layout progress

UP SD40-2

Senior Member
Apr 29, 2006
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Lynn, WOW!!!, looks like the layout is coming along GREAT!:thumb: :D . cant wait to see the next updates!;) :D -Deano
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
I decided to dive in with placing castings one I painted on a coat of plaster to stiffen up the base.
These are the new bragdon molds I'm starting with I'll also use a variety of woodland scenic molds.


You can see the few that I've applied , I'll go back leter with a syringe filled with hydrocal and fill in behind the castings



I started filling in for the rock portal , this otta be interesting.

I used the block of styro to shape the lip of this portal you can also see how I built up the mountain to blend it in.
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Here's the mountains all painted up and we got a good start on the ground cover.
I added on the section to the left to hide the decline portal.


I added a road up the side of the hill, wicked wanda bar mills will have the area in the upper right at the top of the hill




The little lake and waterfall area is ready for a bit of color and the woodland scenic water installed


Here's another road I added that will travel along the side over a bridge and to the Seafood restaurant


Area for the Seafood restaurant there's also going to be a small lake on the hill


This is where this bridge will cross to the restaurant



These are the next areas I'm going to spend some time at I need a hill to cross the tracks to come down from the top of the mining area it'll be to the right of the portal.

 

Nazgul

Active Member
Jan 22, 2006
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Ohio
Lynn, I love the rock faces and the colorization! It looks "right" if you know what I mean. I guess, natural, is a better way to describe it. Keep up the great work!
 

UP SD40-2

Senior Member
Apr 29, 2006
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Lynn, GREAT JOB!!:thumb: :thumb: your rock work looks FANTASTIC!:thumb: :D VERY well done.;) :D -Deano
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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I thought I better post a few pics seeing as I'm taking a break from scenery for a bit and I'm turning back to wiring .For wiring I'm just concentrating on making some kinda mile post with the numbers etched into them and placing them next to the turnouts so I will know which number to punch into the dt400 hand controler to throw the switch.
These pics are basiclly the buildings placed back on the bench work and the three diarammas put back. I also started roughing in the road ways I plan on finishing them with a sand base.
Here I roughed in the tunnel portal for now and painted it up.


couple pics of the laser cut mine I put together I redid the mine rocks , I think they look much better now , I also roughed in the 2 portals in that end and the bridge is sitting there to indicate where it will cross
The top of the mountain still needs a lot of work but I will need to make some kits first.





Here's a couple more scratch builts that seem to have found a place.

overall shot

Stuffey's brewery's also found a piece of property

My BLI with sound

Sea food is in place along with the leather factory you can see where the bridge will cross the track gorge

 

Nazgul

Active Member
Jan 22, 2006
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Lynn, the structures really set the scene and give your layout it's own personality! The rock work around the mine came out great, but all the scenery looks top notch. You are moving right along my friend...keep up the great work! OH yeah, about the BLI......I WANT ONE!!!!!!
 

wdsrwg

Member
Jan 29, 2006
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Hill Country of Western Wisconsin
Well Lynn I see your up to your elbows in great stuff! :thumb:
You are still an insperation and I can't wait to get back to it.
Of course I hate you for the progress you have made! :p
I am testing next week and then the serious stuff begins.
I also have decided on my theme and it might be popular
for a few years. How does an entire layout supporting a
BIO FUELS PLANT sound? :rolleyes:
You just keep forging ahead and making some of us look
bad, and I'll keep admiring the work.
Talk with ya later.
:wave:
Russell
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
I think that sounds great Russel , I like chem cars and that theme is very expandible .Sorry I didn't post back sooner I've been real busy . All I've been able to work on really is adding decoders to my steam engines. I did one so far with a tsunami it really sounds great. I've also been testing out the track with these steams. I switch back and forth from one part of the hobby to another ...never get bored when I have the time sign1
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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I figured its time I step away from decoder installs and track electrical gidgetry and take a jab at the waterfalls area. I'm using woodland scenic products for the waterfalls and river. I'm going to have to really take my time on this as I haven't got a clue what I'm doing. Sure anyone can layout the water effects on a sheet of styrene for the falls and pour relistic water on plywood but its what surrounds it and makes up the water scene that I'm going to have to figure out.
So.. here's the water effects spread out on some styrene I figure it'll take at least the 24 hr period the instructions says to dry I made it extra wide and long for what ever reason


I cut the falls gulley back aways more and added some blue coloring to start with for the back ground I have the feeling this will need to be toned down quite a bit , but heck the bottle was just sitting there .


I installed a sheet of plywood from underneath and widened the banks to 7 " at the widest point the depth is 4.5" and length is 21" . So what I have to figure out is how to make this river deep looking toward the middle and shallow enuff to see gravel bottom towadr the edges useing the space I have and still have a half descent slope on the banks


So any suggestions ?:)
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Well after alot of thought I decided its too difficult to get the look I was after with a deep walled river bed and decided to lift it a bit now there is only 1.5" of depth compared to the way I had it which was about 4" I think I'll be able to get much nicer banks now .
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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So this is what I came up with in my vision or in my fat head [:D]
This is with the cheapo teri cloth stapled down
I decided to make one landing below the falls



And here is with the plaster slathered on I through in some brown to the plaster just because it was there .


I had a bit of plaster left over so I filled in some more of the gappage on the diaramma edges

So what do you think I think I can do alot more now with the banks .
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
Sheesh I could have swore I did some post in here , I'd spend a bit of time bringing things up to speed. Pls foregive me for dumping all the pics in at once. :eek:ops:
I was actually thinking for the effects for the falls to first stack up some rocks for the face then lay the sheet of water effects over that, well that is if the sheet of water effects ever becomes completly clear , the rocks should show through a bit.
img1042lw7.jpg


I added the water to the creek this is after 2 days and its still gooey and of course the waterfall still isn't clear ... no rush.
I added a couple more castings and as soon as all the water hardens I'll add more ground foam and trees and maybe more well you know , stuff .
creek1wu4.jpg

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The creek didn't change much at all which I didn't expect as much.
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Here comes the track cleaner 3 units consisted together does the job , right now it makes frequent runs down to the staging yard . It seems when the track isn't used its harder to keep clean. I use the diesels only because when there is a crudded section between the 3 of them there's a better chance of the track power being tranfered .
img1076jk6.jpg
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
I worked on the bridge a bit more I found the brown leather dye and alcohol a bit too brite so I gave it an airbrushing of black the went over it with bragdons dark rust and a bit of bragdon soot here and there. No flash was used for these pics
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this pic is with flash on just to show the color a bit better
Seems hard to get a descent natural picture.
img1088og1.jpg
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
I got a change to try my hand at ballasting. It took a bit but after a while I got the hang of getting the ballast in just the right place. I painted the rails with box car red (2 coats) and the ties with railroad tie brown then when I painted the rails I gave the ties a brushing of box car red as well. I experimented a bit with the grey ballast by giving it a spray of alcohol and india ink it darkened it up quit nicely. I'll probably go back to the ties with some weathering powders.
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I also went at one of my diesels with the airbrush to dirty it up a bit , it'll be quite some time before I weather the steam engines.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Apr 14, 2006
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Rancho Santa Margarita, Cali.
WOW, you have made A TON of progress on that Waterfall. It looks GREAT, AWSOME Job and keep it up :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

That bridge looks AMAZING!!!!! Nicly done. O and I like the track too, it looks good, I need to weather my track, one of these days, lol
 

wickman

Member
Dec 8, 2005
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Ontario canada
Here's the final update on how I've been making out , basiclly the ballasting is almost done , the waterfalls cleared up real nice, I added a couple rail bridges I just need some railings now. I will also be spending some time making some regular vehicle bridges out of timber.
I took a few shots.sign1