Unfinished Business

As 2015 draws to a close, it's only natural to look back at what was accomplished in the past year and to think about all that still needs to be done. The TMMC has come a long way this year, with the entire mainline now complete through the expansion areas, a more logical layout for the town, and scenic work well underway in Rainbow Caverns and Hanging Rock. Still, there's much yet to be done. So many projects in fact that at times it can be a little overwhelming and I start to wonder if maybe I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. Thunder Mesa isn't really a very big model railroad, but the high level of detail, scratchbuilt structures, animation and lighting effects means that progress can be rather slow at times. Still, my enthusiasm for the project remains high, and there are a number of projects that I'm looking forward to tackling in the new year.

So, without further ado, here's a look ahead at some of the TMMC's "unfinished business" that I'd like to get done in 2016.

Geyser Gulch

This lone, temporary trestle bent has been standing in for a real bridge over Geyser Gulch for longer than I care to admit. I've drawn up plans for the bridge, purchased materials, and even figured out a way to make "Old Unfaithful" geyser erupt in the background. I just need to make time to finally finish this signature scene.

Thunder Mesa Mill

Just to the right of Big Thunder Creek stands this paper mock-up of Thunder Mesa Mill, based loosely on the boarding area structure for Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland. This is where all of the ore from the mines at Calico and Big Thunder Camp gets processed before being shipped out to the wider world. As such, it's pretty important to the economic lifeblood of the railroad. It's also a signature scene that really helps to establish the story of the railroad. Replacing this mock-up with a fully detailed, scratchbuilt structure is high on my list of priorities for the new year.

The Backdrop

Don't be fooled by the pretty photos I post, most of the walls around the TMMC layout are still embarrassingly bare. I've been using temporary backdrops for most photos and Photoshop composites for the really arty ones. But help is on the way. The above image is a low-res version of a digital painting I created that will be printed upon 3oz vinyl scrim and then affixed to the layout room walls. This will give me a seamless sky backdrop that wraps around three sides of the layout. Landscape features like distant buttes and mesas will then be painted on 1/8" hardboard and mounted between the 3-D layout scenery and the sky backdrop. This should make for some dramatic scenes that look like they go on forever.

Thunder Mesa Town

Hoo-boy, there's loads to do here. Other than the depot and Big Thunder Saloon, nearly everything in town is still in the paper model mock-up stage. As usual, I'll have to take it one structure at a time and finish what I can. It's highly doubtful that I'll get all those little building done in the coming year, but I would like to make a good start on the scenery and ground cover and then tackle as many of them as I can. We'll see what happens.

Turntable and Engine House

Well, at least the water tank is finished (but that might be moving to Hanging Rock). The current turntable here is unpowered and a hold-over from an earlier version of the railroad. I'd like to replace it this year with one of the fine A-frame TT's from Kitwood Hill Models. The engine house is planned as a white-plastered stone structure to harmonize with the adobe structures of nearby San Lorenzo. Time will tell if that plan pans out or I decide to go with something else. Obviously, the turntable approach track and engine house tracks are waiting for more permanent structures to be built. All of the track in this area needs paint, ballast and final detailing.

Rainbow Caverns and Big Thunder Camp

These two go together because one sits right on top of the other. I've made some good progress on the interior of Rainbow Caverns this year, but as you can see the exterior scenery is still far from finished. I'd like to finish the rest of the interior scenes this coming year and complete the rockwork cave openings on the exterior. As for Big Thunder Camp, it's planned as a major mining scene with several scratchbuilt structures. Sounds like a good candidate for my 2017 list. In 2016, I'll be happy to get the final track laid up there and all the wiring done for the lighting and animation to come.

Natural Arch Bridge

This is the connecting bit of scenery between Hanging Rock on the left and Rainbow Caverns on the right. It shouldn't take very long to finish up this scene once the branchline track to Big Thunder Camp is laid across the top of the bridge.

Hanging Rock

This scene is still a little less than half finished, mostly because the plans are not yet 100% firm in my mind. Olson & Furlow's place still needs LED lighting installed and a few more outlaw figures. A small depot made from an old combine car is planned for the near side of the tracks, while an ore tipple, shack and water tank will probably be against the cliffs on the other side. There's much more rockwork to be finished and a couple of tunnel portals to detail too. The tunnel interiors will be a project all their own.

Calico

Last but not least is the portable On18 Calico mini-layout that so far exists only in the planning stages. This almost qualifies as a substantial model railroad project all on its own and I could probably spend most of 2016 working on it and nothing else. The latest plan, shown above, is slightly simplified from the earlier figure eight scheme proposed. It hews a little closer to the Knott's Berry Farm inspiration now while promising to be easier to operate. My tests with N scale/On18 mechanisms told me that they didn't much like the 6% grade I had in mind before. This flat, simple loop now gives me room for an underground "Glory Hole" mining scene and some animated blasting on the other end. I have no illusions about finishing Calico in the coming year, but I would very much like to make a good start on it and at least get some On18 equipment running. Once again, time will tell.

To 2016 and Beyond

Once again I would like to give my sincere thanks to everyone who has been following along with my modeling efforts on the TMMC. You guys are the best and I'm just getting started. I wish each of you all the blessings of the season, a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Feliz Navidad, amigos! Adios for now.

Big Thunder Creek: Part I ~ Rock Work

This fall I'll be finishing the scenery around Big Thunder Creek, a major scene on the Thunder Mesa section of the railroad.

Howdy, folks!

I've finally returned from my long summer break and I am having a great time getting back to work on the ol' railroad! To start off this season's modeling efforts, I've decided to tackle some long delayed scenes around Big Thunder Creek. This includes the area around Thunder Mesa Mill, an old abandoned mine shaft, and part of the Calico High Line up on top of the mesa. Once completed, These scenes will tie everything together from the Cactus Forest to the Depot area.

Big Thunder Creek serves both to separate and transition between different scenes on the layout.

There's tons of work to be done in this area and it should keep me busy through most of the fall. Aside from the creek itself, there are three bridges to build or complete, the track to paint, ballast and detail, various structures to build, and scenic elements like bushes, trees, cacti and ground cover to add. But first thing's first, and the entire area spotlighted above needs rock-work brought to completion from the bare polystyrene foam that has dominated for too long. Let's get started!

This is how things looked at summer's end after cleaning off the dust and spiderwebs. The foreground bridge was originally planned as a pony truss and a kit from Black Bear Construction Co. was purchased to fill this spot. After getting the kit about halfway finished I decided that it blocked too much of the scene behind it so now the ties will be shortened and the bridge converted to a pile trestle. The shorter bridge behind it will be a scratch-built 20' king post truss. The uppermost bridge on the Calico High Line was craved from Balsa Foam and marks/hides the start of Big Thunder Creek.

A paper-model mock-up of Thunder Mesa Mill has occupied this spot for more than two years, hiding the bare black fomacore behind it that marks the backside of Rainbow Caverns. This area will be addressed as well.

The space was filled in and contoured with 1" pink polystyrene foam. That's an improvement but there's still a long way to go.

Checking site lines, I decided to add a couple of Balsa Foam carved formations to the mesa top. "Window Rock" and "Little Thunder Butte" will add scenic interest and a bit of forced perspective depth to the scene when viewed from certain angles. The rocks were carved using my usual method.

Here the scene is ready for the next step, adding a Sculptamold skin over the polystyrene foam and smoothing the transitions into the carved Balsa Foam.

Sculptamold is a mixture of cellulose and plaster, available through many art and craft suppliers. I've never found anything that I like better for blending things together and sculpting rocky contours. It' lighter than plaster, goes on like thick oatmeal and has a naturally rocky texture when dry. It's a messy process so I remove anything I don't want plastered before getting started. For more on how I contour Sculptamold, click here.

One the Sculptamold was dry, everything was painted with a base coat of latex paint. The color is Glidden "French Mustard."

After the base coat dries, all of the rock work is washed with a thin mixture of black to bring out the texture in the nooks and crannies. The mixture is just a few drops of Carbon Black with a lot of water. Other shades of black or India ink could also be used.

The final painting goes fairly quickly. The rocks are all dry brushed with Raw Sienna acrylics right out of the tube, then Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber and Unbleached Titanium are worked in sparingly to bring out details and contrast. If things get too dark, I go back and highlight by dry-brushing more Unbleached Titanium. For more details on my rock painting technique, click here.

The cliff face and pad for Thunder Mesa Mill with Window Rock and Little Thunder Butte above.

Soon this rocky chasm will be home to the churning whitewater of Big Thunder Creek.

Okay! The hardest part is always just getting started and I'm happy to have this section of rock work finally complete on the TMMC. Right now I'm finalizing ideas for modeling the many waterfalls and drawing up plans for a rough-hewn king post truss. More to come soon! Adios for now.

Click here for part II