Wow, I take a week off from this topic, and you guys put on seven pages. I finally got caught up. Lots of neat stuff going on with you guys, and a lot of new faces here too.
Thanks Bob, Mark and Paul. Adriatic, Mr Zip was too funny. I was serious about that free ballast offer. JD, all of your enterTRAINment questions are noted, but may need a topic of their own to be addressed. I won't forget. Hope to get to them next week.
I have been very busy working on the layout since my last update, so let's get caught up.
Patrick came over last Saturday, and we filled in the remaining holes at Western Avenue.
We also carved a lot of roadbed.
Western all filled in.
Shoreham carved. Patrick got up in there and took care of this section.
He also started carving the NP tracks through Midway.
Monday and early Tuesday were spent cleaning up in advance of the photo shoot for the narrow gauge convention layout tour. Unfortunately, this was the best shot he got. The unfinished nature doesn't qualify it to be published on the website yet. We'll try again in about 5 weeks or sooner perhaps.
Saturday morning I got up early, and bought two 50 pound bags of chicken grit, before Patrick came over. I got into it on later on Tuesday, after the photo shoot. This is what the raw material looks like. About 40% of it is way too large, and must be screened out. Love the color though. It's a pink granite from St Cloud, MN. It also happens to be the quarry where where the UP gets their ballast locally, This doesn't solve my original problem with the gray stuff, but it will cover two yards, and reduce my total needs.
Here it is after passing through the #5 screen. It still has too many large grains. The little green one is a #8.
These are the grains between #5 and #8. They make good filler in the ditches we carved, and the base of the outer edge bevels.
This is the good stuff, #8 and smaller.
This is what it looks like, a beautiful purpleish pink.
Western Ave is very close, but I think I'll need some from the second bag. Have to run back for a few more bags.
I've enlisted my wife to do the sifting, so I can spend most of my time finishing Hoffman. When I need a break from that, I work on this.
The gray material applied to the Masonite wall is strips of ceiling tile. They are glued to each other, and also to the wall. They are screwed to each other as well, to keep them flat while the glue dries.
The screws won't be recovered, but they won't interfere with the carving process either. A few more courses, and it will top out, then I have to work on the foam.
Now you're all caught up.