HOn3 Rio Grande Southern First District 1938-1945

[Point353]

Ran the first train completely around the room tonight.

Any photos of the "golden spike" ceremony?

[Dave V]

Any photos of the "golden spike" ceremony?

Deliberately no...  I have a lot of cleanup to do before that part of the layout can be photographed.

[Dave V]

3 December 2018 update video:

[Dave V]

Added another structure to Rico (the prototype still exists in Silver Plume, CO, but I freelanced the businesses and paint).







Found a beat-up C&S car at my LHS.  I think it's a Grandt Line kit.  It needed new trucks and couplers, surgery on the brake rigging and new stirrup steps, and lots of touch-up paint and "unweathering."  And while it has no business being on the RGS in the 40s, Rule #1 is in effect:

[mcjaco]

I want to see more of this three way turnout!

[DKS]

Added another structure to Rico (the prototype still exists in Silver Plume, CO, but I freelanced the businesses and paint).

Given that Coors sign, you need one of these parked in front:

[wcfn100]

Given that Coors sign, you need one of these parked in front:

That'd be an awesome 3D print.

Jason

[Dave V]

I want to see more of this three way turnout!

Ah, but there was a whole thread about it:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=44763.0

That'd be an awesome 3D print.

Jason

If it can be had in 1:87, I'll take it!

[Chris333]

Where did you find the soda works?  They have been sold out for a few years now.

[Dave V]

Where did you find the soda works?  They have been sold out for a few years now.

I saw it at my LHS...Roy's Model Trains.  They sell used and old new stock.

[johnb]

Given that Coors sign, you need one of these parked in front:

I would love to own that COE

[Dave V]

Working on Ridgway Yard.  There's a hierarchy to the track and it's "ballasted" accordingly.  The foreground track is the best groomed, its cinder and slag roadbed representing the D&RGW Ouray Branch which ran from Montrose to Ouray and interchanged with the Rio Grande Southern at Ridgway (and the 345 is Ouray-bound).  The second track in is simply a visible staging track but is "ballasted" in mud and weeds to represent the condition of your average RGS secondary track.  The third track in is a passing siding and similarly "ballasted."  The far track is the RGS mainline, which--although ballasted in cinders and mud--still looks to be in better shape than the prototype, but I'm an optimist.



I'm using Heki and Bachmann pull-apart grass along with static grass, Silflor, and real dirt from the RGS to find that weedy, muddy look.  I hit the track with various shades of brown, tan, and gray spray bombs and then go back and individually paint most of the ties.  By the 40s, the RGS was using untreated ties to replace treated ones due to a supply issue.  Since they typically expected to be abandoned at any moment, that's not so short-sighted a strategy as you might think.  I made the D&RGW track a little darker, representing creosoted ties that have been sun-bleached:



I also scenicked my lift-out section.  This is that Blackstone Unitrack-like track so I had to bury it in cinder.



I acquired my first brass passenger car, a Balboa model of the RGS business car B-20, a.k.a. the "Edna."  She rides very high compared to a Blackstone Jackson & Sharp coach:



...but looking closely it shouldn't be too hard to lower the car.  Thinner bolster washers and maybe relocate the dummy bolster ends a little farther outboard.



Lastly, two shots of a southbound (railroad west) led by RGS K-27 #455 rounding Windy Point in September, 1947:

[Dave V]

Okay, major update coming:

Did some scenery.  Here's a comparison between the 3-D scenery at Placerville and the 2-D photo backdrop.  The photo backdrop has a ground=up perspective; the rock strata are actually ground-parallel and not folded.



It looks pretty continuous in person so I'm happy.

Rico update:





More work at Lizard Head:



...and at Gallagher I finally have the "lone track through the wilderness" scene I've been after:







A comparison of roughly 6 months' worth of work at Gallagher:

[nuno81291]

This is really coming together. The landscaping/groundcover and backdrop are excellent. Makes one want to scratch the narrow gauge itch.

[Dave V]

This is really coming together. The landscaping/groundcover and backdrop are excellent. Makes one want to scratch the narrow gauge itch.

Thanks!  And...  The narrow gauge bug is incurable.  The only treatment is to indulge it.