Follow the construction of the JLandT Railroad, a HO single deck, proto-freelanced layout set in the 70s to 80s, based on the Reading Lines and Conrail merger era...
First batch of Homemade Ballast...
This is the first mixed batch of the graded #40 sand with the base coloring of 200 drops of RIT dye (50/50 mixed dye to Isopropyl Alcohol), the second batch has 25 drops of RIT - Chocolate Brown added to the base batch, the third batch has 15 drop of RIT - Navy Blue added to the base batch (25/75 mixed dye to Isopropyl Alcohol).
Then all three batches are mixed together to get the final ballast mix.
First base batch of medium grey ballast, used 200 drops of RIT - Charcoal Grey dye, mixed 50 - 50 with isopropyl alcohol.
This is a 1/2 cup batch, next three batches will be the same 1/2 cup quantity, and base 200 drops of Charcoal Grey, but with 25 drop tints of chocolate brown RIT dye & 15 drop Navy Blue Rit dye mixed into each base batch.
Experimenting with creating my own ballast today...
First step, getting the sand grade right. The grey is a commercially available #40 ballast, the normal off white/tan sand has been sifted down to the same grade.
Managed to get this haul out of a 1/3 of buck of fill sand in about an hour.
Finished installing the compressor, regulator & airline for the spray booth today.
The compressor does all of the layout & workshop duties so needed to have all 1/4” quick connect fittings.
At a later date I’ll be adding a second regulator for running two airbrushes at once. Comes in very handy when weathering...
Installing the new spray booth today, this area is external to the layout area, it’s right near the main roller door entrance so will have good ventilation. The base board in the booth is just 8mm MDF board, the table is also height adjustable.
Both booths are vented to the outside of the shed via plastic plumbing pipe. I’ll have weather & bug caps for blocking the openings when not in use.
The workshop compressor will be stored underneath and pipe work plumbed to the filter & water trap which will be attached to the table top.
Rounding out the day with some experimenting with Tamiya Panel Line, in black.
Next stage is to coat with Testors Dullcoat and do some more weathering...
Work today on the layout centres around finishing off the remainder of the concrete standing areas on the east side of the York Haven - Pulp & Paper Mill.
Styrene sheet everywhere, and now waiting on a delivery of matte sticker sheets to install the concrete texture...
Moving along, the remainder of today sees the construction of the concrete walls for the wood chip storage.
These are 20’ high in HO scale, they’ll be wrapped in a concrete texture simulating poured concrete sections using timber moulds, the saw dust I’ll collect from the workshop floor & form at a later date. The base structure is 8mm - 5/16" MDF board.
The Woodchip concrete storage walls take shape quickly, think I might have to slightly readjust the scale for HO, and make the sections smaller...?
I’ll add some steel styrene I - beams to the upright sections to add some more 3D depth to the walls at a later date.
This method just makes scenery & structures go so much quicker & easier!
Almost completed the concrete standing areas for the York Haven - Pulp & Paper Mill. Last section is the wood chip unloading area, and the wood chip bunds themselves.
The section around the back of the Turpentine Recovery building even has tire marks printed on the concrete, this method has reduced something that would have taken days or a solid week, down to a solid day.
Extremely happy with the results so far.
Working on putting up fascia curtains today, managed to find a cheap pre-made blockout curtain.
The rod system is just 28mm hooks with 16mm - 1/2” plastic water pipe. The pipe curves perfectly with the fascia, and the fascia's hide all the hardware.
Easy to install, easy to remove & move to get access, and really change the look of the layout.
Moving along nicely with the concrete standing areas for the York Haven - Pulp & Paper Mill.
The photo below shows the completed section, and the bare styrene ready for the sticker sheet to be applied.
The above completed section is a little trickier as it covers a curved sections of track leading into the chemical unloading area, the hardest part is getting the right width through the curve to allow for the flanges.
More soon...
5 minute concrete hard standing areas in HO scale...
This is the first section of the York - Pulp & Paper Mill. This uses 0.30” - 0.75mm styrene sheet with a concrete stick-on texture.
Removable, customisable, easily weathered, and extremely quick...
Spraying track work again today...
Moves along very quickly with a rattle can, this is almost an entire cans worth.
Some sections have both sides sprayed, that can be seen from the aisle.
Something a little different today, I installed a lockable door between the front entrance/workshop area and the crew lounge/Rutherford Yard room.
For years I’ve been battling with dust & sawdust getting into both areas. Well that’s a thing of the past, door is also key locked for added security.
This will also help with temperature fluctuations throughout the year & once I install a reverse cycle - split system.
Finishing up the base scenery layer for the unloading/loading area of the York - Pulp & Paper Mill today.
Quickest, Cleanest & Easiest way to get large concrete areas for a scene done...
In HO - Evergreen Styrene Sheets - 0.30” - 0.75mm, fits perfectly in the railhead groove on Code 83 Peco track.
Jas...
Working today on getting the concrete hard standing areas done. This is just 0.30" (0.75mm) Sheet Styrene.
This area will incorporate a bunded area for filling tanks cars with Turpentine from the digester process, and some inbound chemicals via tank car also.
Moves along really quickly when installing it this way.
Tonight I added some more details to the Wood Chip unloading building and another structure for the Strong Black Liquor storage.
First up was the blower piping that routes the wood chips to the variable flow hopper on the roof, and also branches off to the digester that will be modelled as photo backdrop.
So I needed a little inspiration today, moving forward with the base level scenery around Carlisle Junction I needed to get a vision of what the background scene within the York - Pulp & Paper Mill (YP&PM) will look like...
Sometimes, that inspiration, and what determines the foreground scenery level, can come from the structures that occupy an area or scene as a whole.
The YP&PM has the main structures in place already, but none of the other supporting structures and/or process buildings have been constructed. The pulp was derived originally from two sources, chips & pulp wood. At this stage, and after building today's structures I think I'll be just steering towards the wood chips.
Today I began by building the wood chip receiving building, it’s a Pikestuff kit that has been kit bashed with the Walthers - Sawmill Outbuilding kit & also a Walthers - Modern Conveyer kit.
Basically the wood chips are released from the bottom of the hopper into a bin with screw auger and fed into a suction blower, and then blown up into a variable flow storage bin.
This then drops and feeds onto a conveyer and is routed to a outside storage bund or straight into the digester building.
Started the mammoth task of painting all the ties tonight...
Starting out with a couple of quick coats of the Rustoleum - Earth Brown, and then finished off with the air brush with some highlights of roof brown to simulate some light rust.
