The Sunny Model Railroad

Atlas White Picket Fences

2009-11-13T01:43:00.010+08:00

Also from my e-Hobbyland order -- an Atlas Picket Fence and Gate set. HO scale, sheep not included!

The set comes molded in pristine white plastic so I just had to give it a once over with ModelColor 005 Ivory. As I mentioned in an earlier article, ModelColor's line of water-based acrylic paints makes for fast cleanup -- just run the paintbrush under running tap water.

Once painted, I had to cut the fence to appropriate lengths. Gluing the corners with Tamiya Cement I placed the fence so that it fit squarely around the house.

I also had to decide on the positioning of the picket fence's 'gate'. I figured the best placement would be to position it off-center from the front door of the house -- left slightly ajar in this pic.

Yes, the door is hinged to the door-frame and can be opened and closed. The house is from a Pola Windmill set I purchased locally.

A little green shrubbery, courtesy of Busch, adds to the realism.

Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage -- Part 2

2009-11-13T01:15:00.010+08:00

Here are couple more trees I made up with Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage.

I attached the foliage with little of PVA glue, careful to try and get the little 'branches' on the foliage to attach to the branches on the tree armatures.

PVA glue is great -- it takes a while to dry but once it sets it provides a very firm bond and is nearly invisible.

I still need to remove the little sprues still attached to the bases of the tree armatures, glue the bases down and conceal them with ground cover.

As you can see I've recently added telegraph poles to my layout -- been looking for these for ages. I'll talk about them in another instalment soon.

Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage

2009-11-12T23:06:00.017+08:00

I decided I wanted to accent the various shades of green on my layout with some fall colors of reds, orange and yellow.

And as usual, as if to thwart my plan, the local hobby shops only stocked green foliage and turf. Light green, medium green, dark green, olive green. Any color as long as it was green.

High on my e-Hobbyland list was Woodland Scenics Fine Leaf Foliage Fall Mix.

And no other product on Woodland Scenics range matches their Fine Leaf Foliage for texture and detail for tree-making. And I've tried a few of 'em:

Lichen -- Doesn't look natural at all on a layout despite being a natural product. Or maybe I just haven't found a way to use it well

Clump Foliage -- Good for bushes, and creating large clusters of trees

Polyfiber -- Good when sprinkled with Fine Turf and/or Coarse Turf to create a 3-dimensional 'raised' effect. I've used this combination to create fir trees

Underbrush -- A clumpy sponge-material like Clump Foliage; same use

Fine Leaf Foliage is a whole different kettle o' fish. An all-natural product, the foliage is a matrix of little 'leaves' and branches. When attached to a standard tree armature you end up with an extremely detailed tree. Fine Leaf Foliage costs more but the results are well worth it.

As a bonus Woodland Scenics also supplies a very large tree armature in the package. I decided to deck this tree out with the three colors in layers.

New Model Train Goodies Just Arrived In The Mail!

2009-11-02T02:51:00.008+08:00

I placed an order about two weeks ago with e-HOBBYLAND.com. I paid for it with PayPal and spent the next couple of days with fingers crossed that they wouldn't send me an email saying that several items were back-ordered and would ship when the items were in stock.

My experience with a particular (European) mail-order company left me hanging -- "There are items in your order that are out-of-stock. Your order will ship once we receive the items from our supplier". I let that order ride for a good 3 months before I got tired of waiting. I mean, c'mon, how hard is it to indicate out-of-stock items on your mail-order website? They have a strange way of doing business.

Not so with e-Hobbyland.

e-Hobbyland's website is clearly laid out with accurate descriptions, prices and pictures of their items. And they indicate out-of-stock items matter-of-factly.

They took about 3 days to process my order before shipping it. And it arrived by USPS within 9 days. (Bearing in mind that I live in Singapore!)

Kudos to http://e-hobbyland.com. I'll be back for more.

Stay tuned for more pics!

Model Railroad Shops -- Sign Of The Times

2009-06-18T23:14:00.006+08:00

Today, I visited one of less than a handful of hobby shops in my area that stocks model railroad trains. In addition to its bread-and-butter RC planes and slot cars, this was the only recently set up store that dedicated a modicum of shelf space to the model railroad hobby, specializing in the Fleischmann and Kato model lines.

Or at least they used to.

Whole shelves formerly devoted to model trains and track were now exclusively displaying slot cars, tracks and accessories. RC model planes loomed, suspended overhead. The store's train display, an N-scale Fleischmann layout sitting on top of a Noch mountain landscape had been packed up and according to the boss, "Moved to the warehouse." In its place was an RC helicopter display.

A single 12inch glass shelf displayed the solitary N-scale Fleischmann starter set and an HO scale Special Edition steam engine.

But I can't really blame them for this decision to reprioritize. The model railroad hobby has never been big where I live. Real estate is at a premium, and few households have room for a permanent railroad layout.

And in an age of fast-paced lives, faster-paced hobbies and instant gratification, few folks have the time, patience or inclination to plan and build a model railroad.

Sign of the times, indeed.

But it is precisely the slow pace of planning, building, landscaping and tweaking a model railroad that drew me to the hobby in the first place.

For that hour a day when I run my trains --while looking for new things to add on or modify that do not require drastically ripping up track -- I'm engrossed in an imaginary miniature scene of my own creation. And dreaming of soon moving to larger premises where I can really let my handiwork and imagination fly.

Attaching Fleischmann Profi-Track to the Baseboard

2009-05-28T16:18:00.012+08:00

This was the method I used to attach the Fleischmann Profi-Track to my baseboard. Profi-Track has a plastic roadbed molded onto the track to simulate ballast.

To the right is a pic of the roadbed detail.

I'm really a fan of the Fleischmann system because of the high degree of detail on all their products, both train and track.

Here in this close-up you can literally count every ballast stone. Also note the wood grain detail on the railway ties. Click on the pic for a more detailed view!

Using 3M 4011 Exterior Mounting Tape attached to the underside of the trackbed, I fastened the track to the foam level of the baseboard. 3M 4011 is made of some sort of rubberized material, is extremely sticky and very, very strong. As an unexpected benefit it also has sound dampening properties for quieter running.
And the good thing is that if I ever decide to re-do my layout -- which will not be too far into the future -- I can simply pry off the track without damaging it.

Adding Figures to a Model Railroad

2009-05-23T00:35:00.003+08:00

I enjoy adding HO scale figures to my railroad layout and creating a mini scene that adds tiny pockets of activity and detail.

Sometimes I'll go 'figure shopping' and look through the display rack to see what catches my attention -- that alone is enough to trigger the imagination and create ideas for possible new scenes I wouldn't otherwise have thought of.

Here I've depicted railroad workers repairing a damaged railroad sleeper and installing the new tie. The figures are from the Scenic Accents Rail Workers set and are affixed into their standing positions with Accent Glue.

Model Train Help 4th Edition - Ebook Review

2009-05-20T00:47:00.010+08:00

Model Train Help by Robert Anderson was one of the first ebooks on model railroads I purchased.

Divided into 6 parts on 6 separate pdf files, the tutorial-styled content brings the reader step-by-step through an extensive array of topics while providing many handy tips along the way.

Although this may vary depending on your level of experience, these are some of the topics that I found most useful:

Part 1:

The different model scales including references to the mostly British OO and O scales
Track gauges and their differences
Steel, brass, zinc-coated and nickel silver track and a photo tutorial on how to ballast track

Part 2:

Analog, DCC and locomotive decoders
What to look out for when buying locomotives and rolling stock, both good and bad
A photo tutorial on couplers, types and installation
How to build a baseboard and frame
Different layout plans for point to point, oval and out and back

Part 3:

Modeling landscape scenery including building tunnels and mountains, making rocks, lakes, and waterfalls, adding grass cover and making realistic trees
Adding buildings to your layout
Basic weathering techniques

Part 4:

Track cleaning methods
Wiring a reverse loop and wiring for 2 train operation
Hot frogs and insulated frogs (turnouts)
Calculating sloping grades for steepness
Track code and their meaning

Part 5:

Railroad yard design
Garden railroads and G scale
Airbrushing and spraying techniques

Part 6:

An array of model railroad plans in various sizes

Granted that a fair bit of the information you will find in this ebook can be found scattered throughout the internet, Model Train Help nonetheless proves to be a valuable and organized one-stop resource of useful and useable content.

Creating Realistic Water Scenery

2009-05-19T02:56:00.006+08:00

For the lake scene on my layout I used Envirotex polymer resin.

Envirotex comes in two liquid parts, the resin and the hardener. When the two components are mixed vigorously together it forms a paste that dries clear in about 72 hours.

After I poured the mixture and while it was still wet, I added the long water grasses you see in the pic. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how best to create model HO scale fish which I can add to the lake. I'll then pour one final layer of resin over the fish for the final depth.

During the curing I covered the drying resin with the lid of a train set box. This was to prevent dust and loose scenery particles from settling on the surface of the drying resin and becoming a permanent fixture.

There are of course other alternatives to Envirotex. Products by Woodland Scenics such as their Realistic Water come ready-mixed in thick liquid form and only have to be poured on and left to dry. They also have another product called E-Z Water which comes in the form of resin chips that have to be heated and melted over a stove.

I've tried Realistic Water and can say that the clarity and surface sheen of the cured product seems as good as Envirotex. I also misplaced a bag of E-Z Water that I had purchased early on --- which is probably a blessing in disguise. Molten resin is something I don't think I should be messing with..

Model Railroad Track Curve Radiuses

2009-05-16T23:45:00.004+08:00

This pic shows the upper and lower curves on the left of my layout. I'm using Fleischmann Profi-Track radiused at 420mm (16.5") for the lower track and 356.5mm (14") for the upper layer.

I recently posted this pic on www.modelrailroadforums.com and one of the readers was amazed that I was able to get this steam engine to take the upper tighter curve. I'm not familiar with American model trains, having never owned one but it's something I will have to bear in mind if I plan on running a US-made model train with a longer wheelbase.

So far I've never had a train derail on my layout -- ever. That's another one up for German engineering I suppose.

Busch Oxeye Daisies

2009-05-16T01:46:00.003+08:00

These are the Oxeye Daisies by Busch. At 1/87 scale, a keen eye and tweezers are required for putting together these babies..

Assembly requires first painting the ends of the stalks a rust red. These will form the center of each flower. Then, the ring of petals (thankfully molded in yellow plastic) is slipped on the end of each stalk with a tiny bit of glue to form a complete flower. Each flower stalk is then glued on to the base. Definitely not for the faint of heart or weak of eye.

For an idea of the scale of these flowers, the fabric this model is sitting on is 300 thread cotton!

Woodland Scenics Scenic Accents

2009-05-13T16:04:00.012+08:00

Woodland Scenics makes a good line of pre- painted of scenic figures as part of their Scenic Accents range.

The worker ladling sand into the cement mixer at right is from the Masonry Workers set.

For the sand I used decorative quartz sand from Ikea which is the finest white sand I've been able to find, but still a bit too large in grain size for HO.

The pics below show the complete scene of masonry workers building a cottage. I've yet to paint the roof scaffolding though. Details, details....

When time (and patience) permit I intend to re-paint and detail the figures on my layout, perhaps down to the facial features. But more on that later..

Model Railroad Maintenance - Keeping Track Clean

2009-05-11T14:51:00.007+08:00

I learned early on the importance of keeping the track or more specifically, the rails, clean on my layout.

Dirt, rust or oxidation inhibits the electrical contact between the rails and the wheels of the locomotive.

Some common symptoms of dirty track:

The engine seems to lack power in certain sections of track and then suddenly lunges forward

At lower speed settings on the transformer the engine is at a standstill

The locomotive doesn't move at all

The above usually occur when we haven't run our trains for several weeks, when there is an increase in humidity or when we've just done scenic work.

My method for cleaning track is to rub a piece of balsa wood on the offending section and then follow up with some cloth swabs soaked in isopropyl alcohol. The balsa really helps in removing some of the more stubborn crud and doesn't leave any residue like track rubber cleaners do. Fine grains of rubber residue can get caught in our engine or wheel mechanism. But if you do use a track rubber, vacuum after and you should be fine.

I wouldn't recommend routine use of steel wool unless you have very stubborn rust spots. Steel wool is very abrasive, much more so than track rubber, and leaves tiny scratches in the rail that will only fill with more crud and rust in future. It's a good idea to go over the track area with a magnet to pick up any fine scraps of steel wool when you're done.

I routinely run my Fleischmann track cleaning wagon round my layout every now and then. It has rotating cleaning pads made of a soft felt material that are good for gentle maintenance but not a substitute for balsa and alcohol.

Model Railroad Tunnels and Blue Foam

2009-05-10T03:06:00.001+08:00

The first pic on the right shows the mountain tunnel exit on the upper level of my layout. I like to use various coarse turfs to accent the craggy rock -- these are by Woodland Scenics which I think look very natural in color and texture.

It's always a good idea to apply matte black paint to the inside of tunnels otherwise the foundational material (in this case, blue foam) is obviously visible. Matte black art paper would work just as well for this purpose.

The good thing about documenting this layout in progress is that I get to notice details and flaws that the camera captures.

The second pic shows the other tunnel at the opposite end. I hadn't originally planned for this tunnel but I needed a place to mount the Pola windmill and building set I had purchased on impulse.

So, I set to work with -- what else -- blue foam and created a tunnel for the Pola kit to sit on. I tried out a product called Celluclay instead of plaster for the landscape rock base. Celluclay is an instant, just-add-water paper mache product. And it took forever to dry. No kidding. It must've taken 2 weeks at least before I could paint it.

In the process it developed black and grey mold and mildew. Celluclay probably works well for small projects and, according to the instructions, can be dried in an oven. I had slapped it on pretty thick like I would plaster, which is obviously not the way to use it. The whole thing was also too large to fit in my oven. Not to mention the noxious fumes that the burning blue foam would emit.

Gotta love that blue foam.

Creating Depth When Coloring Rock Detail

2009-05-09T02:06:00.000+08:00

I have two basic techniques that I use to color rock.

In the first pic on the right, I painted the rock with Nippon matte tan water-based paint. Some folks dilute the paint before applying but since my foundation is blue extruded foam, I would probable have had to go over it several times to completely conceal any exposed blue areas if I had diluted.

I then brushed over a wash of grey slate acrylic paint. The dark wash gets into the crevices of the plaster and brings out more detail. For a more striking effect you could use very dilute india ink.

For the rock canyon detail in the second pic, I colored the white plaster sparingly to make it look 'brighter' since it was in the background of my layout. Lighter colors on rock occuring in the distance creates greater 'depth of field', giving the illusion that the structure is farther away. This is something that I stumbled on by sheer accident but it is a concept that I make a point of applying throughout the entire layout.

To color this rock I used a light stain of yellow oxide acrylic paint using a dabbing technique. I then very sparingly applied dilute raw umber for some contrast. Finally I applied a very dilute slate grey acrylic wash, deliberately leaving some areas lighter, allowing the white of the plaster to dominate.

Model Railroad Scenery - How To Model Realistic Looking Rock Structures

2009-05-08T00:44:00.000+08:00

And yet another article I contributed online:

If you've ever marveled at realistic looking rock scenery on model railroads and wondered how they were created, this article describes in detail how you too can easily achieve the same results.

These are the items you will need:

· Newspaper
· Masking tape
· Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal plaster
· Acrylic paints in burnt umber, raw umber, raw sienna, white and slate grey colors
· Art paint brush and craft sponge brush
· Assorted items for shaping plaster, such as spatulas and plastic knives

The first step is deciding where you want that rock face, outcropping or rocky hill will be on your railroad layout. Unless you're modeling a section of the Grand Canyon, bear in mind that rock structures usually emerge from areas of foliage and greenery. And it is precisely this contrast that makes the scene look interesting and real.

Before you proceed any further, cover any areas on your layout near the section you're planning to work on. Wet plaster drips and tends to get on everything no matter how careful you are.

Whenever I work with plaster, I tape over my railroad tracks with painter's masking tape and cover larger areas with cling wrap or aluminum foil. Aluminum foil is also great because, for this purpose, it's reusable.

Once you have decided on the placement of your rock scenery, make up several wads of small pieces of newspaper. On my HO scale layout I use sizes varying from 2 to 4 inches in length, in varying thicknesses. Use a size that you think is best for your layout scale. Larger wads will create bigger outcroppings on the rock face. Using masking tape, attach the wads of newspaper to the area where the rock outcroppings will be. Cover the wads completely with the masking tape. Try to go for a layered arrangement that looks random and not man-made.

Don't worry, it will look much better and come together with a very natural look after you complete the next few steps.

Mix up some Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal plaster following the instructions on the packaging. Hydrocal is very lightweight but considerably more expensive than Plaster of Paris. Plaster sets quickly so mix up smaller quantities and work with it in small batches. Be sure to thoroughly rinse out the mixing container and spatula between batches as any dried residue plaster will interfere with how the new batch sets up.

Now comes the fun, albeit messy bit.

Using a spatula, apply plaster over the newspaper and masking tape wads. Remember to keep the texture random -- smooth in some areas, craggy in others. Use a plastic knife to add more detail to the rock face with vertical or horizontal striations. Notice how the newspaper wads beneath the surface give the rock a three-dimensional look.

Stand back, admire your handiwork and let the plaster dry overnight.

Adding color to our rock is the final step to complete scenic realism. I usually choose a combination of raw sienna, raw umber, burnt umber and slate grey acrylic paints. The colors should be diluted with water to a thin wash so that we are not actually painting the rock but staining it.

Using a paint brush or sponge brush, apply the washes in a random series of spots of burnt umber, raw umber and raw sienna. Go easy on the darker colors as they tend to dominate and, if overused, can make your scenery look somewhat somber. Then, apply a very dilute wash of slate grey over the whole rock face and over the other colors. The grey wash unifies the other color combinations into a very realistic look.

Finally, very sparingly dry brush undiluted white acrylic paint in areas for highlights and to create a sun-bleached effect.

As you can see, it doesn't take exceptional artistic talent to create realistic looking rock on your model railroad layout. But use these ideas as a starting point and feel free to experiment with ideas of your own. Try different materials and coloring techniques. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you may come with.

And don't forget, as scenic modelers we must constantly observe nature for an infinite supply of new ideas.

Designing a Model Railroad Layout for Maximum Action In A Minimal Space

2009-05-07T19:01:00.000+08:00

Here's an article that I published online recently:

Gleefully unwrapping that large package on Christmas morning and discovering a toy train set within must surely be a cherished childhood memory for many a model train enthusiast. Setting it up on the floor, with Dad's help of course, the next couple of hours were spent watching the locomotive and its parade of coaches and wagons circle that oval of track endlessly, its purpose and destination limited only by our imaginations.

Fast forward 30 years and we decide that it would be a fun hobby to get into. But this time we would take it seriously.

We have our eye on that highly-detailed miniature steam locomotive with the multiple carriages. We scour the net for information looking for the best track to buy and read up on baseboard construction while aspiring to create scenery that can rival, in miniature, anything that man or Mother Nature could create.

Most importantly we've gotten approval from our other half to setup our dream layout in a part of the house that will henceforth become own little railroad sanctuary. The next step is a visit, or several, to our favorite hobby shop. We leave contented, wallets lightened and a little deeper in credit card debt.

For those of us fortunate enough to have a large loft, garage or spare room in which to pursue our grand design, we have hundreds of track layouts to choose from, with a myriad variations of each. Oh, the possibilities!

But if, like me, you live in a small 2-bedroom apartment and you do not have the luxury of a 12-foot straight run with 6-foot turns, that tiny 6'x3' oval is not going to hold ones interest for very long.

Enter the two-tiered double loop. This is exactly what I created on my 6'3" x 3'6" layout in HO scale.

Consisting of two independent loops powered by separate transformers, the lower loop is an irregular oval with a short siding. The second elevated layer is a modified dog bone, switchable to a straight pass, also with a short siding. A single layered double loop would not have fit on a layout this size but this limitation turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I now have a more complex and interesting layout especially with the double levels.

I created two separate tunnels for the lower oval, one through the mountain and another at the opposite end so that the steam passenger train is visible maybe only two-thirds of the time as it winds its way around the track. To add realism I can stop the train in one of the tunnels and delay its exit to create the illusion that the train is traveling a far greater distance.

On the upper layer, a goods train passes through its own tunnel in the mountainside and then past a signal-control tower with the possibility of some simple switching on the siding.
Possibly the best part of this system is that the trains are controlled independently -- all without the aid of Digital Command Control!

Because of the split-level, the center of the layout forms a meadow valley and this is where I'm constantly trying out new ideas and themes hoping to get really creative with my landscaping. As it stands, a farmer watches over his flock of sheep as they graze on marigolds. Some distance away, workmen are at work building a small cottage. Further away still, the dazzling white quartz sand of a man-made beach fronting a lake lined with tall water-grasses awaits its holiday-makers. All in all, a model railroad is a continual work in progress that one secretly hopes will never be done.

Having squeezed a fair amount of train action out of my limited space in HO scale I can't help but think that if I had a chance to do it all over again, N scale would be my choice. Oh, the possibilities!

More Building Structures with Scenic Accents

2009-05-07T02:42:00.001+08:00

This is the mountain chapel by Faller. The kit comes pre-colored but I decided to give it a go over anyway with similar colored paints. I guess I can't get over the plasticy sheen of an unpainted kit. Interestingly enough, Model Color's Field Blue matched the original colored plastic of the roof of the chapel exactly! The white walls I painted with MC's Ivory White.

The bronzed plastic of the bell tower looked pretty good so I left it alone. For a couple of weeks, that is, before I decided to give it a once over with Humbrol 171 Antique Bronze. Ah, much better..

I did some simple weathering to this structure which involved using black and brown crayons on the white walls. Black crayon is also great for crisping up some of the details -- I use it on corners and structural accents. The exposed brick effect was accomplished by dry-brushing matt dark red paint.

I created the vine effect on the side walls by drawing thin lines of PVA glue with a toothpick and then sprinkling fine turf over the area. The glue lines catch the turf while the excess falls away.

I spent a good part of my pre-adolescence building model planes, tanks and ships by the likes of Airfix, Revell and Tamiya. I found the quality, fit and detail pretty good overall. Airfix and Revell were in my opinion the best as far as fit -- the parts all went seamlessley together 99% of the time. Tamiya led the pack (back then in the late 70s) as far as detail but the parts at times did not fit together perfectly and a certain amount of modification with an X-acto blade and glue was required.

Having come into model railroading and finding myself once again working with model kits, I can say for a fact that the scenic models that I've worked with so far do not come close as far as detail or quality of fit to the brands I mentioned earlier. A lot of times, parts to be have to be glued together 'freehand' -- no alignment guides are molded on the plastic to align the pieces together.

On the bell tower on this model for example, it would have been the industry standard to provide guide 'nibs and holes' to align the steeple on top of the wooden framework. Instead one has to slap on a liberal amount of glue and align the steeple to the frame by eye, making fine adjustments before the glue has a chance to completely dry.

Instructions are also many times unclear or completely lacking and one has to reference the picture on the box for clues. Oh well, these manufacturers must give us model railwaymen too much credit as far as our kit-building skills. If only Tamiya were to enter the model railroad market..

Post afterthought:

Having said all that, I do find that the LifeLike Trains and Atlas plastic kits that I've worked on so far to be of the quality, fit and detail an experienced kit modeller would come to expect.

Building Structures in HO - Life Like Shanty

2009-05-04T03:42:00.000+08:00

This is a LifeLike Trains model of a Western Homestead Shanty. The kit came in pristine white with a grey roof so I decided to do some simple weathering to make it look more realistic.

I first painted the walls with Model Color Ivory. The Model Color series of paints comes in little plastic bottles. They wash off with water when still wet which is great when cleaning brushes. I thought that the slate grey finish on the roof that came stock with the kit looked pretty good so I decided to not repaint it.

To weather the walls I wet-brushed very dilute India ink to bring out the 'grain' of the wood -- these kits are finely detailed! Using tissue paper I dabbed off the excess so that it wouldn't appear too dark.

I then drybrushed Humbrol Matt Black 33, Matt Earth 29 and Model Color Basalt Grey very sparingly. To add rust to the pipes I used Humbrol Matt Rust 113 which I find comes very close to the real thing. I also drybrushed some of the Rust onto the walls below the pipes to give the impression of rust stains. I drybrushed in streaks the same colors for the roof.

To create creeping grass on the sides of the shanty's walls I used a toothpick to finely smear a small quantity of PVA glue and then sprinkled Woodland Scenics light green fine turf. You can even create vines by drawing hairlines of PVA with a toothpick and then sprinkling fine turf. The turf will adhere to the fine lines of PVA and look like vines.

Lastly, I used white thread for the clotheslines and hung the 'laundry' supplied with the kit.

Tan Paint and Ground Cover

2009-05-03T02:47:00.000+08:00

The stack of newspaper wads from the previous post has been transformed into the mountain scene above. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics of the creation process -- I had my hands covered in wet plaster.

Basically it involved covering the paper wads in plaster cloth (I used two brands, Woodland Scenics and Activa Rigid-Wrap, which are basically the same, and expensive!), painting it over with a matte tan paint and then adding ground cover of various textures and colors. Nothing in scenic nature is uniform or consistent so I used as many ground cover colors and textures as I could obtain.

For added texture in areas devoid of ground cover I used plaster of paris to create the rough, rocky detail you see in the background of the second pic below. When the plaster thoroughly dried, I used applied burnt umber and raw sienna acrylic paints, using the 'leopard-spot' technique. This involves using a sponge brush and dabbing the various colors (dilute them first!) on. Then, using very dilute india ink, brush a wash over the whole thing. Instant realism!

Initial Track Layout Part 2

2009-05-02T02:07:00.000+08:00

Here I've carved what will become the central valley meadow. The blade in the cheapo pink cutter snapped and flew dangerously toward me as I was carving a section.

Note to self: Always wear eye protection when cutting foam.

In the next pic I've covered the track with 3M blue painter's tape. It doesn't leave a sticky residue on the track like regular masking tape. And never use duct tape!

Note that I've also placed the tunnel portals in place. As an added precaution, I've used cling wrap is to protect the track further when wet plaster cloth is draped over wadded newspaper that will form the basis for the mountain.

Initial Track Layout

2009-05-01T06:55:00.000+08:00

The two pics at top are of the bare baseboard with joined track laid loosely on it. Two independent loops, the irregular oval and the modified dogbone are laid one on top of the other so that I can get a visual of how they will overlap once the dogbone is elevated above the oval.

All track is pre-ballasted nickel-silver Fleischmann Profi-track.

The pic at left shows how I laid layers of dense blue construction foam to elevate the dogbone above the oval. I could have used common white styrofoam I suppose, but the blue provides a much more rigid foundation. I had to use two layers of foam to achieve the necessary height.

Instead of wasting a gallon of glue to hold the two layers together I used bamboo skewers -- more commonly used for barbequing shrimp! Works pretty well in this case to stop the foam layers from shifting on each other. I didn't glue the foam to the baseboard in case I needed to make minor adjustments later.

It doesn't have to be pretty since it will all be covered in plaster and ground cover later.

The Sunny Model Railroad in HO

2009-04-29T04:23:00.001+08:00

The Sunny Model Railroad is a layout I built in the tiny backroom of my apartment. Based on the Fleischmann HO Profi-Track system the entire layout measure 6' 3" by 3' 6". The baseboard is 3/4" plywood with a 2" wooden frame all around with lateral bracing for rigidity.

The main feature of this model railroad is that it consists of 2 separate and independent track loops on a split-level layout. The 2 track loops each have their own power supply. I got this brilliant idea from a Japanese N scale train magazine DVD that illustrated this concept so perfectly -- squeezing maximum train action into a minimum amount of space!

I initially set up my little single loop and sidings on a temporary unbraced 6' by 3' piece of plywood. Considering the size of the room that was about the maximum amount of real estate I had to work with! And there wasn't much HO scale track one could fit onto that.

Frustrated, I all but left my little layout largely abandoned in the back room. Peering in now and then I lamented having spent several hundred dollars on tracks and trains just to see them lay there on the bare baseboard. I didn't even bother to attempt any landscaping or scenery.

And then came the turning point. Before a gig (I'm a musician playing at a local blues-rock club) I was browsing at a Kinokuniya bookstore when I spied, on a solitary display rack, a magazine/DVD about N scale model trains -- in Japanese! Bearing in mind at this point I had more or less lost complete interest in the hobby. On impulse, I bought the magazine telling myself that it came with a DVD so it must be worth the 40 bucks -- right?

Let me just say it was the best $40 I could have spent on this hobby. Now, I had done my fair share of research on the internet (several hundred hours worth) and bought many issues of every US and UK model train magazine publication I could find. I was hungry for layout ideas, track designs for small spaces, scenery ideas, creating realistic looking rock-faces and mountains -- the list went on.

And I found answers to every one of those questions in that little Japanese mag -- and then some! I watched the DVD several times, browsing through its chapters, remembering what I had watched on it the night before and going back to it the next night to watch it again. That's how much of a revelation it was! Starting with a bare 6' by 3' board the two Japanese men hosting the show brought me from a single loop with one siding on a bare plywood baseboard to designing a split level layout that incorporated tunnels and bridges with realistic looking rocks, mountains and trees.

And I don't even know the title of the magazine because its in Japanese!

Needless to say my enthusiasm and imagination were piqued. Within 2 weeks I had laid the foundation for what you see today -- track design, lanscaping and scenery. This was my very first attempt at landscaping a model railroad, so if you like what you see, bear in mind that you can easily do it too.