The St. Louis & Denver Railroad - The Build

[gnatshop]

Greg,
The ballast is looking good! I may have some code 83 flex track left over! I'll let you know!
Tom

We all know Uncle Tommy's cracker meanings - SOME code 83 flex track means a few inches,
kinda like his couple of tablespoons of coal!! 

[GPdemayo]

Greg,

The ballast is looking good! I may have some code 83 flex track left over! I'll let you know!

Tom

Thanks Tom. Hold onto that flex track, you might need it on the next layout after you finish this newest one.

[ACL1504]

John,

You may have a point here. I'd better keep it for now!

Tom

[BandOGuy]

Greg,
Stay in touch with Tom. He may even have some cinders for you if you play your cards correctly. 

[cuse]

Greg,
The trackwork and ballast look really good...scenic, even


John

[S&S RR]

I have never met a model railroader that had track left over for very long.

[S&S RR]

Greg


The layout is really looking great.

[GPdemayo]

John,

You may have a point here. I'd better keep it for now!

Tom

Roger.....

[GPdemayo]

Greg,
Stay in touch with Tom. He may even have some cinders for you if you play your cards correctly. 

I will, but he'll probably overcharge me for the cinders.....

[GPdemayo]

Greg,
The trackwork and ballast look really good...scenic, even


John

Thanks John.....SBG for some BBQ soon!

[GPdemayo]

Greg


The layout is really looking great.

Thanks John.....it has been fun, but I'm really getting the itch for a larger layout, we'll see.

[Zephyrus52246]

I really like the look of the Highball cinder ballast.  Is it the HO Scale size?  I may need to get some if I EVER get to the point of scenery.

Jeff

[GPdemayo]

I really like the look of the Highball cinder ballast.  Is it the HO Scale size?  I may need to get some if I EVER get to the point of scenery.

Jeff

Jeff,
 
Yes, it is HO scale.
 
I like the Highball also, but I ran into a big problem with it. Since the ballast I had on hand was over 25 years old, I checked the internet and found that Highball was still around and made the same type and color ballast., so I started ballasting without ordering new stuff.
 
When the ballast I had ran out, I ordered more and guess what?.....the new material from Highball had changed and the colors didn't match. I believe I addressed this in a future post, but If I'm not remembering correctly, I'll address the solutions and the new products I'm using currently.

[GPdemayo]

Hooray, more mainline ballast and a little dirt have been added to phase 2. If I keep up this blistering pace, I should have the layout completed by the time I'm ready for the assisted living home!
 
As I said in the last thread, I have only been able to steal a little time for modeling and that has been to add a little ballast work on the mainline and the yard areas, however, that is slowly changing.  I have been able to get a few more minutes to add more mainline ballast, play with a little dirt and almost finish a structure build.
 
In the last episode, the ballast had reached the mid point of the curve. I have continued it and the drainage ditch between the two tracks around the curve and onto the tangent to the end of phase 2. The photo below is the curved section of the tracks.
 
Exhibit #1 - (S078)


The next photo is the tangent mainline track that goes to the end of phase 2.
 
Exhibit #2 - (S087)


I couldn't resist putting one of my favorite engines, ole' #3117 - a NYC 4-8-2 L4a Mohawk, on the track and snapping a picture.
 
As you can see in this picture, the weathering of the rail that Tom (ACL 1504) has explained to me in great detail is really needed. I should get to that, but I really need to practice on something off the layout before I start on the track that people will see when they drop in.
 
Exhibit #3 - (S091)


As you can see in the picture below, I left about 2-1/4" (16' in HO) between the mainline bank and the yard tracks. My intent was for a rough dirt road type passage along the length of the yard for railroad vehicles to get back and forth without having to go off railroad property. I couldn't wait to experiment with a little"dirt" to see how it looked so I gave it a try with what I have on hand.
 
As I have said before, I intend to use a darker "dirt" down in the flats and a lighter "dirt" in the mountain areas, but have not gotten around to purchasing the dark "dirt" yet and I was aching to give it a try. To get the rutted look, I put the glue/water mix into the dirt and before it set up, I gently ran the truck (see pg. 36 of this thread) back and forth. The metal wheels on the truck seemed to do the trick.
 
Exhibit #4 - (S095)

 
I am happy with the results and think it will look great, with the proper shade of dirt and the layering of grass, weeds, gravel and other planting, will give it the look I am trying to achieve.
 
The structure I mentioned earlier is in the final stages of construction and when I get the 3 tab asphalt shingles I need to buy, I'll get them installed and post the pictures in a separate build thread.
 
See y'all next time!!!

[GPdemayo]

I mentioned in the last post that I have gone into a structure building mode and would be posting build threads for a number of different kits in the future and I thought I'd discuss that in today's post.
 
The main reason that I am shifting focus is that it is my favorite part of this great hobby, along with layout planning and trackwork. Now that the benchwork and track for Phase 1 and 2 of the layout are mostly complete, I can spend time building structures that go in those areas and then get to the scenery work.
 
There is so much available now that was not around a few decades ago. Remember the days of Life-Like colored sawdust grass, lichen and crummy looking trees? I have not used any of the new products or tehniques that have been developed in the last 20 years and am really looking forward to all the realistic scenes that can be created with these new products.
 
The secondary reason is that I got the correct setbacks for our lot and have redesigned our sun room. This gives me a little more area for the layout so that I can expand Phases 3 and 4. Now all I have to do is put the cash together for the addition, build it, and get the layout benchwork complete. I am working on the layout design and will post it when I get them completed.
 
There are a number of new kits that I am very excited to put together and a bunch that were started years ago that I never  completed. I also want to design and build a number of structures, residential and commercial, for the layout and need to make time in the future to get going on these.
 
As stated before, I had not built any structures since the mid 80's and thought I might need to start on some simple buildings to get my skills back. I included these earlier in this thread and were a storage shed (Northeastern Scale Models #NE40002) and MOW building (B.T.S. #27501).
 
I also built a couple of kits that I didn't post to this thread. The first kit I built after this 20+ year hiatus was a crossing shanty (Banta #2065). I made the roof removable for future lighting and added a pot bellied stove to the interior.
 
Exhibit #1 - (CS-041s)


Exhibit #2 - (CS-006s)


The next kit was an interlocking tower (American Model Builders #702). It is a nice kit and looks good in the yard.
 
Exhibit #3 - (IT-007s)


Exhibit #4 - (IT-008s)

 
continued.....
 
The interlocking tower was followed by the yard office (Northeastern Scale Models #NE40008). This will reside in the yard area and will add some little people activity to the overall scene.
 
Exhibit #1 - (YO-005s)


Exhibit #2 - (YO-004s)


continued.....