The Token Three Railer

June Token Build : Stand Up

2010-07-25T23:42:00.003-05:00

Continuing our theme of community based builds, the month of June brought a new opportunity for those participating to hone their skills constructing a stand of their choosing. As with all of our Token Builds, a wide variety of interpretations were displayed yet all within the theme that was agreed upon. I'm sure you will agree that they all did a fantastic job with each one 'stand' - ing on its own.

The first step of all our builds involved creating the skeleton of the structure. Walls, floor, and roofs are often constructed as separate pieces coming together to form the basis for the rest of the build. The stage of the build is probably the most important of all and provides the framework from which the rest of the project takes shape.

The separate sections are then put together to form one piece. What the projects previously had in common now takes shape as unique representations of the builder's personal choice of stand.

Paint, stains, and weathering are added to give the stands some character along with unique details and features.

At last, the final stage: the finished product. With some hard work and imagination, these projects stand tall as their own pieces of Token Art.

As with all of the token builds, many thanks to those brave souls who not only participated but took the time to share the steps in their building process. It continues to be a pleasure to see individual progress and the novel interpretations on our theme. For those who participated, I hope to see you back for another adventure. To those who have considered joining, please stay tuned for our next build in August to see if its something you can stand.

A Roadside Produce Stand by mwb

2010-07-24T16:53:00.000-05:00

Continuing on with my hiatus from scratch building large structure projects due to both the investment in time and space combined with limited space on my layout, I was looking for a small project that I could take on that would satisfy my interest in board by board construction.

A picture of a kit for a road side refreshment stand caught my eye, but since my layout is of a very rural farming setting, I decided to transform that picture into a road side produce stand building project.

The plan & design for this structure was have a small building with a false front leaving the interior framing exposed. Two side windows and 1 large front window that will be hinged to open upwards were part of the design for both displaying and selling produce which would require some shelving to be installed flush in the window areas. The exterior will be done up with board & batten siding.

The construction starts with the platform for the stand (Pictures 1 & 1a, Figure 1). This was envisioned to be basically open wooden joists setting on the ground with floor boards holding it all together. I started out with a 10’ x 22’ section of scribed siding (1/8” x 1/32”) with some HO 4” x 22” joist cut to 9’ 10” set at ~ 2’ intervals. The end was then capped with 3 HO 4” x 22” joists cut to 22’ long. The exposed surface that this created was used to anchor a 5’ x 22’ section of scribed siding (1/8” x 1/32”) oriented at right angles to the other flooring. Two more 22’ joists under this section finished off the platform. The two lines in Picture 1 define where the produce stand superstructure was planned to be installed.

Construction of the stand itself began with the 2 side walls since these were planned to be mirror images (Picture 2, Figure 2). I build it on a section of ¼” plate glass which insures that I have a flat surface and even if I glue the framing to the glass, I can slip a single blade razor or scalpel blade under it to free my work without any damage.

The construction of all of the walls begins with 2” x 4” and 4” x 4” stock and is completely board by board building up the walls pretty closely to how one might do this in reality. The studs are doubled about the window and door opening and since I planned on leaving the framing completely exposed on the interior I really wanted to get all of in place cleanly. I used a Chopper III from NWSL to make consistently long studs and I also use a scalpel for the rest of my carpentry. The 4” x 4” angled support for the outer roof rafter was mortised into place as well to insure a good tight and strong joint. All of the joints that involve end grain were made with Goo while the rest of the assembly was done with ACC.

The back and front walls were similarly constructed (Picture 3, Figure 2). Along the interior flush with the top of the bottom of the window openings I added a 4” x 4” to support a “to be added” shelf. The ones on the side walls were relieved so as to allow these to match up when the walls were assembled. A similar section of 4” x 4” was also added across the back wall. The inside of the door framing also received some door stop trim (2” x 2”) so that the door would have something to close against.

Now, after the framed walls were flipped over to take advantage of building on glass, the exteriors were sheathed with HO 2” x 20” with O scale 1” x 3” for the battens. The window openings were trimmed out while the siding above the angled 4” x 4” on the side walls was left long to accommodate a 4” x 22” rafter cut to match that slope. The sheathing from the backs of the side walls was also left long to overlap with the back wall framing when the walls were assembled (Pictures 4 & 5). This also necessitated mortising the 2 outside rafters and thus all of the rest of the rafters as well.

With the 4 walls basically completed, it was time to assemble them into the structure. The back framing of the side walls with the extended sheathing provided a pocket for the corner 4” x 4” ends of the back wall to fit into, also insuring a measure of “square” to the corner. These joints were secured with Goo. The front edges of the side walls were also then secured flush to the back of the 2 main support beams of the false front with Goo. After the walls were set, I planted the entire unit onto the platform centered between those two lines with the back wall flush with the back of the platform (Picture 6). On to the roof!

Ok, this is really a 3 step process.

Step 1 -- MinWax - good old fashioned nasty smelling paint thinner variety - in this particular case - Pecan. why? Because I like the color for interiors and I just slop it on the whole structure inside & out.

Step 2 -- couple of days later (could be sooner actually) a thick coat of one of the Floquil GL (gloss!!!) colors. In this case I used something new - CSX Grey GL. Again, pretty much slop it on wherever the crackled paint affect is desired. sheltered areas of a building don't get any....or not much

Step 3 -- before that paint is 100% dry (I was actually working around a few puddles of the grey this time...), a coat of Polly Scale Aged White...working pretty carefully but quickly....

Now, here's the disclaimer:

I don't know how this works with other Polly Scale colors other than a few when in combination with CSX Grey GL. I tested a handful that I liked for the exterior and the white came up best. What Polly Scale works best with which Floquil GL color over which MinWax is a never ending experiment. I know a few combinations that work very well, and some that don't.

Some barely work at all............

Lastly, it works a lot better if you put down thh MinWax 1st; I think that seals the wood surface and really forces the mixed paint interaction between the solvent based Floquil and the water/alcohol based Polly Scale as opposed to letting the Floquil solvent soak into the wood which also slows down the drying rate.

And, I think there is something to the actual colors as well - 2 that I tested and I tested 7 at the same time on 1 piece of clapboard, completely failed to crackle at all.

I've tested 3 of the Gloss Floquils now each with 7-9 Polly Scale colors - some work great at crackling, some work so-so, some don't work at all.

Lawn Chairs

2010-07-23T11:14:00.002-05:00

Folding lawn chairs are and have been a fixture in American life. Making an O-Scale lawn chair is a pretty straight forward project that only takes a 2 to 3 hours to make. You don’t need to be exact, and are only trying to capture the visual appearance of a folding lawn chair. To start this project, I would recommend either looking at a lawn chair you already own, or do a quick search on the internet to find a view that shows a lawn chair from the side. This will help you better visualize the angles of the back and the legs.

The basic frame for the lawn chair is galvanized steel wire that can be found at any home improvement store like Lowes or Home Depot. The steel wire is used for picture frame hanging, and can be found typically in the hardware section. For this project, I used 20 gauge or 22 gauge steel wire. Using your lawn chair or a photo as a guide, take a pair of needle nose pliers and bend up the frame that will make the seat and back portion of the chair. As you bend the wire into basically a rectangle that is bent in the middle, the wire will automatically take on proper looking curved bends at the corners due to the rounded tip of the pliers. This framework should be about 3/8” wide, with the lower seat section about 11/32” long, and the upper back section 17/32” long. These dimensions were just eyeballed by using a seated Arttista figure as a guide, and by looking pictures of a typical lawn chair. Keep in mind that these dimensions are not super critical. You will want to go with what looks right to you. The important thing is to make sure that the rectangle has close to 90-degree bends at the corners so that the rectangular frame is parallel across its width, and from lower front to upper back. Also, pay attention to the fact that the upper back on a lawn chair is not perpendicular to the lower seat. The back generally will tilt back about 15 to 20 degrees. To complete this frame, cut a straight piece of wire that is as long as your frame is wide, and use CA glue to attach it to the top of the frame at the bend between the lower and upper section. Without this wire, the webbing will not be able to bend around and go from the seat to the back, just like a real lawn chair.

Since it is practically impossible to replicate all of the folding tubes that make up the legs and arm rests, you only need to visually capture the look of this portion of the frame. Again., using the same steel wire and needle nose pliers, you will need to bend up this section to look similar to the photo below.

Because you will not have a square cut on the ends of the wire, make sure that the break in each bent frame is in an area that will be hidden. For the chair seat / back, put the break near the middle of the lower front wire, as this will be hidden under the webbing. For the legs / arm rests, put the break on one of the top portions that will be hidden under an arm rest.

The webbing for the lawn chair will be made from just ordinary colored copier paper. I went to Office Depot and bought two sheets [1 white and 1 green] for $.04. You’ll want to pick a sheet that is fairly lightweight. Cut the paper into strips just a fuzz under 1/16" wide. The important thing is to cut the strips quite a bit longer than you need to cover the seat and back, because it helps a lot with trying to manipulate them in place. I would recommend making the strips 2” to 2-1/4” long.

To start attaching the webbing, you’ll want to start with all of the strips that run in the vertical direction of the chair [lower front edge to upper back edge]. Starting at the lower seat, curl the strip around the wire, and glue it back onto itself on the underneath side. This will go easier and faster if you use a fast drying white glue like the Scotch Tacky Glue. This glue will dry in under 30 seconds when bonding paper. You will continue attaching all of the webbing strips across the lower width of the chair. When done, you will then need to snake the strips under the wire at the seat bend, and back over the front of the upper back. Next, curl the strips over the upper back wire, and then trim them to the final length that will allow you overlap each strip over itself on the backside by about 1/8”. Glue each strip back to itself on the back side.

With the vertical strips in place, you will now need to weave the horizontal strips cut from a contrasting color through the vertical webbing. Again, make the strip lengths about an inch or so longer than you need. I found it was easier to weave through all of the strips in a section that overlap the same way... over the outside wire and under the first white strip... at the same time. Then use a dental pick to spread these apart once woven through. Going this route makes the alternate weave strips easier because you have only two strips to weave under instead of three. To weave the alternate strips, curl the strip and poked it through straight down at 90 degrees between the vertical strips, and then curl back the other way to come back from the backside. Don't worry about mangling this end of the strip to get it through. Because you made these strips longer, you just take tweezers and pull the strip out until the mangled end is beyond the end of the wire. To attach the horizontal webbing to the frame, you will use the same technique as the vertical webbing and glue the strip back onto itself on the backside. Start with the lower seat first, and then do the upper back portion. It will be easier if you glue all of the strip ends on one side, and then glue all of the strip ends on the opposite side after you have trimmed them to their final length.

Now we are ready to assemble the chair portion to the legs portion. To get the chair level to the bottom of the legs, take a piece of 5/16" square tubing and set it over the lower leg runs. Next, place the chair portion on top of the tubing, and align it so that the straight wire at the bend from chair seat to chair back is just inside the back legs. Use some CA glue to glue the points where the chair portion comes on contact with the leg section. When the glue is dry, slide out the square tubing.

To make the arm rests, use 1/32" thick basswood and cut a strip 1/16" wide by at least ½” long. You will want to have a good contact surface for the arm rests to attach to the wire. Use a dental pick to form a groove or notch running down the length and on the backside of the strip that will be set over the wire. Cut the basswood into two 1/4" long pieces, and then CA glue them onto the wire. When dry, you will need to apply a stain to color the arm rests whatever color you would prefer. On the chair I made, I used a natural redwood stain from a sample pack I got at Lowes to stain the basswood.

It took me about an hour to bend up the wire, about 1-1/2 hours to weave the strips, and 15 minutes to make the arm rests. If you do this as a production run and make several chairs at one time, It will go a lot quicker. It takes a little bit of time to initially size your bent wire frame and to learn the best way to weave the strips.

This project may “appear” to be challenging, but it really is pretty easy once you started bending the wire and weaving the webbing strips. Don’t be intimidated…. Just jump in and you’ll have fun making a sliver of Americana that is seldom seen on layouts. You CAN do it!

Shipping Cases

2010-07-22T15:14:00.012-05:00

Creating realistic shipping cases is an easy one-day scenery project that can be done by any modeler, regardless of their skill. These shipping cases can be used just about anywhere on a layout from inside a box car, on a freight platform, to interior detail for any storefront or industrial warehouse. To create a shipping case, you will need to make an outer “skin” [or use the linked template below], and wrap and glue this to a rigid block to form the case. The only time consuming aspect of this project is creating the case skin. If you are used to working with your graphics software program, or if you want to create a different sized case, the instructions to create a skin are below. Or you can choose to use the skin template I’ve created, and skip down to making the case.

On the box size, I went with a scale 18” x 18” x 24” long case. I chose this size because it is a fairly standard size, and by having the width and height the same dimension it will make it easier to make the block that you’ll be wrapping the skin around. You can go with different dimensions… it will just create a little extra work. An 18” x 18” x 24” long case scales out to 3/8” x 3/8” x ½” at 1:48 scale.

Getting the color right to mimic the color of corrugated cardboard can be tough by using just colored paper or selecting a color from the available palette in a graphics software package. Corrugated cardboard has a lot of subtle hues, and shipping cases are rarely ever pristine without any sealing tape or shipping rubs and damage. For this project, I wanted the cases to look as realistic as possible, so I took digital photographs of a couple of cases I had that had been previously shipped. I picked a case that was fairly clean, and one that had some shipping damage. This will give you some variation in your case skins. Make sure that when you take your digital images that you have plenty of lighting, or your images will be too dark when they get scaled down. Take pictures of both the end and side of your case(s). This will ensure that you get the proper views so that the shipping tape will look correct. Make sure when taking the pictures that you hold your camera straight on and parallel to the case, and back about 36”to 48”. This will help eliminate any foreshortening of the case height / width / length, and will make it easier when cropping your images.

Using a graphics software program, crop your digital images for both the end and side view. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure that your cropping selection is just inside the outer case edges so that you don’t pick up any pixels that feather the case edge with the photo background. Next you will need to create a new graphics file, and size it to about 8” x 10”, so that it will completely print on a single sheet of paper. If your software allows you to set your image resolution, pick a resolution that will allow for easier math. In my case, I went with 150 pixels to the inch, but should have went with 160 pixels to the inch to make these easier. I chose this resolution because 3/8” equals to 56 pixels, and ½” equals 76 pixels; or 60 pixels and 80 pixels at 160 pixels/inch. Do a copy and paste of your two cropped case views into your master graphics file. Next, you will want to resize the cropped image of your case end to match your desired scale size, which in my case was 56 pixels x 56 pixels. Do the same thing for the side view. Again, for the size and resolution I picked, it was 56 pixels tall x 76 pixels long. At 160 pixels per inch, it would be 60 x 60 pixels and 60 x 80 pixels.

Next, you will need to create your flat pattern for your case. Copy as necessary the images, and place them with an end view on each side of the side view. Copy the side view and place it against one of the ends so that you end up with a back side, end, front side, and then end. You will need to make some flaps to wrap around the bottom of your forming block, so take your end and side images, copy them, and crop them down to a narrower height. 20 pixels works well for these bottom flaps. You don’t want the bottom of the case to be fully wrapped with your skin so that you will have a good surface to glue your case to whatever surface you’ll be placing it on. When cropping for the bottom flaps, remove the upper portion of the image because the colors of the cardboard will only match on the common side. Next, you will need to flip or mirror your flap pieces before placing against the bottom of the ends and sides. Again, this is needed to make sure that you are creating a mirrored flap for each end and side so that the colors match perfectly. For the top flaps, you will need to once again copy your end and sides, and then flip or mirror them around. On the top flaps, use the full height of your end and side images. This will allow you to have proper flap widths if the case is to be made with the flaps open, or will give you full top coverage if you make the case with the flaps closed. Place these images up against the corresponding ends and sides. Lastly, you will need to make one more narrow flap that will be placed against the outer end side, by using the same techniques described above. This flap will be your initial flap that you will glue to your forming block when wrapping and gluing the sides and ends around your block. If you don’t have this flap, you will end up with one side/end corner that your paper edges may or may not line up perfectly. By having this flap, and wrapping the back side of the case over it when gluing, you won’t have to deal with not having enough “skin” to hide any mismatches.

For the next step, you will need to create some folding and cut lines for your skin pattern. Draw either lines or rectangles that match up with the sizes of your ends/sides/flaps. Your lines and rectangles need to be 1 pixel thick. Choose a light to medium brown for the line and rectangle color. You want a brown that is just dark enough to see when printed out. Look at the image below to get an idea of what you are trying to achieve with these lines. On cases where you decide to go with a closed look, the brown line in the middle of the top flap attached to a side will end up looking like a closed flap seam.

At this point, you will have your base skin template done. If your graphics program supports grouping objects, select all of your images, lines, and rectangles; and then group them into one block. Do a copy, and then paste the single case template multiple times on page. If you paste your copied block directly over the original image, and then use your arrow key to move the block either up or down, you will keep the blocks inline in both columns and rows. This will make cutting them out easier, as you will be able to trim across multiple blocks at one time. For my use, I copied the blocks to give me sixteen (16) skin templates per sheet. If you are creating two different looking shipping cases… clean and with shipping damage like I did… you would create the second skin template exactly like the first one.

Now you are ready to add any custom features to your skin templates. For my use, I added the text “FIREWORKS” to various box sides in both different locations and in two different colors. I also added a small rectangle to look like a shipping label on some of the case skins. Go with a light grey color for your rectangle fill. Pure white would look too contrasting and would stand out too much on your final product. Make sure that you place these shipping labels in random locations, and rotate them differently to give some randomness to your finished cases.

With your page of case skins done, print it out. I used regular copier paper and an ink jet printer. Next, spray your printed sheet with a flat finish like Krylon Matte Finish to seal the paper.

Below is a link to a skin template that you can use. The cases are generic, and you can add whatever text or graphics to the individual cases to meet your needs prior to printing. This file is a vector based .PNG. If you are using a graphics program like Fireworks from Macromedia, this template will be fully editable. For other programs, you should still be able to edit the file images, at least be able to add your own text or graphics. On this template, you will see that some of the skins are set up for just three box sides. When I created this template, I knew I had some cases that I wouldn’t have an end that showed, so I didn’t add this end on. In hindsight, I didn’t need to do this because you can, and will, cut out the portions of the skin that you don’t need.

Link to Case Template File

Now we are ready to make some shipping cases!

Because of the case size I picked, I took some 3/8” square dowel, and cut it into 1/2" long pieces. This will make the block that you will wrap the skin around. Take care when cutting your dowel to make sure the cut ends are square. Otherwise, this will cause the skin to not wrap properly around the block. Next, use an X-Acto knife and carefully cut out one of your case skins. Keep in mind that the template has everything needed to make either a full four-sided case with open top flaps, a full case with interlocked top flaps, or a sealed top case. If you are putting together a sealed case, you don’t need all of the flaps… but, make sure that you keep enough of the unused flaps to have a surface that you can glue the case top over to prevent your wood block underneath from showing. When cutting the skin out, don’t forget to also make the cuts at the edges of the flaps, just don’t cut where you will be folding the paper. I found that it was easier and faster to cut the skin out by making all of the vertical or horizontal cuts at one time, and then going back and making the opposite direction cuts at one time.

If you are making an open top flap case, and you are not going to glue a product image on top of the case that will be showing, you should now paint the top of the wood dowel either a flat back or flat dark grey, and let it dry. Otherwise, you will see the raw wood dowel behind your open flaps when finished.

With the skin cut out, you will then need to pre-fold your skin using the 1-pixel brown lines as your folding guides. If you are making a case with open or interlocked top flaps, you will now need to glue the folded over paper for each top flap. I used a fast drying craft glue by Scotch called “Tacky Glue”. This glue is like a white glue, excepts it dries in about 30 seconds when working with paper. It does dry clear, like a white glue.

At this point, you should take a brown pigment ink pen and color over all of the exposed paper edges. A magic marker will work, but if it is water based, the ink will run and bleed. Using a pigment ink pen will reduce the bleeding quite a bit. You need to do this step because the white raw edges of the paper will stand out like a sore thumb, and give away that this is just folded paper. Also, if you don’t do this step now, it will be much harder to control the edge bleeding after the skin has been wrapped and glued onto the wood dowel.

Now you are ready to begin gluing the skin onto your cut wood dowel. Start with the narrow side flap off your end or side panel. Apply a thin layer of glue and glue / wrap your skin around the outside of your dowel, working one side at a time. With the sides completed, you should now glue down all of the narrow bottom flaps to the underside of the wood dowel. If you are making a sealed top case, glue over the narrow top flaps and then your full top flap over those, and you are done. If you are making an interlocked top case, fold your flaps over and interlock as you would a real 1:1 shipping case. If you are making an open top flap case and will be showing some case contents, you will cut and glue this image on top of your wood dowel. On the cases I made, I wanted the open cases to appear like they were full of fireworks, so a glued a 3/8” x 1/2” image of fireworks on top of the dowel. The end result looks pretty realistic.

Once you start putting the shipping cases together, you will find that it goes pretty quickly, especially if you use a quick drying white glue. The first case may take up to 10 minutes to put together, but multiples can easily be done at a rate of one every five minutes.

March 2010 Token Build : Corn Crib

2010-04-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

One of our most unusual builds since the Token Series began a few years ago has been the Corn Crib. I must admit, I didnt have a clue what one was until it won the vote. Mwb, vulcan, bmac, and bfishma were four of the twenty-five voters who committed to the month long build and went to surf through the internet for prototype pictures from which to model. As with all of the builds, each participant chose a different style of crib and this diversity combined with their unique building strategies resulted in another spectacular display of ingenuity and talent.

With the choices made, the modelers set to work transforming their ideas into scratchbuilt reality. The first step was to create the 'superstructure' of the model. As you can see, this depended on the style of crib chosen to model.

The next stage involved filling out the frame. The purpose of these cribs was not only to serve as storage but also provided an opportunity to dry the corn. In order to accomplish this, air had to flow through the structure. As a result, many of the walls required slats between each board to allow drying to occur. You can see this detail in some of the builds.

Once everything was squared and finally glued into place, the last stages could be finished. The addition of a roof, painting, weathering, and details rounded this project out. As you can once again easily see, each builder brought their own unique styling to bear on their individual builds.

Again, the Token Community extends the greatest of thanks to those who participated in this build. So many times we have legitimate excuses for not taking part: too busy, too expensive, not a build I need, not my skill level. Not every modeler needs the structure voted into play, nor does every participant have the same skill level. What they do have in common is a willingness to learn from others and from the experience itself. These Token Builds ask for nothing more. Vote, participate, and learn: join the next build and experience it!

September 2009 Build : Windmill

2010-04-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

When the votes were finally tallied in August, the windmill won the honor of being the September Token Build. While many voted, three brave builders decided to tackle the challenge. David Baran, Jim M, and Vulcan all completed their builds and have agreed to share pictures of their progress here on the blog. While admiring their unique choices, and building expertise, its our hope as Token Builders that you can take some ideas and techniques home with you and use them on your own build.

As with most scratch-builds, the modelers first had to choose a prototype to model. Here in southern Texas, windmills are everywhere. Many are smaller than I had imagined they would be and served to bring water up from wells to troughs for livestock. I had always thought their was one standard windmill, but a quick image search on the internet came up with many different styles of windmills located throughout the country. Each participant chose one that best suited the style they were looking for and began their builds.

First, the modelers had to build the support structure for the windmills. All the different builds had this part in common as there didnt seem to be many styles that diveated from the norm. In most cases, a template was used to help keep things centered and squared.

Next came the most recognizable feature of all windmills: the blades. This would also be the most difficult and time consuming part of the build. Not only did the blades have to be cut out individually, but they also had to be arranged in a symmetrical pattern, evenly spaced, and at a slight angle in order to spin in the wind. Once again, each modeler chose their own technique to manufacture this part of the build. As you can see, their patience and skill paid off.

With the appropriate weathering and paint applied, the builds were ready to be photographed for their debuts on the OGRR forum's Scenery Section. Soon they found places on their owner's layouts and will forever be posted here for others to admire and learn from. As with every post here on the Token Three Railer, we thank the modelers who participated and hope to see more from them on future builds. And if you are up for a healthy dose of scratch-building fun, check out the latest Token Poll and see if one of the choices might be of interest to you. The community of modelers associated with this blog are anxious to see your work!

Bottle Making with Vulcan

2010-03-29T13:38:00.000-05:00

I had been working on a bar interior and of course it wouldn't be a bar without liquor bottles, so...... Here's how I am making the liquor bottles. Starting with these small glass beads, they can be found at any craft store.

I first pick out appropriate colors, clear for Vodka and Gin. I like the orange-ish looking ones for Bourbon, whiskey, etc. I then insert a piece of 30 mil fiber optic cable. The ID of the beads is almost a perfect match to the OD of the cable, on most it's a very tight fit, so I need to use no glue.

I then cut the cable so that the overall height of the bottle is 1/4" (a scale 12", using a wine bottle for this reference). Then insert a round toothpick into the other end, as a holder. I spread a bead of Testors Clear parts cement around the base of the neck to form a shoulder.

When that has set up, if no other painting is needed (I painted a couple of the bottles Jade Green for wine bottles) I paint the tip of the Fiber optic to represent a cap. Black, brown, maroon, gold, etc. Then apply the labels. The labels are printed on label stock, this eases the attachment greatly.

Modeling the 7-11 : JohnBoy

2009-10-25T16:28:00.000-05:00

After completing my first two downtown buildings, I decided to give a hand at trying to make a model 7-Eleven. At first I thought that the only really challenging part would be the roof, which as you can see is a standard annodized aluminum siding with the classic raised runes running vertically down each side. But I had already made three similar pented-style roofs for my second office building, so I figured this would be very similar, except that the sides are less slanted (more vertical).

I actually only got motivated to build this thing when I noticed a spray can of "annodized bronze" at Home Depot. When I looked carefully at the color, it was a kind of very dark brown - black, really, with a hint of brown in it. This is the actual color of annodized aluminum - the stuff used for the window trim around modern commercial buildings such as the one modeled here. It's also the color of the roof sides

I was mostly right: this thing went pretty fast at the beginning. I used cold-press illustration board ("matteboard") for almost the entire exterior, including the walls, roof sides, and roof top. One extra detail I added is I used an X-Acto blade to etch brick detailing into the exterior walls. This really took a lot of time, though, and if I ever make something like this again I will either use cast pieces with the brick pattern already etched in, or I will simply cut horizontal etches to simulate siding.

What I realized half-way through it, however, is that in order to look like a real 7-Eleven, I would need to use clear plexiglas for the front store window. What I have always done for my other layout models is use a foggy Mylar material for the windows, which allows the interior light to illuminate the window, but does not allow you to look in and see any interior details (or lack thereof). To do this to the 7-Eleven would render it entirely unconvincing, no matter how I tried to rationalize it.

So once I realized that I needed a clear glass for the front store window, I then realized in horror that I would have to at least partially finish the interior. What followed was some rather comical visits to the local 7-Eleven stores with my digital camera. Taking pictures of the insides of a 7-Eleven is odd enough without having to make special spacial adjustments to compensate for the camera's lack of a wide-angle lens. I needed at least a few shots of glass refrigerator doors, at least a couple shots of the racks of snacks, and of course the quintessential Slurpee and Big Gulp fountain soda dispensers.

Once I gathered these, as well as a picture of the exterior sign, I cleaned them up in Photoshop, and scaled them down to the proper dimensions. Then I printed the images out onto white self-adhesive label medium, and trimmed the stickers down to size, and mounted them directly onto the interior walls. The entire perimeter of the store is just flat imagery done in this manner. You can see this plainly when looking into the store from the top with the roof removed. But with the roof on, and looking into the front window, the effect is much more realistic, and satisfied me.

What helps is the counter, and the four "snack racks" mounted in the floor. These are just rectangular cubes of wood painted black with more photo-stickers of snacks mounted on them. These elements add depth to the scene when looking straight into the front window, and this helps lend credibility to the "flatness" of the wall images.

Another thing that helps is the transparent stickers that were mounted on the front store window. These advertisements also obscure a little of the interior detailing, making it just a little more difficult for your eyes to discern the truth about the details inside.

Late in creating this model, I started flirting with the idea of making the exterior sign actually illuminate like the real thing. The bright, familiar 7-Eleven sign over the top of the front really characterizes the store, and would make for especially appealing night-time scenes.

But creating this kind of sign is one of the hardest things to accomplish in scale modeling. The real thing lights up like a big, flat, white light panel, with the image of the sign on the surface nicely illuminated evenly throughout the whole area of the sign. To accomplish this, I knew I needed to find an ideal plastic jewel case that would allow me to open and close it in the future to replace light bulbs. This case could then be painted black except for the front panel, and then I could insert little lights into the bottom. Then, I just had to print a 7-Eleven sign on transparency film, and mount it on the front and I'd have the beginnings of something workable.

What you see in these pictures is what resulted. The jewel case came from a kind of dental floss available at most grocery stores. Using this hinged plastic case allows me to replace expired light bulbs without having to do major surgery to the model. To get the best "glow" from the sign, I ended up having to install seven micro lights (from Miniatronics) evenly spaced apart to give the sign its "illuminated light panel" effect. It came out better than I expected. Finding the right light bulbs for this proved to be the hardest part, since they had to be bright, very small to fit into the slim profile of the sign, and they also had to burn cool enough to not cause heat problems in the plastic case (i.e. melting).

The next challenge came when trying to light up the interior. My first attempt involved mounting four standard mini incandescent bulbs into the ceiling. This was far too dim. Real convenience stores like this have very bright, flourescent lights which illuminate the store to almost direct-sunlight levels. I experimented with more light bulbs of the same kind, but this still did not achieve what I was looking for.

Enter Miller Engineering. These guys make the perfect solution to this problem - a miniature flourescent light fixture, which exhibits very much the same light casting ability as real flourescents. Although pricey (a set of 2, eight-inch tubes costs $25, which does not include the necessary power adapter), the lighting ability of these things may be worth it.

The end result is, like all my buildings, highly stylized. Taking a close look at the details will immediately let you know that it is a model. But standing back a few feet and looking at it in place on a layout with other similarly-styled model buildings yields a fairly realistic impression.

Weathering Track

2008-12-09T14:08:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to the long asked question as to how I weather my track.

I weather my track with Poly Scale paint and it is in their Military color line. It only comes in the 1/2oz. bottles and is called Imperial Japanese Army
Brown (FS 30108)505276)

I airbrush the rails sides with it and then wipe the rail head before the paint dries. I use a piece of cardboard behind each rail as I am spraying the rails sides. I also airbrush the ties with RR tie brown also made by Poly Scale. Once the paint has dried. I go back and give a wash with watered down grimy black here & there to vary the color a bit. I also use Bragdon's weathering powders and use a dark gray or black and dust the ties in the center between the rails to give a grungy/ dirty look to some areas. Here is the finished look. Thanks for looking!

Stone Flower Bed How-To .... A Build by: Catch-22

2008-09-12T16:45:00.000-05:00

Here is how I made the stone flower beds ... First, the supplies I used:

From left to right - Short Prairie Tufts - Late Summer - Made by Miniatur, Woodland Scenics Bushes Clump Foliage, Rust-Oleum Light Gray Auto Primer, Spray "Glue For Glitter", White Glue, White Apple Barrel acrylic paint, burnt umber, black and raw umber acrylic paints from Woodland Scenics, a #1 round paint brush, a #6 shader brush, and two containers of washable paints I borrowed from my kids.

Not shown is the remnant of linoleum, container of dried coffee grounds or the container of Scenic Express fine grass foam.

Getting Started:

Decide how big you want your flower garden to be, and create a pattern out of paper. Then, cut out the number of squares/rectangles you desire, depending on how high you want your flower bed to be. I used a total of 5 (counting the top) which made the scale height 2'.

Once you cut out your squares/rectangles, notch out the sides simply using the point of a scissors and make tiny triangles:

When you make your notches, try and make them in different spots on each "tile", that way they don't line up when you stack them:

For the top piece, cut out a square/rectangle that is slightly larger than the others you cut out, and depending how wide a top you want, cut out the center:

I scored the top of the flower bed to make it look like larger stones were used. You can make them as large or small as you like. Then, apply white glue and line them up. Be sure that the "overhang" of the top piece is equal the whole way around. Also, it's best when stacking to put the textured side up.

Once that's dry, use the light gray primer and give each side and the top a quick spray. Stay far enough away that the primer just barely hits it. The idea is to not get it that heavy that you lose the natural porous look that the linoleum gives you.

The primer dries very quickly, so within 20 minutes I was ready for the first of 3 black washes that I applied. I used the black acrylic paint and made a wash that was equal parts water to paint. Using the #6 shader brush, I coated the entire piece with the black wash. I dabbed the top and sides each time with a paper towel, just to remove excess.

After the third black wash was dried, I used washes of the same concentration of the burnt umber and raw umber. However, for this application I used the #1 round brush. It has a fine tip, and I randomly selected the sides of different "stones" to touch with the tip of the brush. I also dabbed a little here and there on the top stone too:

Once those washes dry, it was time to dry brush some white at various spots. Simply do what looks best to you. Then, I was ready to add some Scenic Express grass to the sides to simulate moss growing up the sides. I used a spare piece of white foam core as my pallet, and I diluted about 3-4 drops of white glue with some water with my #1 round brush. I used the tip of the brush to push the watered down glue into the cracks where I wanted the mold to be. I then used my fingers to press the grass turf into the rocks. This is a nice way to cover up any areas also where the black wash turned out to be too dark.

Next it was time for the mulch in the center. I coated the inside with white glue, using my #1 round brush to be sure to get in all the corners. I sprinkled dried out coffee grounds (baked them in the oven to be sure they were dried). After that was dry, I shook off the excess. You can leave it alone at this point, but I sprinkled some more coffee on for more depth, and then I gave it a few quick shots of the "Glue for Glitter" spray to set it. It dries within minutes.

The last thing is the bushes. You can use whatever you want for this, but for the 2nd one I made here, I only used small pieces of Woodland Scenics Bushes Clump Foliage. I sifted through the pieces and found some that were close in size, and I put a drop of full strength white glue on top of the mulch where I wanted them. When they were dried, I used my #1 round brush again, and I watered down, on my pallet, the colors that I wanted to make my flower blooms. In this case, white, pink and purple. I put a few drops of water on my pallet, dipped the brush into the paint, and then mixed it with the water on the pallet. Once the brush was loaded up, I lightly grazed the bushes with the tip of the brush, and you have flowers!

This is very easy to do and the possibilities for using the method to make walls, etc. using the tiles are endless.

A Simple Mikado Jr. Makeover . . . by 49Lionel

2008-08-17T17:38:00.001-05:00

Like many three-railers, I work within a limited space and budget, so when Lionel came out with its Mikado Jr., I was immediately interested. Visually, it is clearly based on a USRA light Mikado:

The Lionel designers did a great job shrinking it down to operate on O-27 curves, keeping it well-detailed but also durable and easy to handle, much like the best locomotives from the postwar era. A few things about its appearance did bother me, in particular the front end looked a little plain. Most railroads that used the USRA light Mikes either put the headlight at the top of the smokebox and the bell farther back on the boiler (as did the PRR), or centered the headlight with the bell at the top, but here the centered headlight and boiler-mounted bell didn’t look right. Also, the pilot deck is a little spartan, and the coupler… well, it is not the most inspired part of the model. I decided that I could cheaply and easily made a few additions that would greatly enhance the model’s look.

First was the issue of the bell. Since I could clearly not relocate the headlight, I decided to go for a front-mounted bell arrangement. Lionel used a smokebox-mounted bell on the Union Pacific version from the initial release year, but all current versions use a boiler-mounted bell, so I purchased the UP boiler front. The downside to this approach is the wrong numbers are now on the engine’s front. Perhaps a better solution would be to use a bell from a detail parts source, and mount it by drilling a hole in the original smokebox front, but of course that would be a non-reversible alteration.

Once I got the new boiler front, I realized that a few more things about it could be improved: first, I painted the sides of the marker lights, the headlight, and the cast-in grab rail black. Clearly, the whole part was painted in graphite for economy, and the small amount of detail-painting really helped the appearance. Second, I figured that the headlight would look much nicer with a visor. The metal from a soup can would work perfectly for this purpose: it’s durable, the right thickness, and can easily be cut with a pair of shears. After making a trial visor out of thin cardboard, I traced its outline on the metal and trimmed. I found a screwdriver whose shaft was the same diameter as the headlight: it would serve perfectly as a mandrel. After I had the part trimmed and shaped to my satisfaction, I affixed it to the headlight housing (with lens temporarily removed) with Crazy Glue. After touching up the top with black paint, the part was ready to me mounted.

With the bell now up front, I had to remove the bell from the boiler top. Getting it out was the easy part: just a tap from below and it popped right out. Now, there was a hole left in the boiler top that would need to be filled it and painted. It was easy to fill it in with JB-Weld, but touching up the paint would be trickier. This model is painted in Brunswick green, so I would have to replicate that color. I mixed a very small amount of Testor’s green into black until I found the right hue, and applied the paint, but there was no way I could make it look even with the factory-applied paint. I found that if I waited until the paint was nearly dry, covered it with wax paper and then ran my fingernail over it, I could smooth it out to look halfway decent. In most lighting conditions it’s not even apparent:

Next, I wanted to add coupler lift-bar and grab iron detail that was missing from the pilot deck. For the coupler lift bar I ordered a part from Lionel’s Docksider, and for the grab iron I ordered stanchions from the Atlas 0-6-0 and connected them with a straightened paper clip! I took great care in drilling the holes for these stanchions (six in total), since they had to be perfectly positioned.

After the holes were drilled and cleaned I affixed the stanchions with Crazy Glue.

Although I decided to retain the shiny metal handrails along the boiler, I painted the pilot supports black (with Krylon semi-flat black). Finally, the pilot needed was a simulated air hose. Unable to locate a detail part, I shaped mine from an Easter egg dipper! The finished front end:

If I was more ambitious (and skilled), I would have cut off the simulated coupler and installed one with a more scale-like appearance. These are fairly easy to locate, so the project would take more skill and time than money.

One thing that has always bothered me about many 3-rail steamers is the position of the eccentric crank on the fireman’s side: it is often placed leaning back toward the cab (with rods down), with the other one leaning forward (the more usual position, and prototypical for this engine). I simply filed off the fingers that hold the crank into the driver, and held it in its new position as I re-tightened the screw.

To improve the somewhat flat appearance of the Brunswick Green paint, I rubbed it with WD-40 (avoiding the smokebox and firebox). Last, I added a non-operational back-up light on the tender deck, also from the Atlas 0-6-0. Its side numbers were printed on photo paper and glued into place. I’m sure some readers would be able to add illumination. Likewise, it might be nice to add rear marker lights.

Finally, a before-and-after comparison:

I hope that this project will encourage readers to take on similar projects of their own.

Detailing Brick and Mortar Work on Plastic Structures

2008-08-13T01:51:00.000-05:00

Since my first attempt detailing a Walthers Cornerstone Build Up several months ago, I decided to give it another try using some of the lessons learned not only from that first attempt, but those also gleaned from the generous and timely advice I have received both here and from other sources on the internet. Below you will see a picture of the supplies I used for this project. All should be available at any neighborhood hardware store and art supply.

The first step is to spray paint the entire structure a flat white. I have always used Flat White Gesso in a can, but I'm sure another version of flat white would probably work just as well. I learned from my first build that working directly on plastic causes a number of issues: the most important of which is that paint just doesn't stick very well to the bare plastic ... tends not to adhere and comes off easily. The undercoat of flat white provides a base that color sticks to much better. Please note that it is not advisable or practical to get a thick coat on ... just enough to provide some tack for the brick colors to stick to. Also, too much paint will cause the mortar lines in the bricks to be less pronounced, causing issues further down the line when adding mortar.

That white, although dull, is still a bit too strong. Using a mix of brown (or black if you wish) india ink and alcohol give the white-walls two thorough washes. No need to be neat and tidy, just get it on there. Not much of a difference, but it is noticeable as you can clearly tell from the picture.

Using the darkest of the three colors, randomly chose bricks for the darker bricks. I think no more than five per horizontal line of bricks works well for me, though its totally up to you how many you wish. Here is a picture of the darker bricks in my build.

Now, going with the middle shade for the bricks (and the most numerous) fill in the blanks. This should go pretty smoothly and easily as you can just put the marker down and 'draw' the lines on. Keep in mind that you should leave a number of bricks per horizontal line free and un-markered for the lighter shade of bricks. Like the last step with the darker shade, leave four or five bricks per line untouched as seen in the picture below.

Next, using the lightest shade of brick color you have chosen, hit up those remaining bricks. Also, to further enhance the variety of bricks coloring, chose a few bricks to hit again with the marker. One more pass on individual bricks will darken the color slightly, just enough so that it stands out a bit. The overall effect of this will become evident once you finish the marker routine.

I have had some trouble with these markers staying put during the later stages of this build (ink wash and mortar work). It is advisable to spray the entire model with dull coat to seal the marker coloring in. A very important step, and one that will save much heart-ache in the end. Please note that there may be some bubbling and / or discoloration after spraying with the dull coat. For that reason, don't overdo it with the application of the spray. Take your time and apply one coast and allow it to dry before moving to the next. In the end, it adds some texture to the bricks, but be aware that there may be some changes to the marker work.

Once sealed, its time for the second brown india-ink wash. Again, its up to you but I recommend going at it with a little more vigor than the first wash a number of steps ago. I have found the best approach is to brush two coats directly onto the dull-coat sealed and 'markered' bricks, making sure you wait for the first layer to dry before proceeding to the next wash. Once the two coats are dry, use the Pollock approach. For those of you unfamiliar with this artists work, he would drip and splatter paint on his canvas to achieve his version of artistic beauty. Using the same approach, dip a brush into the india ink and alcohol mix soaking it thoroughly and then 'splatter' the mix directly onto the bricks. Hold the brush about five inches from the bricks and flick. Again waiting for each layer to dry before adding more splatter, I used about four layers of splatter to get the look just right.

Again, another coating of dull coat to seal the india ink in and avoiding issues with the final step of mortar work.

Last, but not least, the mortar. While there are many approaches, I have had relative success using the 'lightweight' spackling. Its not as thick as the normal stuff and cleans up off the brick face much more easily. I just stick a finger in and get some on the tip and then work it in. A little will really go a long way, just make sure that you rub it both length and width wise. Work in small sections at a time so you don't get ahead of yourself or allow time for the spackling to cure too much. On this build I worked on ten rows at a time. Using an old cotton t-shirt dipped in warm water, I then ran the shirt over the mortared area removing the excess. Keep using un-used sections throughout the mortaring process to ensure that the old mortar doesn't get spread around the newer section you are working on (tends to lighten these areas more than the others). It took two layers of the mortar to make it really stand out. Again as with the india ink, let each layer dry for a spell before going after it again. Here is the finished product.

Sorry about the quality and lighting of the photos. I tried to keep it as uniform as possible throughout the build. I hope you enjoyed this build and I hope you take an opportunity to check out other builds by the many talented and imaginary modelers on the blog. Also, if you haven't already done so, please take time to vote on next month's Token Build.

Kit-Bashing a Building by Gizzmo

2008-08-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

Ever see a structure you just must have on your layout but can’t find it anywhere? Or, do you need to fill a spot that has an odd shape not available for purchase? In my case it was a simple want. After seeing a building done by Dennis Brennan that was featured in the Classic Toy Trains magazine, I knew the only way I could have it ,was to copy his work. Fortunately Dennis was very open with how he built it and shared the info with me. Thanks Dennis.

I've found the ability to make these custom buildings adds a great deal of interest and frees me up in the design of my layout.
I hope this general overview of the building prosses will help others decide to give it a try.

Let’s get started…
The first thing you may have to do is find/decide on what kits you will use as a source for material. Currently, I’ve only “bashed” two types of building kits. Mold injected and cast resin. Dennis used two mold injected kits made by Lionel. These kits are easy to cut with a small hobby saw and can be fused/glued together using styrene solvent. I have used the cast resin kits from Korber and found CA very good for bonding it together.

Since I was copying from Dennis, there wasn’t a need to make a design. Though it may be a good idea to do the same for your first try so as to become comfortable with the process, it isn’t a must. The principles are rather simple to apply to your own design but I found I learned a good deal by copying.

I started by searching the internet for the kits I needed. They are both Lionel kits. He used the “Electrical sub Station” and the “Municipal Building”. Both these kits are discontinued, but you can still find them online.

As you can see the building I did was a three sided unit. Its location on my layout prohibits viewing the back of the building so there was no need to finish it. I started by separating all the different wall sections into components and matching them up to form the 3 major walls. Once I was sure they new sections were the proper size and that they matched each other, I used the bonding solvent to attach all the components.

There are a few tricks I learned doing this worth noting. Try not to let the parts in the kit dictate what your building will look like. Notice the strips of white styrene plastic used to attach the first floor to the two above it. That strip, bonded to the back, is used to spread the floors apart and the gap is filled with a piece of molding found in the doll house section of my local art store. This little trick is used again between the 3rd and 4th floors on the front section. It is also used between the 2nd and 3rd but a wider spread was needed because the available 3rd floor wall sections were too short. The wider strip is creatively filled in with a piece of wood that will become a sign. By doing it this way a consistent floor to floor height can be maintained using the available kits pieces to full advantage. You can also notice the end wall has different sized windows than the front on the third floor. This helps to convince the viewer the floor spacing is maintained and the sign is just in front of the lower half of the front windows. As neat as it was to make this building, I found it was these subtle details I learned from Dennis that continue to help me in bashing projects.

After painting the brick and windows with acrylic paint I attached the end panels to the front. I used some Gator-board (foam board) I had laying around for a floor and a roof. I just hot glued it in place. The first floor was made from the plastic supplied with the kits. With the windows painted and glazed I installed them and added window sills of painted wood. The back is covered with one large piece of foam board.

I added some molding to the back just to make sure the illusion is complete. The back piece uses tape as a hinge and magnets to hold it in place. I’ll add some LED lights later. The next thing to do was to add the roof and doors. I filled the mitered molding gaps with wood filler and painted them a concrete color.

I’ll also add a roof top water tank from Korber models later. I was so impressed with this building I built a larger version of it and combined them both with a loading dock.

It’s a shame Lionel doesn’t make these any more. They are beautiful kits and very complete. They are also the only kit I found that has this style of window and door.
After doing these buildings I find myself dissecting any kit I look at looking for parts in my next structure. I can’t help it !

Thanks again Dennis for showing the way and opening up new avenues for me in this hobby. Gizzmo

Electric Substation

2008-07-11T20:35:00.000-05:00

This electrical substation was copied after one built and displayed previously on a different site.
I thought it was great and wished to copy it for my layout.
The initial wood pieces for the 2 main transformers were critical and luckily I had a friend who enjoys building wood parts like these.
So now the fun begins.

The transformers were put together and wired for lights.
Cone shaped beads will be used as insulators

The finished transformer

The next challenge was how to make the smaller six units so they didn't look homemade. This was accomplished using wood dowels with circles cut from styrene sheets. It was then smoothed using squadron green putty.

The insulators were painted a shiny reddish brown and the H beam supports were built.

I was afraid of too much bow and twist to the support beams so mounted them on a reinforced piece of plywood.
Lamps were made using pewter shades and thin solder wire, the bulbs are actually solder balls.

All other insulators were attached and the wire used was old phone wires painted engine black and then I used a grey wash on them.

The next challenge was to build a chain link fence that could look real even under close scrutiny. This was done using old metal window screening which already had a nice patina so it didn't need painting.
I had to cut it so that it ended up at a 45 degree angle like most chain link fences and in the past had trouble cutting the screen while keeping the proper width and angle. I found that by using 2" masking tape which was the proper height I needed and placing the tape on the screen at the proper angle made it a cinch to cut.

I also wanted the whole screen assembly to be a seperate piece for ease of removing etc. so I mounted the fence on to a wood frame and used plastic solid rod for the posts.

Finally I printed signs and mounted on styrene sheets.
Crushed some pea stone to the right size and glued in.
Made a gate and found a couple of guys with little experience to help bring this unit on line.

Oh and don't forget to lock up when you leave.

Hope this will inspire someone to do something and when you do, document it so that I can copy it.

Detailing Tunnel Portals by TMM

2008-05-21T21:28:00.001-05:00

I appreciate your interest in my detailing of the subway portals and based on the number of questions I have received, I decided to put together a tutorial on this project. This is my first attempt in making a tutorial so please bare with me.

The first step is to purchase the paint. The products I chose were found at my local Michaels Craft store, but I'm sure comparable products are available at any craft or art supply store. The colors I chose for my portals were: dark gray, light gray, tan, green, white, and black. While the white and black are needed for added details such as a wash and drybrushing, the colors you choose for your portals are certainly up to your own eye and imagination. I used a foam brush for larger areas, and two artists brushes for details: one small (for mortar joints) and one as wide as the stones in the wall (for dry brushing on the final top coat).

The tunnel portals are MTH and cut and fit together to form one wall with three portals. Once again, any brand of plastic portal can work for this project. I don't know if the same steps can be taken on plaster cast portals as the plaster tends to absorb much more of the paint than the plastic, but perhaps a similar procedure would yield satisfying results.

Originally I was not going to do any detail and spray painted them with Testor's gray primer to take some of the 'shine' off of the plastic casting. If I was to do this again I would probably skip the gray primer spray, however it is entirely possible that the primer paint allowed the details a better surface to adhere to than the slippery plastic alone.

Step 1. Painting the Stones
Squeeze out all four colors onto a scrap piece of cardboard, foam, etc. ; anything handy.

Next using the foam brush dab the brush into one color and dab onto portal wall in a random pattern. Do the same for all four colors. Don't be fussy and overlap.

Then using a paper towel, dab the portal wall to blend in the colors. This is what it should look like.

Step 2. Detailing the Joints

First dilute black paint with water, you may want to experiment a bit with this step as different mixtures might work better than others. I used about a 30/70 mix of paint to water to achieve the 'viscosity' that i desired. Keep in mind, the more paint the thicker the mix and less likely it will be to flow easily.

Paint on top of mortar joints with diluted paint mixture using small artists brush. Don't worry about getting paint on stones.

This is what it will look like.

Next gently wipe excess diluted black paint from stones, leaving black paint in mortar joints. If you wipe it out of the mortar joint just reapply more paint and wipe off again.

I left a little hint of black on the stone to add more depth by bringing out the recesses and variation in texture of the rock blocks. This what it looks like after the wiping.

Step 3. Adding Highlights

Squeeze out white and light gray paint onto pallet.

With the larger artists brush, Dip into light gray and wipe off any excess, dab brush on paper towel to remove more paint (dry brushing).

Then apply paint to top of stones using a light touch and random action in you brush strokes. Repeat with both light gray and white until desired affect is achieved. I recommend dry brushing the light gray first, allowing the application of the white dry brushing a chance to really bring out some of the highlights.

Step 4. Cap Stones

Using the larger of the two artists brushes, smear on a coat of diluted black paint (again a 30/70 combo of paint to water or whatever combination you wish).

Gently dab off black paint, let dry a few minutes, dab on more diluted black paint with paper towel until desired affect is achieved.

This is what it should look like.

I hope this was an informative post and hope you can use this in some of your detailing work. Different colors could be substituted for different looks. Different color mortar could also be used. This project offers the modeler many different options color wise, which I feel is part of the appeal.

I was a little reluctant in the start to try this this but after the first portal I was glad I did. What a difference it made in the overall look of the portals. I am amazed in how simple some things are. In doing scenery I really don't think you could make a mistake as nature isn't perfect. Thanks again to everyone who expressed an interest in this project and I hope many of you can learn from this tutorial.

Making Plank Flooring & Siding by Gizzmo

2008-05-19T20:16:00.000-05:00

I've been working on a timber-frame building for my layout. When it came time for some flooring I decided to make my own. It came out so well I though of posting the method here. I started with couple of blades from a sheet-rock knife.

First I dulled the blades and ground one to look like this:

After grinding a slight curve on both ends of the other blade, I created this by gluing them together with a piece of wood between them. I used CA glue with a 'kicker' to cure it. Make sure you rough up the areas being glued both on the metal blade as well as the wood to help with the bonding. The glue took about 15 minutes to set up and provide a firm hold.

Nothing too critical here. The idea is to use the wood to separate the blades and to limit the depth of the scribe / cut. The blade with the curved ends is the guide for the tool. It travels in the last groove made. Using this gizzmo is fairly easy and straightforward: just slide it along one edge of a piece of balsa wood sheeting to make the first groove. Then put the guide in that groove and slide it along to make another. When applying the pressure, make sure that its just enough to notch the wood, but not enough to crush it. Here's a look:

Make sure the edge of your balsa wood plank is true. Since this will be used to scribe the first line of the simulated planking, you want to make sure this line is as true as possible. Make sure you make a couple of passes making the groove nice and pronounced so that it becomes a good footing for the guide on the blade when scribing the next line.

When I was done with the whole piece I stained it with some Minwax Early "American" stain.

Looks just like flooring ! I'll be using this on my buildings for flooring and I think with the right color it will make a fine plank siding too.

Ash Pit Scratchbuild by canalman

2008-05-13T23:04:00.000-05:00

Back in the late fall of 2006, I received run 217 of OGR magazine which featured an interesting article by Carl Capua entitled "Building a Brick Retaining Wall". Ever since reading that article, I've been looking forward to having the opportunity to use his technique to capture the look and feel of brickwork. Recently, I was able to use what I learned from the article on a small and simple Ash Pit scratch build project.

The first step was to build the "pit" itself. I am using Atlas track so I decided to make the ash pit fit under one 10" section of track. This is long enough to park an engine firebox over it, with room to spare, and looked about right for the platform location. Basically the pit should be deep enough to allow a number of ash loads to be dumped from the engine's pan without approaching the height of the rail head, wide enough to fit under the width of the rails and still provide enough support and space. I used 1" deep as the clearance from the I beam that supports the track to the floor of the pit. That would be about 4’ for an actual pit. For the sides and ends, I cut the foam to the right length and width then cut it in half in the 1" dimension. I used a small band saw for all cuts. I had used a Dremel Tool to remove the ties from the center of a 10" track section that would be placed over the pit. I left 2 ties at each end to maintain the proper gauge for the 10” section. I used 2 pieces of 3/8" styrene I-beam over the span to simulate steel beans under the track.

I started construction with a piece of 1" thick, pink foam insulation. This is the same stuff that you get in 2' X 8' pieces at almost any home center such as HD. I used the "pink" variety since that's what I had some scraps of but I think the "blue" version would work as well. The photo below has the 3 sides glued on but I started with just the bottom piece for the brick. Using a small, pencil tipped style of soldering iron, I set about using Carl's technique to simulate the recessed mortar lines that appear between bricks. Please work in a well ventilated area as the fumes that result can be a bit overwhelming. Using a Weller pencil point iron, I found that you needed a steady hand and constant speed to make reproducible mortar lines. I found on my first try that the foam melts quickly so on try 2, I had a much gentler touch and moved the iron quickly across the foam. I still had "fat" grooves where the iron first contacted the foam so on try 3, I put a 2" piece of scrap where the iron first contacted the foam. That way, I had attained constant speed and pressure by the time I reached the desired area. For the vertical joints that define each brick, I found using a Dremel Tool with a small round bit to just nick the foam between bricks worked well but a better way is to just use a small flat blade screwdriver and depress the foam between bricks. This went quickly and was easy to do.

Once the pattern was created, the next task was to paint the floor to bring out the brick and mortar work: I used Acrylic paint from Wal-Mart; American Russet Roussatre for the bricks and Pewter Gray for the mortar work. I painted the entire surface with the American Russet Roussatre first then, after it dried, added the Pewter Gray for the mortar. Just wipe the excess off the surface while it is still wet. After the paint was dry, the sides and back of the pit were then glued into place.

Early ash pits were emptied by hand while later designed used various forms of mechanisms, the most basic of which was a simple ramp. Looking at the end view in the next photo, you can see how I glued 2 pieces of 1" foam together to get the desired 2" width. Once again, I used the band saw to cut the shape and then glued that to the existing pit. Note that the area where the track goes is slightly lower than the sides. Since the bottom of the track is at platform level and I was going to recess the ash pit in the platform, I wanted the sides of the ash pit to extend 3/8" above the platform so that’s why the sides are a little higher.

It’s been my experience that covering foam with plaster cloth improves strength and whatever you finish it with will hold better. It also covers a multitude of sins! I used Woodland Scenic plaster cloth to cover everything that would be visible but the brick floor. It's a good idea to cover the brick to protect it from any plaster cloth that might "get away" when you are installing it. After putting on the plaster cloth and smoothing it out, I went over the surface with plaster of paris (using my finger) to simulate a poured concrete texture. Once dry, I brush painted the entire surface with a white and gray acrylic paint mix to get an aged concrete color. I also used a magic marker to put a few cracks in the concrete then sprinkled some woodstove ashes in the pit. They are not held down since I have an unlimited supply so if I loose a few to the vacuum, it's no problem! I suspect you could stick them down with Dull Cote but I haven't tried that.

I have wanted to try using chalk for weathering so I tried that technique for the final weathering. I bought a mix of pastel chalks from Michaels but any craft store would have them. You can simply scrape off a little of the surface of the pastel stick and use a dry brush to "powder" it on. Smear it around a little and Wow- it actually looked pretty good! To hold it in place, I sprayed a light coat of Testors Dull Cote over it.

This being my first scratch built, I used several pictures of various types of ash pits so I had a basic concept of the build, but found that most of it was "design as you go". Looking back, it was actually a fun project that turned out OK and the cost was nearly zero since I had everything on hand. If you've never done anything like this before, go for it! Fellow forum member and regular Scenery Section contributor Rand Fredricksen gave this build a shot and you can be the judge of his success!

Based on the success I had from my first scratch build, my next project is a little more ambitious. I am building a model of an existing water tower. Again, it's a learning curve for me and since it is made of wood, it could turn into ash for the ash pit if I really mess it up!

April Token Build: Wire Trees

2008-05-08T23:35:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who visited and voted this past month on the April Token Build. This is the second in an ongoing series of what can best be called a "community build". Every two months, a Token Poll will be posted here on the blog listing a number of choices for the upcoming Token Build. While some may vote merely to see others attempt the build, the concept functions much better if those who take the time to vote also participate in the project. After 39 votes, the Wire Tree Build beat out the other choices to become the build of the month. Five brave souls signed up over on the OGRR Scenery Forum and stuck with it to the end. With their permission, their pictures, hints, and tips have been used to help you with your first attempt at twisting, barking, and dressing a wire tree.

Step One: Find A Tree

I know this seems like a no-brainer, but many of us modelers have gotten accustomed to settling for the generic plastic, pre-flocked schlock that passes for trees on the mass market in our hobby. Dont get me wrong here, I have had them on my layouts as well and they certainly play their role creating shade along streets and rails. But have you really noticed the amazing variety of trees and their shapes in the real world? Its astonishing when you really start to see the trees and not just the forest! Find a tree whose shape agrees with you in some way ... break out of the box a bit, and use this build as an opportunity to add a little uniqueness to your layout and its scenes. Here are a couple of trees chosen by some of the participants so you can follow their progress through the build.

Step Two: Building The Wire Armature

Now for a little info on the first phase of the build: the wire armature. You first need to establish the size of the tree you would like to model. Take into account the girth rather than the height, as the 'gauge' of wire will greatly affect the thickness of both the trunk and the branches. It can be seen that each tree has a unique 'character' which is determined by issues like the number of branches emanating from each split as well as their angle, length and curvature. It's details such as these that give each tree its unique character, and its this kind of build that can accentuate these unique characteristics of the tree type chosen to model.

At your hardware store, you should be able to find a wide assortment of both gauges and makeup. What you are looking for is 'stranded' wire, meaning that instead of a solid, thick wire the wire is instead twisted with smaller pieces of wire. When considering the gauge of wire be aware of the following: thickness of the wire will effect not only the number of branches possible from each 'split' but how thick those end branches will be.

Once you have chosen the gauge the fits your taste, cut two or three sections of the same length, strip the rubber off and twist! I usually secure the base in a clamp and use a wrench to grab the other ends and secure them. While braiding, keep it a little loose and take care to not wind it too tight ... you will have to unravel some ends from the top to create branches.

Step Three: Unraveling Ends for Branches

Once you have braided the wire bundles and un-twisted the major branches of your tree, its now time to unfray the tips of the wires to fill out the branches. Slowly unravel the twisted wires to the point on the main limb where you feel the smaller branches should begin. Then, following the same process as with the trunk, re-twist the branches in bundles of two, three, or four individual wires, leaving individual strands untwisted and pointing out the farther out on the branch you go. These are twigs, not branches so as you go farther out from the trunk, the branches should become smaller, thinner, and greater in number.

Take some time to really look at the structure of the tree you are modeling ... different species of trees have different makeups: oaks tend to start branching out from the middle with little to no trunk continuing above the break. Elms tend to gradually branch off as the height of the trunk increases. Use this info to decide how many strands you want to use to start simulating branches. of course, the branches at the bottom of the canopy are longer and thicker than the top.

Step Four: Adding The Wood

Once you have the armature twisted and bent to your liking, its time to add the 'lumber'. There are several ways of doing this and modelers have had success with the following products:

1) Wood Filler: The advantage here is that you can choose a realistic color tone pretty easily with this stuff. its malleable and dry time isnt too terrible. Doesnt cling to well to the armature, and will take a few layers ... make sure to wait until each layer is dry before adding to it.

2) Caulking: Easy and cheap, it clings relatively well to the wire, but can get runny until it sets up. by far the messiest of the options here, but one advantage is that the armature can be bent AFTER the caulk dries, offering you a little more flexibility in mounting.

3) Super Sculpey: Found at your local craft supply store, its a clay that hardens in the oven in very little time. Since this is more solid going on, its quite easy to weave and push into every nook and cranny. This also gives you the option of adding details into the clay before you cook it ... knots and broken branches can be added using this method. Keep in mind the clay may shrink a bit after cooking, and it will take on that 'fresh dog poo' color.

4) Mod Podge: This is a tried and true method, which give a lot of control but is very time consuming. The idea is to build up layer upon layer of the 'podge', gradually filling out the tree. While this method is indeed time intensive, it does give the modeler the option of adding texture such as dirt or sand to simulate bark and its unevenness on the tree.

Any of these methods should work well, just go slowly and make sure you get good coverage. problems tend to arise with the thinner tips of the branches ... some of this stuff just doesn't want to stick, or if it does, it ruins the tapering of the limbs. Leave the very tips uncovered if its becomes an issue. Unless you are modeling a leaf-less tree, most of this will be covered in the end. Just let the spray paint do the work for you.

Step Five: Painting and Texturing The Tree

Time to hit it up with some spray paint of your color choice. Choose a latex based paint as it goes on a little thicker and will help coat those tips of the branches a little easier. One hint: experiment with 'textured' spray paints ... they give a nice feel to the trees, and the difference in texture will give just enough of a hint for the bark. Combinations of both the latex and textured paints also gives a nice feel on the tree. To further bring out details, a few alcohol and india ink washes can be used to highlight differences in texture. Dry brushing a lighter shade will also bring out further details.

Another method is to sprinkle texturing agents on the tree while the paint is still wet or after a good dose of Mod-Podge. Here is another opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature a bit ... take a tiny tin or zip-lock bag with you on your next walk with the dog or jog and keep an eye out for interesting colors and textures of sand and dirt: you'll be pleasantly surprised at the discoveries awaiting you!

Step Six: Adding The Greenery

The last step on this wire tree build is the canopy Again there are several ways of doing this, but many have had success using polyfibre as the 'filler' for the bulk of the foliage. Woodland Scenics sells this stuff, but you may even want to take a cheaper route and visit the a fabric store or even the fabric section of your nearest craft store to compare pricing and color selection.

When using polyfibre, its important to make a little go a long way. Tear off a small chunk and start to pull it apart in every direction. a thumb-sized piece of polyfibre can yield a hand size section of pulled fibre: you'll be amazed at how much you can get from very little. its up to you how you want to attach it. Some have used glue, but i just use the tips of the wire at the ends of my branches to lock it into place (the hairspray from the next step will anchor it further). Fill it out, but not too much ... much sure to leave some open areas so that you can see a few of the inside branches through the foliage. this is a more natural look for your tree and gets you away from the cotton-candy look many of these premade hobby store possess.

The last step is attaching the foliage. some use ground cover foam, others just go with the green polyfibre look. Noch sells 'leaves' and although much to large size wise, they make for a pretty good representation of foliage. unscented strong hold hair spray works best for affixing your choice of leafy material to the polyfibre. Spray first, sprinkle 'leaves', spray again to seal the deal. just take care and mask off or try not to hit up the bark or branches with the hairspray ... unless you want leaves of ground foam growing directly out of the bark.

Thanks for viewing this Token Build and I encourage you to vote and participate in the next one. Projects will always be at a skill level that is manageable, a time commitment which allows it to be completed in a month, and with a budget that is reasonably cheap. Our hope is that by encouraging many modelers here to take on the same project, we can all learn from one another's experiences, share tips and tricks, and at the end of the month have something to be proud of to put on the layout. Greatest of thanks to those who decided to give this build a shot and whose pictures and tips went a long way towards completing this post: Vulcan, bfishma, pierz44, Erictrainman, Rand, and csxt30.

Views from The Cab by Vulcan

2008-03-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

A while back I did a little experimenting with Photoshop by taking images I found on the internet that were of real views from inside the cab of different engines. This experiment, as you will see, led to views from inside other things besides engines. The trick here is to use your imagination and your mind's eye and try to see your layout from its population's perspective. In your own personal experience, try and think of the environments you tend to view trains from: through a window at work, from the car at a crossing, even through the window of a passenger car on the opposite track.

This project shouldn't be something frustrating or time consuming ... just a way to have fun with your scenery and your layout. I am always looking for ways to include other 'non-trainiacs' in my hobby, and this provided a unique and amusing way to do so. Ask for ideas, mostly from people outside of the hobby or interest. I have found that those living 'outside the box' often have the most unique and relevant ideas.

This was a view I found from inside an FT at Spencer shops in North Carolina. You can use shots from your own personal collection, or using the limitless power of the internet, you can track down other interesting and unique material for your project.

The way I created these "views" was really quite simple. Of course you need to have a version of Photoshop, or some other photo editing software that allows you to work in layers. Layers allow you to add or delete, text, images, etc. without changing the original layer. This way if you make a mistake you can delete that layer and retain the rest of the image. For those who aren't used to this technical term, layers is exactly what you would expect. Think of each layer printed on transparent paper with only what you highlight remaining. So if you had two layers, the last layer would be the background with the top layer being the foreground.

This view shows the image with the windshield deleted.

I started by duplicating the original layer, then hiding the original layer. Next taking one of the marquee tools, lasso or pen tool, I traced around the window opening, where the windshield glass is. After this is highlighted, ants marching, I deleted the area. Next I found photos I had of either my layout or modules and copied these into the image on a separate layer. The layer with the model image is then moved below the modified cab image and above the original layer. Some transforming of the model image was done, either reducing the size or distorting to get the proper perspective.

In the above screen capture shot, you can clearly see the unique effect this kind of photo editing can have on a seemingly ordinary layout photograph. Height above the rail and angle on your shot is key to selling the illusion, so keep this in mind when taking photographs of your layout to use for this project.

For you Pennsy fans, a view from the cab of a GG1. The view of the model world has the color toned down to more closely match the cab.

A view from the cab of a Steam engine easing on to the turntable.

View from a caboose. In this image I changed the model photo to black and white to match the "real" image.

Ariel view from from the cockpit of a P47. This was on sort of a dare from a friend: TALLY HO!

View from the Camry. I had to sit in the backseat to get enough cab detail. "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear" ... even in 1/48 scale!

As with many things in our hobby, the route I took concerning this project was not the intended one. In the past, I had seen photos in which a mockup of a simple interior was used as a 'window' from which to shoot a layout or module scene. Originally, I planned to build such a mock up using a printout of an FT cab as a template and afixing it to a piece of foamboard with the windshield cut out. This seemed like an awfully lot of work for a few shots, so in an effort to save a little time I gave the idea a shot in Photo-Shop ... and the rest, as they say, is Token history!

I hope you enjoy this little project and look forward to seeing your own "Views From the Cab" over on the OGRR forum.

March Token Build: The Rural Water Tower

2008-03-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

A few months ago when the idea of the Token Three Railer was just taking shape, many of the Token Builders proposed the concept of a "group build" as a possible way to bring modelers together around a common theme. Builds should focus on structures that every layout would need and that anyone with the time and supplies could pull off within a month's time. Since it would be difficult for everyone to agree on what build should get top billing, a poll was set up on the blog asking viewers which of several proposed projects garnered the most interest. When the vote count was finally tallied at the end of the month, the "Rural Water Tower" ended up as our March Token Build.

Four modelers participated in the project: Vulcan, mwb, dgauss, and bfishma and each brought not only a unique perspective, but their own modeling touch and ingenuity to the group build. The information contained here will hopefully highlight the different approaches as well as providing others with tips and ideas for this or other scratchbuilds.

While some worked directly from actual blueprints of prototype structures, everyone seems to have opted to build their Rural Water Tower in separate sections: the holding tank, the support structure, and if applicable a roof. A 'template' such as a section of PVC pipe or a cardboard shipping tube was used in many cases to achieve a rigid base for the holding tank. If these items cant be found laying around the house or the garage, a trip to a hardware store or an office supply warehouse is all thats needed. Cut the tubular section to a height that matches your plans or is pleasing to the eye. Also take care in noting that the diameter of the tube matches the height proportionally.

Wooden strips (known as 'staves' on the tower) were glued in place, side-by-side around the entirety of the cylinder. Strips can be cut from balsa planks, coffee stirrers, or in pre-cut pieces from the craft section of Walmart or Michaels bagged as "Skinny Sticks" by Forester. Work slowly and carefully, making sure that the lengths of the staves are consistent, and that they are flush with one another. Add a few rubber bands to ensure a tight fit while drying.

Next come the 'hoops', metal bands used to hold the staves together tightly. Once again, modelers used a variety of items to simulate these hoops. The bands can be modeled by using .030 styrene rod from Evergreen Scale Models, phone cord wire, or a product called "Rexlace" which is a flat vinyl craft plastic lacing. No matter what is used, the ends of the rods can meet flushly or can overlap. Turnbuckles used to secure the hoops can be simulated by thicker sections of styrene rod cut and glued in-place, bought from a detail company such as Grandt Line, or even twisted together forming a realistic turnbuckle where they meet.

Stringers can then be added to the bottom of the holding tank, standing on end as to mimic most actual water towers. You can imagine how much weight a full tank can entail, so just as your deck's support beams run on end, so, too, do the stringers on a water tank. Once again, balsa or basswood strips can be used.

While some rural water tanks came without roofs, some did and this can be one of the more difficult parts of the structure to model because the height, diameter, and symmetry can be tough to accurately model. Triangular sections can be cut to size then glued together, cardboard or thick posterboard can be cut and rolled to match, or a base of foam board or styrofoam can be carved to form a base for wooden strips.

The support structure is the next logical step. Basswood or balsa wood in different sizes and thickness can be used both as the big timbers and the stringers that hold it together, a common size is for tank supports are 3/16" X 3/16" balsa wood dowels and 1/4" X 1/16" balsa sticks for the sway bracing. Whether working from plans or from your imagination, keep in mind that this structure must be rigid, well built, and well supported.

Now the fun part: the details! Spouts can be brought pre-made (once again from Grandt Line) or can be scratchbuilt. Vulcan describes his process below:

"My spout was made from styrene tubing. Cut to length, I then stuck it into an electric drill chuck and tapered the tube to a smaller diameter on the outside end using files and sandpaper. The grooves (joints) were also cut into the spout at this time. I cut the end at a 45 degree angle then glued another short section of tubing to the end to get the turned down portion. I made a hinge by taking a piece of brass sheet stock and Krazy gluing it to the spout and added a piece of brass tubing to the other end. "

That spout is going to need a framework to support it and anchor it to the tank's structure as well as counterweights and perhaps a pull down chain for the spout. Other details can include the feed pipe running from the bottom of the tank to the spout, the pipe running from the ground to the tank, a water gauge, concrete stanchions to support the superstructure, a drain for the runoff, even a wind-vane on the roof-top! Vulcan's build based on Southern Railway plans didnt require a top which opened the door for another unique detailing project:

"Since my tank is open I added water. The water was made using a piece of clear blister material, commonly found in packaging now days. Using the tank as a guide I cut a circle out of the blister material and set it on the "shelf" formed by the shipping tube being cut shorter that the staves. The blister was then coated with numerous layers of Mod Podge. I usually did this when I was ready to put up the project for the night or had to let it set for a while while something else set up. I also added a few washes of green between some of the layers. The reason for the green is, I have a rain barrel set up outside and noticed when ever I got some of the water it always has a green tint to it. So it stands to reason an open tank could have the same effect."

Keep in mind, there is no right or wrong way to detail this project ... just do what feels right for you and your layout. Its our hope that this post and the build will benefit others as much as it has helped those of us involved. Please take the time to look over the choices for April's Token Build on the poll located to the right of this post. Your votes and feedback is greatly appreciated, as is your continued participation both here and on the Scenery Section of the OGRR Forum.

Tool House....Project by Vulcan

2008-03-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

This is a small project I have been working on for my rural station module. This segment does not include a complete "how-to" but rather covers parts of the build not covered elsewhere. Officially, according to Southern Railway's Standard Plans it is called a TOOL HOUSE. Most would recognize it as a speeder/ handcar shed.

This is the completed, or at least 90% completed shed. The exterior sheathing is Evergreen Models styrene, # 4101 Clapboard.

This view shows the roof. I made the diagonal shingles by using a pair of Pinking shears to cut strips from cardstock. The shingle strips were then added using 3M spray adhesive. Once the strips were added I sprayed the roof with more of the spray adhesive to add some texture to the roof. Once that dried it was sprayed a flat black. Then weathered by dry-brushing with white acrylic paint.

The window is from Grant Line Products. I wanted an open window so I cut the mullions from the lower part and built a frame around the removed mullions using .030 x .030 Evergreen Models styrene strips. Then glazed the upper and lower section with .015 clear styrene.

And since it does house a handcar, here is a shot of the handcar. For the interior of the shed walls I used Evergreen Models styrene, # 4083 Novelty siding.

For the details on how I painted and weathered the shed, please go to the January folder and see the "How to achieve that rustic look" post. The foot print of this neat little shed is 2 1/2 x 3 9/16, not including runway section. The runway is built using HO gauge rail, set to O gauge, five foot. The wood planking is a product made by Forster called "Skinny Sticks". Similar to coffee stirrers but much more uniform.

Hope you enjoyed.

The Art of Model Railroad Photography by Dennis Brennan

2008-03-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen this photo in the four part series featured in the Dec. ‘07 through March ’08 issues of Classic Toy Trains: Build the Sandy Harbor Terminal Railway.

What makes a model railroad photo stand out? Much has been written about the technical aspects of miniature photography but hardly anything about the aesthetics. By using one of my favorite shots as an example, I’m going to talk about the art behind the science.

If one didn’t know it was a model, one might think it’s real. My daughter said she saw that very scene on a taxi ride from LaGuardia airport to a hotel in Manhattan. Others have said it evokes memories of Chicago, Detroit or Newark.

So what is it about this shot that makes one do a double take? Is it the modeling, the lighting, the composition, the color, the details? The answer is, it’s all of the above. But even more than that—it’s ordinary. It looks like a photo right out of a scrapbook from the 50’s. The picture has a snapshot quality—like the photographer just happened to be in the right place at the right time and captured a fleeting moment.

And therein lies the magic. The careful composition doesn’t appear staged. That’s because I didn’t make a hero out of any one element. Initially, the eye travels from the train down to the bus, across the tenements to the billboard and back. Only after that initial overview, one begins to notice the little things. Even then, no single detail holds any more significance than any other.

From the luminous blue sky to the gravel strewn street, everything looks completely natural. Subtlety is the key. If one thing calls immediate attention to itself, it’s overdone. Many modelers mistakenly assume just the opposite. Remember, less is more. The imagination is a powerful tool. A few well placed foreground details and the mind’s eye will fill in the rest.

Modeling A Rural Crossing: Project by bfishma

2008-03-06T23:15:00.000-06:00

Growing up with trains, it was only natural for me to daydream about having certain features on my layout one day. Above, you will see me running my Marx switcher in the midst of just such thoughts! Tunnels, bridges, and operating signals were always towards the top of my list. But there was one thing I always wanted, and that was a railroad crossing! As a kid, it was the flashing lights and the movement of the guard arm that fascinated me ... after all, more often than not, it was at a crossing that i got to witness the passing of a train. So naturally, I associated the flashing and bells with the 'opening act' of a great show.

As with many things in life, as I grew older I seemed to lose the passion for all the pomp and circumstance in life. Whether its was the clearer perspective on the need for comfort in silence, being in a world of constant noise all the time (internet, computers, 300 channels!), or just the cynicism of old age, suddenly the 'bells and whistles' I once longed for no longer seemed to ring true. Instead I longed for simpler, spartan times ... a post and two boards would certainly do. And so it was with this thought that I decided to tackle the unique approach a rural crossing would offer to a modeler just starting out on learning the art of scenery work.

I have no layout at the time as apartment living precludes anything more than an occasional oval on the carpet. Therefore I work on what I call shelves: 40" sections of shelving that I hope to once again return to the walls of my den. I have had the same shelf sections for the past three apartment layouts, and they have seen action twice on around the room shelving. All curves are O-72, and the combination of the wide radius and long straights has a pleasing effect. Below is a video of the same layout back in New Orleans in my college apartment.

Each section is made from 3/4" plywood as their base and then two sections of matching 3/4" blue foam. the foam is then carved to match the base and topography for the intended scene. For this project I took one of the pre-existing sections and removed a piece from the middle with a long bladed hack saw. I then fashioned a section composed completely of blue foam (3 sections to equal the height of the original section) which was then shaped to fit into the unoccupied space. It was easier to shape the grade of the road before attaching it permanently, and you can see the work on the intersecting section.

After the section was glued into place, plaster of paris was mixed and used to patch up the gaps between the newly mated sections. Cardboard strips were measured and then cut to match the grade of the road on either side and between the rails. By folding the ends, I was able to get the height just right. Remember these two tips: 1) make sure that the cardboard sections are not high enough to meet the top of the rails, especially on either side of the third rail. Dirt and gravel layers will eventually add to the height of the road, and the pick up roller will need to run along the center rail flush. 2) The inner part of the wheel is larger in radius than the outer (the lip that keeps the wheels on the rails) ... make sure you leave plenty of room for the wheels to rotate freely through the crossing. Constantly check for clearance throughout this project to avoid unforeseen problems down the line!

Mixed up another batch of plaster of paris to build a base for the road and the scenery on the sides. Build up layers, making sure the earlier layer is dry. Dont be afraid to make the mix a bit lumpy, adds this will add to a more random look to the surface.

Once all is dry and set, I painted a few washes of brown, red, and white paint. I began to add layers of dirt and fine buff gravel. Take care in mixing the two as the color combination in important as a realistic base before adding the gravel. Growing up in Alabama, I wanted to emulate the 'red clay' that seemed to be everywhere and always on my shoes and shorts. Keep your eyes open on drives around your neck of the woods and see what colors will work best for the scene you want to model.

Larger pieces of gravel, close in size to the ballast used for the track was added to the areas on the road that would see the least wear ... on the edges and down the centerline. This is a two lane road, and I was worried a bit that it looked like a single lane with the larger gravel in the middle, but pictures of gravel roads with traffic going in either direction show this type of wear ... as you will see in after more layers, it stands out less.

A nice mix of both dirt and fine gravel were then layered on top of one another, taking care to keep the rails clear of obstruction. With each layer, make on the spot decisions and go with your gut ... you can always go over any mistakes with consecutive layers.

Once I got the look and the height correct, I added bushes, grasses, and other types of ground cover. Here is the finished product.

Now before I got some lip about not playing it safe by adding some rural crossbucks to my rural crossing project, check the April Token Build and do your duty and vote! I look forward to sharing more 'builds' here and seeing how other modelers tackle similar projects.

Tarp Freight: Project by Ray

2008-02-21T12:59:00.000-06:00

Tarp Freight is easily made using soft thin paper like facial tissues. Use one piece and place it over the material to be covered. This material could be actual parts or just shapes of wood, plastic, rubber or anything that will look like freight when covered. You can use skids or nothing at all to put the freight on. Whatever you use place wax paper underneath it so when the glue is dry it will be able to be removed easily.

Brush on a 50-50 mixture of white glue and water starting at the highest part and brush down. Try to do the 4 corners first. Try to work quickly and be carefull not to break through the tissue ... the less brushing the better.

When dry cut off the excess and paint them a flat gray, blue, green etc.

These make good looking tarp covered freight that can be used all over the layout and even on flat cars.

Tall Grass: Project by Ray

2008-02-15T10:57:00.000-06:00

There are many ways to replicate tall grass ( bristle bush clumps etc.), but this is how I did it.
Using a cheap paint brush I cut off some bristles.

I then wrapped some of these around a toothpick with a small piece of masking tape.

I cut off most of the toothpick and masking tape leaving only about 1/8" to hold everything together until it was inserted into a hole. Placed some white glue on the end and planted my tall grass.

I then trimmed the tops with scissors ... you can make fatter or taller or different color clumps.

Telephone Poles: Project by Ray

2008-02-07T06:12:00.000-06:00

The making of telephone poles in this manner is nothing new. This is for those who may not have seen or tried this method yet and a refresher for those who have.

I used 1/4" dowel x 7" long for the poles. Make sure you will have enough clearance, height and width if set next to the track. Rough them up using the side of a fine saw and notch them for 3/32 square crossbeams. Drill the bottom to fit a 3/64 wire leaving enough sticking out to attach to the layout. Using this method of attachment makes it possible to move the poles when necessary or if they happen to be accidentally hit will just bend rather than break. To attach the insulators (beeds) I cut the heads off of straight pins and pushed the pins into the crossbeams, slid 2 beads onto each pin and secured them with a drop of CA glue. After dry cut the pins flush with the beads (always use safety googles when cutting the straight pins!) Now glue the crossbeams to the notched dowel. A brown wash or stain can be used, followed by black paint or alcohol washes. Stabilizer brackets can also be made by using straight pins and bending them to 45 degrees. You can make many variations of these poles.

A Concrete Grade Wall: Project by Ray

2008-02-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

This is a project that was done several years back but I had documented it in photos as I went along. I needed to produce a wall for the grade transistion and had discussed it with a co-worker. He came up with a form to cast hydrocal walls that were exactly what I needed.
I used washes of paint and alcohol with india ink to get rid of the bright white color.

I built a frame of wood to glue the walls too.

I used chicken wire for a base for the plaster cloth.

On top of the plaster cloth I used sifted real dirt, ground up twigs and different sizes and shades of ground cover.

This project met all my objectives and it tied in very well to the overpass.

Indian Mfg Co: Project by Ray

2008-02-01T09:55:00.000-06:00

It usually starts with "I have this space, what can I put there?" And so it was in this instance. I had this space which was not only oddly shaped but included a tunnel and a grade. What could I put there?

The answer was nothing that was available. So "back to the drawing" board or for me was to the computer. Having a high powered software program and many years experience it was easy for me to use it as someone would use a sketch pad. First, what footprint was I looking at and what kind of clearances would I need? How could I tie it to the existing Bassette Printing Co?
Guided by those parameters I came up with what I thought would be a suitable structure for that place.

Again using the computer I was able to construct a 3d model of what I wanted and determine the shape and sizes of every piece to be used. I transfered these sizes to black foamcore board and started the build.

I wanted the garage doors to be moveable so discarded the frame they came with and built my own with operating hinges.

For this build I used a combination of Precision Products veneer plastic sheets, siding, cement blocks and stone. The 2nd floor doors were built from scratch and again hinged.

The walkway between the 2 buildings was made again using foamcore with wood planking for the side and the roof was printed out from Model Builder Software

Next was the tunnel entrance which was designed to hide as much of the hole as possible.

Plastistruct brick sheets were used on this.

Weathering and detailing are started
I used the roof top entrance to hide the bracket and screw that holds the assembly to the wall.

Finally the whole area has come together as planned

So this is my answer to "what can I put there?"

Bassette Printing Co: Project by Ray

2008-01-30T12:43:00.000-06:00

After my experience building the "Tenament Flat" my next project was a manufacturing company flat.
I am lucky enough to have CAD software and was able to create a 3d surfaced model in the computer of what I wanted and from there get all the dimensions needed. This of course is not necessary as it could be drawn on paper manually.
I decided to use black foam board and knowing all the sizes and shapes needed was able to draw them all on the foam board prior to cutting to get the least amount of waste.

After cutting out for the windows and doors, I used hot wax to glue the walls together.
Do not glue the windows and doors until after the veneer siding is installed.

To strengthen the assembly I used wood glued to the walls with yellow glue.

Test fitted the structure in place after building a base to hold it.

Siding (plastic from Precision Products) was cut to size and installed

Finished unit with details, lights and secured to wall.
I decided to name it Bassette Printing Co. in honor of that fine family.

Achieving That Rustic Look on Styrene: Project by Vulcan

2008-01-30T12:30:00.000-06:00

As the old saying goes, in regards to house-painting, “you don’t buy paint, you just rent it”.

As part of the module project, mentioned in the mail crane “how-to”, I built a small rural station. This post is not about the station but how I accomplished the “rustic” , peeling paint, look.

I used Evergreen Models styrene siding: Novelty, Item No. 4150. Before cutting out the individual wall pieces I use a fine tooth razor saw as a scribe, using a slight side to side motion, to add some woodgrain detail. The Evergreen styrene is smooth with no detail. In the second photo below I applied an ink/alcohol wash just to highlight the details for clarity.

Drawing pencil lines where I want nail holes, I use a scribe and add the nail holes. 2 per board

The parts are then painted ColorPlace (Walmart) Almond. This is enamel paint which is important to use because the following steps will not effect the paint. After the paint is dry I lightly sand to tone down the sheen and highlight the woodgrain texture.

Then using Gray acrylic (or whatever the final wall color will be)I brush paint the walls. Not worrying too much about the coverage.

When the gray is dry or at least not shiny wet, this doesn't take long at all, I go over it with a light ink/alcohol wash.

When the I/A wash is nearly dry I use a piece of cloth and dab lightly on the walls until the paint begins to pull from the wall.

The rusty nail holes were done using a fine paint brush and raw sienna acrylic paints.
Brushed on and almost immediately wiped off.

The final result.

Tenement Flat Construction: Project by Ray

2008-01-29T14:34:00.000-06:00

This is a scratch-built tenement flat done as a project to learn this art. On this build I used white foam core but would not recommend it. All future builds will be done with black foam core as it is much easier and cleaner to work with. Also used wood siding from Mt. Albert Scale Lumber Co., very good quality but there are many other good suppliers of wood or plastic veneer. Made the cut out for all the windows using the actual windows as templates. The windows, doors, stairs and railings come from Grandt and Tichey. Also started the porch.

Structure is finished but will need the porch and finish painting.

The porch was built as a separate entity and can be attached with one lever.

The porch foundation is made from wrapping wood pieces with printed out brick paper.
Paint, weathering and details are added.

Curtains are from the sewing box, the trim used on clothes
Lights are added inside and out

Background Cloud Painting: Project by CSX Al

2008-01-29T04:11:00.000-06:00

One project that I recently needed to complete on the layout was painting the backdrop before finishing building the rest of my benchwork. I had been putting off this task for a while, since I had reservations on how realistic I could paint clouds. I had originally thought about just purchasing a photo background mural but the cost can be quite expensive since I needed to cover lineal feet at 24” high. Anyway, I found my local hobby shop carried some cloud masks made by New London Industries. There were 5 different cloud edge patterns on heavy card stock for about $10.

I have also found you can get the same masks on the web through
http://www.modelrailroadinguniversity.com/productstencils.html

I used sheets 2'x 8' x 1/8" MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) attached to wood frames that hung from the ceiling joists. A 4x8' sheet runs about $6. Nice thing about it is, it bends well (12" curves in the corners), has no grain and is smooth. Then you Spackle the seams between the sheets just like you would drywall, for a seamless background.

I started by painting the background a good sky blue. The color I used was made by Behr available at Home Depot, called Horizon Haze # 540B (flat paint)

Wait until background color has dried before using the masks/stencils.

Next you need to use a flat white spray paint (in rattle can)

Place the mask/stencil on the background where you want the cloud and spray paint the white onto the background.

Tip: try to envision a direction the sun would be coming from to highlight the clouds and keep it consistent from cloud to cloud. I kept the highlight to the right side of my cloud edges. It is also better to spray lighter coats that heavier ones (you have better control).

As you spray along the edge of the mask/stencil make this the whiter edge and feather the paint down away . This will give the illusion of a darker/ bottom to the cloud. Keep moving your mask/stencil around trying and vary the mask/ stencils used to keep the clouds from looking alike.

Moving the mask/stencil differnent distances away from the background while spraying will give you sharper or softer edges to your clouds.

In a couple of my clouds I used a little bit of light gray primer paint (rattle can) to give even darker shadows in a few of my clouds.

Below is my first attempt

Here are my finished results

This was a very fun and satisfying project and only took a couple of hours to complete. If a cloud doesn’t turn out the way you like, you can always pull out the blue again and go over them. I did to my first clouds.

Have fun - CSX Al

Learning to Build Mountains & Hillsides: Project by Gizzmo

2008-01-27T19:38:00.000-06:00

I was rather successful on my first try at building mountains (a hillside really) and I thought I might share the progress with you here. Below's a shot of the 1st attempt. I should mention here that I learned this technique from watching Rich Battista's Black Diamond Railway DVD. It was a great help and I highly recommend having it in your DVD library.

Here's a look at the second hillside with some cardboard stapled on. I tried to imitate the stepped layered look of the first attempt

Here I've stapled on some construction paper that was first crunched up into a ball and then unfolded. You'll see I balled up some paper on the top right, to help give the illusion that the rocks continue on

I then covered the paper with dampened shop wipes dipped into a tub of Hydrocal plaster. This isn't the light version. It dries very hard. You could also use paper towels ... they're much cheaper!

Well the whole thing took about an hour's time. I went into the shop and cast some rocks and called it a day. BTW if you mix up too much Hydrocal don't rinse it down the drain!! I have no experience here but have been warned that it will harden in the drain. NOT GOOD! Instead, just keep stirring the plaster as it setup. Keep breaking up the lumps into large pea sized granules. Now save these, don't throw them out you'll need them later. Do this with any leftover plaster you have from your project. It will be used as a filler later.

After trimming up the rock castings with a little hand saw and fitting them roughly into place lets get to the business of mounting them. Strip up some wipes and placed them in a bucket of water. Then mixed up some Hydrocal. Soak the casting and the hillside with a strong spray of water. Now wring out a piece of wipe and dip it into the plaster. I put it on the back of the casting with a little extra plaster and hold it in place for a few seconds. Then Its off to the next. I use the wipes for two reasons."A" It allows me to start setting rock without having to wait for the plaster to thicken and “B”, it makes up the gaps that I get by setting my castings so vertical. I don't care for the look of the casting when they lay against the mountain and away from me. I want them to be straight up and down or maybe a little leaning in to create an overhang. But this crates gapes that need to be filled in. Here's a shot after the castings are attached.

I also use the wipes to fill in all of the lager gaps. Look to the end of the pointer.

Now its time to use the Lumpy plaster as described by Rich Battista. Before you start be warned , THIS IS MESSY! Take the time to cover your tracks layout floor and anything else that can be damaged. Also get a good sized and well functioning spray bottle ... you'll need it!

Take a coffee cup full of the granules I told you to save and add about one cup of plaster to it. Add 1/2 cup+ of water and mix. BTW I use gloves here. WORKING FAST, grab small handfuls of the mix and push it into the gaps. I work from the top down. Use your spray-bottle filled with water to wash of the face of the rock and to rinse away the plaster exposing the granules. Use plenty of water. I sop up the mess with paper towels and a large sponge. Just keep working in small batches. If the stuff sets up, not to worry: just stir it again until its consistency of small granules again and reuse it. Clean up the mess and your done!

Heres some shots of the finished, uncolored hillside:

Ok ... Its color time! Not much to show in the way of work. I used Scenic Express coloring in a spray bottle of about 32 oz of water and just sprayed it on. I used burnt umber, raw umber and slate. After it dried about an hour I had to put down some grass and such. Here's the hillside completed.

I really like the way this system works. The results are too good to be true: just
follow nature, use your imagination, relax and have some FUN !! Good luck !!

Making Custom Size Portals: Project by Gizzmo

2008-01-23T19:48:00.000-06:00

In order to move forward on my layout,I found several portals of various sizes were needed. After searching the internet, magazine ads, and local hobby shops, I was disappointed in the available choices. For the few I did like, the sizes were all wrong for me. I have my tracks set rather far apart to accommodate the larger engines and passenger trains I run. So it seemed the only way to move forward was to reach into my bag of tricks again and make my own. First I went to the "National Model Railroad Association" website and found a section on templates. A template is nothing more than a shape that's used to setup the clearances needed for the opening in the portal. Here's a link to the site: http://www.nmra.org/standards/consist.html

I drew up what I wanted based mostly on intuition and visual appeal. The end result is a combination of portal styles I've seen and liked .I wanted to simulate concrete so I choose to cast them from plaster. I wanted the portals to be smooth so I built a form from scrap lexan and wood. When making your mold try to bevel all the edges of the pieces used to make the different shapes .It will aide in the removal of the casting. Here's a couple of pictures of my mold:

I cast the portal using Hydrocal Plaster from http://www.plaster.com/HYDROCAL.html. I dismantled the frame and very gingerly separated the casting from the form. I had a little spot on the mold that allowed the plaster to flow under it and that resulted in a chip . I fixed the gap on the next one. I also rubbed the surface of the mold with plain old pure silicon caulk and let it dry overnight. The caulk worked great and I've had no more chipping issues.

I made it bit tall to accommodate various locations on my layout but it can be trimmed down with a small hand saw. An important note here: Avoid grinding on Hydrocal with abrasives things like a Dremmel with a diamond cutting disk, belt sander, etc. and creating dust. Hydrocal, like most plasters and masonry products, contain crystalline silica. It's NOT in its finest (breathable) form in the plaster mix or casting and the MSDS (manufacturers safety and data sheet) will support this, but grinding it can free these particles into the air. This is a BIG DEAL!! Crystalline silica can cause CANCER!! So please, use a respirator or just don't cut/grind it with power tools. I use a small hand saw.

Here a couple more I made using this method:

The possibilities are endless. I'm rather pleased with the results. I could use some ideas on coloring it. I was thinking along the lines of a scenic express wash or something. I have several places that require rather large portals including one for a three rail tunnel. This should allow me to build any size I need.

Duplicating from a Master Piece: Project by Gizzmo

2008-01-22T18:45:00.000-06:00

I have to face it ... I'm fussy. Do you ever know what you want but can't find it? That was the case with the brick work I wanted in a wall but couldn't find. Turns out, I had it in a pillar designed for a MTH girder bridge! I really liked the pattern and wanted to duplicate it but alas, it was not available as a pre-made form from any known scenic manufacturer. It was time to reach into my bag of tricks and MAKE what I wanted. Here is how I did it:

I ordered some mold making supplies from: http://www.smooth-on.com/ . I then cut out the flat parts of the pillar and trimmed them up so they would interlock. I made a small box and contact cemented the pcs to the bottom face up. I mixed up the mold making liquid and poured it in. After it set for a day (today) I pulled out the new mold, removed the masters, flipped the mold face up in the box to maintain the shape and poured in some Hydrocal Plaster .Here are the results.

I'll be using these all over my layout. It was a fast and useful project that I hope you can use too!

O Scale Mail Crane: Project by Vulcan

2008-01-21T13:43:00.000-06:00

In late 2007 I began building a 40" x 18" O gauge display module. This project, the mail crane, is one of many smaller projects that make up the module. First the drawings and photos of the prototype.

The completed mail crane.
The crane is made using Evergreen Models Styrene tubing. The "ties" the crane is sitting on are 1/2 wood dowels.

This next shot shows the base, on the left, made from .030 styrene tubing glued inside a piece of .090 tubing and cut to a scale 3' length. The joint was covered with Testor's Contour putty and sanded to shape.
The largest piece of piping on the crane is made from .o65 tubing, as is the arms. The small vertical pipe is made from .035 tubing.
The footing, on the right, is made from one section of 1/2" styrene tile from Evergreen Models. The nut/ bolt casting's are from Grant Line Products and are actually large HO castings.

I have assembled the individual components. I add a .035 diagonal brace to the upper arm of the crane by crimping the ends of the tubing with a pair of needle nose pliers and bending to fit.
The mail bag was made using tissue paper coated with Mod Podge, a glue/sealer found at most craft stores, and built up in layers. A piece of string was tied around the middle to simulate a belt.
Here is a sketch I did highlighting some of the dimensions in O scale.

All in all, this was a quick, fun and relatively inexpensive project. Hope you enjoyed!

The Token Test Run: Project by bfishma

2008-01-13T21:51:00.000-06:00

"Mr. Watson -- Come Here. I need you!"

Token: a physical object given to a locomotive driver to authorize him to use a particular stretch of single railway track.
Token Coin: a piece of metal or other composition used as a substitute for currency; includes subway tokens.
Tokenism: the inclusion of a single person (or very few people) of a group so an organization can publicly claim to be inclusive.
Token Character: a supporting character in a story who has no real relevance to the plot but is included to conform to expected standards, such as featuring ethnic minorities in a cast of a predominantly other ethnicity.
Type-Token Distinction:in philosophy, computational linguistics, and information retrieval, a token is an instance of a type.