Jonathan's Layout #3

[Grumpy468]

WOW that looks amazing, makes me want to start my layout on fire. What is your secret to great looking trees.

[OLDERTIMER]

WOW is right!!!!  I learn so much from you Jonathan.  How about you building my roundhouse, shortening my tenders, and backdating my connies? .  Paul

[jonathan]

 

Done enough modifying in my own connies, making them B&O, that I'm about burnt out on it.  But thanks all the same.

For Sheldon -- trees:

I use Woodland Scenics armatures.

1. Twist into shape.
2. Mist with gray primer
3.a. Use clump foliage and glue a clump to each branch, one at-a-time, or
3.b. Spray armatures with adhesive and dunk in a box of course ground foam. I did both. Honestly, the one at-a-time clumps look better.
4. Some of the trees get sprinkled with fine yellow ground foam for highlights.

I've used light, medium, and dark clump foliage.  I've tried to mix it up randomly on my layout.

500 trees leftover from last layout that I am planting now.

Think I'll need another 500 to cover every area needed.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Grumpy468]

Ok cool, thank you.

[Ken Huck]

WHOO Hoo !  Glad to see someone else getting their feet wet .  I've been
gone for the last week and couldn't log on.  When I made one of my pours too
deep and it wouldn't dry in the 'center'.  I sopped up what didn't dry with old
newspapers.  I then let that area dry for two days.  Over a period of the next
few days, I gradually filled in that spot with smaller pours, but still keeping them
about 1/8in deep.  Everything eventually dried.

Keep it up Jonathan and thanks for the pics.

Ken

[jonathan]

There is a train store called Star Hobby, in Annapolis, about 70 miles away.  I had some free time last Saturday, and made the trek to do some real shopping... a special treat.

I picked up mostly scenery materials, as I have about all the locomotives and rolling stock I'll ever need (wishful thinking).

My next project is to complete the middle of the layout. I've made 100 trees, ranging from 2" to 7":

DSC_0492 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Also took a rock mold, a gallon of plaster, various paints, and made some rocks:

DSC_0495_01 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Finally, I set up a little carving station to cut the rocks to fit where I want them:

DSC_0496_01 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Not too exciting, I know, but wanted to record some of the prep-work prior to planting the next batch of scenery.

Regards,

Jonathan

[WoundedBear]

Your rock colours look great. When I look at mine, I often think I went too dark.

And a hundred trees.....wow. That's a lot of work. Well done, Jon.

Sid

[jonathan]

Thanks, Sid.

I also have a tough time with rock colors.  I started  by spraying them black, then dry-brushing increasingly lighter shades of gray, brown, tan, white, and so on.  I'm thinking they're too light.  Maybe we think too much about it. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[Ken Huck]

Your rocks look great !  One of them molds look familiar.  I use water color for plaster.  It can
just be 'slopped' on and most of the color collects in the recesses. You can always add more
to go darker.  When I like the color I acquired, I use a sponge or tightly folded damp cloth,
and 'buff' the edges.   Sort of like 'dry brushing' in reverse.  It really makes the edges stand out.

Thanks for the pics.

Ken

[jonathan]

Made good progress on a couple of scenes.

I put in a country farm backdrop on my skyboard.  Added some polyfiber for transistion, and threw in a few trees, hay, and cows to finish the scene. 

Another corner of the layout sceniced:

DSC_0496_02 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

The loco is a B'mann USRA Mikado that I tinkered with, to get it running and looking right.


The next scene is the middle of the layout, where the all the loops on my layout converge to make a bit of a spaghetti bowl.  Trying to hide it a bit with lots of trees and distractions.

There's no backdrop on the skyboard, yet.  Hopefully, it looks a bit more natural.  Still have about a dozen trees left to add here:

DSC_0499 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Along with the B'mann Heavy Mountain (high, right) and USRA switchers, is one of my brassies; a PFM L-2 0-8-0 that I re-motored and decorated... still running strong.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Ken Huck]

That last photo gives me an idea.   You know Jonathan, if you had a small logging operation
and had them come in and cut down a couple of those trees, you'd have enough lumber and
space to put in a little country chapel...just sayin'....

Thanks.

Ken

[jward]

Looking great! There's only one detail missing: telephone poles. Up until the mid 1980s, every mainline and many branchlines as well had their own pole line. They were used for communications in the pre radio days, and for the signal circuits as well.

Even branch lines had them, because there were phone booths at strategic locations where crews could call the dispatcher for track authority. My dad had a speaker with 25 foot clip leads we used to take camping with us. He'd climb up the pole and clip onto the communication line, and we could sit back and listen to the dispatcher and all the tower operators talking on the railroad's party line. It was a good way to find out where the trains were.

Back in the day we hated those lines because they often got in the way of an otherwise good photo, but they gave the railroads a reason to keep the brush trimmed back. Views were far more open 40 years ago than they are to-day.

[jonathan]

You are correct, sir.  I have a box with poles ready to go.  I'm waiting on that.  The poles and wires would get in the way while I install other scenery elements.  The poles and wires go last. 

I will plan to save a small clearing, somewhere to put in my chapel.  Good idea.


Thanks, guys.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Grumpy468]

i am going to make my own power poles etc. I am going to try spandex thread, as it is stretchy and should give if bumped into.

[jonathan]

A little update:

Have completed 1,000 trees, finally.  Still have around 120 left to plant:

DSC_0531 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Also, have added more backdrop to my skyboard:

DSC_0523 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Starting to get the affect I've been looking for, which is trains appearing out of the woods and moving into the scene.

Here's a couple of angles of a freight (b'mann 2-6-6-2) coming out of the woods:

DSC_0516_02 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

DSC_0519_02 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

Finally... someone mentioned the need for telephone poles.  I assembled an old Rix kit, and planted 20 poles along the inside of my mainline:

DSC_0529 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

DSC_0525 by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

The passenger train is a mix of B'mann E-7, F&C REA (mail) car, and various B'Mann and Walthers passenger cars.

Scenes coming together, slowly but surely.

Regards,

Jonathan