Public Works Project
- Thread starter roryglasgow
- Start date
I painted the streets with India ink diluted with alcohol (they were originally gray). I'll figure out a way to do stripes later. The white areas are going to be sidewalks, foundations and alley-ways around the buildings. I glued down Craft-It mini-sticks (from Hobby Lobby) to make the forms, then poured plaster of Paris into them. After the plaster dries, I'll add another coat to level it; then I'll paint it with a gray color to simulate concrete.
When I originally poured the streets, I didn't fill the forms all the way to the top. That way, the wood forms become curbs. The sidewalks and foundations, though, are even with the tops. To make a driveway, all I'll need to do is whittle down the wooden curb a little...
When I originally poured the streets, I didn't fill the forms all the way to the top. That way, the wood forms become curbs. The sidewalks and foundations, though, are even with the tops. To make a driveway, all I'll need to do is whittle down the wooden curb a little...
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And here are the buildings in their approximate positions. (I noticed just now that the two brick buildings along the back are too far apart.) Yes, the hotel on the left is leaning to the left. I still need to apply that second coat of plaster and level out that section.
I'll post more pictures when I've got it finished. It'll probably take me a couple of days!
-Rory
I'll post more pictures when I've got it finished. It'll probably take me a couple of days!
-Rory
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C
Catt
Rory ,I used yellow and white gel-pens to do the center lines on my NTRAK modules. Works very well.
Rory - Are your building open at the bottom (or could they be)? I read a tip somewhere that you can glue down foam blocks (the spongy kind) sized so that a building can be set over them and they hold it in place.
Then it's easy to remove the building for additional detailing, etc. It's also easier to relocate a building - just rip up the sponge, reuse it if you can or replace it.
See, I do try to be useful sometimes.
Bill
Then it's easy to remove the building for additional detailing, etc. It's also easier to relocate a building - just rip up the sponge, reuse it if you can or replace it.
See, I do try to be useful sometimes.
Bill
Hi Rory,
I love the view down Main Street!... Why on earth did you decide on a charcoal colour for the road?????
As soon as I saw the "Main Street" view it took me straight back to a small township in South Dakota I visited last October. Your street with concrete roads was a dead ringer for that town .
Either way it will finish up looking just great.
BTW, is your layout on a frame or a door? and do you use a 35mm or a digital camera?
Although I have a whole heap of BN "N" gauge gear, I want to finish my HO layout first.
All I have at present is a 11' x18" HO layout based on the small switching layout "Norwest terminal" in "Model Railroading in small places. (Track layed out but not pinned down).
Sorry I drifted off the thread a little (must be one of my "senior moments)
kettlestack
I love the view down Main Street!... Why on earth did you decide on a charcoal colour for the road?????
As soon as I saw the "Main Street" view it took me straight back to a small township in South Dakota I visited last October. Your street with concrete roads was a dead ringer for that town .
Either way it will finish up looking just great.
BTW, is your layout on a frame or a door? and do you use a 35mm or a digital camera?
Although I have a whole heap of BN "N" gauge gear, I want to finish my HO layout first.
All I have at present is a 11' x18" HO layout based on the small switching layout "Norwest terminal" in "Model Railroading in small places. (Track layed out but not pinned down).
Sorry I drifted off the thread a little (must be one of my "senior moments)
kettlestack
Thanks for the compliments!
I still have to pour more plaster to fill in some gaps and uneven spaces. The stuff set too fast for me to get it all even last night, so I figured I'd have to do it in two phases. That'll hopefully fix the "Leaning Hotel of Bryan" problem!
I don't know what came over me with the roads... I prefer the look of concrete roads in towns. I was kinda thinking of "modernizing" the layout, though, since I'm moving it forward in time to the present. Most of the towns in these parts end up putting layers of asphalt on top of the concrete at some point...but not all.
The buildings are open at the bottom. I plan on eventually putting in some cardstock to block the light from shining through. When they get moved to the Next Big Layout, I intend to install interior lights.
This layout has mostly been a training exercise for me. One day I hope to build something much bigger (The Next Big Layout, aka The Next Big Thing). The current one, though, is based on the Atlas N-11, Unhinged and Horizontal. It's built on a hollow core door. I used blue foam insulation as the base. The whole thing sits on top of two wooden TV dinner trays! Not the most stable platform, but it's convenient.
I have a cheap little digital camera that I got for signing up with Earthlink Internet for three months. It's been a boon, as it's saved us a fortune in film developing, but the quality isn't all that great for close-up shots. One day I hope to get a good camera like some of the "big boys" here on The Gauge! hehehehe
Thanks, guys, for the tips on the foam and gel pens. I'll give them a shot!
-Rory
I still have to pour more plaster to fill in some gaps and uneven spaces. The stuff set too fast for me to get it all even last night, so I figured I'd have to do it in two phases. That'll hopefully fix the "Leaning Hotel of Bryan" problem!
I don't know what came over me with the roads... I prefer the look of concrete roads in towns. I was kinda thinking of "modernizing" the layout, though, since I'm moving it forward in time to the present. Most of the towns in these parts end up putting layers of asphalt on top of the concrete at some point...but not all.
The buildings are open at the bottom. I plan on eventually putting in some cardstock to block the light from shining through. When they get moved to the Next Big Layout, I intend to install interior lights.
This layout has mostly been a training exercise for me. One day I hope to build something much bigger (The Next Big Layout, aka The Next Big Thing). The current one, though, is based on the Atlas N-11, Unhinged and Horizontal. It's built on a hollow core door. I used blue foam insulation as the base. The whole thing sits on top of two wooden TV dinner trays! Not the most stable platform, but it's convenient.
I have a cheap little digital camera that I got for signing up with Earthlink Internet for three months. It's been a boon, as it's saved us a fortune in film developing, but the quality isn't all that great for close-up shots. One day I hope to get a good camera like some of the "big boys" here on The Gauge!
heheheheThanks, guys, for the tips on the foam and gel pens. I'll give them a shot!
-Rory
If these pics were from your "cheap" digital camera they are good, wait till you recover from the cost of "The Next Big Thing" before you go for a super duper digi cam..... 
Hope you post more pics.
kettlestack
Hope you post more pics.
kettlestack
Rory your layout is looking good! That 2nd picture you posted would be a real killer with a sky backdrop behind it.
I'm liking the new arrangement better, myself. I'll get some pictures of it on here soon, after I get a little more done. Progress is a little slower than I had expected. The plaster-for-sidewalks idea has been a little...um...rough. When I laid the streets down, everything went pretty smoothly. But this time I think I got the plaster too thick. I eventually gave up trying to get it smoothed out, and had to add in some spackling compound to fill in some holes. As long as you don't look at it real close, it looks OK!
Tyson, here is a digital backdrop applied to that second picture:
-Rory
Tyson, here is a digital backdrop applied to that second picture:
-Rory
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Wow, Rory!
That really makes it, my friend! I can almost hear dogs barking, & a breeze blowing!
I've always liked your trees, but they look even better with that sky behind them!
Isn't it amazing what you can put together with some wood, plaster, glue, styrene, & lots of imagination?
That really makes it, my friend! I can almost hear dogs barking, & a breeze blowing!
I've always liked your trees, but they look even better with that sky behind them!
Isn't it amazing what you can put together with some wood, plaster, glue, styrene, & lots of imagination?
And here's another...
Both of these backgrounds are from Astronomy Picture of the Day. This particular pic is titled Anticrepuscular Rays Over Colorado.
Both of these backgrounds are from Astronomy Picture of the Day. This particular pic is titled Anticrepuscular Rays Over Colorado.
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I'm using Paint Shop Pro 6. The company that makes it, Jasc, is on version 7 now. You can download a free trial copy at http://www.jasc.com/products/psp/. It's pretty slick, and I think it's a good bit cheaper than Adobe Photoshop.
-Rory
-Rory
Still working on it...but here's something that I've learned: Plaster of Paris is not very suitable for making roads and sidewalks. I've given up trying to make the surfaces level. I used some spackling compound to smooth things out a bit, but that isn't enough. The good news is that if you're not looking really close, the sidewalks look smooth.
On the other hand, I'm having fun with the spackling compound. It's some kind made by DAP. It's pink when you spread it out, but dries white. That's pretty cool because you can more easily see the surface than with the white stuff. When it turns white, you can add more. Very easy to work with. It's also easy to smooth out. I made a pretty good paved parking lot with it this evening. I wish I'd thought of using it for the sidewalks!
-Rory
On the other hand, I'm having fun with the spackling compound. It's some kind made by DAP. It's pink when you spread it out, but dries white. That's pretty cool because you can more easily see the surface than with the white stuff. When it turns white, you can add more. Very easy to work with. It's also easy to smooth out. I made a pretty good paved parking lot with it this evening. I wish I'd thought of using it for the sidewalks!
-Rory