Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[mark dance]

Thank you Bob! Your treatise on soldering is going in my files!

Should you have an interest in coming to Vancouver next May, I have a model railway meet which would love a clinic or two! ☺

md

[robert3985]

Thanks Bob, I see that the flux for stainless is the key.  I have the Sn/Ag solder already and I am sure I can track a local distributor down as it is hazardous and can't be shipped out of country from H+N.  I will try the No 30 flux for brass though, it looks promising and it is non-hazardous so it ships anywhere.

Scott, you might try contacting Superior Flux & Mfg. Co. directly as they ship internationally and I am sure they have a distributor or two in Canada.  Go here:  http://www.superiorflux.com/international-customers/ for contact information.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Scottl]

That is a good idea- I get hazardous materials like lithium batteries shipped from the US.

[Scottl]

Some progress on vegetation.  The sage-coloured foam from Timberline Scenery is a good match.

2017-10-21 18.00.54 by Scott L, on Flickr

2017-10-21 18.01.11 by Scott L, on Flickr

[Angus Shops]

That looks really good! I wonder if the sage colour is right though; seems a little dark... It might be the photo? What technique are you using for grass; its looks perfect.
Geoff

[Scottl]

Thanks Geoff,

It might be the lighting, I have not taken any decent pictures with full lighting yet.  In person it is perhaps a shade on the dark side.

The grass is a hybrid method of planting static grass that I picked it up somewhere, a narrow gauge site or something but it is lost to me now.  My static grass applicator makes too even of an application for my tastes and a lot of them produce uniform textured grass. 

First what I do is lay down random patterns of white glue on the surface.  I take a pinch of static grass and roll it into a cigar shape in my palm.  This aligns the fibers vertically and then I dab it lightly into the glue.  It works very well for getting a rough, uneven grass look with most fibers standing vertically.  I mix up a few colours to give it some randomness as well.  It goes surprisingly fast and there is no risk of the glue drying while you do it, so I cover a large area in a session.  When it is all dry in a few days, I vacuum up the excess fibers and sometimes trim any stray tall fibers with scissors.  I keep a small bowl for the excess fibers that gets mixed and eventually used.

[Scottl]

For the first time ever (!) I have completed the base scenery of a layout.  No more white flashes of plaster or foam.   

2017-10-22 19.42.36 by Scott L, on Flickr

I also spent quite a bit of time working on the sediment exposures in the Thompson canyon.  These are very distinctive features and I am having a lot of fun with these.

2017-10-22 19.43.06 by Scott L, on Flickr

[craigolio1]

Holy cow Scott. This is amazing!

Craig

[C855B]

Holy cow Scott. This is amazing!

Truth. Every time Scott posts a photo of his layout it takes my breath away. Absolutely stunning.

[Caleb Austin]

Great stuff Scott! The grass and sagebrush look spot on.

Caleb.

[Scottl]

Thanks everyone, I think there will be lots of progress in the next few weeks.

[coldriver]

breathtaking Scott - I can just imagine the reaction of folks when they walk into your train room.  That sagebrush is the best I've seen in N scale. 

[Scottl]

More progress over the past week or so.  I needed to make some batches of home-spun plaster talus and I used up more of my precious supply of sands that are perfect for the task.  It is amusing to think that one bag of sand was collected on Devon Island in the Arctic in 1998- a long ways from my depiction of the Thompson River in BC.  I layer on a variety of materials to try and get a certain look, but it often takes a few rounds of application. Things are drying right now, but I expect a top dusting of grout will get the tones the way I want them.  I am nearly ready to pour the river bed next.

A shot of my essential supplies lined up.  I collect sediments for work-related projects and often bag a few extra of material that would be useful for scenery work.  None of that weird WS pumice stuff here! 

2017-11-05 12.12.56 by Scott L, on Flickr

There are several patches of the bank that need work here, below the BNSF locomotive and the foundations of the rock shed.  I'm happy with the area near the fascia where the rock outcrops are meant to be partially buried by the MOW dumping.  There is some backdrop painting in my future too.

2017-11-05 12.12.07 by Scott L, on Flickr

The eastern entrance to the hidden staging yard is not very deftly handled.  I'm really not sure what to do here other than finish it all and try and ignore it.  It is out of sight for most views and I want the turnout accessible.  There are some physics-defying slopes to deal with as well. 

2017-11-05 12.11.32 by Scott L, on Flickr

This section of the canyon is turning out nicely.  There is a track in there somewhere!  The bluffs are resistant outliers of glacial river gravels and the fines are top and bottom.  A very distinctive feature that is widespread in the Thompson canyon.  The other bank is generic for the moment- not sure how to handle it as I really didn't think it would be visible, but that turns out to not be the case. 

2017-11-05 12.11.22 by Scott L, on Flickr

[Scottl]

A few updates. I cleaned up the track, reattached the duck under and ran trains.  It was amazing, after nearly three months of inactivity, they just started right up and ran flawlessly. 

I'll ballast the Thompson Canyon now but this gives you an idea of the view down river.

2017-11-07 20.37.29 by Scott L, on Flickr

The overall view with the duck under in place.

2017-11-07 20.37.01 by Scott L, on Flickr

Looking down at Skoonka from the mountainside 

2017-11-07 20.37.48 by Scott L, on Flickr

One thing that is becoming a problem is where to put tools and supplies while I am working.  There is very little unfinished layout left- I was used to having a lot of space to sprawl out!

[mark dance]

May I suggest a roll around laptop stand?

https://m.staples.ca/en/Seville-Classics-Mobile-Laptop-Desk-with-Side-Table/product_1597920_2-CA_1_20001?langId=1

Height adjustable. Rolls under the benchwork when not in use. A huge help.

Md