Moving the Ponies

I've been away taking care of side projects and also taking time to think about the next module. In some ways the corner piece sorta blocked me in a bit having wanted to have something more there. I have been working on a few sketches that will give me a bit more room. Adding 6" to the short side will push the layout a bit from the wall and give me another parallel track for livestock loading. I didn't want any more behind the orange grove, so this seems the best solution. I've ordered a few ATSF style Cattle Cars and began cutting parts for a portable loading ramp. With the weather closing in a bit this weekend, I want to push forward with another project:

I scored a bunch of old Athearn Baggage cars and now have enough plastic to do some cutting and stitching. Lots of history with these cars and given the era I model, these were most likely used to transport cars or freight. Regardless it ought to be an interesting car to add to my slowly growing Head End collection.

Sorry for the huge image :)

Good info on line and in the Santa Fe Head End Car book with drawings of the Pullman Standard model

Working with a little SOCAL Veggies.

Two Iconic plants make Southern California look like Southern California. Palms and Eucalyptus trees. The former somewhat native and used as an ornamental and the latter, planted by the Bizzillions by Southern Pacific and Santa Fe. Getting Eucalyptus trees looking like Eucalyptus trees has still eluded me, but there are a few ready made examples that could fill in if you need one or two...given the price. Auscision Models has a line of trees, most of which will work for SOCAL. There are shots on line of some of their Gum trees that look good with a little work. They also carry both the Washingtonian Palms and the Date Palms, both must needs for any layout. I prefer to make my own foliage and given the modelers out there who are giving of their techniques, makes it easy to replicate what you need effectively following their lead. Palms, need tons of them and I would rather spend the money on new resin Reefers than trees. Here are some samples I worked up with the help of John Signor who provided some initial artwork for trees he wanted me to cut for him. Essentially I took a wood dowel, spun it on a drill and got the right shape using a rasp. The crisscross pattern you see on most palms was made by slanting the cut of the teeth on the rasp in one direction, reversing the direction on the drill to get the cross pattern cut across the first cut. I made a silicone mold that had a knot on the top to hold a small lump of Sculpy clay that's shaped like a ball. I then spread some thick superglue on the upper trunk and added course ballast for texture. The fronds were laser cut and then pulled across a dowel to get the droop effect. I then shot the trunk with yellowish brown paint, let set and then got to work plugging in fronds. These are laser cut from a thin laser board, but a good card stock will work just as well. I gave the clay a shot of super glue accelerator, dipped the ends of the fronds in a puddle of thick super glue and then pushed them into the clay. About 60 fronds later you have a tree.

I made up a bunch of trunks and fronds in advance and it took about 20 minutes to finish a tree.

I'll list the colors I used next installment.

Here you can see them stuck on the module. A few more and things will start to fill out nicely.

Earlier I was talking about the search for vintage rolling stock that would work with my era and area modeling. As it happens, I have a fondness for older models, some of which offer the only real viable prototype that fill the bill. PE had a number of drop bottom gondolas early on and the most distinctive were almost a direct match to the old Ulrich metal kit of the G 50. Dated yes, heavy, very yes, detailed...ok. But they are sturdy and hold up to operations at the club and fill up a siding just fine. The other nice thing about these models is the price...$5.00 each at the local shows. I pick them up as often as possible to add to the fleet marked in PE and SP for variety. Granted, not that many are needed on a spur as short as the Orphan, but once all the track is laid there will be space to show them off.

Here they are after being primed and painted. Basic pre shading was used to highlight some of the details to best effect.

And here they are running on Bruce Petty's layout. They give the Baldwin switchers a time, but all I need are 4-6 and a caboose...plenty of power for that.

I've been spending time looking at my fleet and deciding what and how much I need to effectively pull off the feel of the Spur. A smattering of boxcars, gons, flats and tanks with the largest number going to Reefers is what I need. I think I have most covered, but not a Reefer in sight. I'm considering going with some of the resin options out there for a unique look and cars that were prototypical for the era. In the mean time, I continue to add tank cars to the box.

This is one of the new releases by Walthers that I stripped and created new decals for. It is busy to say the least and will stand out in a string of oil cans. I have some silvering issues with the decals and will attack that this weekend. I also just picked up the 10,000 gallon tank car from Inter mountain and really like the detail. More on that later.

Been forever since I posted...holidays with my family is an endurance match trying to coral everyone. Made it through safely and have been working on a few out buildings for the field near the turn past the spur. These are not proto, but I needed to just flex my creative muscles a bit and whether or not they make it on the final layout is still up for discussion. Did get the Walthers S2 switcher and got a decoder set up for it. I was able to pull a lot of heavy GS gons at the show last month so in my book it's a winner. These are all scratchbuilt out of 1/32 ply, card stock and Grandt Line Windows and Doors. The Feed Store and the Yardmaster's office came photo's I saw on line...I think the Yardmaster's may have been in an old MR as well. The old pump house is based on a still from my favorite movie, East of Eden. (die hard Steinbeck Fan) I did it without the water tanks and in stead turned it into a Hollywood deck and add a little tongue and cheek to the scene. I also broke down and spent the Christmas money I gave myself :) and picked up a couple of 36x80 Hollow Core Doors so I could start modeling scenes properly. The spur I showed earlier was too abrupt and was missing what I felt were essential details and space to execute them. I have been working under the idea that I could compress things and get away with it, but the two spurs and the SP interchange are a wealth of interesting and area specific details that were too important to miss. Plans now are to take over one of the garages here where I live and start setting things up with more room so I can begin operations in the Spring. Point to point I can have almost 50' of track to run on between three detailed modules. If I pull this off...

New Project, New Distraction

I'll admit it, I model in several scales which owes to the number of stuff closets in my house. I try not to get too worked up about it and knowing that I am in good company hardly give it a thought, until I go looking for something. As some may know, I work for Micro-Trains Line as the Design Engineer and have access to way too much cool stuff. I used to think HO was the distraction...but now N scale is. I've come to appreciate what both scales have to offer and I think building in more than one, has it's advantages. HO is for my detailing mood, and N is for my "get it done and running" mood. It also helps living in reduced quarters as I am at the moment, to enjoy the best of both without any more frustration than necessary. So my Distraction at the moment is developing a N Scale layout for publication and to use at shows for MTL. Modeling PE is my focus, so reverting to a smaller scale is not that much of an issue. Motive power, the kind I want, is not as easy to find without some degree of conversion or modeling. So far, no one has done a Baldwin 616 which would be the main hauler in my 160 world, but I can get Atlas Vo1000's and now, really nice Bachmann/Atlas Alco S Switchers and Bachman 44 tonners so all is not lost. I still harbor dreams of the ultimate Orphin Spur layout, but the that will happen when I have the space to do it right...and some help!

Back on the job

I seem to be spending more time thinking about additions to Bruce Petty's layout and the local HO club than pushing along my own.  I think it's avoidance behavior oweing to the fact that I can't seem to settle on what direction to go in. Here is the latest for the Burbank Branch.

Bruce is all about old boilers and from time to time is called in to repair some spooky antiques still providing hot water and power around the Mt Shasta area.  So I thought, while not an LA proto, would be a nice flat to add and also to thank him for all his support and help. 

I also took some time to work on a scenic element...love these old stationary engines.  This is a Fairbanks Morse unit and could be found in factories or in fields pumping water.  Made the patterns, molds and castings so I could use a few here and there to take up some space.  I gave Bruce one and some extra parts to include with the Petty Boiler Works.  I thought about taking some down to the HO club here but they are pretty tight about what can or cannot go on it...if it wasn't in the Rogue Valley in 1987, it ain't going on the layout. :o)