Howdy all for NW Indiana.  It feels like 16 here.  It is trying to develop pond effect snow outside. 
Too many projects in limbo on the layout...Bad habit doing that, I get so far behind, I don't know where to start...Hey; that sounds like a good New Year's Eve promise...only one iron in the fire at once

Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on April 29, 2024, 05:10:10 PMNext up was building the stairway for the doorway.  This was very difficult for me.  You're supposed to put the side pieces into the piece with the doorway (not glued), place the first step in, which has tiny tabs on each side to fit into slots, glue it in, gently separate the pieces to put the next one in and so on.  every time I tried to put the next step in, the first one came out on one side.  plus the sides moved in their slots.  I ended up taping one side to the desk and then placing all five in and then lining up the left piece, moving each step into place and using CA with accelerant.  Got three of the five in place with two moving out of place.  I removed them, trimmed off the tabs on one side, and managed to get them in straight and glued.  Was very frustrating.  Yes, it's covered with shiny glue, I'll hit it with Dullcoat.  I now need to do another for the bottom of the fire escape panel. 

Jeff

I had the same problem with the WKRP radio station kit.  The steps are impossible to do.  I didn't have the patience to coop with it so I used a plastic Bachmann staircase instead...those steps are a complete nightmare

Nice looking build, Bob.  Makes me want to go through my unbuilt DTD kits and build one

Howdy All from NW Indiana. It's 38 degrees here at 11:30am.  Shopping is all done and Joan is resting (she is recovering from open heart surgery last week).  She said that Monday's rehab session will include going down the steps to the basement...13 steps down and 13 steps up.  Down here is all of our toys; but I doubt if she will be making any quilts soon...We do have the large screen TV down here and our computers, plus her sewing room and the layout and storage. Carlie our Papillion likes it down here; but she is on Joan's lap for now

Craig,


Good luck with your new adventure, hope everything goes well


John

John,
I never get tired of looking at your volumes. I especially like looking at all the gizmos that you have on your workbench.  Keep up all the good work


John

Jerry


Thanks for the nice comments...Warning though:  I do change my mind alot


John

Karl,
Don't know what happened; but right above the pictures; there is line of small works...click on the tiny words...that's the company link

https://twinwhistle.com/whistlestopdiner.aspx

Hope this is a little larger to read

Quote from: postalkarl on December 03, 2021, 11:47:52 AM
Hey John:

Just went through all your pictures again. layout is looking just great. Who make the Whistle Stop Diner you have on the layout.

Karl

Karl,
Thanks for checking out my layout.  I hope this helps:


https://twinwhistle.com/whistlestopdiner.aspx

I have added a little mountain to the far side, where the Topside Creeper is



The lighting in the photo is terrible. The mountain is much darker than it appears in the photo...and the brown on the background isn't (make that wasn't) that noticeable.




The mountain only sticks out from the backdrop about 3 inches at the base


The rockface is almost vertical. I used Grand Central Pine trees opposed to deciduous trees because of the width of the trees. The very top pine tree is actually glued to the backdrop.

I will be adding the Mill Creek Coal Tipple to the scene.



The mountain color is much darker and it looks like I need to add more scenery; but it is more a cliff than a mountain. I was going to cover up some of the brown on the backdrop with sky blue. Maybe add a few bushes.



This is my first real scenery try. I would appreciate any opinions and or suggestions...do the rocks look like rocks. I probably added way to much color to them...I thought the tipple looked pretty good by itself...but placed next to the mountain, it looks brand new...so much for my wreathing techniques...I am going to have to really attack the tipple to make it look used.

After a long hiatus, I have returned to tinkering around on my layout...hopefully I have come to the point where I will stop changing things and start completing things.

This is what happens when you do NOT have a plan. More tearing apart. I had a plan in the beginning; but I just kept adding on more table work. The big mountain was a huge disaster. Square feet wise, the mountain was about 1/3rd of the layout. Trains went in and came out...big deal. So that is why I tore down the mountain. I cut an access hatch in the middle of the removed mountain area. That was doable; but it was a pain standing up in the hole. So...I tore out the end of the layout, making a "U" out of it. I added additional support legs prior to taking an axe to it.

Before:



After:


Each 'U' leg is about 25-inches wide.

I placed actual footprints of the kits that I will using on each leg.This leg shows Sierra West's The Shipyard.




This leg (next to the wall) will have Campbell's The Wharf and Knott's Landing; Bar Mills Waterfront Willie's and BIS The Waterfront

Oh no! I know what you are saying; what's the matter with this nut? He just ripped out a HUGE mountain range and he is going to build another one? Well, yes I am. This mountain will only be large enough to make this mine seem plausible. Should not be very large at all.





Finishing up on an RDA kit. It needs a lot of weathering and drybrushing

Sometimes what looks good on paper or print turns out impractical in real life. No one that enters my layout room has liked the huge mountain. I tried to dress up the mountain; but it's like putting fingernail polish on a sore thumb, it's still a sore thumb and it still sticks out like one. Too much lost space; only thing perplexing was wasting a that time and energy making the mountain...but I did gain a lot of experience along the way

Reason #73 for my lack of progress on the layout...I am easily distracted...this is a shot of  my workbench today

John


Awesome work.  Will you ever run out of space?