More Expansion Progress and a Couple of Gadgets

It's another beautiful morning in Thunder Mesa Country as engine #4, the Earl Vilmer, heads for Geyser Gulch and points beyond.

It was back into construction mode this last week as new benchwork begins to take shape on extensions of the TMMC. The final shape of the layout is beginning to come into focus now and there's finally a plan for proceeding with the backdrop.

The Calico Section

Benchwork for the new Calico section of the layout is now complete and, with that, the layout has officially grown beyond its original "mini" status into a larger  around the walls pike.

The TMMC begins to assume a U shape with the original Thunder Mesa section in the foreground and the new Calico section under construction in the rear. The new section brings the mainline around the corner and begins the transition into the planned Tumbleweed section that will be built next where the bookshelves are located.

A closer view of the Calico section. The 1/2" plywood sub-roadbed for the TMMC mainline is in place, awaiting cork and track. A portable On18 Calico Gold Mine micro-layout will be built above this framework. Here one can also see my typical "box and stilts" benchwork method. The box-frame is built from 1x4" clear pine, held together with glue, drywall screws and steal corner gussets to keep things strong and square. The entire table-top assembly is built separately from the legs to make things easier to move should the need arise.

The leg/support assembly is built from clear pine and MDF; painted Krylon flat black. The box-girder layout section attaches to the top L-girders with 6 screws. Swiveling casters make it easy to roll out from the wall.

Old and new layout sections are leveled and then joined together with 1/4" bolts/wing-nuts. Strong and secure, but east to disassemble if need be.

Backdrop Plans

The TMMC was originally planned and built without any thought of a backdrop, but now that things are growing out along the walls of the room the obvious need for some kind of backdrop has reared its head. I have built backdrops before for other layouts, mostly from Masonite, with seams carefully taped, mudded and sanded to give an unbroken sky view. Two problems arise from this method, the first is that the final structure is not in anyway moveable (let alone portable), and the second is that those carefully hidden seams almost always split as the Masonite expands and contracts with the inevitable radical swings in Arizona's humidity (it's not aways a dry heat). I'd really like to avoid both of those problems this time around.

My imperfect solution will be to build the backdrop in sections, with each removable piece matched to a section of layout. They will all be painted to blend together but, unfortunately, some seams in the sky will be unavoidable. The good news is that the seams are barely noticeable durning regular operations, and can easily be Photoshopped out in pictures. Stay tuned for more on this as the backdrop plans develop.

Nifty Gadgets

I love coming up with simple and effective mechanisms for animations and operating functions on the layout. Some modelers jump straight to electric motors, servos and complex electronics to get things done, but I have found that the simplest solution is often the best and most reliable.

Operating Ore Dump

I wanted an operating ore dump to use with my Bachmann side-dump ore cars at the Big Thunder Mill in Thunder Mesa. The dump itself is a wooden grate cut into the platform where a below ground bin is located to collect the ore. The fiction here is that a conveyer belt inside the mill moves the ore to the upper levels where it can then be fed into the stamps and processed.

Looking closely one can see a short length of music wire rising from the roadbed to dump the car. The Bachmann ore cars are metal, and the weight allows them to fall back into place once the wire is lowered. A little oil on the moving parts helps with this.

Here's a quick video showing the simple mechanism for dumping the cars:

Hidden Wye Switch

Deep inside Rainbow Caverns is a hidden wye. Taking the right leg completes a loop back to Thunder Mesa and allows continuous running, while the left leg allows trains to continue on the main line. Switches inside tunnels can be problematic so I came up with a simple push-rod mechanism to remotely operate the switch.

A 3/8" hole was drilled into the roadbed below the switch throw-bar and a large paper clip was bent to shape, one end leading upright through the throw-bar hole, and the other bent through a hole in a 1/4" wooden dowel. A snug trench was carved into the foam scenery base to guide the pushrod and keep it straight. Note that this mechanism only works because the points on Peco On30 turnouts are already sprung. Other turnouts would require something a bit more complicated to maintain pressure on the points. 

The completed foam "sandwich" holding the pushrod in place. When the scenery is complete the end of the rod will be disguised as a rock. The track has now been completed through this section and the mechanism works flawlessly.

Okay, that's all for this time. I'm hoping to have more regular updates from now on, probably once a week on Mondays as work progresses. Thanks for stopping by!

Aerial View & Expansion Progress - August 19, 2013

Yes, it's been quite awhile since the last update. It's been a rather hectic summer out in the real world, but now that fall is looming around the corner I'm getting inspired to get back to work on the railroad again. Here's a before and after since the last update way back in May:

Before: May 1, 2013

After: August 19, 2013

The layout has grown larger by about 8 square feet and is finally starting to resemble the revised track plan. Cork roadbed is in place, and the new turntable area is starting to take shape. Here's a quick look at how things have slowly progressed over the summer:

Track and roadbed removed from expansion area.

New 2x4' benchwork section added. I build my benchwork from straight, clear pine using yellow glue and drywall screws at the joints, and steal angle braces to keep things square. What can't be seen in these photos is the extra set of legs that were also added to support the weight of the new section. 

Risers and sub-roadbed in place. I prefer to test fit track components as I go as it prevents surprises down the line.

Some creative imagineering was required for this new bump-out section on the back of the layout. This is the former location of the tunnel access hatch and will now be a scenicked rock wall with cave-holes to view the interior of Rainbow Caverns.

The new layout section with cork roadbed in place. All the holes and gaps in the plywood sub-roadbed were filled with putty and sanded smooth. The turntable pit is from a Walther's N scale kit that I will be converting to On30.

Over on the Caverns side, this wye switch will lead to a new staging area and, eventually, a whole lot more railroad.

Now I'm just waiting on an order of On30 flex-track to arrive. With any luck, trains should be running on Thunder Mesa again by the end of this month! 

Modeling Canyon Country: The Utah Juniper

Engine #5, the Ollie Johnston, eases a train out onto Geyser Gulch trestle as the last rays of the setting sun illuminate McKennon Arch and an ancient Utah Juniper.

Even though it is based largly on an amusment park attraction, I still want Thunder Mesa to have a true Canyon Country feel. To that end, I've done a lot of research into the geology, wildlife and flora of the high desert Four Corners region where my mythical little railroad might once have existed. It's a unique region of bitter cold winters and blistering hot summers. A dry place where, if it rains at all, it comes all at once, filling every wash and arroyo with a flood of red mud. Things have to be hardy to survive around here and among the hardiest is the gnarled and twisted Juniper.

I have to admit that Junipers, ofttimes called ceders by the early Mormon settlers, are my absolute favorite kind of trees. They can live a thousand years or more, eking out a humble existence on the mesa tops, hills and canyon rims; sometimes taking root in solid rock, cracking and breaking it with their spreading roots. They don't get very big, a tall Juniper might be 20 feet, but they do develop an enormous amount of character during their long and difficult lives, and anything with that kind of character is just begging to be modeled.

A Utah Juniper, clinging to the rim of Grand Canyon near Hermit's Rest.

I'll be needing quite a few twisted and gnarly old Junipers for Thunder Mesa and there are no commercial products available that look anything like them. What follows is a quick tutorial on the techniques I use for crafting these trees quickly and relatively simply. I hope some readers may find it useful.

Building a Juniper

Note that it is just as easy to make several trees at one time as it is to make one, but for the sake of clarity I'll only be showing the construction of a single tree.

Materials List:

• Braided steel picture wire (the uncoated kind).
• Acrylic modeling paste. I use Liquitex but any brand will probably do.
• Krylon spray paint: Gray Primer, Red Primer, Flat Ivory.
• Acrylic paint: Burnt Umber, Unbleached Titanium.
• Woodland Scenics (or other) Dark Green Foliage.
• 3M 45 All Purpose Spray Adhesive.

Step #1: Using photos as a guide, I build an armature from twisted picture wire. This armature used about ten strands and was twisted and shaped with needle-nose pliers into a tree about 20 scale feet high. I separate the individual strands of wire at the end of each limb to represent branches. Don't forget the roots!

Step #2: Next, I paint the whole thing with Liquitex Acrylic Modeling Paste, taking car to leave the ends of the branches thin and bare. I apply it pretty goopy, hiding and then revealing the twisted wire. This does a fairly good job of representing the dead and living parts of the tree that exist side by side in nature. I let this dry completely before continuing.

Step #3: A base coat of Krylon Gray Primer. Let that dry 

Step #4: A wash of Burnt Umber acrylics, leaving a bit of the gray to show through here and there. Let that dry.

Step #5: Once the brown is dry, I give the ends of the branches a light overspray with the Krylon Ivory. This is an important step as it creates contrast when the foliage is added and adds a bit of old age to the tree. If I overdo it, I go back and tone things down with more Burnt Umber.

Step #6: Next I spray the ends of the branches with the 3M adhesive, taking care not to get too much on the trunk. Then it's a simple matter to apply the clumps of Woodland Scenics foliage here and there, once again using photos for a guide.

Step #7: Using Unbleached Titanium, I now carefully dry-brush some highlights onto the trunk and roots to bring out the detail. Again, if this gets overdone, it's easy to tone it down with another wash of Burnt Umber. 

Step #8: Finally, I give the foliage on the top of the tree a very light overspray with the Krylon Red Primer. This tones down the color of the foliage, which is just a little too blue, and also creates the illusion of Juniper pollen, something these tress are often covered with in the spring.

And there you have it, an ancient desert evergreen clinging to the cliffside. Now I'm off to make more trees. Adios for now!

Aerial View and a New Track Plan - May 1, 2013

A lot has been accomplished on the layout over the last month, new sections of scenery have been completed while other projects remain on hold, waiting for materials to arrive.

May 1, 2013

April 1, 2013

The most obvious changes since last month involve the scenery around Geyser Gulch and a change in track gauge on the Calico High Line. This track now represents an On18 mining tram (O scale trains running on 9mm N gauge track = On18) that will connect to a Calico Mine Train themed section when the layout is expanded. And speaking of expansion, another obvious change is the workshop area behind the layout has now been cleared out to make room for more railroad!

Soon, the layout will expand from its current 3'x6' footprint to something closer to 4'x8'. This small change will greatly expand the TMMC's operating potential while setting the stage for a major expansion that will take the layout around the walls of the studio in the future.

Thunder Mesa is getting bigger!

The addition of a turntable, runaround track and small yard at Thunder Mesa turns this section into the way-out-in-the-boonies, end-of-the-line mining town it was always meant to be. It can still be operated as a caboose chaser, but the addition of a wye switch inside the Caverns will take the true mainline to a small staging area that will serve as "points beyond" in point to point operation until the layout is complete. As a bonus, Rainbow Caverns also gets bigger and the On18 Calico line will have a new mine to serve at Rainbow Ridge. This should be fun. Stay tuned!