With the storm bringing 30+ inches of snow to this part of PA, it was a good weekend to work on a layout project. Modeling time has been hard to come by lately:-(
I decided to try my hand at making a timber and stone grade crossing for my Gardners Station layout:
First, I added styrene shims to bring the crossing planks level with the top of the rails...
To match the prototype, I used scale 4 x 10 boards for the timbers. My 2-track crossing required 24 timbers, so I made up a simple cutting jig (a tip I learned from Mike Cougill) to cut the boards a scale 11-feet long:
24 timbers, plus a few extras just in case;-)
I built another simple jig to mark holes for the nut/bolt/washer castings. I referred to CSXT drawings online for the offset and spacing (for instance, the bolts are centered 6" from one long side of the board and 4" from the other to clear the tie plates). The timber slides into a pocket marked with hole locations:
Then it was a simple matter of using a pin to start the holes:
I drilled all the way through the timbers using a #66 bit, then countersunk the tops with a 1/16 bit chucked to match the depth of the washers on the Kadee NBW castings:
Timbers drilled and installed. I used a NMRA gauge to get the correct flange width, checking things often with a spare freight car truck.
Next up was adding wood grain and age effects using a razor saw and an X-acto knife:
For stain, I went with Minwax Classic Grey (applied and wiped off with a paper towel), followed by repeated washes of India ink/alcohol:
Next up was adding gravel and limestone dust to form the road surface. The limestone dust coated the timbers, but I found that subsequent washes with the India ink/alcohol mixture created a really nice weathering effect. The last step was adding the Kadee #439 NBW castings:
Almost finished. Just need to add fines to the roadway approaches and more weathering effects to the road surface. Now those dry bulk semi trucks can reach the transloading yard:-)
Thanks for looking!
Jack
