Essex branch HO v4

[nuno81291]

Ed- The clutter is simply blended/baked leaves from my back yard in MA. As per the Blending leaves topic. Very Very happy with how it came out as a rough ground cover before brush, grass, trees etc... far more random than any thing I could probably achieve with a purchased product.

Philip H- it is funny I have spent over 6 hours on that one piece of bridge track, unhappy with the first go- happier with the second and right before I decided to put it on the bridge I like an a$$ did way too much brown dry brushing in between the rails. Here is another photo showing the sides which were more how it was before I went brown crazy again... Will be adding more of the white/sun bleached as a dry brush on the majority of ties aside from a few selected to represent freshly changed.



I was aiming for something like this:



Alas I pulled the track out this morning and will give it another go with some grey dry brushing to bring back the sun bleached/old tie effect I am after.

Siren-  I renamed the thread to mudseason- that is after all more what I am aiming for. Up north on my drive last week I noticed both some old broken ice flow on river banks (I dont know how to model this..but I am considering trying it a bit to see if it is convincing at all. But the thin ice on the shore is absolutely something I may try to recreate, as well as snow banks/remnants melting off and perhaps some snow capped rocks in the stream. Here are a few photos I am using as reference:

a bit more snowless




Unfortunately my girlfriend has the camera with all the photos we took up north on our trip last week which resembled the amount of snow I am aiming for.. think Mike Confalone.. remnants here and there. But the ice flows that made their way up the river banks and are currently melting was a very very striking image and hopefully I can dig up some photos to show you guys (and myself for reference).

Thanks all!

[nuno81291]

Here is the other small water scene...will be much more stream like...this was the old road scene I wasn't happy with.



And an overall shot of my mess/new valence!

[nuno81291]

Over the weekend I managed to test all the trackage with all the HO rolling stock I have. I dropped feeders/ran the bus wires. I also got all the cut ties replaced and did a first pass at ballasting... Very happy to see a train run- gave me the fuel to push through some of that track work. Watching some glue dry as I am going to go back and paint more ties/rail then do some of the touch up ballasting.


My girlfriend whom can work with photoshop (makes my head spin) is sorting through some of our photos to try and begin work on the photo backdrop.

Here is a comparison of the bridge track with the new painting...a bit more grey between the rails here.

[nuno81291]

[Chris333]

I like the long mill building. It will be a long time before I try modeling winter, but I like how you've done it.

[nuno81291]

Thanks Chris. I am leaning toward a paper/cardboard recycler/ cardboard box plant.

I am messing with trying to change the ballast color from the sand to a bit more grey and brushing a bit of my gray grout around is ok but wondering if anyone could suggest anything? Perhaps a grey wash? the sand takes the acrylic pollyscale grime/mud color I am using on the ties well (and the rust...) so I imagine it would take a wash alright? Grey? black? I never tried this yet and will probably give it a small scale go in an inconspicuous area...

As for the rust I wanted to tone it down from the basic paint with darker color powders like I have seen some do in HO. One modeler suggested the AIM products as they have a binder, would I be all set with the Tamiya ones from the LHS? How about Bragdon?

Any suggestions on industries for the middle generic warehouse? I am thinking of modeling a parking lot between the two buildings...maybe a manicured lawn/entrance sort of thing.

I am also going to go get a round of dirt to bake for ground cover use as I think everything is becoming too uniform between my gray gravel color, the sand ballast color etc.

I will say I am happy that I took the time to mess up the ties on the industrial trackage, it may be a bit overboard for some but I was aiming for somewhere between passable and dilapidated.  I actually wish I took more time to make the track into the lumber yard worse. There is a fairly large dip that push the couplers to there max vertically which is the sort of rough track look I was going for.

I also am unsure whether I should bury the rails a bit more on some of the spurs...I tried to go a bit on the lighter side thinking I could add more later, and get the colors more correct with paint/chalks/washes etc.. 

On a side note I ran a quick ops last night (which was fun!... not having things stall or derail after all of that track work is a joy) and realize I need to do something about the atlas switches. I have them powered to both sides, leaving the frog unpowered as my C420 has no issue creeping through. however I need something to hold the points as they slide so freely they tend to want to move when something comes through. I don't know what would be appropriate, but I dont care for throwing the switches with DCC or having toggles or push rods on the fascia. I don't care to power the frog otherwise the sliders M.C. uses I have considered. I am thinking about spring loading them with a center spring like I have seen. I would like to add switch stand details.

I am thinking of modeling abandoned trackage that is grown in leading behind an aging interlocking tower . (like Waltham MA). I was thinking of doing this coming off the main toward the fascia near the station area in the foreground. I have the kit (albeit not nearly weathered enough!) and will mock it up to show you guys for opinion before I glue it down.

[nuno81291]

Been ticking away at various things. Here is an overall shot as of now:



The big development being the continuous loop/staging portion bring roughed in. I am currently cutting ply for the deck and already ripped the masonite for the fascia. Using a swing bridge design and am very excited for this. I am planning for 3 tracks. Excuse my mess and S/O on the couch!



Here you see viewing down from the single spur industry I added a walthers modular building. I am considering making the grocery distributor building (use on the layout TBD) use the same spur so I can have 2 industries on 1 spur just for varied operations...lumber yard 1 track, this single spur shared by 2 smaller perhaps manufacturing  or food processor or other smaller 1/2 car industries (suggestions welcome!!!), and finally most likely the mill building on the right will represent a smaller recycled paper based mill like the CPM/APC in Claremont NH.



Here shows the suggested abandoned track that would curve behind the tower. I am envisioning this to be like the one in my backyard in Waltham MA. http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics/10-09-03_WALTHAM/WALTHAM-rear.jpg

In addition to the construction progress I purchased a few more amfleet coaches and the rapido f40- holy smokes is this an awesome unit. I figured I would pick up a few of the 85' cars to make sure my clearances (I worked it out to 2.5" on center) in the curve on staging work. My first attempt at 2" was asking for sideswiping in the curve (which will be triple tracked on the section that is NOT the swing bridge).

Back at it tonight to finish roughing in the continuous portion and hopefully the track. Perhaps a train runs a full loop tonight! Exciting times here!

 Feedback would be much appreciated!

[GaryHinshaw]

Looks like a pretty cozy spot for modeling.  Maybe I missed it, but are you planning for any lighting under your valence?

[nuno81291]

The last shot shows it lit- with cheap LED rope lighting. Thanks!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ayyy Bobby.

[nuno81291]

Ayyy Bobby.

Thanks, Ed. Always appreciate your feedback 

[nuno81291]

Progress so far:

Up first is an overview of the way the center of the layout is shaping up. I added a Middlesex Mfg co. as well as a building roughed by modular components. I am thinking of making it look a little more busy on the background with a mish mash of different mill type structures. I am thinking of moving the heljan kit to over the "canal" and adding something like a tunnel under the building (power canal) per some of the mills I have seen around here in MA. Sort of thinking of making the middlesex kit look partially occupied while the other half might have more broken windows/signs of age/decay.


Here is the hinged portion of the lift as of now. I cut down some rerailers, and threw one in because gosh darnit does it make putting cars on the track easy...plus this is staging and I am not that critical. (it will all likely be painted black...or I may do basic groundcover- undecided on this as of now)


Here is the other side of the hinged bridge. Luckily no derailments going over either of these as is...very encouraging for my first go at it. The track isnt glued, just screwed down as a proof of concept- am going to go ahead and get a coat of flat black under the track and then reinstall the track with my usual caulk and perhaps some smaller profile screws to make sure both tracks around the gaps stay securely in place. Its not pretty now- but it works.


Finally here is the train I used to test the swing bridge track work. 12 cars- the entirety of my freight stock as of now. I ran this train back and forth over the joints until I got sick of it (30 minutes or so)...not a single derailment at the joints but a car picked one of the atlas switches in staging as I still havent implemented a method of keeping pressure on the points.


I also removed the other portion of staging infront of the window so I can trim it (Yes I get ahead of myself sometimes...leisure is leisure eh?) Luckily this is just 2 screws on both sides holding that--quick removal

Stay tuned for more heavy handed winter adventures in HO scale!

[sirenwerks]

I like that the layout room is multi-use.  I get having to shut the door to keep out pets and kids (I have both now) but I always thought a (layout) room that the whole family could use makes the hobby more inviting and promotes support by the b/gfriends and spouses.

[nuno81291]

I like that the layout room is multi-use.  I get having to shut the door to keep out pets and kids (I have both now) but I always thought a (layout) room that the whole family could use makes the hobby more inviting and promotes support by the b/gfriends and spouses.

I suppose I am very lucky in the regard my girlfriend is artistic and takes interest in the aspects of scenery/color/composition in the layout. She likes to play engineer while I am playing brakeman as well which is nice- but to have someone to consult my ideas with and actualize my "vision" is great...I am starting my hand at weathering freight cars by messing with the cheap Scale Trains boxcars I bought. I didn't find a rusty enough prototype for the first car I am working on and sort of made a composite of different images---currently too embarrassed to post photos of the effort! Maybe a few more hours will save it....And Ed; I am aware of Mike Confalone's weathering series that is now available (but my budget says to hold off until next month ) 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Hey man, with such great progress, you don't have to explain yourself to me!