Hi Mark,
I sold some of them, I still have a decent amount left.

Thanks Mayatic!

This diorama eventually got installed on my layout, which has since been disassembled.

Here is a link to the layout thread for those new to the forum:
https://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=2968.0

-Steve

Ditto what Greg said over here, Jim. I was glad to see this forum resurrected, I find it much more user friendly than RR-Line and faster.

-Steve

Thanks guys, like all FSM kits, this was a fun build. I love old lumber yards and George did a great job representing one with this kit.

-Steve

Hello everyone,

With the deconstruction of the layout, I have a huge amount of painted and weathered detail castings I salvaged from areas between the dioramas. I estimate have a few hundred castings that I would consider "foreground" - FSM, SierraWest, etc... and another few hundred that I would find more suitable for inside of a structure, or for an area a few feet back from the front of the layout.

I'm not sure how to sell them, contact me if you are interested in a handful or a whole bunch. All proceeds will be used to support future modeling efforts.


I laid a bunch out across my workbench to give an idea of what I've got. This isn't all of them.


A few closeups...








These couple boxes still have a bunch in them as well.

Send me a message here if interested or by email at scustr@gmail.com

I was also able to remove most of the structures from the layout without damage, if anyone is interested in seeing or purchasing any of those, please contact me as well.

-Steve

Hello everyone,

After lots of thought and consideration, I've decided I no longer have the desire to work on the layout and I'm planning the deconstruction of the railroad. I've had little to no motivation to work on it in the last few years and when I do it feels like a chore that I don't really enjoy.

I still enjoy building models on my workbench, and I plan on continuing that portion of the hobby. I'm interested in exploring different scales, settings, and building some kits that don't fit into the confines of the layout.

My next step is to figure out how to preserve and store the structures from the layout. I built most of the structures on separate bases for easy removal, so I should be able to remove and store them in plastic bins.

If anyone is interested in purchasing any of the structures, bridges, or anything they've seen on the layout, send me a message. I'd like to see them get placed on a layout where someone would appreciate them, rather than in a bin on a shelf.

Thanks to everyone who followed along, you kept me motivated longer than I would've been otherwise.

-Steve Custer

Hi Jerry,

I've been working on painting a ton of details but not a lot of layout work lately. I'm starting to work on adding the little touches to the layout to finished up some of the scenes as I work across and finish some areas. I'll post an update this week. I'm happy to know there's still interest in what I'm doing over here.

-Steve

Thanks everyone!

Craig, this was done with a wet dry brush over boards colored with A&I. I use the Chuck Doan method a lot too, especially with clapboard.

Thanks everyone! I added another small building to the layout over the weekend.


I added this small white shed to the foreground. It's also part of the SW Logging Camp Essentials but this one is available separate also.


Side view.


Other side.


Front view.

I still have lots to do around it to tie the scene together but it's off my workbench for now.

Thanks for following along,
Steve

I haven't been updating my layout thread as much as I could or posting on the forum very much, I'll make an effort to change that. Generally, I don't really post unless I think what I've done is interesting, but it maybe people will find the minor changes more interesting than I think.

It's not just this forum, all the forums I normally read aren't particularly active lately. I think Facebook has something to do with it, I don't like it for modeling stuff, but I understand the appeal.

It may still take some time for some of the former regulars to come back to this forum.

I added a few small things to the layout, and I started work on some other little pieces to add.


This little shed is the newest addition to the layout. It's originally part of the SierraWest Logging Camp Essentials. I received this kit partially built from Carl Laskey, but I don't have room for the whole of the SW kit so I'm going to build the buildings and spread them around the layout where I can. The interior details aren't all from the kit, some of from pieces I had already painted in my box.


This is the left side of the shed with a roof on it. The roof is done with black tissue paper sprayed Krylon red automotive primer.


Backside




Here is the shed placed in its home. I tried several different small structures here, but this is the only one that seemed to work. I have a mess of detail to add around it. You can also see the little water run-off I added in the layout foreground. This is just envirotex left over from the harbor pour.


These 2 brick buildings are directly to the left of the gray truck repair in the previous photo. I need to detail all around them, starting with the alleyway in between them.


After carefully contouring myself to get all the details in the alley, I realized I hadn't glued down the one building yet. This made the detailing much easier. Everything here is wet of course.

I've done more than these photos show, I just haven't taken pictures yet. I'll update again tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks for following along.

-Steve

Jerry,

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

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

-Steve

Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

Thanks for following along,
Steve

Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone!

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


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


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


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


Another of the same type of boat.


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


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

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

Thanks for following along,
Steve

Thanks Curt, Jeff, Jerry and Mark!