Weekend Update 5/4/14

[Dave V]

I have one ton of 5-12" "Royal Gorge" landscape rock coming tomorrow to border the RGS.



Started working on grading for real.  The dirt you see will be covered with landscape fabric before being "rocked" over.  Still on the hunt for the right color of pea gravel for ballast.

[davidgray1974]

First weekend in a few weeks I was able to do some work on the layout.  Added some undergrowth and bushes as well as some Silfor grass near the tracks. The lighter area of the road will be shortened  closer to the tracks.  Gravel will complete the road to the bridge.



As always, thanks for looking!!

David

[Scottl]

I just put a blog post up actually.  Wanted to write it down so a) I don't forget how I did it.. and b) for other people to try...

http://bcrailfortnelson.com/2014/05/04/scenery-test-section-part-2-gravel-roads/

Excellent, thanks!

[arbomambo]

Another beautiful day!
Backdrop painted with the first coat...ties painted (siding and branchline painted gray-mainline painted black), the rails were painted with a grimy brown, then the ties were weathered with other browns...
Rust was used to accent tie clips and branchline rail...
Also, the siding and branchline roadbed wad trimmed to represent lighter rail...ballasting will show this to effect.
Thanks for looking,
~Bruce

[wazzou]

I got the stained Styrene deck boards on the dock and mocked up the buildings.
Next will be to fabricate the bull rail on the dock's perimeter.

[mark dance]

That is very effective, probably the best I have seen.  Could you elaborate on how you did that?

WOW...those dirt roads look great!  And just in time for me to apply to areas around Castlegar!  Thanks a bunch for the instructions!

md

[Dave Schneider]

I have one ton of 5-12" "Royal Gorge" landscape rock coming tomorrow to border the RGS.

Wow...that sounds like real work! You do realize that building a model railroad should not typically involve working up a sweat?

Best wishes, Dave

[trainforfun]

I spent my weekend chasing this:



Norfolk Southern was running employee appreciation specials between Elkhart, IN and Bryan OH. They did 2 round trips, one Saturday, one today, and Nickle Plate Road 765 did the honors of pulling the train.

Great to see a steamer by herself !!!!!!! 

[C855B]

Great to see a steamer by herself !!!!!!!

That was my gut reaction, too. UP's insistence on backup power on all their steam now is annoying, I don't care how "pretty" the heritage schemes are.

The funny thing is they (UP) really haven't grokked that backup power is useless in the manner in which steam usually fails, when it fails. Case in point was the 844 excursions of a couple of years ago, where the main rod bearings failed (on both sides, eventually) due to a machining spec error. Whether it was under its own power or being pushed, it was still limited to 25 mph.

[JMaurer1]

I spent my weekend chasing this:



Norfolk Southern was running employee appreciation specials between Elkhart, IN and Bryan OH. They did 2 round trips, one Saturday, one today, and Nickle Plate Road 765 did the honors of pulling the train.

Just like a dog chasing a car, what would you have done with it if you would have caught it?

[C855B]

Just like a dog chasing a car, what would you have done with it if you would have caught it?

I would have quickly found a correctly-sized jewel box and taken it home.

[arbomambo]

and so the foaming begins...
Bruce

[Mark W]

Been on the road all weekend, finally paid off.



More to come. 

[havingfuntoo]

UP's insistence on backup power on all their steam now is annoying, I don't care how "pretty" the heritage schemes are.

Isn't the back up power used to assist with braking more than anything else?

[VonRyan]

Isn't the back up power used to assist with braking more than anything else?

As far as I know, it's for head end power to power the lights and AC/heat in the coaches.