Jersey City Industrial Railroad Micro-Layout

[DKS]

Dave,
Found this while looking for N scale brick for street trackage...It's latex!
http://www.pbase.com/image/31436907

The stuff is available here...
http://yhst-4214666090577.stores.yahoo.net/nsr03.html

That is a really cool find, thank you! I will look into this, although I have already started work on another method. I'm just a tiny bit concerned about using latex as it's almost too flexible, and paint adhesion may be an issue. But I'm willing to experiment.

In other news, I've tweaked Rearden just a little bit: http://1-160.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-favorite-things.html

[160pennsy]

I like the way Chris is modeling his grade crossings; it's appropriate for an Erie-style railroad. However... that's not the way things are done in Jersey City, so I had to devise a way of simulating the most common style of street track, which looks like this:

David,

In your research have you come across this street track product from Germany?

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.finescale-und-mehr.de%2FTrambahngleis.html

[central.vermont]

David,

In your research have you come across this street track product from Germany?

http://www.finescale-und-mehr.de/Trambahngleis.html

That's some good looking stuff!!!! Wished I took German in high school. 
Is that stuff available somewhere here in the states?

Jon

[mark dance]

About snow didn't Mike Danneman just use sifted Hydrocal?
http://www.model160.com/n-scale-news-blog/photo-of-the-week-mike-danneman/

From what I have read in his article, and what he conveyed to me via email, Mike used sifted Hydrocal for most of the snow however for the tracks he used marble dust and for scultpted areas like roofs he used modelling paste.  Then gesso over top to whiten everything if needed.    I have attempted to follow his snow techniques and made up some stuff where he was either a bit vague or his approach doesn't work for me for some reason.  Mike is a fantastic artist so often it is just sheer difference in artistic talent and his much greater experience with materials.  Rand Hood is also another must read author for snow scenery in my opinion.  But I digress...

md

[DKS]

David,

In your research have you come across this street track product from Germany?

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.finescale-und-mehr.de%2FTrambahngleis.html

No I have not, and that's a fantastic-looking range of products. Unfortunately, I've already laid all of the track, and about half done with the grooved rail effect. I'm also wondering how to handle curved track with that laser-cut Belgian block. It's certainly all food for thought, nevertheless.

[DKS]

I think I may have found a material combination for modeling slushy snow for the JCIR. I emphasize, I think. I must perform some tests first. Film at 11.

[pwnj]

Makin' the popcorn, DKS got game!

[VonRyan]

Talk about Action News... 

I'm readying my popcorn as well. 



-Cody F.

[Catt]

Nah,cappuccino and pecan shortbread cookies for my film watchin'.

[DKS]

Step 1. Make a mini-diorama: brick wall, sidewalk, fire hydrant, attached to a street.



Step 2. Make snow along the base of the wall. Consists of shaped and manipulated dense foam from the core of Gatorfoam board. Bond in place with white glue, blend into sidewalk with Gloss Heavy Gel.



Step 3. Add snow piles to edge of sidewalk. After shaping, gluing in place, more shaping, and blending with Gloss Gel, it's "grungified" with India ink wash, applied sparingly and drybrushed onto the sides of the piles.







Processed to look like a vintage photo--



I had thought of using floral foam, but the samples I saw were far too coarse. I chose the Gatorfoam core because it's much denser, and also easier to manipulate. I found that the best looking piles were made by simply tearing into a scrap with my fingernails, then fine-tuning the shape by picking at it with a tweezers. These are only preliminary results; lots of work still to be done to refine the process.

[Chris333]

I think you may be on to something 

[Frisco Larry]

That's very impressive.

[TrainCat2]

Step 1. Make a mini-diorama: brick wall, sidewalk, fire hydrant, attached to a street.

If you are going to something so outstanding . . . you could have got the wall to be vertical.   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wait, it's going to be WINTER too?

Sheeeeeeeit.

[Philip H]

Wait, it's going to be WINTER too?

Sheeeeeeeit.

Where have you been the last week or so?