Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Scottl]

Welcome to The Railwire and thanks for posting Rod.  I have seen those videos and they were quite inspirational when I was searching for a layout concept two years back. The Fraser and Thompson canyons are really fertile ground for modelling and I am pleased with the effect of both canyon sides I have attempted.  There are many locations like Cisco and especially in the Thompson canyons that are narrow enough to convey in a layout realistically.

I'd love to see more of your layout if you can. 

Your current efforts on your blog are also excellent, I hope you post some of your progress here as well.

Regards,
Scott

[Scottl]

More progress over the holiday, the scenery is getting done with most of the rock work complete and basic ground cover getting down.  I am aiming for a spring depiction, so there will be more green than yellow in this arid climate.





There are lots of trees on deck, but it will take hundreds to complete the canyon scene.  I want to give the feeling of depth, so I will scale the trees from full size (up to 60') in the foreground using wire armatures, and shift to shorter (25-30') in the back corner using bumpy chenille.

Thanks for following.

 

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

Looking Great!

[Santa Fe Guy]

Scott
I do have some images of the TRC however I need to find them so I can post a few for you.
If you are interested I did get two articles covering the TRC published. In the Nov /Dec 2010 N Scale Railroading & Jan / Feb 2011 Canadian Railway Modeler.
Keep up the great work.
Rod.

[Scottl]

Thanks both!  Rod, I'll try and get copies of those issues.

[nscalemike]

Very nice!

[Santa Fe Guy]

Scott.
Let me know how you go. If you cannot locate them I could copy mine and send to you.
Rod.

[Scottl]

More progress courtesy of the holiday break. 





Not so focused but an interesting perspective:



I worked on the big sediment exposure along the valley side and tried to (with limited success) simulate the look of this glacial material eroding out.  Cuts into this material are common on the bench above the river level and are a key spotting feature for the area to my eye.  My attempt to give it some sedimentary structure looks more like layers of foam board (which it is!), so maybe back to the drawing board on this.  The concrete retaining wall (found in the prototype) needs some paint as well.



Thanks for following.

[Scottl]

GIMP saves the day!  Now if only I could vacuum before photos 

[basementcalling]

Nothing GIMPy looking about that scene, Scott.

Have you thought about how you will do the water?

[Scottl]

Thanks! 

The river is very turbid, so the standard rules probably don't apply here.  I will probably lay down an uniform coat of light brown-gray with a hint of green, and then work in some of the waves in the eddies with gel medium and dry brush white.  The real question is what kind of finish to use as I'm not convinced the water should be shiny and finished with gloss.  I'm leaning towards a satin finish, but I may need to experiment with that a bit.  Matte seems a bit much, but it is an option too, perhaps with satin or gloss highlights.

The river is the last element of the scenery along with placing some of the fragile details on the bridge like the walkways and railings.

[Scottl]

I did a quick and dirty exposure in the back of the canyon scene and it really left me feeling like I did not capture the look.  This is the best shot I can find, a beautiful photo by Steve Arnot at http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=436108



I've cropped out the bridge to focus on the exposure:



I think there are a few things going on here that I need to work on:

1.  There are a lot of boulders in the sediment, it is probably glacial till of some kind.  There is at least one boulder that is about the height of the coal car below.

2.  The upper section has a sharp boundary defined by the edge of the soil, with some overhang.  This is pretty typical of actively eroding sections.  That face gives way to a slope where sediment moves down.  The boundary is not very distinct but the topography changes a bit.

3. There are several patches of darker soil with trees and bushes, and I think this is actually some kind of intact soil island that has survived disturbance.  The vegetation is clustered in these areas, and the trees are noticeably smaller than the forest in the background.  There are some small birch trees in the lower section on more stable areas too.

4.  The sediment looks a bit more rust colored in the upper portion, and there appears to be some patterns to the boulders.  This is probably some kind of glacial-river sediment and is what I thought the entire section was before I saw this picture.  The stone lines are going to be tricky...

5.  The sediment below track level looks like it has been piled by heavy equipment as it was shoved off the side.  It is mixed but darker, probably a combination of sediment, ballast and soil. 

Next step- modelling it!  I think I need to work on the material I am laying down.  My material of choice had been sanded grout because it gives nice texture and has a bit of adhesive built in.  It comes in a wide range of colors at Home Depot or similar stores and is inexpensive.  I'm wondering if I need to place the boulders first and then put on the grout?   I'm not sure- any suggestions?

Kind of a long post, but it kind of covers my mental process for this.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Scott.
When Vic and I built the TRC we also used tile grout. We also mixed a few colours together just to give some of the variation your are seeing. To get the loose look of the ground we use what we call here in OZ "stone dust". It is very fine stone used on top of freshly laid concrete to obtain a hard smooth surface. Once our grout was dry we applied some diluted white glue and just threw the stone dust at it. Any that slid down to the bottom or in strange places we just hit that with more diluted glue from a spray bottle so it set in place. We also used the larger pieces as talus.
We purchased our stone dust from a company that does redi mix that stored it under cover to keep it dry.
I tried to send a pic however it is too big to post so I will send later.
Trust this is of help.
Rod

[Scottl]

Thanks Rod, that is a great suggestion.  I'll check it out and see what I can find- might be tricky in the dead of winter

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Scott.
ooops forgot your were in winter. We had 41C and winds of 100 klm yesterday with over 400 bush fires reported just in Victoria.
Anyway I'll try again to see if I can send an image.
See how we go.
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Rod.