The Saanich Peninsula

[ianc]

First, my thanks for this suggestion:
It may be necessary to rethink some of your water and use the area for structures. What do you plan on including?

My first reaction was, "I need the water to outline the peninsula." Then I thought, "Yeah, but you've got the tracks closer to the water than they should be in a couple of places." So I decided to fill in the water to show the route of the Canora line more accurately. And then I thought, "If you're going to do that, why not correct the botch you made of the Mt. Newton Valley? So I grabbed the Dremel, cut the plaster around the valley and the plateau justto the south, through which runs the Interurban and the V&S, and here's a picture. The part I removed is lying on the layout. I'll post a pic of the reformed valley in a day or two.

 

[new guy]

LOL! Nobody is going to dock you points if you are not topographically perfect! Really outstanding concept and it is really starting to come alive with the water, good call!

 

[ianc]

LOL! Nobody is going to dock you points if you are not topographically perfect! Really outstanding concept and it is really starting to come alive with the water, good call!

That's true, but this is really two projects in one: it's a more-or-less accurate depiction of the peninsula ca 1917, and it's a model railroad (well, three model railroads). So to satisfy the first criterion, the topography has to be reasonably correct, especially since most of the people who will see it live in the area. Here's the new Mt. Newton valley and Maber flats with the Interurban and V&S running through them. The first road (Mt. Newton X Road) is on but not painted. I have to do some checking to see if it had been graveled by 1917.

 

[ianc]

I'm now in the process of trying to discover what the road surfaces were in 1917. Victoria had cobbled streets starting ca 1860, but the rural area roads were dirt tracks. They started putting down gravel on rural roads ca 1900, starting at the edge of the urban area and moving out, but I haven't been able to find out which roads were dirt and which gravel in 1917. I've got an appointment with the local municipal streets and roads department to look at their log books. Modeling was much easier when I was just making stuff up. I'm debating what to use for the gravel roads - fine ballast, I think. It's not a big issue (no pun intended, but noted) as I'm making the roads pretty narrow, in keeping with the scale of the model. I know they should be wider than the tracks, but I can't do that. (By the way, the reason Victoria had cobbled streets was that the main export of the area was timber, and the ships came here in ballast, which took the form of - cobblestones. So Victoria, only 20 years old, had cobbled streets. They were paved starting ca 1910.)

 

[ianc]

I've been revisiting my youth, remembering techniques for surfaces. My dirt roads will be red cedar sawdust, of which I have plenty in the table saw base. Cedar sawdust is very fine, to the point where I can apply it by putting it in a jar, putting a nylon over the top, and sprinkling it onto wet paint. It makes a nice, red-brown surface. I'm trying to figure out how to make the forests: they have to be conifers, and made of material that can be applied over large areas. I'm not going to make individual trees, but the usual scenic materials won't work. I need something that stands up to resemble softwood forests. Any thoughts?

 

[logandsawman]

I'm trying to figure out how to make the forests: they have to be conifers, and made of material that can be applied over large areas. I'm not going to make individual trees, but the usual scenic materials won't work. I need something that stands up to resemble softwood forests. Any thoughts?

Good question. What scale are you going for with the trees? Or are you going to blend from 1/87 on the edge in to smaller scale?

There is a quick and easy way using furnace filters, the material could probably be adapted. You wouldn't have to go the level of detail for every tree, just paint the dowell and apply the foliage rings to inner rings, leave off the detail on the boles.


[video=youtube;ClCwvzT2VG4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClCwvzT2VG4[/video]

 

[ianc]

Good question. What scale are you going for with the trees? Or are you going to blend from 1/87 on the edge in to smaller scale?

There is a quick and easy way using furnace filters, the material could probably be adapted. You wouldn't have to go the level of detail for every tree, just paint the dowell and apply the foliage rings to inner rings, leave off the detail on the boles.

Sir, you have hit the nail on the head. There are three lines: front, centre and back. Each is fairly accurate as to the route taken by the protos. But even T scale would be out by a factor of 9: T scale is 1:450 and the layout is 1:3200. So I have to make scenery that is somewhere between 1:87 and 1:3200. I figure that right beside the tracks in the front and centre I might get away with trees as tall as the rolling stock: say 6 cm. At the back, maybe a bit less: say 4.5 cm. Everywhere else, the 'trees' will have to be between 1 and 2 cm, so I can't really use any of the common techniques for making individual trees. I need something like the static technique for making grass. In fact, that might do for trees. Or old toothbrushes, with some sort of fuzz for needles.

 

[logandsawman]

Green 3m scouring pads can be torn and shaped, and have the color and texture of pine needles.

Here I used them to make big trees, but I think you can cut them up to make small trees by shaping with a scissors. I found that If I pull the cut or torn pieces of scouring pad and then trim the outer fuzz, they can be quite convincing.

[video=youtube;y_kUowZN5EA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_kUowZN5EA[/video]

 

[ianc]

Very nice. I'm sure my wife has a couple of those she'll never miss. I'll give it a shot.

 

[ianc]

The base paint is on. The roads are still not done: I decided to get them on and then finish them all at once. I'm using picture matte for the roads, cut into strips. I haven't accomplished much: this is a busy time of your for musicians, even amateurs. The concert band in which I play and MC has played three concerts and a parade in the past month and all need practice and the concerts require a script as well. Then I had to bank the gate and pay expenses. (I'm also the treasurer.) I also played for a couple of carol sings, which took time. But we're done for the year, except for an executive meeting, so I can get something done.