, 2020, 07:56:27 AM
Marty,
Good to see you back working on the layout. There are so many aspects of this hobby that it is very easy to get side tracked.
Tom ;D
Tom, You are so right...
Hi,
As indicated in earlier posts, I am working on the ITLA Industrial Build "D" kit that I purchased a couple years ago. I saw the kit at FineScale show and was impressed on how it looked and how easy it was to put together. I snapped one up and it has been sitting on the shelf until I had the time and guts to build it.
The kit I a "background" kit made of hardboard/Masonite/compressed paper that are laser cut so that they use finger joins to align and make the kit build easy. (so you would think so.)
I am not going to show you what the kit is "supposed" to look like because it might taint your view on how successful my version of the build will go.
Here are all the parts that come with the kit of which I will use only a couple of them.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141054-466411119.jpeg)
As you can see the depth of the side walls are about 1.5" which is about 1" too thick for where I plan to put the structure. It will go behind Warden Woodworking kit where the track clearances are really small. So I cut the edge wall on the right to be about 0.5" wide.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141054-466421296.jpeg)
The left wall was also split to match the right side.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141054-466432081.jpeg)
There is cornice that goes along the top of the structure to add some interest to the façade. It is made of 4 strips of plywood that are glued on top of each other to build up the cornice.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141054-466441376.jpeg)
Getting the cornice to line up with the top edge proved to be quite a challenge. More on this in a later photograph.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141054-466451894.jpeg)
I jumped ahead and glued the side walls to the front panel to see how it would look. The instructions say to first lightly spray paint each piece before assembly, but I thought that was weird as the colour blending around the walls need to have some consistency. Plus, I was not too sure which panels I was going to use in the build.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141153-466461707.jpeg)
I then stared at the glued structure and notice that something was not looking quite right. I then got out the rule and measured the left and right spacing from the window edge to the finished wall edge and they were not the same. A standalone building would have not been built that way as symmetry is one of the keystone of an architects mantra. So I got out the drill and a diamond cutoff wheel and trimmed the right side tabs off to create that balance I so need to have in this building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141153-46647172.jpeg)
After doing this I came to the conclusion I "hate" building kits that use hardboard for wall panels. The dust is so fine and light I had to have the vacuum cleaner hose tucked under my chin to suck all that dust. As I still had to change my shirt as it smelled of paper dust.
ITLA tried very hard to incorporate way of hiding joint lines between each wall panel. The sides have brick strips that are intended to do that. It the structure was way in the background for my diorama it would have been ok, but it is ~24" from two edges of the diorama, all joints stick out like a sore thumb.
Also, notice I cut the foundation to match the slope of land where the structure will be placed.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141153-466481136.jpeg)
I always try to add interiors and lighting to all the buildings in the diorama and this one is no different. The roof and floors are added to help differentiate the each floor and reduce light leaks.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141153-466491020.jpeg)
Ok, this is where the build gets very messy! I tried to use the spray paint technique but the paint cans were against me. The rust paint can sprayer got clogged after the first couple lite sprays then globs of paint flew everywhere. My hands were covered in rust paint not to mention the walls. I tried various other colours, but it just got worse and worser(sp). I gave up spraying and got out the lacquer thinners and wiped all the spray paint off the panels until I got something I so of liked.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141153-466502460.jpeg)
I then tested on the diorama to see how it looked. This is when reality kicked in. There is very little space for the loading dock and those joints stood out even worse than I thought they would. I will have to decide later whether or not the loading docks should be there at all.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141258-466512233.jpeg)
Now let's get dirty! The colour still sucks, the gaps are big enough to fly a jet though them. The side wall did NOT have any bricks cut into them, so had glued plastic card bricks to the sides before spray painting. Also, the upper cornice corner looks terrible, well below standard. This had to be fixed!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141258-46652498.jpeg)
I got right to it. I am not going to have a chimney on the roof so I could use those brick panels to build out the cornice corners to correctly wrap around the to the side wall. Yes, they were small little pieces that I glued in sections to create the same cornice as in the front. They some modellers puddy was used to fill the gaps and the brick line patterns were cut into the panels to continue the brick pattern from front to the side. It looks much better and will be touched up later when final detailing is done. (there I still a lot of work to be done.)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141258-466532155.jpeg)
Speaking of gaps and not looking right, the foundation had the same issue as the cornices. I found some scrap plywood and carved blocks into it to wrap the foundation around the sides also.
Oh! Those foundations. They are terrible, so two dimensional and too uniform for a older building. So out came the Excel knife and I carved the block joints to add some depth to the foundation. I have decided that the foundation will not be limestone, but sandstone. This means the blocks are quite regular in size and shape, but the mortar joints have worn down. I will add colour variations after I decide on the loading dock situation.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141258-46654354.jpeg)
The decision to call this an "older" building would mean the bricks would have begun to fail and spall. Again, the Excel blade to the rescue.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141258-466551145.jpeg)
This is where I am with the build so far. The colour of the brick is closer to what the scene needs, the side views are now more acceptable and is ready to have window and electrical work done to add spice to the building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-081120141347-466571730.jpeg)
I wonder what name I need to paint on the building? Lawyers Machinery?
That's is all for now,
Marty WOW your fixes sure make the building look good. Nice job.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 09, 2020, 02:36:51 PM
Marty WOW your fixes sure make the building look good. Nice job.
There is room for more improvements as you will see in the next post.
I have been experimenting with the colour of the building and trying to get the foundation a sandstone colour and the mortar lines more "sandy" in colour to have the bricks stand out better.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094821-467101985.jpeg)
The window sills are the next challenge. If your look carefully you will see that the laser cut window sills are actually smaller than the cut out of the wall panel. There are the width of the laser beam (x2) wider and the sill just do not look right.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094821-467111662.jpeg)
It is better seen from this angle.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094821-46712974.jpeg)
So off to the scrap bin and get some wood that I could cut to the exact size and install into the sill cut out. It looks much and has the texture of the sandstone sill that were used.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094821-467131678.jpeg)
This may be hard to tell from this picture, but the bricks that end in the window holes do not have mortar line that wrap around into the window opening. I used the Excel knife to score the mortar lines so that the corner of the bricks has an air gap the separates each row of bricks and continues into the side walls of the window opening. This is represented by the left side of the left window as it has been cut into while the right side of the left window has not. This is a very subtle effect but add that something that takes the wall for good-to-good Plus.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094821-467141793.jpeg)
When you put it all together and paint the sills with Panzer Old wood paint the style begins to show its face. It will get better when more details are added and the background get more depth and weathering.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094935-467151876.jpeg)
This is a thing were what is in the kit and what the picture of the kit model are different. No it is not upside down. The kit picture shows a row of wall cap slabs that finish of the wall, yet there is no mention in the instructions or any cut out pieces provided. So I took the scraps from the cornice bricks and made cap blocks and glued them to the wall top edges. I put the wall upside down so the caps would be straight and the sight weight of the tools held the roof flat.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094935-467162412.jpeg)
Now when it is put on the diorama the structure is being to fit in and "own" the location.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121120094935-46717181.jpeg)
Next is trying to figure out a name for the building and how to paint it on the wall.
See you next time.
I've just ordered a bunch of structures from ITLA, including their large Albany Crown Tower. Very impressed with your work here. It looks fantastic.
Tell me - what hobby drill - Dremel - is that? It looks mightily impressive!
Quote from: Rusty Robot on November 12, 2020, 11:46:59 AM
I've just ordered a bunch of structures from ITLA, including their large Albany Crown Tower. Very impressed with your work here. It looks fantastic.
Tell me - what hobby drill - Dremel - is that? It looks mightily impressive!
Heh Rusty Robot, love the handle.
I am glad you like it, there is so much more to do to the kit to take it to the next level.
The drill is NOT a Dremel, I found it had too large to handle and only uses collets type chucks. I wanted something smaller with a Jacobs chuck so I could use more variety of shank sizes. I chose a Jewelries Flex Shaft setup (search for flex shaft to see suppiers.) the more common one is made by Foreman but there are cheaper ones available. There is also a micro drill handle I will get some day, maybe.
I hope this helps.
Looking good, Marty.
I couldn't really follow your photo's with your descriptions, but know exactly what you mean. A lot of very time consuming small modifications/ super detailing you are doing that will take the model to the next level.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: JusticeCity on November 12, 2020, 12:11:15 PM
Quote from: Rusty Robot on November 12, 2020, 11:46:59 AM
I've just ordered a bunch of structures from ITLA, including their large Albany Crown Tower. Very impressed with your work here. It looks fantastic.
Tell me - what hobby drill - Dremel - is that? It looks mightily impressive!
Heh Rusty Robot, love the handle.
I am glad you like it, there is so much more to do to the kit to take it to the next level.
The drill is NOT a Dremel, I found it had too large to handle and only uses collets type chucks. I wanted something smaller with a Jacobs chuck so I could use more variety of shank sizes. I chose a Jewelries Flex Shaft setup (search for flex shaft to see suppiers.) the more common one is made by Foreman but there are cheaper ones available. There is also a micro drill handle I will get some day, maybe.
I hope this helps.
It does help. I had a quick look at eBay and there seems to be a bunch of 230W Foredoms for around $60! Pretty good price it would seem.
Hey Marty:
That's coming along nicely. Can't wait to see more.
Karl
Quote from: mark dalrymple on November 12, 2020, 01:59:30 PM
Looking good, Marty.
I couldn't really follow your photo's with your descriptions, but know exactly what you mean. A lot of very time consuming small modifications/ super detailing you are doing that will take the model to the next level.
Cheers, Mark.
Me enjlish a greemer aint two goed. General the text is before the picture and sometimes words are hard to related to a pictures. I guess it would take a thousand words to describe the picture. :-)
Quote from: Rusty Robot on November 12, 2020, 03:39:19 PM
Quote from: JusticeCity on November 12, 2020, 12:11:15 PM
Quote from: Rusty Robot on November 12, 2020, 11:46:59 AM
I've just ordered a bunch of structures from ITLA, including their large Albany Crown Tower. Very impressed with your work here. It looks fantastic.
Tell me - what hobby drill - Dremel - is that? It looks mightily impressive!
Heh Rusty Robot, love the handle.
I am glad you like it, there is so much more to do to the kit to take it to the next level.
The drill is NOT a Dremel, I found it had too large to handle and only uses collets type chucks. I wanted something smaller with a Jacobs chuck so I could use more variety of shank sizes. I chose a Jewelries Flex Shaft setup (search for flex shaft to see suppiers.) the more common one is made by Foreman but there are cheaper ones available. There is also a micro drill handle I will get some day, maybe.
I hope this helps.
It does help. I had a quick look at eBay and there seems to be a bunch of 230W Foredoms for around $60! Pretty good price it would seem.
I am glad to help.
Quote from: postalkarl on November 12, 2020, 04:52:55 PM
Hey Marty:
That's coming along nicely. Can't wait to see more.
Karl
Thanks, I am looking forward on how it will look to.
Speaking of the pictures,
There is a visual effect that shows up when you take pictures on small repeating patterns like the brick wall. Especially one that is laser etched using a pulsed laser. The pulsing laser cuts more like connecting burned dots together that creates a very tiny pattern.
These patterns cause digital camera to go crazy at various resolutions. I believe this is called the niquist (sp) effect. To minimize this effect you need at least two pixels for the detail dot you want to capture. It occurs when there is mismatch between the size of the detail and the number of pixels that render that detail. This and the repeating patterns begin to show artifacts like large arching lines going through the image.
So why mention it?
I took the pictures with a 644x800 resolution which causes a loss of detail and makes thise ugly lines showup more. So the next tine I show details I will get in closer or use higher resolution pictures.
Sorry for that.
Quote from: JusticeCity on November 12, 2020, 10:19:23 PM
Speaking of the pictures,
There is a visual effect that shows up when you take pictures on small repeating patterns like the brick wall. Especially one that is laser etched using a pulsed laser. The pulsing laser cuts more like connecting burned dots together that creates a very tiny pattern.
These patterns cause digital camera to go crazy at various resolutions. I believe this is called the niquist (sp) effect. To minimize this effect you need at least two pixels for the detail dot you want to capture. It occurs when there is mismatch between the size of the detail and the number of pixels that render that detail. This and the repeating patterns begin to show artifacts like large arching lines going through the image.
So why mention it?
I took the pictures with a 644x800 resolution which causes a loss of detail and makes thise ugly lines showup more. So the next tine I show details I will get in closer or use higher resolution pictures.
Sorry for that.
This effect is called "Moire". Very common and happens for the reasons you describe. You see it a lot on striped shirts!
Quote from: Rusty Robot on November 12, 2020, 11:06:08 PM
Quote from: JusticeCity on November 12, 2020, 10:19:23 PM
Speaking of the pictures,
There is a visual effect that shows up when you take pictures on small repeating patterns like the brick wall. Especially one that is laser etched using a pulsed laser. The pulsing laser cuts more like connecting burned dots together that creates a very tiny pattern.
These patterns cause digital camera to go crazy at various resolutions. I believe this is called the niquist (sp) effect. To minimize this effect you need at least two pixels for the detail dot you want to capture. It occurs when there is mismatch between the size of the detail and the number of pixels that render that detail. This and the repeating patterns begin to show artifacts like large arching lines going through the image.
So why mention it?
I took the pictures with a 644x800 resolution which causes a loss of detail and makes thise ugly lines showup more. So the next tine I show details I will get in closer or use higher resolution pictures.
Sorry for that.
This effect is called "Moire". Very common and happens for the reasons you describe. You see it a lot on striped shirts!
My brain is slapping itself for getting that. Thanks for the kick.
Thought it worth mentioning as a YouTube search should yield some results on how to avoid the pesky thing :)
Hello,
I guess it is time for an update.
Sticking with the Justice theme I finally decided to give a name to this building. "Murdoch Precision Instruments". Only one problem; that is too long for the building and would make the letter size too small. I thought of just "Murdoch Precision" but that was still too small and still would making the mask too difficult. (I cut them out by hand.) I ended up using "Murdoch".
(Encase you have not figured this out, "Murdoch Mysteries" is a very successful TV program produced by a Canadian company(s) and the BBC. Murdoch is the police detective star that has an affinity for the scientific method and using fact-based knowledge to solve crimes. He is very precise and often building instruments to find the evidence and facts.)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133522-467781049.jpeg)
The background colour for the wall sign reflects the colours used in the introduction to the Murdoch series. Also, black lettering will standout great against the Yellow. The red tape is masking tape from the hobby store.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133522-46783900.jpeg)
The wall is ready for the hand cut mask.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133522-46784292.jpeg)
Yes, it looks messy and turned out messy because I was too lazy to print it on plastic and glue in down to get crisper edges. I got out the paint and fine brushes and and cleaned up the letters to make them look right.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133522-46785856.jpeg)
On the layout it is beginning to look "ok", but the signage needs something else.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133522-467861461.jpeg)
A fine line pigment pen allowed me to add horizontal lines one brick high. It is a bit glossy and will eventually be toned down later in the build.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133619-46787907.jpeg)
This is much better look to the signage.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133619-467882324.jpeg)
Putting the window sashes and frames when easily, but a bit finically.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133619-467892418.jpeg)
Back on the diorama the building is coming together well and looks like it will fit into the scene.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-231120133619-46790379.jpeg)
Really nice modeling.
Martin,
Lots of modeling info in this thread.
Great progress on the layout.
Thanks for sharing all your builds !
Tommy
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 23, 2020, 03:24:51 PM
Really nice modeling.
Thank you for taking your time to view the post.
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on November 24, 2020, 02:55:31 PM
Martin,
Lots of modeling info in this thread.
Great progress on the layout.
Thanks for sharing all your builds !
Tommy
Tommy,
It is amazing what it takes to do this hobby. Thanks for dropping by.
Nice work on that building.
Jerry
Hey Marty:
The sign looks just beautiful.
Karl
Quote from: Jerry on November 25, 2020, 11:37:03 AM
Nice work on that building.
Jerry
Thank you for the comment.
Quote from: postalkarl on November 25, 2020, 04:14:05 PM
Hey Marty:
The sign looks just beautiful.
Karl
How would you know that a simple thing as a sign could take so much effort?
Have you wondered why your creative juices have all dried up? I have in a big way over the last year. I have been staring at the diorama everyday trying to find out why I did not want to work on the diorama. So I distracted myself with major home renovations including putting in a new floor (on a slightly unloved concrete base). It all worked in improving my life, but nothing to get me working on the diorama. Until now!
I happened to notice that my new laminate floor was getting a bit more bumpy than normal. A bit of investigation I found that the weight of the Lighthouse area was pressing one laminate strip down and causing the adjacent to lift up enough to create a noticeable lip. That was the the last straw! I was not going to have all my renovation be destroyed by the diorama.
You can stop me from doing something, but destroying what I have done - nope not happening!!!!
Here is the area I am talking about,
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111158-468832154.jpeg)
Notice the amount of rock and how tall the lighthouse is. While the lighthouse is to scale, its height overpowered the scene and was a "knock me down" hazard.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111158-468841345.jpeg)
The lighthouse made everything seem small and not important to the diorama. The lighthouse is 75 scale feet high and is 35 scale feet higher that the water. Is HO scale that is way too overpowering. It is a pretty scene, but is at the expense of the rest of the diorama.
So it has to go!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111158-468851590.jpeg)
Now to can see all the hydrocal cast rocks that are in this area. There must be 10 pounds os plaster in this one corner. If I wanted to move the diorama I would need machine skates to do it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111159-468861612.jpeg)
Hacking and hacking and sawing seemed to lift a weight off my shoulders and the laminate began to return to normal. The question is his enough?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111159-46887171.jpeg)
Hmm, is this enough?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111248-46888138.jpeg)
What if I raised it by 1/2" (~5 scale feet)?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111248-468892377.jpeg)
I took out a lot of rock castings, this is only half of them.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111248-46890109.jpeg)
Could this shape be acceptable to put an industry on? How would trucks get to the area? Would it be realistic?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111248-468911679.jpeg)
Getting rid of the trees and small cabin will open it up to more options. Red Light District? Printers Row? a FSM kit how knows? Suggestions!
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111248-46892979.jpeg)
So here is where this area stands for now. A paper template of the area will allow me to start with a "blank" sheet and re-think this scene to feel better for this part of the diorama.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-071220111312.jpeg)
The small diversion has removed one roadblock for now and I need to think about it for a while before modelling this scene.
I need to get back to Murdock Precision to get that one finished.
See you later.
I look forward to seeing what you do.
Marty,
Excellent layout update and modeling. I just love stopping by from time to time for motivation and inspiration. This high level detailed modeling I've come to expect every time I stop by. Very cool! Keep going brother!, keep going!!!
Thanx Thom...
Hi Marty.
I made an exclamation when I first saw you model of the lighthouse, but for me it was the bright colour that completely overpowered the scene. Before I read any words I thought 'this scene would look way better without the lighthouse in it'. So - I definitely think you've made the right choice.
Personally, I would keep the area in front pretty simple. I see a couple of lovely views that I would not like to hide. I've tried to show these by copying a couple of your pictures and drawing view lines in paint. Remember you can often keep views by framing them with an aerial walkway between two structures. As an example of what I mean I immediately thought of Gregg and Jims' version of FSM's Rollin Saywer Chemical Co. If you were to put the aerial walkway higher and open up the land between the two structures, this is the sort of thing that could work.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23308
Anyway - for what it is worth - that's my two cents worth.
Cheers, Mark.
Hey Marty:
The layout is really looking cool. Lots of great structures and dioramas.
Karl
Quote from: tct855 on December 07, 2020, 03:36:28 PM
Marty,
Excellent layout update and modeling. I just love stopping by from time to time for motivation and inspiration. This high level detailed modeling I've come to expect every time I stop by. Very cool! Keep going brother!, keep going!!!
Thanx Thom...
I am glad there is some inspiration in my posts. I try to avoid the mundane activities and show the big changes.
Thanks
Quote from: mark dalrymple on December 07, 2020, 04:02:11 PM
Hi Marty.
I made an exclamation when I first saw you model of the lighthouse, but for me it was the bright colour that completely overpowered the scene. Before I read any words I thought 'this scene would look way better without the lighthouse in it'. So - I definitely think you've made the right choice.
Personally, I would keep the area in front pretty simple. I see a couple of lovely views that I would not like to hide. I've tried to show these by copying a couple of your pictures and drawing view lines in paint. Remember you can often keep views by framing them with an aerial walkway between two structures. As an example of what I mean I immediately thought of Gregg and Jims' version of FSM's Rollin Saywer Chemical Co. If you were to put the aerial walkway higher and open up the land between the two structures, this is the sort of thing that could work.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23308
Anyway - for what it is worth - that's my two cents worth.
Cheers, Mark.
Mark,
I can always trust you to provide great input. The Lighthouse was going to originally be a diorama by itself of the West Quoddy Lighthouse with all the outlining buildings. I then came to the conclusion it would have been too large and abandoned the idea for now. I was going to weather it down a lot later, but I felt uneasy actually completing the structure for the Justice City Diorama because it needed good 12VDC source, what I was trying to avoid Haig just for the one structure. Remember everything in the diorama is powered by the DCC buss.
The shoot through scenes/views are an idea, but too sure yet were they could be. Right now I am leaning to have more of a street scene with gaps to see behind it. More on this as my ideas flow to the surface.
Here is what is my head right now.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-121220152006.jpeg)
A road and sidewalks at waters edge, a harbour beacon where the lighthouse was and some sort of buildings along the street. The road will raise left to right with an elevation of ~6 feet. A few of the structures will have loading docks at the back track.
The thoughts are transition top buildings from commercial and industry into "artsy" renovated type buildings. My aim is to avoid heavy industry as they are too tall and big to suit the scene and sill hide things. This is still floating around in my head.
Any suggestions for structures. I can't buy kits from the US because of shipping costs, exchange rates and vendors stopping shipping to Canada. So most will be scratchbuilt buillding so anything is possible.
Thanks all for now.
Lighthouse Landing
Slowly but surely I have been gathering my thoughts about this part of the diorama. The road comes into the scene from the upper left corner and sweeps around to the right raising 6 feet in elevation to the harbour beacon.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220123808-47098525.jpeg)
The lighthouse will be replaced with a harbour beacon standing on a concrete pad jutting out on a retaining wall.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220123808-471001578.jpeg)
The track side is ground is held back with a retaining wall to give clearance to the track and will be the base of structures that have loading docks.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220123808-471011560.jpeg)
The garage will sit in the corner, but notice it is not siding flat on the foam.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220130103.jpeg)
If you have ever worked with Pink insulation foam and used a tool to shape the foam, you will notice that there is always a dusty hairy surface on it. No matter what you do it is never smoot after the initial surface of the foam has been taken off. Well I have found a solution.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220123808-470991224.jpeg)
This is NOT paint as you would know it, it is the base in which the paint counter will had "stuff" to it to make it a useful colour. In essence it is the medium that is clear and provides all the protection of paint. I just coated the pink foam with this and a day later I could sand and smooth the rough areas of the foam. It might be hard to see in the picture below, but the surface of the foam is smooth and hard enough to sand flat.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220125819-47103614.jpeg)
To illustrate the difference, here is the garage on the rough un-sanded foam. Notice the gaps between the floor and the foam
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220130103.jpeg)
After I coated and sanded the area smooth it looks much better.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220125819-471051749.jpeg)
There is still a year to go before this area done, so things are going to change!
Looking good, Marty.
Sounds good to have gaps between the structures to create glimpses to cameo scenes behind. I would reiterate that the track snaking back into the scene is a wonderful leading line to lead your eye into the scene and I would try to keep that view unobstructed. Probably as simple as making sure the last building in the row is not very deep.
I suffer from the same problems as you when buying from the US. Things usually double or worse in price when importing to New Zealand. Regards ideas for structures, maybe check out the Main Street Heritage range. These might be what you are looking for. Not sure if you can find them in Canada, but Jays Trains has some in stock to have a look at. I've never built any so can't comment on the quality, but I think several of them look terrific! I'm sure I'll end up with one or two in my closet soon.
http://www.jaystrains.com/HO-HOn3/hostr.htm
Cheers, Mark.
Magnifico layout :)
I'm enjoying your journey Marty.....great work. 8)
Hi,
The move of the diorama from the utility room to the main area of the basement has been a challenge in getting the track work running right. There are main areas that locos just did not run correctly. Re-leveling and changing the grades of tracks has been a significant pain!
When we did the move we had split the diorama into two sections. This has caused tracks to be mis-aligned and the dreaded derailments. It has been a job I have been avoiding for the past year. Soldiering on is more of a mind game.
I now remember why I stopped model railroading 40 years ago.
On the good side I have finally got all the electrics all worked out and re-configured to simplify adding new structures. The computer can reliability connect to the DCC buss and manage blocks and turnouts. However, the software to drive a diorama sucks!!!! What software that is available is ok to run a railroad, but not a diorama in an autonomous operation with the effects of lighting, etc. Again, I am trying to get into it with out spending $1000 for TrainController Gold.
That my update for now.
Marty,
I've very much enjoyed following along on your adventure. I like what you did with the rock and water. Great job on both. I also like the road in front of the small structures.
Tom ;D
The progress has been very slow with the Murdoch Precision structure. I did spend some time trying to add some height variations and decided to add a chimney stack. That took a bit of time to get that right.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-211220125819-471062042.jpeg)
When you look at the structure from the other side you can see how it fills a space and breaks up the skyline.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221122600.jpeg)
Now this is where the diorama begins a series of significant changes. But that is for another post.
Now to get to see the chimney and Murdoch building I had to delete a road in the middle of the diorama and squish the brewery and Murdoch it the left. This solved a few problems I had with line of sight in the middle of the diorama. More on how this will look in future posts.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221125439-479152079.jpeg)
As you can see the building are closer together, but it left an issue to deal with, how do cars climb the road to go over the rail?
So this leads to a series of flattening of the roads and getting them more into HO scale and more prototypical.
First, I had to raise/flatten the track going past the harbour. This improved loco movement.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221130008-479201304.jpeg)
Next, I lifted the road between the two rail and 5 HO scale feet. This improved access to the sheds.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221130008-479192046.jpeg)
Then the road behind the Weltyk Marine was flatten to improve crossing over to the lighthouse landing area.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221130008-479192046.jpeg)
This meant the crossing to the lighthouse area had to be adjusted to provide a smooth transistion.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221130008-47917618.jpeg)
When the time comings I will "pave" the roads in the diorama.
Next post I will get into the lighthouse landing to see what is happening there.
Getting the trains to run reliability has been the bane of this diorama, especially the result of the disassemble and move to a different location. Getting tracks to align, ensuring switches are not picking the wheels of rolling stock and getting the smuts of the track. This took a few weeks to get it running 90% perfect, this is the price of hand laid track.
I re-started working on the lighthouse area. (I think I am going to call it "Lighthouse Landing" until I get a better name.) Here is the straightening of the beautiful not functional S curve to the shipyard. It is not a S curve now, but a two larger radius curves with a longer section of straight track between them. The GP38 works great through here.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221132124-4792165.jpeg)
The retaining wall did get a first layer of colour and details. More will be done when the structures get built.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221132124-479222085.jpeg)
I did plant the garage in its final resting place.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221132502-47923703.jpeg)
It now ties the Weltyk Marine into the lighthouse landing.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/939-010221132502-479241476.jpeg)
Wiring, that was the next challenge.
Looking great, Marty!
Those close up photos show off all your detailing work nicely.
Cheers, Mark.
Nice done on the scenery Marty.
Tom ;D
Great scene Marty and beautiful work on the grass and weeds..... 8)
Everything looks great Marty.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on February 01, 2021, 01:49:19 PM
Looking great, Marty!
Those close up photos show off all your detailing work nicely.
Cheers, Mark.
Mark,
Most of the time I like to see the details, erg the macro closes ups, but that has the repercussion of me having to fix all those hairs and clumps of smutt off. It is a good way to motivate excellence in modelling.
Quote from: ACL1504 on February 01, 2021, 01:58:51 PM
Nice done on the scenery Marty.
Tom ;D
Tom, I find scenery a very big challenge to get right and looking good. I am glad you noticed it.
Quote from: GPdemayo on February 01, 2021, 03:24:46 PM
Great scene Marty and beautiful work on the grass and weeds..... 8)
Sometimes you just need to get into those weeds and let them tell the story.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on February 01, 2021, 05:10:14 PM
Everything looks great Marty.
Curt,
thanks for dropping by and commenting. All comments are appreciated, good or bad.