Seaboard Central 2.0

[sizemore]

Nah, that will become a little used siding or interchange, except when needed for roundy-round operation.  I'll make sure that the ballast is less maintained looking on that trackage.  Although it joins only a passing siding, the latter will be much more travelled, so the straight side of the turnout on the passing siding makes sense.  To me, anyway.   

I agree with John, but my reasoning stems from that very short straight-away looks unnatural. It just seems "off" or takes away from the Feng Shui of the whole curve-bridge-curve.

The S.

[davefoxx]

If I knew what the final trajectory of the track heading to the addition was, I might agree with you and John.  If it turns out that I need to jog more towards the table's edge than I have here (I'm concerned I may want to go straighter), then a wye could be appropriate.  In the meantime, consider that there is an entire Kato Amtoob length of track between the slight curve before the bridge and the #5 turnout.  It's not really as short as it appears here.  These pictures are foreshortening the trackwork.  I really wish I could have fit a #7 turnout in, but there wasn't room.  I have little adjustment to play with in the sharp single track curve, and the bridge cannot move.



If I have time tonight, I'll try to take a straight down shot of this trackage.  I'll also look to see if I even have a wye.  I might.

Thanks,
Dave

[davefoxx]

Here's the overhead shots I promised.  The first so you can see the track, and the second with an Amfleet car for perspective.





This last shot is for comparison with the earlier pictures.  Hopefully, you get an idea of the track without the distortion of foreshortening.


Oh, and I checked my dwindling inventory.  I don't have any wyes left to even try to see if the alignment can be improved with a wye.  What I'll do is wait to see how the final track plan is designed for the addition and how that will change, if at all, the existing track layout as it heads on to the new HCD.

DFF

[davefoxx]

I cleaned up the lake bottom to fix some layout construction scars and laid down a few coats of paint before I was finally satisfied with the feathering effect to create shallows and depth.  I first tried using Woodland Scenics "black" pigment color, but it seemed to bead up, almost as if it was hydrophobic.  I wiped that off and, luckily, found an old bottle of Polly S "Engine Black" that wasn't dried out.  With a couple of brushes, I carefully blended the black paint into my sandy earth colored latex paint.

I'm just looking for the look of a deep lake, so I didn't detail the bottom.  I allowed the earth color to run up the bank, so that I can blend the foliage back to the water's edge after the Envirotex "water" is poured.  I think this will look good when the water surface can reflect a blue sky.  I'll need to either finish the room and paint the walls or make a temporary sky blue backdrop for photos.



DFF

[johnhale]

Dave,
   It may be the color shifting of the photos, but the lighter color for the shallow looks really light (almost like Florida beach sand). The deep portion looks awesome.  Of course, I may be wrong and it may just be my view of it.

John

[MichaelT]

Thanks for the updated picture Dave, that looks really great!

[luis_lopes]

Really nice track plan and layout.

Dave K Smith is helping me on a trackplan since I know nothing about american layouts (I am portuguese), and your track plan and layout are trully an inspiration for me.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers.

[davefoxx]

Dave,
   It may be the color shifting of the photos, but the lighter color for the shallow looks really light (almost like Florida beach sand). The deep portion looks awesome.  Of course, I may be wrong and it may just be my view of it.

John

John,

Ironically, the color is better reflected in my last picture (cell phone) than it is in the several previous pictures (digital camera).  I need to figure out how to adjust the white balance or something on the digital camera, because the pictures are terrible.

Anyhow, like I said, the cell phone pic of the newly-painted lake bottom is reasonably close.  I intentionally made my base paint color really light, because I'm modeling the North Carolina Sandhills.  The soil there can bleach to almost white when exposed to the sun.  That said, much of the bright sandy color that you see around the lake's edge in the picture above will be hidden by foliage.  Knowing that Envirotex creeps up the banks, I painted the lake bottom up the banks and above the lake surface.  Once I pour the Envirotex and it hardens, I'll then bring the foliage back down to the "water" and hide the meniscus of the Envirotex.

Thanks,
Dave

[davefoxx]

Thanks for the updated picture Dave, that looks really great!

Really nice track plan and layout.

Dave K Smith is helping me on a trackplan since I know nothing about american layouts (I am portuguese), and your track plan and layout are trully an inspiration for me.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers.

Thanks, guys.  I really appreciate it.  Luis, you've found a good resource in the assistance of DKS.  I'm flattered to be an inspiration and look forward to seeing pictures of your layout as it develops.

DFF

[luis_lopes]

I just hope to so somethink as good looking as you layout.

Cheers.

[davefoxx]

At John and sizemore's suggestion, I realigned the double track mainline and single track siding with a wye and, hopefully, restored the Feng Shui.  I think it looks better and was worth the effort to tear out the track and cork roadbed to redesign the track in this area.  Thanks, guys!

BEFORE:



AFTER:



Not only does the double track now flow smoother, but this realignment allows the curves to leave this HCD at a much better angle to fit on the next HCD.  Yes, there is a slight s-curve in the transition to the single track, but everything I own tracks fine through there, including 85' Amfleet cars.  I'm sure I have crossovers that are much more severe.  Plus, once the expansion is complete, this single track will get relegated to an interchange-like siding and be demoted from being part of the current roundy-round.

Ignore the lake for now, please.  I haven't yet repainted the bottom after messing around with the banks.  This will get a layer of Envirotex Lite after the lake bottom is finished.  Hopefully, that's a project that will get completed this coming week.

DFF

[John]

+1

[Chris333]

Un-able to ignore the lake    The banks are already looking better!

Trackwork flows better as well.

[conrailthomas519]

Dave, It's a hit!...... A big difference!

[luis_lopes]

Yeap, track flows really better!

nice work !