The next step was to airbrush the bridge with aged concrete.
Airbrushed bridge in spray booth
Then test fitting the bridge in place
Bridge in setting
Then working out the river area under the bridge with aluminum angle, foam, plywood, masonite and caulk
Working out the river course
Then fleshed out a little more with rocks, sculptamold, and the start of scenery
River and banks starting to take shape
More scenery and bridge weathering in a future post.
Back, finally, to casting the second side of my arch bridge, so to bring things up to date, here are a few shots of the mold and initial pour.
Wood & Sintra mold with steel wire re-enforcing rods
Starting pour
Pouring Hydrocal in a hurry – sets quick
and leveling off
Leveling Hydrocal
Then back to the present starting the second pour
original cast and second pour
Both casts with spacer cut from 3/4 inch Sintra (expanded closed cell PVC sheet)
I’ll continue detailing and assembly in the next post
Some Photos showing progress, and also trying arrangements of structures for the engine servicing facility, and how these would photograph in different light (time of day-or weather)
Working with laying track and stone wall at one yard lead
Track down and stone wall further along with concrete cap.
Trying position of servicing structures
Working it out.
Trying angles
Camera and lighting set up after placing structures and ballast, greenery etc.
Final early morning light Photo.
Early morning happening-Click to enlarge
Back from Timonium GSMTS and ready to test and figure out my control panel for the yard
8 Unit pack of touch toggles with its control base and power supply
Excited to see what I can do with the Berrett Hill Touch Toggles. Will need another 8 pack to complete the whole panel, maybe even an 8 and a 4 pack
About to attend the GSMTS at the MD state fairgrounds this weekend. Always a good show, especially in October and February. Especially looking at Touch toggles for switch machines.
Tracks and switches going down with Dynaflex 230
Yard partially glued down
All the switches are either Micro Engineering (and Dcc ready) or Shinohara altered to be DCC friendly. Also wires soldered to frogs and fished down through holes to connect to tortoise contacts below the layout
Decided to add wood planking to a New Jersey International signal bridge. Thought it would add a bit of color and some signal bridges did include that feature.
Signal bridge with planking
Back after a summer of visiting various railroad venues, and getting down to finishing trackwork. I am modifying Shinohara code 70 # 8 switches, to work on DCC.
I am using Micro engineering Code 70 flextrack and # 6 switches, but need some # 8s and also some # 4s on the logging branch, which ME does not offer. On the Shinoharas, I am changing to gapped PC board throw rods and connecting the running rails and closure rails with wire jumpers soldered to the bottom of the rails.
Modified Shinohara #8 code 70 switch
Also cutting gaps in the rail on either side of the frog, filling the gaps with CA glued plastic, formed to fit, and soldering a wire to the frog rails underneath to connect to a Tortoise switch machine contacts as the switch is thrown to guard against shorting.
Switch frog modified
Visiting friends in Colorado, I was able to further my ongoing summer visits to full scale and model railroad sites. First was the Colorado Model Railroad Museum in Greeley CO, and then the Buenavista model railroad society in Buena Vista CO, both of which I will put up further posts in the near future, but the real unexpected treat was a tour of the
Intermountain Railway Co. the model railroad manufacturer in Longmont CO. Kirk was very gracious in showing the whole operation, from their milling the molds for injection molded parts on their CNC milling machines
CNC milling machine
Small detail parts half mold
Just a few of the many machined molds for various products
To explaining their process and inventory.
Small part of inventory
To talking about their quality control, including a final visual inspection of each and every HO engine and actually running each engine through various track situations. A very impressive commitment to quality, and not releasing anything that is not absolutely right.
Engines ready for inspection
engines in the inspection area
All in all an enjoyable morning and an appreciation of a quality company
The Museum of Science and Industry has a model train display that is really much more than just a train layout. It is about transportation, and how the railroads move goods from place to place.
The fact that it is beautifully crafted, with scale large sections of Chicago and Seattle and the industries , plains, mountains etc in between, makes it a modelers must see if you are in Chicago.
Chicago
The buildings in Chicago are true to the sections of the city that is being modeled. Two times an hour there is a short night segment to show the display in that setting.
Chicago-night
Of course along the way showing double stack containers, mountain bridges and peaks, not to mention some human interest in a stream
Containers
UP in the mountains
Beach
Finally ending up in downtown Seattle including the docks.
Seattle