Superior & Seattle Railroad Build

[S&S RR]

I'm using my iPhone more and more as a modeling tool. I cut and sanded the legs for the deck until it was level.  Keep in mind that the base has to be level on the workbench and on the layout for this measurement to mean anything.

[S&S RR]

A few more progress pictures of the trestle install.

[S&S RR]

I also install another section of stone wall to support the dirt road that will serve as a ramp for truck traffic into the pit area.  In the instructions George makes this out of cardboard and then fills it with plaster.  I decided to add some more stone work and fill it with sand.

[S&S RR]

At this point it is time to remove the deck and fill in the pit area with dirt and then the details before I add the top deck to the trestle.

[deemery]

...  Oh, and a suggestion:  At the top of the brick chimney, there's flat black around that round chimney topper.  Suggest toning that down with a dark grey, in general I save pure black only for shadows.  It doesn't "scale" properly. 

Dave

Thanks for the suggestion - I added it to the fix list.  One of the things I'm finding with photographing my models is that color contrasts seem to be exaggerated.  The chimmy top is concrete but the inside is flat black.  The difference looks much greater in a photograph than to my eye. The gray concrete color is lighter and brighter and the flat black seems to have more gloss and is darker in the picture.

Just to show I'm a hypocrite, the coal here was painted with (Golden Fluid Acrylic) Carbon Black.  This has a nice shine to it and looks a lot like anthracite, in both 'naked eyeball' and photos.   


dave

[S&S RR]

...  Oh, and a suggestion:  At the top of the brick chimney, there's flat black around that round chimney topper.  Suggest toning that down with a dark grey, in general I save pure black only for shadows.  It doesn't "scale" properly. 

Dave

Thanks for the suggestion - I added it to the fix list.  One of the things I'm finding with photographing my models is that color contrasts seem to be exaggerated.  The chimmy top is concrete but the inside is flat black.  The difference looks much greater in a photograph than to my eye. The gray concrete color is lighter and brighter and the flat black seems to have more gloss and is darker in the picture.

Just to show I'm a hypocrite, the coal here was painted with (Golden Fluid Acrylic) Carbon Black.  This has a nice shine to it and looks a lot like anthracite, in both 'naked eyeball' and photos.   


dave

Dave


Great discussion - some things are supposed to be shinny.  Very few things in the real world are pure white or pure black.  I believe the camera picks up on this in artificial lighting. I will change the coloring of the chimney this week and post some pictures.  Your comments are spot on and I thank you for them.

[S&S RR]

This evening I added the first layer of dirt to the pit area of the build.  This is up to the minute posting the glue is still very wet!

[S&S RR]

The next step in the build will be the main beams on the trestle.  I got the first couple glued in place before dinner.

[S&S RR]

The directions in the picture above are Sheet C from the FSM instructions.  I just flipped the page.

[S&S RR]

Tonight progress report starts with finishing the main beams for the trestle.

[S&S RR]

I then added the fine dirt to the pit.  This is the stuff that has been screened until it is like powder or paint pigment.  It needs to be very fine to get the scale right.  The dirt that I use I found near my cabin and it's very light in color but seems to take the color of the dirt in the layer underneath.  I have pictures with and without glue tonight.  The dried pictures will have to wait for tomorrow.








Top view - you can see the color change as I add the glue.





After the glue. I also added some of the dark brown coarse dirt to the top area above the pit.

[S&S RR]

The next step was to get the duck work and pipe details ready for painting.

[S&S RR]

A picture from the paint booth.  Pipe was primed with flat black primer, the duck work pieces got a coat of gray primer.

[S&S RR]

Next on the agenda was the deck boards on the trestle.

[S&S RR]

Final picture for tonight - the deck is complete and weighed down for the glue to dry.  Yes- I went to the Jaime school of glue fixtures. The more pressure you have the better the bond.