Zip Texturing/Dirt layer added to Carlisle Junction...

Zip Texturing/Dirt layer added. I’m pretty happy with the way this section has turned out.

I’ve ordered static grass, ground cover, leaf litter/forest litter, weeds & bushes. I'll add some fine gravel & talas along the paths & ditches for details. The trees will go in last once the ballasting has been done and the scenes ready for operations.

So in three days we've gone from plywood to masking tape, masking tape to cardboard strips and masking tape skin, to real rock faces, Ground Goop, washes, and finally zip texturing / final dirt layer...

Adding extra detail to the Terrain...

Adding some details to the rock faces today, because this is a signature scene, the first that most will see and directly at eye level, I’m adding a little more effort & detail than what I normally would in a scene.

The Ground Goop still has the ability to be worked with a wire brush, plasters small tool so that terrain details can still be refined and added, even after the mix has been setting up overnight.

The carved rock faces will get a coat of sand/buff paint and then will be given several different washes, and a final dry brush of grey/white for highlights once dry.

Jason...

First section of Ground Goop installed...

First section of Ground Goop installed, so enjoyable being able to place it roughly, then work around and mould in the details.

Again the process is quick, the mixture has about 15 minutes before it starts to set, but can still be worked with some extra water.  The ability to manipulate the mix, add, remove & easily shape is its greatest advantage.

Once this has set overnight, I’ll add the zip texturing/dirt & then it will be ready for static grass, bushes, weeds & trees.

Jason...

Masking Tape Skin installed & painted...

Masking tape painted with latex dirt colour, remaining rock ledges glued in.

Next step ready for Ground Goop, this is a really quick and easy way to get rid of the Plywood Pacific look.

The bridge abutments will be airbrushed in place, once the scenery is complete I’ll come in and weather them.

Jason...

Carlisle Junction Terrain, done in a day...

I’m always amazed when doing scenery how quickly the methods I adopted and use from Joe Fugate’s - Siskiyou Line, video series.  And just how quick it really is to install.

In about 6 hours today I’ve managed to form up the cardboard skeleton, apply the masking tape skin, install the real rock - faces, and tonight I’ll paint the masking tape with an earth colour latex paint.  This is one of the most satisfying parts of layout building, actually seeing terrain starting to form...

Tomorrow I’ll mix up another batch of Ground Goop and apply the base level of ground/terrain to the surface.

Jason...

Susquehanna River Bank...

North bank of Susquehanna River formed up, the cardboard strips & masking tape skin make quick work of forming up the rough shape & form of the terrain.

This took me about 30 minutes to complete to this stage.  Next step will be forming a little raised section to break up the area around the Interlocking Tower, then mixing up some Ground Goop and installing the base dirt layer...

Next step is to add some real rock details...

Bridge Abutments...

The double track bridge abutments arrived today, so I started building the terrain to meet the abutments, the north side of the Susquehanna River is first.

I’m using the cardboard strip, hot glued together, with the masking tape skin to make the transition, I’ll be adding ground goop as the base dirt layer.

Fair to say I’m back into the scenery zone again, the ideas are flowing, and I can visualise the scenes a lot easier now...

Dirt, and more dirt...

Adding more dirt today to Carlisle Junction, working from the backdrop to the fascia.

Waiting on some bridge abutments to arrive today so that I start forming up the Susquehanna River bank.  Once this is set I’ll then add some contour hills around the Interlocking Tower.

Started adding the base dirt/zi[p texturing...

Starting to add the zip texturing to scenery base, this is the first stage.  It represents the base dirt layout, and everything else will be built/layered on top of this.

It’s a mixture of 1 part of the following powdered paint:

Black, Brown, Yellow & 24 Parts Plaster.  This is then applied to base and misted with water.

Painting the Ground Colour...

Tonight’s mission, painting the ground with some earthy colours.  This time is just some old house latex paint, called Sandbank.

Doesn’t have to be anything special, just something to hide the starkness of off-white masking tape.

This seals the tape and direct layer above the timber sub-roadbed, will hopefully limit any stray Ballast Bond or other liquids used when fixing scenery, and if there happens to be small gaps of scenery showing, well it looks sort of an earth colour.  It also gives the scenery some tooth to adhere too.

Next stage will be to add any contours or raised areas of ground using strips of cardboard, again covered with masking tape, and finally ground goop (I explain if I use it)some final zip texturing and then static, grass, bushes, shrubs & trees.

The Big Scenery Push...

Today I started the beginning of installing the scenery for the major portion of the layout, it’s taken quite a awhile to get back into the zone, and it’s not as straight forward as just slapping down some gravel, dirt and a few trees.

For me, getting it to look like it should in real life is a constant factor, and I often spend the majority of time planning things like the Right Of Way (ROW), parking areas, grade crossings, drainage ditches, earth cuts, and a myriad of prototypical features, and how all those also react & blend in with structures.

The gravel roads, dirt, earth contours, tree placement really come together once you have the basics in place.

Another thing I also do is take a few photos from HO scale eye level view, and an overhead aerial view.  This can often give an idea of how a scene will look, and can often highlight issues that you normally wouldn’t view from just an operating perspective view.

This area at Carlisle Junction is a huge focal point for the layout, in fact it’s a signature scene for the entire layout.  It’s the first view of the main & largest section of the layout, it’s “the” major interchange between the operation portion and the “rest of the world” (staging) and also connects the locomotive facility & Rutherford Yard, and leads into the York Haven - Pulp & Paper Mill, the largest industry on the layout.

Some of the best layout scenery I’ve seen has the ability to draw your eye right into the scene, it’s not just something in the foreground, it has depth & detail all the way through from foreground to background.  And it has some really great scenes for photographing, another reason I’ll take photos to see what perspective a scene can offer.

The example below shows the interlocking tower at the Junction, the eye level shot shows what a operator will be looking at when watching for a train to exit staging via the helix/locomotive facility, and using the tower as a small view block.  Then when looking left (aerial shot) you can see the view heading into the Shippensburg Classification Yard.  This is what I try and achieve, something that will draw the eye in, and something that looks like it would occur, and/or be in the real world.

My layout isn’t prototypical exactly, not by a long shot, it loosely follows the areas & era of the Reading & surrounding railroads that interchanged with it, but everything else, like the scenery is purely my interpretation of what I think works for the early 70’s...

Paint Bottle Shelving...

Shelving arrived today for my paint storage rack, absolutely perfect for storing SMS Paint bottles, only one I couldn’t fit was the premium thinner, also got the majority of my Polly Scale bottles in too.

These were from Amazon from the USA, arrived within a week...

DragonAir - Airbrush manifold project...

When you want to run dual DragonAir - airbrushes, you need a custom manifold.

Tonight’s project all completed, brass fittings, Iwata flow control valves with gauges.

I may even give this the SMS treatment to match the Iwata valves...

Western Maryland - GP35 - #3577...

And it’s done...

Just waiting on the decals, M5 horn, hood mounted bell, and some snow ploughs.

Western Maryland - GP35 - Project...

After not being able to source another HO Scale - Western Maryland - GP35 in their Circus scheme, I decided to have a go at making my own.

The donor shell is an Athearn - GP35 RTR, that was painted for Conrail.

I stripped the paint back to the bare Athearn - light grey undecorated shell with 100% Isopropyl Alcohol with a nylon brush attachment using a Dremel tool with a flexible extension shaft.

I then sprayed the shell with SMS - White Surfacer and sanded any imperfections that showed up.

Then two coats of SMS - Gloss White as the base colour.

After this had dried for 12 hours I masked the transition line between the red & white.  I then back sprayed the masking line to prevent bleeding of the red.

Then it was another two coats of SMS - Gloss - Signal Red to finish.

 

This was my first attempt at doing a locomotive, with masking, and I’m pretty happy with the result.  The SMS paint is just a dream to work with, I just have to keep practicing and sharpen my airbrushing skills...

Next steps, black rooftops on the long hood & short hood nose.  Then decals...

Paint Booth Storage additions...

Today I added some storage bins to the paint booth area, everything now has a place, and it's all within reach as I work.

I've ordered some acrylic shelves via Amazon for the paint bottles to go on too...

Jas...