It's doing me a lot of good to post these photos. I was in the model railroad doldrums for a while, which we all get into, but I seem to be coming out, and it's as help to see where I've been! I want to focus in on a couple of scenery areas that I'd been stalled on but am coming back to. One is an Appalachian area, part of a couple of scenes that were inspired by MR's Virginian project layout, that had been sitting in a "not quite sure what to do with" part of the layout. This is near, and scenically lower than, the EAST PORTAL station on the plan in the first post.
Here is what EAST PORTAL looked like in 1994:
The forthcoming scenes are in the empty area below and to the left of the sewer pipe. I don't think I have any other good shots of this area from construction days.
Here are some progress shots from the last couple of years:
The D&RGW GP40 above is on the main line coming downgrade from East Portal -- the track visible next to the sewer pipes in the first photo of this post.
You can get an idea of my basic scenery approach: wood framework, cardboard lattice, plaster cloth, covered first with Sculptamold or Celluclay and various plaster bits and details pressed into the Celluclay, then ground cover and veggies.
Here is what EAST PORTAL looked like in 1994:
The forthcoming scenes are in the empty area below and to the left of the sewer pipe. I don't think I have any other good shots of this area from construction days.
Here are some progress shots from the last couple of years:
The D&RGW GP40 above is on the main line coming downgrade from East Portal -- the track visible next to the sewer pipes in the first photo of this post.
You can get an idea of my basic scenery approach: wood framework, cardboard lattice, plaster cloth, covered first with Sculptamold or Celluclay and various plaster bits and details pressed into the Celluclay, then ground cover and veggies.