Conrail up in Coal Country

[C855B]

Have you tried using a Stanley surform shaver tool? ...

I'm 99-44/100% certain Ed has tried it, which is what elicited the comments about building contours from thinner material. I agree with his method, especially on shallower slopes. This plane/rasp/whatever is abso-f'in-lutely a giant mess for anything more than a couple of swipes to even out a contour. The problem is the shavings are statically-charged. You can't sweep it up, just stirring it up makes the dust want to stick to everything nearby and - worse - not want to collect in the dustpan because they all have the same charge potential. Same deal with a shop-vac, you spend almost as much time cleaning it off the vacuum as you did the original mess.

I'm all pink foam on my layout, and the surform is a tool of last resort, with a vacuum hose in the other hand. Wherever I can, I cut, not shave, and when I have to shave a contour, it's this:

Not a valid vimeo URL
OMG, worth 2-3X the hundred bucks I paid for it.

[Point353]

I'm 99-44/100% certain Ed has tried it, which is what elicited the comments about building contours from thinner material. I agree with his method, especially on shallower slopes. This plane/rasp/whatever is abso-f'in-lutely a giant mess for anything more than a couple of swipes to even out a contour. The problem is the shavings are statically-charged. You can't sweep it up, just stirring it up makes the dust want to stick to everything nearby and - worse - not want to collect in the dustpan because they all have the same charge potential. Same deal with a shop-vac, you spend almost as much time cleaning it off the vacuum as you did the original mess.
I'm all pink foam on my layout, and the surform is a tool of last resort, with a vacuum hose in the other hand. Wherever I can, I cut, not shave, and when I have to shave a contour, it's this:

Are you saying that you can't create "gentle contours" in 2" thick pink/blue foam with a surform tool?

[C855B]

Are you saying that you can't create "gentle contours" in 2" thick pink/blue foam with a surform tool?

Sure you can, if you're in for cleaning-up the aftermath. No fun.

[Dave V]

Sure you can, if you're in for cleaning-up the aftermath. No fun.

I did it with up to 10" of foam in places.  I'm still finding pink dust...   

[Chris333]

Olfa Cutter SVR-2 does all my foam work:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/OLFA-SVR-2-Utility-Knife-5019/202533465

And since heat dulls the blades before I break them I use a cheap knife sharpener.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4pyuEqimANXyFELQ9

lots of chunks, but no dust.

[davefoxx]

Wherever I can, I cut, not shave, and when I have to shave a contour, it's this:

Not a valid vimeo URL
OMG, worth 2-3X the hundred bucks I paid for it.

@Ed Kapuscinski,

At @C855B's suggestion, I bought one of these sanders that you can borrow anytime, even long-term, if you need it.  I'm finished most of the terraforming on my layout and don't really have a need for it anymore.

DFF

[Dave V]

I've tried shaping Styrofoam with everything from steak knives and mirco saws to hot wire cutters, and the small yellow-handled Surform tool gave me the most control...and the biggest mess.  There's no free lunch...!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'll take it!

And yes, it's POSSIBLE to shave good contours with the rasp. It's also possible to cut good contours with a knife.

But it's a lot easier when you're working with thinner material.

[wm3798]

Just make sure the vacuum cleaner is on and RIGHT THERE.  Good lord that crap gets EVERYWHERE!

[squirrelhunter]

I'm mixed in your track plan revisions...I really like the separate yard lead at West Cressona, especially the part where it would look like a little used track that used to go somewhere but is only used as a lead now.

I don't like losing the Good Spring branch, although I get your point that the area was getting too crowded. But after looking at this area on Google Maps it seems like a lot of what is left are remnants of lines that intersected other branches and Conrail took half on one line and half of another to make one branch- basically it seems that part of the flavor if the area is little stubs like the Good Spring brnach...

[Jbub]

What about using an oscillating multi tool like @GaryHinshaw uses on the TBC to form them general shape and finish with the sureform planner?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I'm mixed in your track plan revisions...I really like the separate yard lead at West Cressona, especially the part where it would look like a little used track that used to go somewhere but is only used as a lead now.

I don't like losing the Good Spring branch, although I get your point that the area was getting too crowded. But after looking at this area on Google Maps it seems like a lot of what is left are remnants of lines that intersected other branches and Conrail took half on one line and half of another to make one branch- basically it seems that part of the flavor if the area is little stubs like the Good Spring brnach...

Damn. That's a REALLY good point. I'm going to try and capture that flavor with the "return" track at Cressona, but hmmm. That almost makes me think about swapping the mine supply turnout and treating that siding as if it USED to be the main that's now cut back to just a stub for transloading. Hmm.....

Thanks for the feedback. That's EXACTLY what I was looking for in this thread!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yesterday I performed some surgery on the one door in the far corner, shortening it up by a foot to give me a wider aisle over on the left side by the laundry room.





And yes, I DID use the Sawzall. It worked fine. I went slow and carefully and it saved me having to do a whole bunch of moving and setup to trim the door using other means. JFRTM.

Shortening that up has made the whole space MUCH more liveable. Here are some aisle shots.









Then I did something very important:  I organized the crap that had been cluttering up the room. The big news is that everything fits under the footprint of the layout!

[davefoxx]

Two thumbs up!

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Two thumbs up!

DFF

Thanks!

I'm glad, too, after working with the sawzall that I too can return the gesture. lol