Reviving a thirty year old layout

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DeaconKC said:
Jim, the scenery was there before tracks existed in the real world. It gives you inspiration, and it looks GOOD. I will have to look for that Testor's Dark Aircraft Gray, looks like a very versatile color. Is the Light Aircraft Gray the sidewalks in the first and third pictures?
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Thanks. Yes. the Testors light aircraft gray is used on the sidewalks in front of the retail stores in the first and third photo. Both the light and the dark aircraft gray colors are flat colors. I believe I found them at Hobby Lobby.

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Jim 68cuda said:
Day 2 of benchwork construction. Straightening out the legs was just a simple matter of loosening one nut on each corner (one end at a time), squaring things up and then re-tightening the nuts down. Easy-peasy. I added some cross braces in the center of each section to support the foam top. I still need to go back to Lowes for another 2"x2"x8' piece of lumber to cut up and use for additional support for the foam on the 4'x4' section. Then I'll drill a few holes through the new benchwork in anticipaption of running wiring. That will complete the new benchwork. The additional 2X2 lumber left over will come in handy for filling in some benchwork on the back side of the old layout where I had a section cut out for access to the back of the layout.

I test fitted a couple of 1"x 2'x8' sections of foam on top, along with a 1"x3'x4' remnant I had lying around. Looks like it will work perfectly (though the 3' length remnant made it hang over an extra foot past the 4x4 framework).

I'll need more foam sheets, and I know it will fit in the old station wagon, though it will hang out the open rear window a little. Soon as we have a nice warm dry day that I have free, I'll make a trip to Lowes for the foam and for the one additional 2x2. I know the foam is now sold in the larger 4x8 sheets. So, the bottom layer of foam on each section will be a single 1" thick piece. Foam will need to be 3" high to match the elvation of the track on the old existing layout where they meet, but the lowest part of the scenery on the existing layout (where it meets the new addition) is only 1".

Meanwhile, I ordered a $29 foam cutter off of Amazon.

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Sure wish I had a basement
 


Yesterday my power went out, for fourteen hours. With no lights, no internet, and no TV, I went to bed early. Like 8PM early. But thats not my normal routine, so I just lay there in bed thinking.

Though I'm not doing any scenery at this point, some scenery thoughts came to mind. I have been planning a corn field on the hillside (by the blue farm house) as part of the farm. Over the years, I have accumulated six boxes of green summer corn field. Some are branded Busch, some are exactly the same and branded Walthers Scenemaster. I do like these kits. But, they aren't cheap. Currently, the Scenemaster brand is on Walthers website at $18.98 per box. The Busch branded box is $21.98, but currently on sale for $18.98 (clearly the better deal, LOL). I wondered just how far the six boxes would go. As it turns out, not very far at all. Each box only covers fifteen square inches. Roughly the area of a 3" x 5" index card. So the six boxes will almost cover an area the size of a 8.5" x 11" sheet of letter size paper. The photos on the boxes are a bit misleading as it fails to mention that several boxes were used to create the scene on the box. I think I'm gonna need at least another two boxes before I start on the scenery at the farm. I'm glad I bought most of those boxes many years ago when they were much cheaper.

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The other thing I was thinking about was the mountain that used to be up against the wall at the old house, and the much lower terrain of the town that used to be on the other side of the wall. I had tried cutting the mountain down in height, and trimmed it back considerably to try to make it all work. I cut foam scraps to build up the mountain on the left side, but it turned out to be more of a cliff.

So, last night I realized it will just never work. I still want the mountain as a visual separation between two towns. And I still want the mid century modern house up high on the mountain. But the mountain itself is configured all wrong. So, as much as I liked the way the mountain was shaping up when it was against the wall. It's gonna come down. When I'm ready to do the scenery on this old part of the layout, I'll be starting from scratch.

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DeaconKC said:
Jim, I only noticed them peripherally as I model N scale, but Hobby Lobby has some JTT corn stalks in their train section.
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Thanks. Saw those. But figure the corn field corn should have a consistant look. Found the Walthers SceneMaster corn fields on Amazon for $16.98 per box. Ordered three boxes to get over the free shipping threshold. I think the corn field is gonna be the most expensive part of the entire layout. Then again, there's trees, figures and other detail parts that will add up quick when the time comes.
 
Still waiting for the three more boxes of Busch/ Walthers Scenemaster corn field to arrive from Amazon. Meanwhile, what you see here is the contents of the six boxes I already had (arranged in the box lid of the Walthers HO scale Motel kit to give you an idea of how far six boxes go).

Each row of corn stalks is completely flat. Instructions suggest using a tweezers to twist the stalks or leaves so that the leaves stick out different directions. The tweezers method is quite difficult, tedius, and time consuming. After the first couple boxes (the group in the middle), I switched to just using my fat clumsy fingers for the third box (top left). Still tedius work, but alot quicker. The lower left and far right corn stalks are still completely flat. I have alot more corn stalks to twist into more natural positions before the remaining three boxes arrive. then I'll start over with those.

Still considering the best method of painting the green bases an earth tone. Considering a paint brush and considering a small pan of paint to dip the bottoms of each row into.

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DeaconKC said:
Do you think you could use a wash or contrast paint to do the dirt? Something thin like those that are designed to leave highlights would be quick and easy to control.
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The object will be to make the green bases disapear into the surrounding earth. I was thinking a thicker brown or tan paint would do a better job of making the bases blend in.
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Rico said:
I’ve been working on just one box for months now, you’ve got me beat already! 😆
Tedious stuff, especially the brown fluff on the ends.
I’m also pondering how to blend the bases together, even considered planting each one separately for a minute and a half. I’m ok now.
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LOL! Yeah, I've been sitting in front of the TV twisting corn stalks through Charlies Angels, Hawaii 5-0, and Mission Impossible. Three hours and it hardly looks like I've done anything.

Twenty corn stalks to twist into shape per row. Twenty rows per box. Four boxes done now (1600 corn stalks, 400 of which I did in front of the TV today). Two boxes left on hand to do, and three more boxes arriving Thursday. So, just 2000 plants left to twist into shape. Then to paint the 180 green bases earth brown.

When its all done, it should give me enough corn for a 9" x 15" field of corn.

Shoulda made it a cow pasture.
 
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Its been a busy week with family in town for a funeral (my sister in law's sister's husband). If anyone was wondering, they still use the horse drawn wagons at Arlington National Cemetery.

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But, now that the funeral is over and out of town family is starting to head home to points north and south, things will be a bit quieter. Next week I'll start on the wiring. Was really hoping to have at least part of the layout operational before the family got here, to show it off to the younger family members. But that didn't happen.
 
Started putting holes through the foam on the new section. Then replaced some rail joiners with the terminal rail joiners I had on hand and ran the wires down through the holes in the foam. Installed insulated plastic joiners in appropriate places as well. I'm sticking with DC. Ive witnessed too many frustrations with DCC on a friend's layout). Later, I went back to finish that job with additional new terminal rail joiners recently obtained through Amazon.

But the wires on the new ones are significantly thicker than the old originals I was using. I don't think I want to mix them. So, next step is pulling the older ones out and replacing them with the newer ones. Then I'll likely do that on the entire original layout as well.
 
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