More from the HO Scale MadCoW....


enjineerbill

Avid People Watcher
Well I've been busy with multiple projects this year and thought I'd better get to posting something about the layout. As a refresher, the layout actually started as dioramas that I have pieced together to form the different areas of the layout.

This will cover the area between the dioramas of Dachshundville(small, rural town) to the Ablemann quarry. This was going to be a challenge as the rockwork for the bridge scene and the quarry were done over a year ago and it was only after our move that I placed them together. Someone on this forum asked how in the world I would do this and perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the procrastination involved in finally setting out to do it. Watch your step as we walk from left to right, this is after all, a construction zone.

This first scene is on the edge of the scene dividing the town of Dachshundville(to the left) and the bridge at Ablemann(to the right, around curve). The open area next to the rocks will have a sloped pasture that rises to just below the top layer of foam. The pink foam in the foreground will be a farm field.

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Moving towards the bridge, we see the rockface carved by glaciers over 1 month ago. The roadway coming down to the bridge abutments is the highway from Dachshundville and will serve as access to a town in this area.

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Front on view. I'm not happy with the way the road turned out and will probably surface it with foamboard 'asphalt'. You can also see the new foam work being blended into the bridge scene.

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Foam and Sculptamold, my friends. This photo shows progress to date.

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Although I'm happy with the carvings, the real challenge will come during the painting process. Looking back towards the east-end of the bridge.

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This view is of the west-end of the bridge looking towards the loader at Ablemann. Hope nobody shoves cars off the loading stubs....:D

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And then the little town of LaRue. It sits on the other side of this hill and is the source of sand for on-line cement plants. It is accessed off the siding at the quarry. The MadCoW serves this former shortline as well. In this view, the main enters the tunnel while the small, ore-jennie yard, is in the foreground.

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This view has the tunnel portal positioned for mock-up and the hillside will get some more foam/sculpta- in the upper corner.

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So many thing I gotta do.........Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Johnny
 
I wish people would quit posting pictures of such nice layouts. I haven't run trains in about a year. I WANT TO RUN TRAINS!
 
Paul-Thanks Much!!

Chip-Judging by what your up to.....it won't be long. Will it make you feel a little better if I say my trains can only go back and forth right now?;) Thanks for the compliments.

Johnny
 
nice work Johnny, looking great

got the link Johnny, thanks
 
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That's really cool Johnny, seeing all those scenes I recognized from before all coming together! Do you plan on having a "large" town on your layout eventually?
 
That's really cool Johnny, seeing all those scenes I recognized from before all coming together! Do you plan on having a "large" town on your layout eventually?

Well, yes, kind of..., This is going to be a two-level layout and directly above the quarry will be a scene from downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The centerpiece of which is the Walthers' Union Station which is a very good representation of the CNW depot there(it is still there now used as offices). Here are some before and afters;

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So I'm planning on this scene because there was a diamond with the Milwaukke road in the middle of the street here. And I will also do the "Tower in the lake" scene in which they both crossed in the lake in the only one of the kind lake crossings in the world!!

Thanks Ken!!

Johnny
 
Man, I have been waiting a year to see this. Thank you.
Darn, I wish I could carve foam like that. Everytime I have tried, it looked like...well...YUK! That's why I have had to work with plaster globs, which I hate. I really like the rock faces and the transitions you are making are perfect. Very good job!
 
The scenery showing the rock bluff that has the sliding material covered with ground foam as if it had been in place fore many years is wonderful. (seventh photo, at the bottom) Really nice job! Good eye.
 
Man, I have been waiting a year to see this. Thank you.
Darn, I wish I could carve foam like that. Everytime I have tried, it looked like...well...YUK! That's why I have had to work with plaster globs, which I hate. I really like the rock faces and the transitions you are making are perfect. Very good job!

Thanks Rex, Me too!! We've been havin 'Balmy Bama' type weather till now so I didn't get the feel for the warmth of the basement til the last couple of weeks:D .

Some guys do it with plaster, others foam. Kinda' like choosing between oils and acrylics, whatever works. And your works well.

Johnny
 
The scenery showing the rock bluff that has the sliding material covered with ground foam as if it had been in place fore many years is wonderful. (seventh photo, at the bottom) Really nice job! Good eye.


Thanks Selector!! I am partial to the bridge scene as well. When I first built it, it had trees planted in that area. An area that was created by using a coffee grinder to grind dried leaves into a powder consistancy and mix with a small amount of ground foam to give it the 'slide' you see. In the good old days, I could take the thing outside for some good ole' fun. The trees on the upper right are in the area you mentioned in your post.

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Thanks Again.

Johnny
 
Dang Johnny, you're looking good there! Glad I won't have to do much venturing down that rock face route. Allot of "rosin paper" scenery for me! Keep it up, I can't wait to see more!
 
Dang Johnny, you're looking good there! Glad I won't have to do much venturing down that rock face route. Allot of "rosin paper" scenery for me! Keep it up, I can't wait to see more!

Rosin, Plaster, Foam Cardboard............Ain't life GREAT!!?

I saw you laying down on the job with your John Deere, ....Like I said

Ain't Life Great!!?


Thanks Josh, keep the diesels humming.........

Johnny
 
Johnny The size as well the how they look : these rocks/landscape , even it is not finished, are modelled great. How will it look like when everything is ready:eek: I think it will be super like the bridge scene!
( Please) contignue;)
Jos
 
Johnny, thats some great progress. Its really coming together and looks awesome!! Lookin forward to seein some trains running
 



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