Building the West Hickory bridge

[jpec]

It's really no different than a shelf railroad standard.     I'll be the first to say I'm not in love with Unitrack, except for the genius of the connectors.  The general '1 foot blocks', 2 3/4" working height, 14" depth - 1 1/2" setback at joints, is really not that hard to hit, particularly if you have a series of modules that hit that mark at the beginning and end.

Dave Ferrari did the setups of the 'free for all' T-track layout at Altoona.  But what was incredible was that at the end of show, we all gathered around, and BOOM.... the entire monster ad-hoc layout was down, boxed, cleared, and packed in 20 minutes flat.  The portability of the T-track envelope (topping out at 14x36 for a triple module is a heck of a lot easier to move than Ntrak.  I don't need a trailer and a truck. 

I've personally been caught wanting to build more layout, and have no space at all, but realize that crawling under one to wire it is probably now not feasible either.   I've always modeled western Santa Fe as a semi-portable layout, but the truth of it is that I've also done eastern logging since the start as well, and I refuse to be guilty about that, either.   This portable modular approach started for me in 1975 with the 18x36 Hickory Valley Railroad layout in MR - this T-trak business has just given me a new set of standards so that I can also use these modules at shows with other modelers.    I built Ross Run to 21x42 and was stunned how much heaver it was to move around... darn near a two-person operation.  Nope, T-trak for me now.    And this set of modules that I'm building now are being constructed in such a way that I can reconfigure them for a variety of purposes, with the ultimate destiny that they'd be historically accurate enough to end up at the local historical societies when I'm done with them.   I was hacking up plywood for a T-trak double last night just enjoying the smell of cut lumber again - to me that's right up there with new car smell!

You hit the nail on the head. Most large setups we do we're in the car in under 30 minutes plus no crawling on floors that were the playground of bovines and all their emanations the week before,  simpler wiring, etc., etc. I  wish Atlas would really expand on the True-Track line, I would love to do some single track branchlines in a Free-Mo style in TTrak.

Oh, by the way, that is some awesome modeling...

Jeff

[mmagliaro]

I'm late to this project, but I just wanted to say very nice work!
And... the removable snap-out deck sections to allow for cleaning is genius!  That is such a bane of truss bridges because it's hard to get in there with q-tips or a block or anything.  A cleaner on a stick is an essential and even that is clumsy.

[randgust]

OK so here's an update.   I finally got all the plasterwork done on the module, and this weekend I actually got to paint the riverbottom.

I have my own philosophy on this stuff, I'll let final results be the judge, but I got a whole assortment of acrylics and spent a good portion of the day yesterday mixing and shading to match the temporary backdrop.  This is just the inkjet printed one on regular paper, final will be high-res and laser printed.

So, the great advantage in modules is that you can haul them outside and see what they look like in sunlight.   Finally......



Oblique view:




The other MIRACLE is that I discovered that yes, the original tollbooth survived and is preserved at the Forest County Historical Society.   If you go back to the beginning of this thread you'll see it in the 1924 shot.   This is a shot I took for scaling, it is only 11 x 13 feet.

http://www.randgust.com/WHTB2.jpg

Not bad for something built about 1897:

[Chris333]

I wish I could always find a perfect backdrop image like that one. Whole scene looks great.

[glakedylan]

Randy, this is terrific work
what a fine job you have done
and each post gives such useful information
thanks for posting
can't wait to see the finished project
sincerely
Gary

[superturbine]

Looking really nice!!!

[arbomambo]

The more I see stuff like this, the more I think TTrak is not just for shows.  Am I right @arbomambo ?

I'm discovering that I really enjoy working with the modules; allowing me to try out scenery techniques that would never see the light of day on the Kingman Canyon layout...
Also, I can quickly set up a few (or more) modules on tables to run extra long trains.
I'm really enjoying seeing Randgust incorporate a very nice scene within the confines of a T-TRAK module...
~Bruce

[mmagliaro]

It's lovely, in engineering design and in aesthetics!

[randgust]

OK, tollbooth is done.   This thing is tiny, only 11x13.....



I'm getting there...   Oh, and Ed, this is why I wasn't worried about C80 on that adapter curve.  I didn't lug this outside for the test, but I still had to try.



Compare to the 1925 view:

[peteski]

Nice booth Randy!  Also clever model photo taken from almost the same angle as the proto. photo.

[randgust]

I'll only post this one to encourage other modelers that get discouraged.

I spent the better part of last week getting the river bottom detailed and painted.... down to the tweezer level.   Very happy with it.

Sunday was the big day.  Pour the river day.   Based on my prior experience with clear plastic (the HVRR log pond) I was planning to use Castin Craft clear polyester casting resin from Michaels.  That had worked magnificently for the log pond and has now held up for...wow, like 40+ years.

But this was a much larger project - the pour area measured 8 x 33 inches and I wanted a 1/4" pour, so a whole can of the stuff was mixed up and poured.   Yes, this stuff is potent, you can only do this on a perfect summer day, under cover, surrounded by screens.

First results were absolutely fantastic.   I got pictures.   Even got every little bubble out of it.   Glass smooth, absolutely perfect.

About 30 minutes later I noticed 'silvering' along the edges, and growing in like snowflake or frost feathers.  It was separating slightly from the base.   It sort of looked like wave reflections, well.... I can live with that.    They continued to grow.    The top also began to 'orangepeel' slightly, which looked a bit like waves.  Also, I could live with that.

Came back an hour later.   OMG.   The entire surface had split...twice....right by the piers.  About 1/8" wide....   THAT I could neither fix not live with.   It was still a little flexible, and it obviously wasn't working,  so I rolled it up as best I could soft of like clear hard candy at the taffy stage.  It didn't stick to much of anything except the detail I'd put in on the edges.   It removed some of the bottom paint, and a little plaster damage.

But basically, entirely, a complete failure.   Shrinkage was incredible over 33".   It may have worked for my little log pond (which was maybe 7" x 10" in an oval-end shape) but this was a catastrophe.    Luckily I got it out without completely destroying the module.   I think I can fix this.

Lesson 1:  Don't use this stuff for water.   Nothing bigger than a puddle.   The instructions SAY it will shrink back from the mold edges for easy removal, in my case if it got a good grip on the edges it broke in the center from tensile shrink.  I got the pieces out, it looks like a big slab of clear sugar candy.   I may bring it to Altoona just to prove what a disaster I'm capable of producing even after a lifetime in this hobby.

So I'll repair the damage, lick my wounds, and try Woodland Scenics Deep Pour clear.   It seems like it would work.   I'm not seeing any negative experiences out there other than having to hit the surface with a hair dryer in some cases.

Tips and sympathy welcome.   I did have the bridge off of it entirely during all this, and the damage is a lot less than it could have been if I hadn't pulled it out when I did.    Right now it's pretty much snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[djconway]

OMG even the Master has a problem from time to time.  What hope is there for me?

[Chris333]

This is why I dread doing any type of water. I just dab on a few coats gloss medium and that has always worked.  Ends up being maybe 1/16" thick total.

Here is a river with WS water:
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=32219.msg471293#msg471293

[randgust]

I think its more a matter of 'don't confuse me with written warnings, I know what I'm doing'.   It SAID it would shrink right in the instructions, but when I used it before it didn't.  I suspect the formula might have changed in 40 years, you know?

Won't be the first or last time I have an epic fail.   I had an airbrush blob blowout on a custom build/paint of a CF7, and tried to strip it.   Ended up dissolving the entire customers shell.  That was worse than this.... 

 

[Roger Holmes]

Randy-- I'm a big fan of gloss medium.  Easy to work a section at a time and you can add texture to the surface by dabbing it with a balled up tissue.  While this product is self-leveling you can hold the tissue induced surface texture by quickly hitting it with a hair dryer.  I wrote an article  on the technique which made the cover of the August 2005 issue of RMC which also marked the debut of my short-lived career as a hand model.