More photo backdrops

 I've done some more work with photo backdrops. My practice one is this first image that's behind the Southern main approaching Meridian. I took the photos of the tree line behind my house and merged them in PhotoShop then had it printed 11" by 48" at my local art shop. Before I applied the image to the backdrop, I coated it with two layers of Dullcoat thinking that it would seal the paper for when I feathered in my backdrop sky color. The Dullcoat caused the image to fade thus giving it a more distant appearance and was not my intent. The original print was much more vibrant and blended better with the model trees. To feather in the sky color onto the photo, I used an airbrush with thinned latex interior paint. I put the paint on too think the first time and the moisture in the paint caused the paper to wrinkle. Lessons learned. Click on the photo for a larger view.

My second print was for the TXI cement plant. This time, I left off the Dullcoat and when I feathered on the latex paint, I did it in VERY thin applications allowing each to dry before the next. I got a much better result. Learning through experience! After looking at this photo of the scene, I think I need to rearrange my models as they are blocking the view of the structures on the backdrop photo. I think more of them need to show through at least between the spaces of the models. Click on the photo for a larger view.
 

TXI photo backdrop

 I'm continuing work on the TXI cement plant. The scene with just a blue backdrop made the plant look small and shallow. I really wanted to give the impression of the massive plant that it is. So, I thought of adding a photo backdrop behind the plant to hopefully give the illusion of depth. The backdrop photo is a quick mural with no adjustments I made in Photoshop combining about a dozen photos of the conveyor system to the bulk Clinker storage area. I like the idea and look of photo backdrops but I think this one needs some work.

First off, I think I need to lighten the image as it appears too dark with the layout lighting. Plus, I'd like the blue sky to be a closer match to the painted blue backdrop I already have.

Also, you can see that I have a photo backdrop behind only half of the cement plant. I feel that I need to have a photo behind the whole plant but I'm not sure what would look good behind the kiln. I've got some more photos of the plant that I'm going to try to work into those area.

Back to work on the layout!

The weather has been too nice lately to be working inside so I started landscaping the yard in earnest a few weeks ago. So far, I've planted over 225 plants and more on the way. This is a project I've been putting off for almost 5 years and it's almost done.

While waiting on the next shipment of plants to reach the local Co-Op, I decided to do a little work on the layout. I've done a bit here and there over the past month or so but just hadn't posted and hadn't spent more than an hour working on it. Today, I spent most of the day up there. The focus of the work has been centered on the TXI cement plant and getting all the roads in place. Those are all done and painted so I started adding a scenery base and getting buildings into their final resting place. I've got LOTS of glue drying right now so it seemed like a good time to post.

Also, one other development. Take a look at pp. 54-55 of the latest (June 2012) issue of Model Railroader. I've got my first article published in a major magazine on how I built the car loading platforms for Crawford Grain and TXI. More to come!

Hidden stagging under control!!!!

Controls for the hidden staging tracks are done!!!

I spent the last three days working on and trouble shooting a Diode Matrix Control for the hidden yard ladder. I say trouble shooting because after I wired it all up on Wednesday, I couldn't get it to work. I spent the last two days checking everything and scratching my head. I finally noticed that I'd put a diode in backwards. DHOOOO!!!

I'm happy to say that this morning I got it working like a top and love it. I found the schematic on David K. Smith's site here: http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/clinics.htm   David was super helpful in helping me out with my questions. I'm glad I did the controls this way.

Here you can see the hidden staging entrance/exit at Meridian. In the bottom right of the photo is a red knob that is the rotary switch for the diode matrix. I'm working on a label for the switch and am also going to put a small dry erase board above it so that I can write consist numbers for the locos in staging. You can also see the video monitor that I use to watch trains in the staging yard.

Switching Crawford Grain

Today, I played with photographing the layout. I tried different lighting techniques and did my first ever photo stack to get good depth of field. This photo is the result. I'm not 100% happy with the white balance in the shot but it's much improved over other shots I've taken lately. I hope to get to experiment more with the camera soon.

Bridge in and slow order removed.....

 Crawford overpass is in and trains can run again!!! The track was ballasted and secured with white glue mix. Once dry, I brushed on layers of different colors of Bragdon's weathering powder. The rails were painted with a Floquil "Rust" paint pen. After it dried, I used a stiff brush to take most of the paint back off of the rail and the ties that it got onto. Plus, the brush helped work in the powder. Spring is almost here so green stuff should start sprouting soon.

Paving roads

I've gotten my first two roads in and about done. This first photo is the main street coming out of Crawford. You can see the glue drying on the gravel drive that goes to Crawford Grain. This road T's into HWY 45 as you can see in the distance. If you take a left on HWY 45, it will take you to the bridge below. This road was poured with Woodland Scenic's paving plaster. I then brushed on a thick coat of white glue and added a layer for fine ballast. After it dried, I sanded it then painted with Ralph Lauren "River Rock" series paint finishes then sanded again, appliedvstripping, sanded again followed by a dusting of India Ink wash.

This is the HWY 45 underpass at Crawford. I've got the bridge temporarily set while adding the finishing touches to the road. The road that turns off to the left just beyond the bridge leads to the TXI cement plant. This road was done with drywall spackling then painted with Ralph Lauren and finished like the other road.

It's been almost a month since my last update. I've actually gotten quite a bit done but just haven't posted. Right now, I'm kind of held up waiting on some parts to come from Walthers before continuing on. What you're seeing here is the start of my "Bad side of the tracks" in Meridian. This is a freelanced scene but is based on the ICG/Southern crossing in Meridian so the tracks are pretty close to the prototype. I'm waiting on some more curbing to come from Walthers to finish assembling the street. I hope to have them next week or so.

Here's a shot from the other side of the bridge. I've added the green stagnant summer water to the ditch and started on the ground cover. The double track in the background is the Southern and the single track in the foreground is the ICG as the two converge to cross in Meridian.

Grain, Bridges and Passenger Platforms

I've made some more progress on Crawford Grain. Piping on the grain legs are in along with the safety wire along the loading tracks. Also a little more scenery.

I've also started some work in the Meridian yard. Today, I poured one of the passenger platforms Meridian Union Station.I'm modeling Meridian from the North looking South so the passenger station will be off the layout to the left. In other words, when looking at the layout, you would be looking from the station out across the yard.
I've also begun work on the 18th Ave bridge over the North end of the yard at Meridian.

I was able to get some more work done on Crawford Grain today. First, I got a photo mosaic backdrop printed off and pasted up. I then blended the backdrop sky color onto the photo sky color. At first, I tried to do this with an airbrush but I got too much over-spray on the photo and on some scenery so I went to a brush and feathered it in. I like how it turned out.

Next, I started adding the structures that I'd been building on for a while. I've gotten most of the main structures in place. Next comes the details.

Water pour

 It's been a layout blitz today. I just made my first ever "water" pour at the ICG/Southern crossing. I used Magic Water and really like it so far. I had to mix it in two batches because of the size of the pouring cup I had. My plan was to make the first pour a darker color and make the second pour clear to give depth. I mixed up the first pour to what I I thought was dark enough. However, once poured, it was not dark enough an the whole bottom could be seen.

So, I did my second mix and made it much darker but then realized that I'd have to find a way to mix it with the clearer first pour. I then poured and swirled the second pour as I poured it. Then I took a long piece of styrene and SLOWLY stirred the swamp. I actually got a good mix. There are a few places where you can see some swirls but as soon as I saw them, I through "that looks just like the algae we get in late summer." so it worked out fine!!!

I did get a LOT of creeping especially in the vegitation next to the water. The Magic Water creeped all the way up the ground foam along the rip rap. Guess I'll have to reapply when the water dries.

I've got to order some more Magic Water to finish the pour. Still got the other side of the ICG tracks in the foreground of the photo.

Now, my scenery blitz comes to an end for the day. It's time for some FOOTBALL!!!!!  Mississippi State faces Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl today at 5:40 on ESPN. GO BULLDOGS!!!!!!!

Crawford turn around

 I've done some more work on the Crawford Grain parking area. Here's a pic of what I have so far. Basically, I sanded the turn around area and lightly sanded the rest of the graveled area. Then sprinkled on two different tones of fine turf and a different tone of fine clumps and then glued down all the ground cover. Of course, the area that I had sanded and lightened, darkened back up with the glue.

Here are two pics of the prototype so you can see the area I'm modeling.  The telephone pole in this picture is in the middle of the turn around area.

Adding depth to the backdrop....

When I first started the layout, I decided that the backdrop would simply be a solid sky blue backdrop. I decided this for two reasons. First, I wanted people to focus on the trains and second I had enough work on the rest of the layout that I wanted to avoid having to do much with the backdrop.

I've stuck with that plan until now. I've found some scenes needing some depth to them so I've been looking for ways to add that depth.

While discussing modeling trees, I had a friend email me a photo of some trees that he said would make a great backdrop. So, I printed out the picture to do a test on the layout.

I printed the trees on an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of plain copy paper. The photo was composed well in that the bottom half of the photo was trees and the top, sky. I cut most of the sky portion off. Then, I just scotch taped the paper to my backdrop and feathered my backdrop sky blue paint over the sky in the photo. You can see where I dribbled a little paint on one tree. This is just a test photo to see if the technique would work. I'm happy with it. For this scene, I think I need to scale the trees up a bit so that they are at lease as high as the hole in the wall. I'll try another test like that and see how it looks before proceeding.

Baking dirt.....

As I worked on Crawford Grain, I knew that I was going to have to model the gravel parking lots but I wasn't sure how I was going to do it. I finally figured that the best way to do it would be to use the real thing.

So, I went out along the gravel road that I live on and scooped up some dirt that had washed off the road. I took it home and baked it in the oven for an hour or so to dry it then sifted it. What I ended up with were some very fine particles of crushed gravel about the size of mason sand. It looks perfect.

I then spread a thin layer over the parking lot, wet it and glued it down. When I wet it, it darkened up a bit but I figured it would lighten back up after drying. It didn't. However, it does look EXACTLY like a parking lot with a fresh coat of wet washed gravel that we see in my area. I need to tone it down a bit and make it look like dry, used gravel. I guess that's where weathering comes in!!

I'm now trying to figure out the best technique to tone it down. I'm thinking maybe one or a combination of three ways: 1: Go find some lighter toned dirt, sift it to a power and brush it on,  2: Use some weathering power that's a lighter tone and brush it on, or 3: Some paint either airbrushed on or washed on.

Suggestions?

more scenery base

 While I get my nerve up to pour the water in the swamp scene, I decided to move on around the layout with scenery base. This first shot shows the base of Crawford grain. I used a 1/8" thick sheet of styrene as the base and am painting it a concrete color to represent the concrete slab of the grain elevator. The brown terrain around it is a thinned mixture of Fugate's Ground Goop. I love this stuff. It gives the scenery base a good color and it dries hard as concrete. This is good in my house with young kids.

I also extended my plaster cloth base. Plaster now goes from the box car on the left around to the ICG/Southern crossing on the right side of the photo. Pretty decent evening working on the layout.

Hole in the wall

 I had someone ask about how I was going to hide the hole in the backdrop from the back of my swamp scene below. The answer is, "I don't know and am not sure that I'm going to but I would like to."

This photo is of the scene from a normal operating viewing angle. Since the hole is in the back corner on the lower deck, it's hidden from sight by the upper deck. So, the hole is not an issue in this situation.

However, this second photo shows how the hole looks if you back away from the layout towards the sitting area of the room. From this angle, it's pretty visible. I had planned on it being masked by trees in the swamp area but they trees didn't turn out thick enough.

This third view is of the hole from a stooped viewing angle. This is what my 6 year old sees. Again, I had planned on the trees masking the hole but I don't have enough.

I may add a few more foreground trees to help hide it but in doing so, I will also hide my cypress swamp that is just in front of the hole. So, I might instead should add some more tall cypress trees in the swamp to help hide it.

Any other suggestions?

I also have four other holes to hide. One leads to a hidden staging yard behind the Meridian yard. It will be hidden with an industry building and roll up door. The second leads from West Point through the backdrop to cross the lift bridge. This one will be concealed by trees and an closed industry. The other two will be more difficult to hide. The are on each end of the Artesia yard and both lead to hidden staging tracks behind Artesia. I posted a photo of one in an earlier post here: http://aberdeensub.blogspot.com/2010/03/more-plaster-and-some-rail.html

Not sure how I'll conceal them.

Christmas came a couple days early at my house today. The UPS guy showed up with my package of scenery materials. I tore in and went right to work adding some cypress trees in the distance, some smaller trees, bushes, cat tails, and my first attempt with static grass. I'm going to let the glue dry overnight and plan to pour the water tomorrow.

I sure wish I had a hobby shop close by. Scenery items don't always look the same in person as they did online or in the catalog. I need to make a road trip to a well stocked hobby shop soon!!!!

Track plans

When I first started the blog, I posted my track plans for the layout. Those plans got lost with my blog photos got deleted. I'm posting them  again so that you can see the areas I'm working in. The pics are small on the blog but if you download them you should be able to zoom way in to see the track plan better.


This first one is the lower deck where the two main yards are. It models the ex-GM&O line from West Point to Meridian.

Next is the Port of Greenville which is on the West end of the Columbus and Greenville line. This is a middle deck that is above the stairwell and along the wall to the left of the stairs.

The upper deck models the original IC line that ran from West Point and on through Ackerman then the ex-GM&O line that crossed at Ackerman and ran to Louisville.

Life comes to the Aberdeen Sub

I jumped head first into scenery today and have the first layers applied to my Southern/ICG crossing area. I'm still waiting on some more materials to come in the mail. Hopefully they will make it tomorrow. I really want to add some more trees to the backdrop area but it's very shallow. Where the lead loco is only has about 4" to the backdrop. As you go further to the left, the tracks get closer to the backdrop until they go through. So, not sure how I'm going to add in more trees to form a dense vegetative wall as you see along the rural right-of-ways down South.

Overview of crawford

Here's an overall view of the corner of the layout where Crawford Grain is located. When you step back from it, the complex looks small and compact.