The LF&NW Layout Thread


As long as we seem to be touching on the East Portal area above the Appalachian area, I guess it's time to expand the description and photos into that part of things. I appreciate the positive comments here, by the way, they keep me going, many thanks. I should mention once again that I don't have a single prototype or area that I model, I model what I like and try to fit things in a little like Walt Disney in Disneyland. If the Matterhorn sticks up above the Fairy Castle, in the end, you've got to accept it. So the thing to recognize about the 1994 scene in the post just above is that in effect, all scenery below the curving track on risers coming down from the sewer pipe is Appalachia. All scenery above is the Rockies. I get a lot of complaints. It's my layout. Actually, the complainers mostly don't have layouts. (Or the layouts aren't very good.)

So now we get to the East Portal area, which I am resuming work on. Here are some photos from early 2012, when I got up the gumption to cut out part of the subroadbed and install parts from an Atlas girder bridge that came painted for D&RGW.

Bridge_with_Skil_Saw.jpg



Bridge_with_cardboard_web.jpg


Moffat_portal_with_bridge.jpg


So far, I haven't been able to figure out a way to hide the sewer pipe. The plumber needs access for emergencies, after all. It may eventually be something I just have to accept, and something I can edit or crop out of photos.
 
That's what I mean. I think the plumber can reach it from the aisle. Unless I can work out some easy lift-off for the scenery, it's just going to have to stay there.
 
Celluclay more or less dry, Hallmark buildings in place -- General Store needs a little shimming to level:

East_Zenith_Station_Area_13.jpg


Terrible townsite rearranged, Celluclay drying nicely:

Terrible_Mine_Upgrades_8.jpg


Grandt includes some cribbing with the Terrible Mine kit, which you can see sitting loose in some earlier shots. The problem is that it's just cribbing, and the backfill behind it isn't there. I decided to try adding the backfill by sort of rubbing the cribbing into some of my smallish scenery stone, brushing more into the gaps, then wetting and adding white glue. Seems to be working well.

Terrible_Mine_Upgrades_9.jpg


It'll take several more days for all the new Celluclay to dry hard. Meantime to other projects.
 
This is my favorite part of the hobby. Maybe for the drainpipe you can make mold in a piece say out of foam board then once its set use a drywall saw and cut around so it can be removed, now put it back in place and touch up the joining surfaces with polyfiber or something. I can just see telling the plumber, well sir you just need to work your way through the scenery and you will find the drain access.lol
 
By the way I have often found myself taking my jigsaw and seeing a place in the rail where a bridge would be a nice break in the scene.
 
The biggest scenic issue remaining on this side of the layout is the gap between the upper track leading to East Portal and the wall:

East_Portal_area_11-2014_1.jpg


Although I've made progress in the area in the last few years, I've procrastinated this last gap. I needed to think about exactly how I was going to cover it, and how to make enough of the covering removable to reach the hidden track below. (The hidden track is visible in the 1994 shot a few posts back.) I slowly realized my best bet would be to have a lightweight removable panel made from foam. Here's the start:

East_Portal_area_11-2014_2.jpg


I'll need to cobble together the rest from more pieces of foam, spliced and held together with non-solvent based Liquid Nails.
 
Glad to see you decided to join the forums! I remember checking out some posting about your layout a ways back. Looking forward to further posts about your layout!
 
John it should be interesting to see what you do with the gap between the upper track leading to East Portal and the wall.
 
Hope a plumber never has to open that pipe! Cleanouts are just that...........a way to access a clogged area of a drain. Where there's a clog, there's almost ALWAYS backed up sewage. Hopefully, this is just an area servicing sink drains.............if not the area residents will be filing complaints with the EPA. You don't want a Superffund Cleanup Site on your layout!

On a more positive note..........you've got a fantastic layout in progress! A lot of hard work and planning has definitely gone into it. You should be proud and please keep the pictures coming.
 
Should it be necessary to bring the plumber in, I'm assuming we could cover that part of the layout with plastic.
 
Looking at the photos of this area so far, I'm realizing I also need to do more with the scenery immediately around East Portal. For starters, I made a tunnel liner for the portal itself out of corrugated cardboard:

East_Portal_area_11-2014_3.jpg


I continue to appreciate the feedback and positive comments. I'm also finding that photos of your own work are a big help in making things better.

Photos and DVD footage show that the profile immediately inside East Portal is rectangular. Apparently the tunnel lining extends somewhat past the mountainside, and the portal structure here contains ventilation equipment for the tunnel. The photos I've been able to find also show some doors and other stuff just inside the portal, but I haven't been able to find more specific info. In fact, there was a book at one point about all the structures around East Portal. However, I simply don't have the space to cover any of that stuff, so this will probably have to do.

I painted the inside of the liner with Aged Concrete and weathered it with a certain amount of Grimy Black toward the top.

East_Portal_area_11-2014_4.jpg


Here's the liner in place temporarily, a big improvement.

East_Portal_area_11-2014_5.jpg
 
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It's great that you have photos from the start of the layout. It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter how long it takes to to build something worthwhile. Great job, look forward to more updates.

Thanks
Scott
 
The coragated cardboard gives a nice look.Will you paint them flat black in the tunnel?
 
No, since I did paint it Aged Concrete, blending to black at the top. I agree it could be all black on the prototype, but I like the look it has.
 
A while ago, somebody down the street was disposing of a great deal of white foam board -- I don't know what he was using it for, but he had a lot left over. I helped myself to some of it -- in hindsight, maybe could have used more. I've now packed some of it around the portal:

East_Portal_area_11-2014_6.jpg


And am making good progress fitting and splicing together pieces to cover the gap:

East_Portal_area_11-2014_7.jpg
 
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Really coming together nicely. The rubble you have in place at the east end of the bridge , is it colored plaster? Looks terrific.
 



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