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Both you guys are correct. Moss is actually very easy to do. Get a green or even a neutral color fine ground cover and put a dab of white glue where you want the moss and sprinkle. You can always color to suit after all is tried. It works. My next layout will have moss on trees because it will be up a level in modeling to 'very fine scale.' One of you sent me a PM with Paul Templar link. I have had that link in my favorites for years. Mr. Templar uses balsa and a deeper scribing tool. I will do that this next time. My current layout trees are all bass wood and hard to scribe.
Mr. Templar was an exceptional modeler. His trees were primarily cedars. Out of balsa, cedars are easy to produce. Firs and pines are more difficult. Mr. Templar used stuff like plastic leaves, and plants for his branches. Nothing wrong with that. I didn't find those materials when I went looking for them years ago. That is the reason I ended up using Caspia. I like Caspia better. It is all good and shows us that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Jim
KB, You haven't been waiting a month for this day have you? Welcome and please contribute as you wish. We still have a few folks that have read every page. Best of luck. Jim
It took me 2 months to read this thread through - and now I feel that I should start over from the very beginning with the new understanding acquired during the first read. Huge thanks to you, Jim, for making this possible and for sharing your knowledge and experience! As a source of information for a noob like myself, this thread is second to none!
One of the reasons why I joined this forum Igor, can't remember what I was searching for on Google, but....it took me here and the rest is, as they say, history....great thread and great people here!
Thanks for the warm welcome, Jim! My point of view is hardly of any importance as all my previous experience is 30 years old and based on what was then available in Soviet Union But questions I will ask Thanks again! Igor
Igor, I'm sure some of us would be interested in what was available in Soviet Union as far as modeling is concerned. I know I would be! No digital photos then, but even digital photos of 30 year old photos would work. Where do you live now? And, what are you modeling now? Jim
Hey, it looks like I just made post 3000, congrats to me! Jim
As to railroad modelling in Soviet Union: in 70s - when I was a child - it has been considered anonymously to be one of the best toys for a boy. So every teen (and pre-teen ) boy was dreaming about his own little railroad and asking for it from his parents (tears and other intimidation practices included). It could be purchased only in large cities - Moscow, St Petersburg and my beloved Kyiv. Models were imported from East Germany and were made by Pico and Berliner TT Bahnen (now Tillig). HO and N were widely used but most popular was TT (1:120). Of course, modern scenery products were non-existent and substituted with scratch-built trees, grass, etc. At that time we - boys - were more interested in creating complex electrical schemes than in scenery, especially because apartments were small and there was literally no space for stationary layouts.
I live in the same city where I was born - Kyiv, which is the capital of Ukraine. Currently I have to prove to my wife that I am serious with this new (or rather old) hobby and to achieve that have started table-top 4' by 7' layout as a demonstration of due dilligence (My wife generally supports all my hobbies which are many - but in this case asked that I started with something manageable before I get a full go-ahead)
I hope that all the trouble in Ukraine is soon nothing but a memory, and peace and tranquility reigns there.
As far as your wife goes, most of us have to obtain at least some type of permission for the expense of our hobby!
Flyboy, Welcome. My wife is from Lincoln, NE. Anyway, one of the reasons, and unstated here I may add, has been the fact the religion, politics, persecution, and other calamities befalling our members is not really the topic under discussion here. None of us know Igor's situation. So I think the best we can do is sympathize via PM. This is a model railroading reference site and I would like to keep it that way. Thanks, Jim
Back to RR business. Like I said, I have lots of questions of the most basic nature. So if you think they are too stupid to be answered, that is perfectly ok To start with here is one: how do you solder wires to the track? I noticed that I have not noticed any wires or soldering points on any of your photos. Do you solder them underneath rails or do you mask them with ballast? Thanks in advance! Igor
There is no such thing as a stupid question. I, personally, strip a small length of my feeder wires (about 1/8" or 3mm) and solder it to the outside of the rail and when the rail is painted and ballasted the solder joint all but disappears. Bill
Thanks, Bill! I will try it out this evening provided my real world job will leave me at least some time . And to be absolutely clear - are you soldering in the middle of the track or to rail joiners? Igor
Igor, Bill is correct all questions are important here. I think he means to the side of the rail. I sometimes do that and hope no one notices. But for the most part I do it this way:
Notice I've cut two of the plastic rails joins off to make room for soldering. I burnish the open space with a file. Add a bit of flux then with a very hot iron solder the wire. I have the wires leading inward so I only have to drill one hole. I use a hot iron because it is on the solder site for less time and doesn't melt the adjoining ties like a medium hot iron might. For flex track the cut in the plastic is already made for you. From the top it looks like this:
Virtually all of what you see here is covered with ballast. Finally this:
Looking down the track we see very little of the process showing and with more care even this much would not show.
Other points: You are starting a layout 4x7. I will be finishing my modeling career with 4x6.5. Hope you are still around to see it. Wives are an important part of any of our hobbies. Things tend to go smoothly when they are on board. (pun intended) Were did you learn such good English or American? Jim
Igor, I make a small hook on the end of the wire and solder just the tip to the outside of the rail (Between ties - not at the joiner. Easier to make changes if necessary). Jim's method does look better. Bill
Jim, I actually solder to outside of the rail as my track is already laid. Although, after seeing your method,it does, looks better then mine. Able to hide the leads better. Bill
Thanks, Jim! One picture is worth thousand words. Anxious to try it out this evening
Answering your other questions - layout size is dictated by the space I have in one of our rooms which is shared between myself with all my hobbies and a chinchilla. It has also to be foldable and cat- and dog-proof so bit of a challenge there My wife does not mind myself spending some money on any hobby. What she is afraid of is that this passion will turn out to be short-lived and end up with models collecting dust and cluttering up the space
As to English, well, kudos should go to my first English teacher who managed to interest 10-year boy in learning a new language and culture. In addition being a software developer I have to use English a lot, especially since I started working for a California-based company Igor
That's alright, Igor. That's what this hobby is all about. There are many ways to to do things. You just have to do what works best for you. In the end its all about having fun. I don't remember, but have you read through the whole thread? There is a wealth of information and techniques from Jim and some of the other contributors. I have been a model railroader for many years and have learned some new things as well. Bill
