The Atlantic and Southern Build Thread Continued, Part 2

[PRR Modeler]

I have seen the latest and the greatest on Tom's layout today and believe me when I say it is a work of art.

[donatode]

I have seen the latest and the greatest on Tom's layout today and believe me when I say it is a work of art.

No need to twist my (our) arm(s) .... I (we) believe you!!!

[S&S RR]

Good morning all!  This is my first post.  By way of introduction, I am known in Forum World as "The Judge" and Tom Langford and I have been friends for over 60 years.  I have been "assisting" Tom for the last decade or so while he builds his A&S RR.  Tom is the A&S CEO and I am the ticket agent.  That sort of defines the difference between our artistic talents.

Tom recently scratch built a "cracker house" for placement in his rural Florida scene and I want to explain where the term "cracker" comes from and how it relates to the A&S RR:

The term "Florida cracker" refers to the Florida version of cowboys or cowpokes who worked the cattle ranches in Central Florida in the post-Civil War period.  They got their name from the sound of the bull whips they "cracked" during cattle drives.  Their descendants drive pick-up trucks, hunt gators, fish in flat bottomed boats, and chew tobacco. On the A&S, they are idle folk who live in the swampy Suwanee River Basin and make their living from corn squeezings carefully distilled in the palm and pine forest using an old family recipe.

This ends the Florida trivia lessons for today.  The lesson on the difference between "Seminoles" and "Seminole Indians" will follow another time.

"The Judge"

I want to extend a special welcome to "The Judge".  Great to have you posting on the forum.

[ACL1504]

I have seen the latest and the greatest on Tom's layout today and believe me when I say it is a work of art.

Curt,

Thank you very much, you are too kind.

Tom

[ACL1504]

I have seen the latest and the greatest on Tom's layout today and believe me when I say it is a work of art.

No need to twist my (our) arm(s) .... I (we) believe you!!!

Donato,

You are too kind as well. Thank you.

Tom

[ACL1504]

I got tired on the work on the cracker house and rural station. So I moved on for a few days and started adding the land forms/sand hills for the farm area on Baker's Curve.

Farmer Perkins was a stubborn old man. He said the A&S RR could go through his farm but not under it. A few million cubic yards of dirt were removed and the A&S has paid dearly for the right of way at Baker's Curve.

I used the 1/4" pink foam as a base just as I did in the piney woods.



The pink foam was used as a pattern to cut the 1/2" blue foam.



More in a few.

[ACL1504]

I used three layers of the blue foam making the height at 1 3/4" through the cut. Each successive piece of blue foam was cut smaller than the last. They were glued together and sanded at the desired angle.





I'm not concerned about the crooked blue foam. It will be sanded further and receive a coat or two of spackle to smooth out the cut.

More in a few.

[ACL1504]

[ACL1504]

[PRR Modeler]

Looking good Tom. I can't wait to see your farm in place.

[Janbouli]

Thanks for showing this step by step Tom , I have a couple of scenes like this coming up on my layout.

[jimmillho]

Interesting, very interesting.

Jim

[MAP]

Looking good Tom.  You make it look so easy.

[BandOGuy]

Tom,
Thanks for your continuing inspirational narratives.
What do you use to join the layers of blue foam together, please?

[ACL1504]

Looking good Tom. I can't wait to see your farm in place.

Curt,

Thanks as always. I'm really very excited about this new cut through area. I'll share what plans I have later.

Tom