Rockport Junction: A Refurbished Micro-Layout

[primavw]

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the switch machines are old Atlas stock... its kind of crazy to see Atlas really hasn't changed their design much for their code 80 switch machines. 

[peteski]

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the switch machines are old Atlas stock... its kind of crazy to see Atlas really hasn't changed their design much for their code 80 switch machines. 

...if it ain't broke... 

[wm3798]

David,
I have that very station in my big box of things.  It had resided in the Paper Mill property as an MOW shed.


I recall it coming in a "Junction" kit, with a small switch tower, and a badly rendered water tank.

I don't think I have the platform base for it anymore, but maybe that will help with the small footprint.  Let me know if you'd like it to rework for the scene.

Lee

[jpec]

Looks like another DKS masterpiece in the works...I like the retro concept.

Jeff

[DKS]

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume the switch machines are old Atlas stock... its kind of crazy to see Atlas really hasn't changed their design much for their code 80 switch machines.

Actually they've changed their C80 "Snap" switches a number of times. There are several vintages--some are swappable, some are not. I managed to find all of what I need on eBay, including replacement controllers, etc. And I have more than enough structure kits, including the station. A few will be exact replacements, but many will be different because of the difficulty of finding vintage kits as well as to improve the look.

[Blazeman]

something I'd always thought about doing for kicks: taking ancient kits and building them with little or no tweaking, and just using painting and finishing effects to see how good they can be made to look

Always a fun effort since so little capital is involved. Some minor tweaks....detail parts, nice paint and weathering, maybe a small kitbash. Great subset of the hobby. Everyone knows what it is and where it came from but "why does this one look so much better?"

Especially viable on a small layout like this that hasn't the space for the larger structures we have today.

[DKS]

Work continues on what I'm now calling Rockport Junction. (The name is derived from my first "real" N scale layout, the Newport and Rock Falls Railroad, and Junction comes from the name of the station kit. Goofy, yes, but there you are.) The second and final coat of texture paint--two shades this time--has been applied to the scenery.



All of the wiring was stripped from the layout and replaced, and all of the rail joiners soldered.



The track was reballasted, and foundations for the first two structures installed.



The station and tower have been built, and some grass applied.





I'm evaluating a number of different kits to use for the industries along the siding. I've also received the replacement switch machines and controllers, which will be the first task when I return to the site next week.

[davefoxx]

Man, what a difference some new clean, smaller ballast makes for the layout!  Looks great.

DFF

[DKS]

Dave, it's ironic that you should remark the new ballast looks smaller than the existing ballast. Actually, the new ballast is just slightly coarser. I'm using Woodland Scenics fine, and I have a feeling the original ballast was Highball. I'd have used the latter if I had any, but I had WS on hand. Although it looks OK, I regret the choice because, not being real stone, WS ballast is much harder to get to behave when bonding.

I have also been re-thinking vegetation. Initially I'd thought to use prefab Woodland Scenics trees. However, not only they are costly, but they're not "vintage." So now I'm considering some of the materials used by the original builder, and seeing if I can eek a bit more realism out of them. Available back then was lichen, of course, and ground foam was just entering the market. I have an idea to treat the lichen with ground foam, along the lines of what some modelers use for masses of trees, unflatteringly called "puff balls"--wads of painted cotton covered with ground foam. My thought is to use the lichen in place of the cotton balls, and I'm thinking it might look better than either the WS prefab trees (which are pretty gross) or the puff balls. We'll see when my order of lichen arrives--something I'd never imagined purchasing this late in life!

[Chris333]

Needs a coal trestle! 

[timgill]

Looking quite good. When you say "Texture paint," what type of paint are you referring to, specifically?

[DKS]

Looking quite good. When you say "Texture paint," what type of paint are you referring to, specifically?

Apologies for the very loose term. The first coat was popcorn ceiling repair material that I thinned and tinted; it did a good job of repairing the original painted white beaded foam. Subsequently I applied two shades of thinned sanded grout. I have no idea what the original builder used, but this combination did a good job of restoring the scenery base.

[MichaelWinicki]

Hey David, is the track painted/weathered?

From the images you've sent it looks like it.

[DKS]

Hey David, is the track painted/weathered?

I painted and weathered it after re-ballasting.

[MichaelWinicki]

Ah!

Looks good!