Seaboard Central 2.0

[davefoxx]

It was supposed to be spring.    I may have to reconsider a hazy, hot, and humid summer day.

DFF

[wazzou]

Does it more stand up or more lay down in different directions mixed with some standing up?
You need to get the mesh fairly close to the substrate to get nearly 100% of the fibers to stand upright.
That's why I like the handle vertical rather than horizontal as yours is.

[mcjaco]

Think I use Silflor summer and late summer:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=22662.msg215973#msg215973

That's what Modutrak uses.  I found the WS stuff way too muted when I did scenery on a local HO Club layout.

[davefoxx]

I'm working on three separate projects this weekend.

1) Static Grass: Last night, I went over a portion of last week's static grass applicator experiment with another layer of grass.  Taking Philip's advice, I went at it with a second layer of only medium green static grass (no light green this time).  I think it came out much better.  The grass to the right of the track has the second application.  The grass to the left of the track does not, which was a 50/50 mix of light and medium green.  Hopefully, you can see the difference:



2) Highway bridge:The girders and road surface have been rebuilt.  I started building the new railings by first installing the curbs:



3) LP Dealer: I painted the retaining wall and the concrete curbing around the parking lot, which allowed me to glue the styrene parking lot to the layout.  I have started some of the detailed painting on the different tanks, piping, and buildings.  Once the adhesive dries, i can start working ballast and ground foam around the parking lot to blend it in:



DFF

[svedblen]

1) Static Grass: ...  I think it came out much better ...  Hopefully, you can see the difference

Yes, I can see the difference, and I agree. It looks more natural now.

Good work on the other projects too.

[Chris333]

Think it looks better as well.

One trick I just read about. Laying odd shaped pieces of wet paper towel down so the grass won't stick to it. Gives more variation. (never tried it)

[packers#1]

The second pass definitely looks more realistic. Depending on what part of spring you want to model, you might work a touch of brown or yellowish grass in, as most of the grass turns to a light brown during the winter. Otherwise, layout is coming along nicely 

[davefoxx]

I built the first test section of railing for the new bridge yesterday evening.  Comparing the following pictures, I already have to admit that Lee was right.  The dimensions of the new railing are more in proportion for N scale.

Old:


New:


Hopefully, I can make some progress on this project this weekend.

DFF

[ChristianJDavis1]

I built the first test section of railing for the new bridge yesterday evening.  Comparing the following pictures, I already have to admit that Lee was right.  The dimensions of the new railing are more in proportion for N scale.

Old:


New:


Hopefully, I can make some progress on this project this weekend.

DFF

I agree. The smaller railing makes the bridge look more proportional (larger in size, but smaller in scale, in this case, which I assume was the ultimate purpose). Would it be possible to take another photograph with the car in about the same position once the remainder of the railing is finished for a truer comparison? keep up the good work, though. The layout is really coming together.

[wm3798]

I built the first test section of railing for the new bridge yesterday evening.  Comparing the following pictures, I already have to admit that Lee was right.  The dimensions of the new railing are more in proportion for N scale.

DFF

Nobody likes to admit that Lee was right.  But when he is, he is.
 

[davefoxx]

Because I have way too many unfinished but complex scratchbuilding projects going on, I decided to tackle something that I could more or less complete in a few hours.  So, this afternoon, I finally rebuilt this A&R ballasted deck bridge.  First, the abutments got a base coat of paint and Dullcote and were glued into their final position.  Then, I scratchbuilt the bridge with styrene I-girders and styrene sheet and strips to represent the "concrete" deck.  For instant gratification, I painted this short section of the A&R mainline, painted and installed the bridge, and ballasted the track.



DFF

[mcjaco]

Yummy.

[jpec]

Dave,

I've made the flyswatter version for about $5 when Harbor Freight has them on sale for like $3 and a dollar store strainer. I re-tooled it with a plastic rimmed strainer after the smell of burning flesh from an arc during a late night session. I recently bought a hybrid of the flyswatter and the large cup like the Grassmaster off eBay from a Chinese shop for about $25. Once you get  done laughing at the instructions it works great but it has one hell of a kick from the static build up if you're not careful.  I was putting mine away about 20 minutes after removing the battery, the probe hit the screen and the static discharge felt like someone whacked me across the arm with a 2 x 4...

Jeff

[Rich_S]

Because I have way too many unfinished but complex scratchbuilding projects going on, I decided to tackle something that I could more or less complete in a few hours.  So, this afternoon, I finally rebuilt this A&R ballasted deck bridge.  First, the abutments got a base coat of paint and Dullcote and were glued into their final position.  Then, I scratchbuilt the bridge with styrene I-girders and styrene sheet and strips to represent the "concrete" deck.  For instant gratification, I painted this short section of the A&R mainline, painted and installed the bridge, and ballasted the track.



DFF

Dave, Very nice  May I suggest a light wash of black on the stone abutments, very light just enough to add some weather and make the seams between the stones pop.

[davefoxx]

I. Don't. Like. Lee. Weldon. Anymore. 

Taking Lee's advice, I am rebuilding the railings on my North Carolina highway bridge.  Unfortunately, there's nine minuscule pieces of styrene per rail section, making this construction really challenging for my hands.  So far, I've only been able to build and install four railing sections to my satisfaction.



The car will give you an idea of scale:


I agree this is better than my first attempt where I guessed at the railing dimensions, but, boy, is this ever a real pain!  And, even these sections aren't finished, as I still have some sanding and filing to do, e.g., the taper underneath the blocks that mount the railings to the side of the bridge.  Ugh.

DFF