Building the Pinnacle Creek Mining & Timber Co. RR


Hi Jim,

Just wanted to say how much your thread is appreciated. The time it takes building alone is one thing, but to get a photographic record and share it, well thank you very much. While my interest in logging railroads isn't enough to build one, I surely do acknowledge the skills and ingenuity you have. Simply amazing. Thank you for sharing.

Johnny
 
Thank you Johnny and pacbelt, much appreciated. With the ratio of responses to views it can cause some wonder. I've always been a teacher enjoy this sort of thing. Jim
 
So, while I'm waiting for the 'water' to dry I thought I would show you the single stall engine house that will sit atop the pier next to the tipple. I use bass wood from my LHS. Windows and doors/frames are Grant Line products also found at my LHS.

I always stain the siding wood first and let it dry under a piece of wood and some weights. After a day or so I have a non-warped piece of wood I can use. Bass wood strips don't have a warping problem per se, and dry on their own. Staining/coloring first allows you to use glue afterward and any glue that shows will have color to it. I use a tooth pick to apply glue. Seldom does any glue run out were it can be seen.
The glue I use is usually Elmer's Yellow Glue (wood). I also use super glue gel quite a bit.

I then use weather powders to add 'character' to the stain walls. Sometimes I may add a light wash of acrylic paint if I need more color. Mostly powders though. As far as powders go, they are pretty much all the same. I don't prefer one brand over the next.Jim

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All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!! I just went thru all 9 pages of this thread and WOW!!!!! Incredible modelling skills!! I ma curious as to what has happened to the former 4 layouts that you had there? Did you sell them?

Chris
 
Chris, Glad you like my stuff. Thank you. As for the other four layouts they bit the dust literally. I've had four layouts total printed in mags. They were all Z scale. Arthritis made me give N a try a couple of years ago. I made a really great layout and now it's covered by this endeavor. Probably you can say that for me the journey is more important than the destination.

I didn't sell any of the room sized layouts, but I do build them and have small layouts around the world. In fact as I build the PCM&T layout I'm also building a Z scale layout for a fellow here in SoCal. So never a dull moment. This from someone who never did any modeling until 2005. Go figure. Glad I discovered model railroading and only wish I could have done earlier. With more space of course! Jim:)
 
HOexplorer said:
Chris, Glad you like my stuff. Thank you. As for the other four layouts they bit the dust literally. I've had four layouts total printed in mags. They were all Z scale. Arthritis made me give N a try a couple of years ago. I made a really great layout and now it's covered by this endeavor. Probably you can say that for me the journey is more important than the destination.

I didn't sell any of the room sized layouts, but I do build them and have small layouts around the world. In fact as I build the PCM&T layout I'm also building a Z scale layout for a fellow here in SoCal. So never a dull moment. This from someone who never did any modeling until 2005. Go figure. Glad I discovered model railroading and only wish I could have done earlier. With more space of course! Jim:)
Click to expand...

Where/when was your work published? I would like to check those layouts out.
 
I have to laugh. I recently discovered this thread while looking at the most recent posts. I started thinking, huh, I think I've seen this thread before. I looked at the beginning and sure enough, I'd already 'discovered' this thread a month and a half ago!:D Sometimes I think I look at the 'active topics' with blinders on. After looking in the coffee shop and WPF I move on to other websites.

Anyway, HOexplorer, your layout is looking great! :) Have you started planning your next build yet?;)
 
Corey, As I get older I find the mind does indeed play tricks.:eek:
And yes, I have thought about an addition to this layout. More much later.

Devin, Here's a photo with dates for you. You can contact Ztrack and order these issues if they still have them. I see I put issue 2 and 3 transposed! But the dates and issue numbers are there. Thanks, Jim:)

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Z seems so far removed from my train of thought, it seems such a challenge. Great work indeed, although, I am happy you are speaking my HO language!
 
Devin, My first layout ever was the first issue on the left and that resided on my sailboat. I'd never done model railroading in my life before that. My wife and I lived aboard for 19 years and Z was the only thing that fit. I was pretty happy being approached by the publisher! I recommend Z for those who want "vast" empires or those who only have 30"x36". Jim:)
 
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Work continues. My mining camp needs to have water. So I scratched built this water tank. I put some scale lumber sheets around an old top to a hairspray can that was empty after making Caspia trees. I put black thread around the tank. I ran the thread through a candle to wax it so my thread looks more like 'wire' and less like thread!

Next I tried to paint the roof. I'm not a believer in the three foot rule so in the second photo you can see the shake shingles. My painting it wouldn't pass my standards. I did the water guage by hand to represent work done by the miners themselves out in the boonies.

In the second photo you can see the finished scene. Jim :)

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Finally, I finished the engine house. Also you can see 'accessories' from Rusty Rails. The front roof comes off so the 'accesories' can be seen inside the engine house. I use the finest grade of black paper from Micheals to represent tar paper roofing. I don't use standard construction paper because the finish is too coarse.

On the dock you see coiled lines for when the delivery boat shows up. I got the line from a friend of mine who makes old ship models. Still looks a bit thick so I may change it. The top of the dock is standard bass wood.

I will attach 2'x4's to the roof so the tar paper doesn't blow off. This is very prototypical of a building in this setting.

Lastly all weathering is done using powders. I didn't want the engine house to look too old. I wanted something like five years old to be modeled. I haven't finished the roof detail and weathering yet. Jim:)

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Rybcon and Mike, Thank you both. Mike, nothing wrong with your layout. Layouts in general reflect the personalities of their makers. You've seen my N scale layout and mag covers of Z scale. Obviously scenery is a big deal in my layouts. Running trains is secondary. I'm an outdoor person. I've climbed mountains and hiked for thirty years. I've sailed my boat around the world. It only seems logical that I would stay away from modeling cities and large towns. Nothing wrong with them, it is just the opposite of my interests. If we all have fun and learn what we can along the way we should all be happy modelers. Jim
 
Here is a closer view of the wooden sides of my pier. These are handy plants from the park across the street. Also, the rowboat, figure, and the ladder. Adding these types of details enhance scenes greatly. All these items come from my LHS.

A friend said, "Your water is dirty." Yep. I actually let it "dust up" before I put on the final coat. This is a salt water scene and even in the clear Alaskan fjord waters the water isn't really clear. This dust will add the right 'look' to the water. Trust me. Also you can see some 'seaweed.' Jim

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