Two cities layout.

[Opa George]

Roger, this is looking very good.
--George

[Random]

The platform elevator has been sitting stagnant while I get around to wiring the lighting for the elevator car so that it can be lit at street level.  But all is not at a standstill.

The wood sheathed retro-fitted elevator shaft for the gray building (after spending a week under weights being straightened) has been attached.




In addition I have started designing the next structure which will sit behind the express building and across the street from the green American Tool & Die.

It will go here:




I will be detailing the design and build of the new structure, dubbed Odd Manufacturing,  in its own thread here:  https://www.modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=4332.msg118104;topicseen#new

Cheers

[Random]

When I started this area I wanted it to end up on a double sided peninsula.  However, my current space just will not allow that.  So I've decided to add a one foot deep section to the back of the scene to serve as a backdrop.

This will have a street along the front that will blend into the existing module.   The remainder will be filled with structures to create a three dimensional backdrop. 

My goal is to prevent the eye from following any direct line to a flat backdrop.



The first background structure will be made from the remainders of the DPM M.T. Arms Hotel kits that I'm using for the "Odd Manufacturing" build. 

This needs to be a tall structure so that it will rise behind the American Tool & Die company building.

After a lot of cutting, even more sanding, and one broken bandsaw blade I have the main walls ready for glueing.




The hotel will be located between two other structures so the lower sections of the left and right sides will be covered.  The lower sections will be filled with cardstock walls.

The left side is shallower than the right.  I made this decision based on the parts I had on hand but it will also let me add to the illusion that the city is not on a square grid.

Glueing together all of these joints will take several days.

Cheers!

[Random]

Several days, lots of sanding, and a good bit of liquid plastic cement later and I have the 3 main walls assembled.  The process was slow as each joint needed time to cure before moving on.

I used half of my panel cutter guide as a straight edge for the large wall.  Initially I clamped the bottom section of the wide front wall against the blue panel cutter and worked up adding sections. 

I made sure to weight each section down to keep the wall flat.  I also used heavy weights to hold the sections against each other while the cement set.

I neglected to take many pictures during this process but in this one I have flipped the main wall upside down and clamped it against the fence.  I used another straight edge across the bottom of the building (top of photo) to ensure the next section was square.





And here are the assembled walls almost ready for painting.  I need to replace a couple of mullions that were broken in shipping.  The lower sections the side walls and the back will be made from mat board as they will not be visible. 




I used a Touch-N-Flow Applicator to apply the liquid plastic cement to the joints.  I applied it fairly heavily and then used lateral pressure to help close up the seams once the plastic softened.

There were a few spots that required some putty to fill gaps (white areas).  Next I'll need to build out the ground floor recessed doorways then it will be time to think about paint and curtains.

Cheers!

[Mark Dalrymple]

Looking good, Rodger.

Cheers, Mark.

[Random]

This project has become complicated.  I have seven things going at once. 

Trees
Land form and the road tunnel
A new roof for the gray building behind the station
Finishing paint on the hotel background building
A form to make a concrete retaining wall
Forms to make new stone to build my own tunnel portal and cut stone retaining wall
And more work on the the manufacturing building that will sit across the tracks from the express building.



I'll have more details to share as things come together.

Cheers.

[tom.boyd.125]

Roger,
Have not checked your build thread for 10 months ! You have made some really amazing progress.
Must be neat to walk into your modeling area and see the FSM in front of you everyday.
It's looking fantastic and know you are going to have something very special.
Thanks for sharing all your build tips on this project.
Tommy

[Mark Dalrymple]

Looking good, Rodger.

You'll be a master juggler in no time!

Cheers, Mark.

[Rail and Tie]

Nice work all the way around!  I really like the elevator shaft and car.

[Janbouli]

Getting along fine Roger , and , no , 5 layouts is not too much, but can be if you have 7 projects on each one 

[postalkarl]

Hey Roger:

Just went through the whole thread and all looks just great. Will be following along.

Karl

[Dennis Bourey]

Roger, Your doing a amazing job.

Dennis

[Random]

The bulk of those trees headed to a local shop for consignment.  So far lots of lookers and no takers.  I may have priced them too high. 

I had perfectly good stone wall and portal castings but they just didn't look right to me.  I wanted the stone to to be the same as that used for the station.  So I've spent a good deal of time making masters and cleaning up molds.  I also thew a concrete wall in for good measure.

Poured in place concrete wall casting (12" planking in HO scale):




Stone Wall:




Stone road tunnel portal:




I'm working on a master for a poured in place concrete wall using plywood cribbing rather than planks and pondering a stone tunnel lining.

Cheers!

[Random]

I completed another master last night.  This models a cast in place concrete wall where plywood was used for the form.

I first made a frame of thin stripwood (about 1/16th inch square) attached to a thin sheet of styrene to create strips.  I filled the mold with hydrocal mixed a bit thinner than normal so that it would level more easily.




Once that was dry I carefully removed the strips of cast plaster from the mold.  A few broke during removal but that doesn't hurt the plan.  I marked each strip and scribed the lines with a hobby knife.




I placed a round toothpick under each scribe line and gently snapped the strips into blocks.




I cut strips of pastel paper slightly narrower than the block and attached blocks to the strips with canopy glue.  In this step I pulled blocks randomly so that none of the ends would match perfectly.  Otherwise the vertical seams would be essentially invisible.

Canopy glue is essential to this step because it remains flexible when it dries.




Now comes the fun bit.  By attaching the blocks to the pastel paper backing I was able to add cracks and damage while holding them in place. 

I placed strips over round toothpicks to snap cracks and broke a few between my fingers.  I then flexed these edges against each other or opened them up and gently scraped the edge of some small scissors along the joint.  This created some erosion along the crack to make it more visible.

To model the areas of serious concrete erosion I placed the stones on an old mouse pad and used a steel ball bearing to press into and roll on the block.  When you flip the strip over and flex it a bit it results in the areas like the second block from the left in the lower row.   




Satisfied with the general state of decay on each strip I placed a sheet of pastel paper under my high strength polymer framing jig and glued each strip to the sheet with canopy glue.





And here we have the finished master.  I'll need to add some backing material to make it thicker before I cast a mold.




I am having entirely too much fun with hydrocal.

Cheers!

[Mark Dalrymple]

Some really cool looking walls there, Rodger.

Cheers, Mark.