The LF&NW Layout Thread


What you see is what I would call "scenery rock" over painted Sculptamold or Celluclay (again, depending on what I can find at Michaels or a train store). I take old coffee cans when I go railfanning, and when I run into some likely dirt, I pack it into the coffee cans. I go for different colors and sizes. It helps that I live in California and can easily find various kinds of dirt and fine rocks in semi-desert areas, but I believe George Sellios does the same thing in his climate and area, so just about anyone can do something with this idea. When I get the coffee cans home, I put them in the oven at 250 degrees or so to dry the dirt out and kill any creatures that came in with it. Then when I'm ready, I spread the dirt and various size rocks in a geologically likely-looking way. Then wet it with a spray bottle and liberally drizzle white glue onto it. Sprinkling some Woodland Scenics fine turf on top also helps blend things in. It helps to get out in the real world railfanning, or even better, riding Amtrak (or your own flavor of passenger train).

A good source of inspiration for this kind of scenery work is rail DVDs, such as those by Charles Smiley.
 
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Ground cover in the East Zenith area is moving toward the Hallmark village, while the white foam cover for the gap between the track and the wall above it is also making progress:

East_Zenith_Station_Area_14.jpg


In Terrible, I painted the stone retaining walls, added surfaces to the road areas with water putty, and began adding more ground cover:

Terrible_Mine_Upgrades_10.jpg
 
Looking good, really like the looks of the little buildings were they all scratch built or from kits?
 
The three buildings on the left are from the former Paper Creek Model Works, thick paper with some reinforcement I added -- they've held up well for maybe 10 years so far. The gas station is from the old Kibri Wild West town. The mine buildings are Grandt Line kits.
 
I'm pleased with how posting photos and explanations motivates me to make progress on the layout. Here's another relatively small section with a variety of to-do items. I have a lumber operation that's based on fairly modern diesel logging, generally following the Oregon California & Eastern and various Weyerhaeuser operations from the 1960s onward. Like the OC&E, it leases power from the GN, BN, and SP. The track plan in the first post shows the whole thing in the Loma Linda area. These photos give a tour from right to left.

First, the engine house. This used Paper Creek building paper on foamcore, with Grandt Line plastic parts, following a Milwaukee Road prototype that had drawings in RMC:

Logging_area_2014_1.jpg


To the left of the engine house, a couple of skid shacks that need to be seated more finally in what will become more of a loco servicing area:

Logging_area_2014_2.jpg


To the left of this scene, a trestle that crosses a log pond, with a couple of kitbashed diesel-era log cars:

Logging_area_2014_3.jpg


A kitbashed logging-style water tank, sitting temporarily on the track next to where I need to modify some scenery to install it:

Logging_area_2014_4.jpg


Two shots of the woodchip loader area:

Logging_area_2014_7.jpg


Logging_area_2014_6.jpg


The area for a loadout at the end of the line:

Log_load_7-14.jpg


As you can see, there are several good projects for me to move forward with in this general area.
 
Great photos John. I remember quite a few years back when Paper Creek Model Works had a free download to try and a few of the guys had tried it with great results. Trestle bridge looks great. I think when I do my trestle I will be doing the stringers and leaving the flex track across them.
 
I was able to hack enough of a rebate into the hard shell to make a first try at fitting the logging water tank in place:

Logging_area_2014_8.jpg


Logging_area_2014_9.jpg


Logging_area_2014_10.jpg


And I found a length of old code 70 flex track that I can use to finish off the loadout area:

Logging_area_2014_11.jpg
 
With the white foam in place in the East Portal area, I got around to aligning, leveling, and ballasting the track, which is code 70 dual gauge here.

East_Portal_area_12-2014_1.jpg


In my experience, code 70 track needs a lot more attention to leveling and a solid base than codes 83 or 100.

You can see a change in alignment here -- the track on the right has been leveled (with a level). The track to the left is superelevated.
 
Test train on newly ballasted track. I think the diluted white glue made some of the cardboard shims shrink, so I had to do some tweaking:

East_Portal_area_12-2014_2.jpg
 
Your really moving forward at a nice pace and giving some rather interesting results.
 
Nice Photos!! Great cribbing for the water tank. Also, the backdrop showing a clearcut (in the background) is well done. lasm
 
Log loading area shimmed with corrugated cardboard to meet track level on trestle

Logging_area_2014_12.jpg


UP locos on test train at West Slope leading to Tennessee Pass

UP_53-868.jpg


Detailed Athearn bluebox PFE reefer

PFE_47612.jpg
 
Really looking good. Did you use the ME bridge flex track for the trestle? I just received some ME bridge flex track and I'm not quite sure about how to attach the barrel platform to the bridge.
 
No, that's a stock Campbell kit with their ties. I've used ME bridge track on several bridges, but none is long enough to need refuges/barrel platforms.
 
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