Beautiful work.
Thanks Guys for the nice comments. Making some progress.
Outstanding work, Rich.
On the wash, what kind of alcohol (isopropyl ?) do you use and what are the mixture proportions - thanks.
Richie,
Thanks for the nice comment. I use IsoPropyl alcohol from the grocery or drug store. typically I like the 90% or so, evaporates quickly. A few drops of india ink in a small cup. You can experiment, and add a few more until you get the color you want. I find it better to use several lighter colored coats instead of one heavy one. To be honest I don't have an exact mix, rather I have a small squirt bottle I mix it in, maybe 8 oz and then add the drops. I squirt into a plastic cut and use a small paint brush.
Here is some more progress adding details.
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Rich883 posted:Here is some more progress adding details.
Rich;
AMAZING detail - well done. Love the open windows.
The details look great! I like the windows too and the truck
I love the coal mine Rich. Truck looks great as well. Crates look nice as well. Did you make the crates yourself?
Rich883 posted:Here is some more progress adding details.
I bet the man in the 5th pic is thinking..."Darn these model train guys. Can't a 1/48th scale guy have some privacy", lol.
As I work around the layout I am upgrading some older structures. Wallace Armer was a long time hardware store in Schenectady NY I used to go to years ago. It made its way on my layout by this tanner tool and die kit from Right On Track Models.
I really like this kit.
As always comments and suggestions welcome.
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Rich883 posted:As I work around the layout I am upgrading some older structures. Wallace Armer was a long time hardware store in Schenectady NY I used to go to years ago. It made its way on my layout by this tanner tool and die kit from Right On Track Models.
I really like this kit.
As always comments and suggestions welcome.
Hey Rich,
The building looks great! Do you put the uncoupling tracks near all industrial buildings on your layout?
Dave
Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:I love the coal mine Rich. Truck looks great as well. Crates look nice as well. Did you make the crates yourself?
Dave, sorry I missed this. The crates are from a woodland scenic set of details with crates and barrels.
Dave,
thanks for the the nice comment. I actually don’t use the uncoupling sections often, just by coincidence in this case.
Rich;
As always, I am blown away by by the quality of your buildings, and very envious!!! I also love the way you tie in a little personal history/experience in naming the building. Once again, I am drawn to the small details that make the scene come alive. I’m sure it won’t be long till many people won’t recognize the blue mail box. And now, the key question... is that Clark Kent in the phone booth??? 
When was the last time you saw, much less used a phone booth!!!
Great job.
Rich,
One more thing...how did you go about creating the signage on the building?
Dave
Dave,
I make the signs on my computer and print them on matte photo paper for printers. This paper is stronger than regular paper and the flat finish does not shine. In this case there is a small board the size of the sign behind the paper but I don’t always do that sometimes I use styrene or some time just glue the sign to the structure. The entire building is sprayed in dullcote.
Love your modeling work, Rich!
Peter
Rich,
Excellent detailing! Really good work.
BUT, when are you going to build the outhouse? This poor fellow just couldn't wait!
Thank you for sharing.
Alex
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VERY NICE
As always, excellent work Rich. I always enjoy updates to your pike!
Thanks for sharing.
Donald
Thanks for the kind words guys.
I finally got around to building the Radio/ TV tower I have planed for the layout for some time.
This starts with the kit I designed when I owned Korber, but I replaced the top section with a tube and laser cut some TV "Bat Wing" antennas used to transmit VHF TV. the small antenna below that is a horizontally polarized FM antenna - I work in broadcasting so maybe too much detail here.
As always open to comments and suggestions.
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Rich, I really like that radio / tv station and the antenna. It's really got my wheels spinning! I think I have a
K-Lineville factory in the basement!
Finally getting around to finishing the rock face wall of the mountain that the amusement park is built on. The first photo taken while I was installing the backdrop shows how the mountain was half completed for a long time. Like the area I completed my the coal mine, I used broken drop ceiling tiles to make the wall.
The walls were first painted using the rustolium camo earth brown spray paint. The spray paints gets in all the small cracks and takes away the white/ light color of the tiles.
The final paint color I used was a earth color of a flat latex paint - I think it was from Lowes. I painted the wall, and then I used green ground cover and placed a small amount in my hand and "blew" it into the wet paint on the wall. This holds the grass when it dries and gives the appearance of the small vegitation that grows on the wall over time.
As part of a earlier track plan I had to additional tunnel portals, one to the left of the track in the picture above, I filed with more ceiling tiles and blended in, but the one in the photo below to the left, used plaster hard shell, so I decided to build a retaining wall to cover the hole.
Retaining wall built in tiers. Still need to add some stone, ground cover and come bushes on the mountain side.
This work is a pre cursor to rebuilding the layout of the small town that will be below the amusement park.
As always open for suggestion and comments.
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Rich, you used the broken ceiling tiles to goo effect. I used that method on a previous layout, and I think it gives good results. The retaining wall looks good. What is the retaining wall made of. It has some inconsistencies in the angles which make it look to me like it has been there holding up the hillside for a long time. Very good.
Thanks Mark, I do like the look of the ceiling tiles, pretty simple.
On the retailing wall, believe it or not those were old molded side walls to the sand bin on the Korber Models 305 sand house. When I owned Korber I changed to laser cut bins as I thought it looks more realistic, and the original molds we in poor shape. I had a bag of these left over parts looking for a use. One coudl make these simply with strip wood, or I think Chooch has some retaining wall pieces
Rich
I think your retaining wall design needs a civil/structural engineer.
Usually to retain that high a mountain you need a series of retaining walls set back from each other TWICE the height of the wall in front stepping back vertically. The vertical "soldier" course is pounded into the ground to support the wall but if the soldier courses are is too close to the course below, the soil is not stable enough to support the course.
Now given the space limitations I don't think you cannot step back 7 or 8 times. So what I would suggest is a series of diagonal counter-forts that buttress the wall in front. (counter-forts are also built into the mountain side) Made of Styrofoam and painted like concrete. Sort of like this:
look up counter-forts and there are a lot of different styles
Thanks for the suggestions Alan.
Been making some progress, but haven't done an update in a while.
After completing the rock wall/mountain face, I have started to re layout the small town area. The first structure is a furniture factory named after Standard furniture, which used to be in business in the Albany NY area where I grew up. I added a Korber Models roof top sign that I designed when I owned Korber,cool detail kit you can add to any model, there are a lot of different ones.
I thought a small propane dealer would be a good addition to a small space I was trying to fill. This is a grandt line kits, and some details plus a laser cut kit I think for BTS.
When I started the layout, I decided to reuse a Lionel station I had as a kid. As the layout has progressed, and my skills improved, I felt like it was time to upgrade. This is a right on track models craftsman depot kit.
More details to go, but off to a good start.
As always open to comments and suggestions.
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They all look great, but I really like the station!!
Amazing!
Peter
Rich,
It's great to be able to watch several layouts transform from the beginning stages to the masterpieces they will become. Yours is among one of my favorites and I appreciate you documenting your progress. You are doing some fascinating work.
Can you share how you do your roads? If that topic has already been discussed I apologize, direct me to the page number in this thread.
Dave
Thanks Guys,
Dave the roads I do two ways, the dirt roads are a fine tan/buff FINE ballast , sprinkle, level with a paint brush, wet with "wet water - water and a few drops of alcohol" and I glue does with a 50/50 mix of white glue and water.
The paved roads I use rolled roofing from a home improvement store. I cut a continuous piece, and use the back of the material up as it is smoother
https://www.lowes.com/pd/3-ft-...vVZu72oaAmv2EALw_wcB
I cut the road with either a razor knife or a pair of tin snips. The striping in the road is done with a white china marker/grease pencil and a ruler.
Let me know if this helps
Rich883 posted:Thanks Guys,
Dave the roads I do two ways, the dirt roads are a fine tan/buff FINE ballast , sprinkle, level with a paint brush, wet with "wet water - water and a few drops of alcohol" and I glue does with a 50/50 mix of white glue and water.
The paved roads I use rolled roofing from a home improvement store. I cut a continuous piece, and use the back of the material up as it is smoother
https://www.lowes.com/pd/3-ft-...vVZu72oaAmv2EALw_wcB
I cut the road with either a razor knife or a pair of tin snips. The striping in the road is done with a white china marker/grease pencil and a ruler.
Let me know if this helps
Awesome. We all know there is more than one way to skin a cat but in this case I can't decide which "knife" to use. For my town scene I am using pink foam for elevation. I have used spackling for the roads on the hillsides but now am unsure about the flat areas because I don't want those to be elevated. To balance out with the roads on the hillsides they need to be flat. Another reason being, if they are not, they will be higher than my sidewalks. I DO NOT WANT DRAW IN ROADS as I want the roads to have dimension.
This may be the solution.
Thanks,
Dave
Rich883 posted:Been making some progress, but haven't done an update in a while.
When I started the layout, I decided to reuse a Lionel station I had as a kid. As the layout has progressed, and my skills improved, I felt like it was time to upgrade. This is a right on track models craftsman depot kit.
More details to go, but off to a good start.
As always open to comments and suggestions.
Rich;
Beautiful job on the station. LOVE craftsman style - so classic.
Next step moving forward with the replacement of the mth freight dock
I am also replacing this mth post office with a custom laser cut building I have right in track models make for me.
As always. Open for comments and suggestions.
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Here is the updated post office on the layout.
As alway open to comments and suggestions.
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Rich, reminds me of the old post office we had a box at growing up. A few more steps because it was on a hillside at the rail stop. Wish I had a photograph!
Amazing layout, many great scenes, great buildings, great track work...I am getting into this thread late, so soon I will start at the beginning...Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to quality construction. Wow.
Great work, Rich......
Peter
Great layout Rich thank you for sharing all the great photos, loved what you have done with our kits!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Rich
