Hi Greg;

Thanks for dropping in and for the compliment. Azzie was indeed happy. However when I told her the story for Azzie's Apples she told me 'Papa, I don't want to get married, boys are ugg'. I suspect that thought will change, or maybe not, time will tell.

Jim D

Jerry really glad you like the progress so far, thanks your stopping by. Little by little I am figuring things out and starting to understand why things are done a certain way instead of just doing it because it works.

Work on the Cundy Village Hotel stopped until I finished this scene but now I am back at it. The Hotel is almost completely laser cut. So far I have learned that the key will be making damn sure the tolerances are tight. .25 mm off will screw things up. Don't ask how I know, you already know the answer.

Jim D

Tom thanks for the compliment. Your own layout thread has been a big help in my learning.

Jim D 

Thanks Thom!

I had a lot of fun with this project. I have watched  all you guys here on the forum for the last two years and love to put to work what I've learned. Being set in 1910 helps with a small layout. I can play with road width and ignore OSHA to my hearts content. The pictures I posted were the best I could do, the camera kept trying to change focus and I am no pro but all in all the scene shows nice. It is the first thing you see on the layout now as the two 'kerosene' street lamps  draw attention to the area.

Glad you enjoyed the results.

Jim D

Curt;
I just hopped in to see what was up. Really first class workmanship. That is going to be one really nice layout. It has me thinking about an L on my little layout. We'll see, think I will watch a pro at it first. Great work.

Jim D

Frank;
What Thom said, kinda.

Jim D

PS hope you put a video up of the trolley operating when complete, should look great.

Well that is about it for today. Dinner is ready and Azzie along with the rest of the family are waiting. So I guess I better walk up the road with my pup Maggie Mae and join them. Hope you enjoyed the journey.

Jim D

And here are pictures up close:

Before gluing the poster board in place I wired the building as well as two 'kerosene' lamps. I put a current limiter in place for the lamps but then found out they are 12 volt, as is the light in the building. Finally the poster board was glued in place with Elmer's and weights put in place to help the board straighten and stay glued to the layouts top.

With it firmly in place I decided to take artistic licence and put textured brick paper around the boarder to created the effect of raised land over surrounding low land (swamp). With it in place I again used static grass in the area between the track and the brick. To complete the scenery I used various Woodland Scenics Foliage branches to make bushes and small trees. At the end of the scene going to the curved bridge I added ground cover of multiple shades and placed an Elm tree I had previously made.

Last but certainly not least I added all the necessary touches to make the scene come alive including the three wagons, two of which I had made previously, the third came from Preiser. The people are all Preiser, most I painted but the three main family members AZZIE and her parents were pre-painted. I put an alcohol wash on all figures prior to putting them on the layout.

OK enough nuts and bolts. Here is how the corner of the layout that is Azzie's Apples looks from a distance:

Once the ramp was made I built the dirt road to the building and created the undergrowth in the area. First the board was spray painted a medium green. Then using Elmer's glue and water (50/50) I used a brush and wet the entire board not covered by the building or ramp. Then using a container containing fine dirt and a nylon cover (old stockings with rubber band) I shook the dirt till it covered the board. I left it dry overnight (that's when the board warped). Next I used 2, 4 and 6 mm static grass and applied it one at a time with the precision applicator I have in the areas where the trees would be and alongside the road as well as near the building and ramp. I used various shades to create a layering effect. To glue the grass in place I had first put down straight Elmer's glue. Using a large round paint brush I dabbed the glue, the dabbing creates a rippling effect and helps achieve a more realistic look.

Once all was applied I let everything dry for a day. Next day I put dead leaves in the areas were each tree would be and then glued the trees in place. The bottom loop of each tree was first cut in half and the bottom separated into three or four parts to create the needed roots.

This picture is not in order but it does show the light green Jonathan tree branches turned downward and the normal apple trees much darker in color.

As I mentioned I had made five wire trees for this project during the past winter. These were made with 26 gauge floral wire following the method shown by Luke Towen on his YouTube channel. The wire is coated with liquid latex and after several 'dippings' the latex masks the wire shape while allowing the branches to be bent as needed. In following pictures you will see how this allowed me to produce the heavy limb Jonathan Trees as well as the other more normal trees. Each was airbrushed with a light brown and then a light gray. To fill in the trees I used two Woodland Scenic metal armatures. The Woodland truck trees had clumped foliage glued to the branches. The wired trees were sprayed with Loctite spray glue and were first dipped in a bucket of fine light green Woodland Scenics ground cover.  Next the two 'normal' apple trees were again sprayed but this time dipped in a bucket of Scenic Express dark green leaf material. This was repeated. The Jacobson trees underwent the same treatment but with olive colored leaves rather than dark green. Finally, all trees  were lightly sprayed and apples from Scenic Woodlands was sprinkled on each. So in the previous you can see how they turned out. Here is how they started.

To make the scene I first placed the structure on poster board cut to the shape where the scene will set. I knew the board would warp but figured I would straighten it out when glued in place. It worked fine but from now on I will use something stronger like gator board. No sense making work when there are products that don't need to be 're-worked'.



With the structure in place I built up a ramp on the backside so the steam engine and conveyor can be located in place. I used 12 x 12 timbers for the posts and 2 x 12 for the horizontal retaining wall boards. Hunter medium brown was used to stain them. Gray fine gravel was glued in place on the ramp using a mod-podge/ water mix  after the area had been sprayed with wet water. The steam engine was glued in place as was the conveyor, both with a dab of super glue. Using a scale 6 inch wide strip of #600 fine grit sandpaper I fashioned pulley belts for both. I made kick plates out of scrap wood and mounted them on the appropriate part of the wall. I then glued the belts in place on the engine to its kick plate going into the building and the belt to the kick plate above the second floor door and then to the conveyor. In real world operation the steam engine would turn a belt going into the building. Other belts and pulleys would be used to operate the cider press and a belt going to the conveyor to move the apples to the press area.



If you look carefully at the above picture you can see the two belts going into the building. I fashioned the steam shed from 4 x 4 for the posts and 2 x 4's for the roof bracing. At one point everything looked exact until I needed to put it in place and the smoke stack was in the way. As not much of this would be seen I cut out what was needed and put the frame in place. I airbrushed the frame barn red and used paper corrugated roofing I had on had on hand to finish the shed. Not seen in the picture is the coal box and water pump installed for the steam engine.

So we are in Ohio and I have finished Azzie Apples (got a big hug from my grandaughter though she still thinks the apples are too small! )To complete the scene I had made 5 wire trees during the past winter. Three I made into the shape of a local apple tree called Jacobson. Back in 1910 apples were not grown primarily for eating but rather for the production of hard cider. Jonathan trees are large so they are pruned heavily as they grow resulting in their branches turning back towards the ground, much like the apple trees in the Wizard of Oz. So here is Azzie Apples:



And With A Little Background Magic:

OK Jerry rub it in! I found a pack of three up here in Ohio when I got here, guess I forgot !

First class, very informative too. Thanks Tom.

Jim D