Bill congrats on the successful replacement - you are poster boy for a successful outcome.
Mark nice progress on Blackwater. I am posting photos of my removable scenery on the main layout thread - don't want to usurp your thread. Jeff
I really like the progress you are making. It does seem slow at times - I'm finishing up a corner of my layout as well to get the upper level finished before I solder wires to the track and it seems like it's taking me forever but I do notice progress so hang in there. I'm determined to take the lessons learned from my last layout to heart to avoid those headaches. You're going about things the right way - take your time, figure things out and then get to building. I'm in the same boat in that I'm a lousy artist and have trouble visualizing finished scene from a blank spot - I need lots of pictures and input from my artistic wife.
-Greg
Thank you, Dave, Rubin, Jeff, and Gregg!
Dave, bummer! A boring lunch time!
Rubin, excellent comment about modelers and our knees!
Jeff, I saw your post over on the other topic. Well done!
Greg, I think a slower pace lets me step back and look things over a bit and see places to make corrections, instead of plowing through with a lot of work, then facing the challenge of living with mistakes or removing a lot of work to make corrections. Our older daughter is the one who could visualize and draw up things in her mind.
Looking really good Mark! Thank you for the inspiration... after 16 months I'm finally there (sort of) for structures and scenery. So many moments of lets change just 'one' more thing... but, all I have to do is check in on you and it keeps me plowing ahead. 
@RubinG posted:It seems that all of us have trains and knees in common. It makes sense because, after all, our new knees include plastic, metal, glues, screws, construction, reconstruction and modeling. 😉HMMM!
Mark, your work is beautiful!
If only, like trains, we could make our knees work via command control instead of conventionally ! 
Mark I'm liking the progress on your layout. Following your thread. I need some ideas once I finally get to landscaping my layout.
Both of my knees are giving me trouble. I finally had the right one checked out. After doc visit, x-ray's, MRI, ortho specialist visit and a little over a $1,000 outta pocket I received a shot in my knee. According to the ortho specialist my knee is in great shape. However the under side of my knee cap has severe deterioration, bone to bone and arthritis.
Only boring if I can't do anything Mark. There are some things I can manage to do on my phone during lunch. Net always seems spotty every now and then, lately moreso. Could be that they are working around in the area and that is why. Progress looks good, that's for sure.
About the river, when you do get around to that portion of work to be done, what sort of work would the river be or is that still on the drawing board? Just curious, but would definitely like to hear what you may/got planned.
Thank you, Dennis, Richie, RJ, Dave!
Dennis, I'm glad to give you some inspiration to carry on. As anyone who followed this thread can see, I had the same issue wanting to get settled on the changes/additions to benchwork and track before moving forward with scenery. Sometimes someone else on the Forum gives me that little nudge as well after seeing what he is doing. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you scenic your nice layout,
RJ and Dave, sometimes I have a good idea of how I want to scenic, but on this layout I have to make so many compromises because of lack of space, those ideas have to be changed drastically. After 10 years in O gauge, I still think like an HO modeler. Dave, if you mean what material I want to use for the water feature, I still have no sure idea. I'm thinking the poured epoxy like Woodland Scenics would be the best choice so you can see through the shallow water to stones below. The painted water surface and shiny coats painted on top seem to me to be best suited for deep water, lakes and harbors. I do have to include my dad and his friend both catching trout, that I do know. Dad's friend actually fished this area of West Virginia when he worked for Westinghouse at Mount Storm power station which my printed backdrop represents. He actually got me the application in 1976, which after submitting it, I ended up getting hired to work in Richmond first.
Richie, I know the problem, the doctor forgot to give me the remote when he replaced my knee!! 
RJ, I took my dad to get a shot in his knee 3 or 4 years ago. That was all he needed!! He's 91 now. The shots didn't do diddly for me.
On to the knees. As with cataract surgeries, I was surprised at how many folks had to have them done in their early 60s like me. My replacement was doing well at my 2-year checkup at the end of October; right before I went on Medicare. Over the winter, it has started little popping and gritting and is more painful. I just scheduled a visit with the orthopedic the week after next to see what that is all about, if anything. Monday, I do have to get a myelogram and CT scan on my lower back to see why the sciatic nerve in my other leg still gives me grief. The lumbar fusion was supposed to fix that. Oh well, like I told the back orthopedic last week, I'm glad they pushed me to retire a couple years earlier than I was planning. I don't have to worry about hassles missing so much work, or just slacking while there. 
When doing the water pour, refer to Eric's Trains video of his pouring of water. I watched that a great long time ago. Of course you have to do all the mud/creek bottom scenery before pouring as well as making sure not to shake the epoxy water as it will create bubbles. Eric used a pin to pop the bubbles that formed from his pour. I think two of the hardest things from doing that sort is pouring so little at a time as recommended on the package as well as the potential for dripping. Make sure you somehow seal the riverbed so it does not have room to leak. How to do that, depends really on how your riverbed would come together. Test pours elsewhere definitely would be something I know I would do because I would wind up making a huge mess, plus it will give you an idea how it will work when you go for it for real.
Dave, Thank you for the tip on Eric's video. I haven't watched any of his videos for a long time, but those I saw were always very good. I'll look it up. I've read articles on the subject, but don't think I have watched any videos. I am aware, the stuff will find the tiniest hole to go just like water, even though it is much thicker. I'm thinking somehow, you have to do many small pours for a stream with riffles, or no matter where you pour, it will eventually mostly wind up at the lowest point on the streambed; in other words at the temporary dam at the front edge of the layout. 
I won't be getting to that until next winter at the earliest.
I didn't mention what is on my rolling workbench yesterday. I have painted the reinforced walls for the Thomas West Virginia Station kit from Carolina Craftsman Kits. Here is a cropped closer view. After gluing reinforcing stripwood on the backs of the walls and beveling the corner edges, I painted them with acrylic craft paint. I used a more brown color for the first light coat, which I didn't like. I put a thin coat of burgundy on top of that and like the brick color. The mortar joints are so thin, I couldn't get thinned paint to seep in, and it all came off when I wiped the bricks. I have never had success using joint compound for mortar, and thought it would be hard to get it in the paper thin mortar joints anyway. I then used chalk and rubbed it on with my thumb. You can see the section at the top of the photograph needed more chalk wiped off, but I had to get a new rag and left it for the next day. They are now ready for Dullcoat. I thought I had a can, but don't so, I have to buy some of that. In the meantime, I got ahead of myself and started assembling double hung windows. Duh, It would be easier to spray paint them before cutting them out. So, I stopped that too. There are two more panels of doors and windows, since you have to put pieces together for the double hung windows and panel doors. We are supposed to get snow, sleet, and ice tonight and tomorrow morning, so the building is on hold until I can get out. A slight fender bender would total my 18-year old Hyundai! 
So, I plan to wait it out.
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Looks like a nice building. Should be fun to detail inside and out.
Carolina Craftsman makes quality structures.
Mark, I don't know if you follow Sarah or have seen some of her posts from across the pond. She did some water pouring as well with rippling effects, those were pretty good too. I don't remember how long ago her post was. Maybe when I get home tonight I'll see if I can find them and pass it over to you.
@Bill Webb posted:Looks like a nice building. Should be fun to detail inside and out.
Carolina Craftsman makes quality structures.
Hey Bill! Nice to see another familiar face over here. Hopefully you remember me from the other forum? How are you doing on your layout build?
Sorry Mark didn't mean to interrupt your thread.
Thank you, Bill, Dave, RJ!
Bill, This is the second Carolina Craftsman Kit I have. The other is the Thomas, West Virginia Enginehouse. They are great kits. The main issue for me is that, I have not worked with laser cut siding as thin as Jeff uses. This is no criticism, thin is prototypical. The enginehouse is clapboard, so it isn't as easy to break as the brick laser cuts. To get the proper mortar joints, they are cut very thin, making it an easy break point. If I do another of his brick kits, I will put in lots of bracing on the back side BEFORE I sand the corners to 45 degree angles, instead of after as the instructions state. I broke a few of the thin sections of brick between doors and the wall corners. Fortunately, a smidgeon of Ailene's Tacky Glue and a flat surface makes them not noticeable now.
Dave, no I am not familiar with Sarah at all. I would be glad to receive a link when you get the chance. Thank you!
RJ, Never feel like you are interrupting a topic I am commenting on, especially one like this where I am the OP. Some of the best learning has come from interruptions and side rabbit trails, whether here on the Forum or life in general. I'm glad you have joined in!!!
Mark,
As always well thought out trial and error regarding the tunnel placement, and what the look will be leading up to it. As with most projects there can be a ripple effect (pun intended) to the surrounding area as far as looks, access, etc. I think you’ve come up with a solid plan.
As far as the mortar joints, I’ve always used joint compound with pretty good results. I think one thing that might help would be to let the joint compound dry and form a haze, sometimes overnight. And depending on how it comes off of the surface, I will use my thumb to clear off the bricks. If I find that the mortar is staying in the joints for the most part, I clean off the bricks with a lint free rag and a very light touch. On occasion I do need to reapply joint compound to a very small area here and there. I think your use of chalk was inspiring, another tool in the arsenal!
As always I’m enjoying your progress, well done, and I look forward to more.
Andy
RJ, good to see you here. Layout is going fine except for a minor knee replacement 2 weeks ago which is recovering amazingly well. It has given me time to catch up on documenting things on the computer in case gremlins sneak in.
We keep up with Mark’s thread. He is always doing something interesting and as Andy said, documents the trial and error process. We have a Carolina Craftsman kit to do and will remember the thin joint problem.
Thank you, Andy and Bill!
Andy, good pun on the ripple effect!! I will have to say the only time I used joint compound for mortar joints was on plastic kits with molded windows and door frames. I found it tedious to get the compound out of the corners where the frames met the bricks. That was my only beef about it. You do get nice results. I may not be as patient as I used to be, but then again my hands didn't hurt when I did things like that years ago.
I guess I do show a lot of trial and error. Sometimes, I get suggestions of a different way of doing things, and sometimes I just decide what I did wasn't going to work out as well. I find it is much more useful to see the the process, changes and all, when reading about others' modeling, than just seeing the final product.
Mark, by showing the trial and error, you’re helping yourself through the process, and anyone else that reads your thread, myself included. 👍🏻
Andy
Hi Mark, I am sorry I haven't commented lately, and I have been taking care of some stuff around here! I told you about it,
Sure, looks like you have been busy and are doing some great work! I like that part of layout building, even though sometimes it can get overwhelming!
Keep up the outstanding work!
Thank you, Mike!!! I know you were tied up with unexpected, but necessary projects. 
I'm glad to see you back!!
I finally got some dull coat to seal the walls. I also have some off white to spray the window and door parts. Now I need a day with no cold or wind to do the spraying. The temperatures are projected to be warmer this week, but I won't be doing it yet. Tomorrow, I have to get some tests done on my back that will hopefully reveal what is pinching my right sciatic nerve. It's always something!!
