O'Neils Mercantile & Repair

[friscomike]

Howdy Larry, nice work on the tractor. It adds a lot of character to the scene.  Have fun, mike

[Larry C]

Mike thanks, appreciate your comments.

[Pennman]

Larry,

I'm still kickin! And your work on the machines and belting is top notch!

Rich

[Larry C]

Rich thank you for your nice comment; great to see you still around.

[Larry C]

Surprisingly the belt from the tractor to the main line came out the way I had planned; it's great when a plan comes together. The belt came out pretty straight which is a plus. The nice feature to this setup, besides being totally different, is when work has to be done on the belt line the tractor can be put in gear and moved a foot forward to release the belt tension. When finished the tractor is moved back again adding tension to the belt. No steam engine, boiler, or water tank is needed.



Here's the setup looking from the front of the diorama.

Now that this part of the puzzle is finished the actual "building" part is probably finished. It's time to move on the scenery, which some items are on order, and adding lots and lots of little details everywhere. Thanks for stopping by for a gander and for all your great comments so stay tuned.

[Philip]

Perfect!

[Larry C]

Philip thanks.

[PRR Modeler]

Very nicely done Larry. Perfect job with the belts.

[Rick]

Nice work Larry.

[Jerry]

I can hear the tractor chugging!!  Very nicely done!!

Jerry

[Larry C]

Curt, Rick, and Jerry thank you guys for the nice compliments; they're appreciated.

[friscomike]

Howdy Larry, excellent connection to the tractor. The overhead pulley system looks terrific.  Have fun, mike

[ACL1504]

Larry,

Wowser, this just keep getting better with each step. The tractor and pulley is a great detail and is a fantastic little detail.

Tom

[Larry C]

Mike and Tom thank you both for your kind words.

[Larry C]

Started the long process of adding scenery to the diorama. Made a vine growing up the side of the shed using florist wire then going over that with Woodland Scenics latex using 3 coats. Once everything hardened then a coat of brown paint was added and also dry brushed the armature with some lighter colored chalks. Sprayed the top of the wire with adhesive then dipped in green flocking for leaves. Once that was glued in place I "painted" a small area with white glue before adding some flocking and weeds then followed by dirt sprinkled on with a spoon. When that was to my liking the area was covered with a 50-50 mix of water and white glue applied carefully with an eyedropper; I prefer this method as opposed to spraying. It's tedious but the result is worth it. Also added a few details like the barrel, this was from Jim for entering the winter challenge, finishing off with brown chalks and clear alcohol. Once dried the bands were gone over with a lead pencil to bring out the detail. Grabbed a printed sign and sanded the surface to look old and disused. That was placed on top of the barrel like someone put it there then forgot about it. Added some flowers by the porch to keep Mrs. O'Neil happy....she does like her flowers.





Finished up the area in front of the porch this morning.Started by placing some grass areas against the front edge of the porch. The rest of the area was scenic using the same methods as previously. I added some stones in front of the porch to help keep some of the mud out of the Mercantile when it rains. Added a few details like the sack of grain sitting by the front door and a broom to keep the porch swept off. The chair was another gift from Jim and was colored with brown chalks and clear alcohol to look like wood. That's not glued in place just yet until my LP's arrive. I have one of an old man sitting that I will color then glue him into the chair.



Lastly I made another type of vine using the same techniques as before. This time I used a fine flocking over the spray adhesive. The shed was glued to the foam before the vines were glued in place.

This is where I'm at currently with still miles to go before calling this done. Thanks for stopping by with all your great comments and/or suggestions so stay tuned.