Layout Progress

[jonathan]

Just thought I'd share a little project I'm working on...

I wanted to have some utility poles, with lines, as a logical part of the scenery around my structures. So...

I used those bamboo skewers from the grocery store... 100 for a dollar or thereabouts. Drilled #78 holes in each and stained 'em a dark mahogany.  After throwing every color of weathering power there is at them (I exaggerate sometimes), I scraped them with the teeth of a razor saw:



Used 4lb. fishing line for the lines.

Next I strung a test piece of line between a couple track nails to test paint.  I found regular testors enamel flat gray worked fine. Just don't overload the brush with paint, and you're ok:



I strung all the poles before I started to plant them... seemed logical.  I used a 7/64 bit through the subroadbed. This left a tight enough hole where I could push the poles through with small pliers pressure, and not have to use glue:



Experimented with different heights for the poles.  Settled for 3.5" on the east end, and 4" on the west end, needing a bit more clearance westward:













There are little lead sinkers at the ends of the lines, hidden from view. The lines are kept taut by gravity.  

I will paint the lines in the next few days. It will be a bit tedious and hard to reach.  In fact, I'm procrastinating right now, by posting this.  The photography takes time.  

One other note:  these poles are deep into the layout, behind the trackage and structures.  I didn't bother with details like insulators.  I have more detailed poles where they are closer to the edge of the layout. I've shown them before.

Will attach a few shots once the painting and clean-up are done.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jbrock27]

Terrific work, as per usual!

Since you're striving for realism, perhaps allow for a little more slack in the lines if possible given the set up; they seem a little taught compared to ones out in the real world.

*Fun Fact: Did you know the lines have a tremendous built in ability to be stretched, basically to the ground, w/o breaking?

[jonathan]

Thanks jb!

Did not know that fun fact!

I did try putting a little slack in the "wire" for realism.  The fishing line is so light, any slack makes it look like loose fishing line.    You don't really get that prototypical droop which would be really cool. Perhaps a couple pot-metal birds would do the trick, if I could get them to stay upright on the line.  I think they would look deceased (no longer with us), a bit upsidedown, if I tried.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Terry Toenges]

The weights are a good idea since you couldn't get the right sag.
I use bamboo skewers to poke through styrofoam when I'm stacking pieces of it on a layout. I push them in at opposing angles. It helps to keep the foam in place when I'm doing the designing, before I glue it. When I have it the way I want it, I pull them out and glue the sheets together with white glue. I put some white glue on the skewers and poke them back in and trim them off level with the surface. Then I give them a little more push so they are below the surface. Doing it that way makes it pretty sturdy.

[WoundedBear]

Nice job on the trees Jon!!

My weak point is scenery. Your trees give me hope......I have a bunch of those armatures.

Sid

[jonathan]

Thanks, Sid!

Yeah, scenery gives me the willies, too.  I figure if I put enough stuff on the layout... eventually, it will look like something.

I had 1000 trees on my last layout: armatures, fiber clumps, pillow stuffing, toothpicks...  I tried everything.  I saved 300 trees for this layout; tossed the rest.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Painted the fishing line flat gray.  Thought it might help the lines look smaller.  Someone very bright mentioned to me that actual utility lines would come out to .001" in HO.  That's the size of spandex thread, which might work as a scenery medium.  I'm not going to start squeezing spiders anyway. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

Who made that station and block tower? That would go great for my "Strasburg Terminal"

[J3a-614]

I took note of those two buildings myself; I particularly like how the slate roofs and the metal ridges came out.

What is the secret?

[Len]

The tower sort of looks like a modified DPM building. The station might be also, but with some nice "bashing" on the roof.

I can't find anything current that comes closer than that.

Len

[jonathan]

Sorry, I've been busy rebuilding a bathroom and haven't checked in.

American model builders makes the b&o standard station. Still available, but the price of wood kits has really gone up since I built it.

The other "RO" control tower is another laser wood kit. Can't remember who made it. Got it off eBay. They still show up now and again, but that kit seems to be out of production.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

OK. The RO interlocking tower is by Alexander Scale Models, now defunct I believe.  It's a good replica of the RO tower in Wellsboro, Indiana. Again, they show up on eBay from time-to-time. The slate roofs are peel-and-stick paper with metal caps and finials to add, after the slate is laid onto the roof frame.  I made my own "depot buff" color by mixing equal portions of yellow and white, followed by a few drops of brown paint to dull the yellow a bit.

MJB Models, still in business, produces some prototypical B&O towers.

Regards,

Jonathan

 

[rogertra]

Nice work on the progress.  Mine's kinda ground to a halt over the past year.   

Cheers

Roger T. 

[Warflight]

LOVING it. I can't even think about a full layout yet, as I'm moving in a little under a year, however, I have been thinking seriously about TOMA, and making a module just for something fun to build, where I can run some trains, and take it with me for the move, and incorporate it into the layout when I do build it.

That said, images of other people's layouts (especially folks who's work I admire) are rather inspiring. I get some good ideas from this stuff.