AMR forum closed

The forum started by Paul Templar (Shamus), All Model Railroading, is now closed. It had been dying for a while, but it is sad to see it go. Without all the help and encouragement from a lot of fine modellers there I don't think I would have got to where I am in my own modelling.

A little ditty

This past summer I was in Westport at the Rideau Lakes Museum and I came across this complaint to the B&W from a farmer, J Knowles, unfortunateky undated.

My razorback (pig) strolled down your track
A week ago today.
Your 29 came down the line
And snuffed his life away.
You can't blame me
The hog, you see, slipped
Through your cattle gate.
So, kindly pen a cheque for ten
The debt to liquidate.

The reply was,

Our 29 (train) came down the line
And killed your hog we know.
Bur razorbacks on railroad tracks
Must surely meet with woe.
Therefore, my friend, we cannot send
The cheque for which you pine.
So, plant the dead, place oe'r his head
Here lies a foolish swine.

It's been a while...

It's not much of an update as I have no pic's yet. The hoops. The camera I bought last year quit right as the warranty expired. Bought my daughter a camera for her birthday (she's lost the charger already), her camcorder doesn't talk to the new computer, so I have resurrected the 35mm.  Now, you might think that would solve the problem, yes? Well, it will once I can find a scanner at work.

However, on the railroad work is underway again after taking summer off.. Track is laid to Athens and ballasted, the Delta mill building is built, and Steve and I have reversed direction and have extended the Westport "Y" with the idea of getting operational. I decided that I wasn't happy with the one leg and will be re-laying that soon.

Pic's soon.

Cheers

Bark rocks

I saw on ebay someone selling rocks made from bark, so I found some pieces in the woodshed and made my own.

The two pieces on the left are oak, while the longer piece is maple. I tried ash but found it too flaky. First I brushed the loose dirt off with a toothbrush.

Then I sprayed them with a grey primer.

Next I dry brushed with raw sienna.

Then a dark brown washcoat.

Lastly a black dry brushing.

I had to head down east for a bit, but now we're back and at it. This is the beginning of Forfar with Walthers Merchants Row 1, City Classics section house, IHC Luigi's restaurant, and Model Power Chester Stn.  Behind MR I'm going to put a back alley and the backs of some houses.

I also put fascia around the peninsula and moved the connection for the controller to the end of the peninsula. Now I'll be able to reach everywhere.

I've started a small lake just outside of Westport using polyester resin.

Cheers

The Coal Dock

I've been away for a while, but here's a pic of the coal dock just about finished. There are still some final details to add, loose coal and odd assorted junk.



Round to Delta

Last night Steve and I finished the ballasting and installed all the ground throws for Delta.

Here we have differed from the original plan by shortening the peninsula by a foot to give a little more elbow room and added an additional siding for an engine shed. We also moved the divider over a couple of inches away from the Forfar side.

Some pics of the rock cut and fill

This one is taken on top of the rockfill heading north toward the cut. When you think of the amount of labour that went into here, without the aid of modern machinery, it's quite amazing. All this rock came out of the cut.

This one is as you approach the cut. It's been filling up gradually with falling rocks and trees. It's visible on google maps satellite view.

This is looking at the west side.



This one is the east side.

It's a good walk for the dog. She knows her way around all the little paths up there. In season there's wild blackberries too!



Some more on those coal cars

Here I've been painting the inside of the cars. The sides have been made up on Excel and printed off then glued on.

The trucks have been cemented on and the coal loads added. The coal is from the inside of a breathing mask filter. The downside of this is that while it looks very realistic there is an equal amount of  chalk that needs to be seperated out.

This one is the latest of this series, although there has been a little more work done. The hut is now level and has a pathway leading to the coal dock. We need to finish the scene by adding the retaining wall underneath the platform and scenicking.



 

Some progress

This is a little swamp scene as we leave Westport.

This past weekend we built the peninsula. The benchwork was cobbled together from old modules overlaid by a sheet of 3/8th ply. That was chippy stuff. Half the time I couldn't see my line to cut as it had chipped off.
This was all overlaid with acoustic ceiling tile. The end is an 18"r track and so I cut a 21"r on the ply. This allows 22" on either side between where Athens will be and the tail of the wye at Westport.

The divider is 2" foam board. I also changed the lighting. There is now a 4 bank flourescent above the peninsula.

This is looking down the length at the village of Forfar. So far there is just the one building which will become Forfar Dairies. They make good cheese. Back in the day they were located about a mile and a half north of the village. This building burned down and they rebuilt at the current location in the village.

I have seven building kits to build to get caught up. Model Power Chester Station  and two more of the City Classics section houses, I've ordered the Merchants Row from Walthers and a few others.

Three coal cars

Here's the beginning of a coal car. First I dug out some old truck sets and added a card base.

Then I used coffee stirrers cut to size to plank over and as sides.

Here's the three ready for finishing.

A late update

A lot has happened in Westport lately. It was before Christmas that the module got mounted on the wall and the next piece added on and is now largely scenicked.

Here I'm beginnining the groundwork. This get's built up with old papers and plaster of paris. In the foreground you can see I've been using industrial paper towel soaked in dilute wood glue. I will admit that it isn't quite as blinding as POP until I can get ground cover down, but to place trees it needs a little more strength.

To the right is a farmhouse that is a City Classics section house kit. As it is going to be in the foreground I am going to give it a full interior. Once all the manhandling is done then I will add the steps.

As you can see I like the brown paper method. Here it is on the wye.

Now I'm starting on the ground cover around the wye

This will be a coaling station.

That's all the pics for now.