Winter Layout Party, week 5

This week I added some static grass with a Noch GrasMaster applicator. I use Noch 6mm "beige" static grass mixed 90/10 with Noch 6mm green. I try to vary the proportion from time to time to add variation to the grass.

The hills and the fields still need a lot of details like trees, bushes of several types, and telephone poles. But hey, this is what I was able to do this week! :)

Onto the photos!

New Video Channel

I recently switched from YouTube to Vimeo. I find Vimeo higher in video quality, easier to use, and less full of junk videos :)
So the new Video channel is www.vimeo.com/denny

January Operating Session Video

You may have noticed from the op session photos there was a videocamera on a tripod positioned at the south end of Guadalupe yard.
I experimented a little by recording a full hour (60 minutes DV tape) and ended up editing a 5 minutes video which shows what happens on this side of Guadalupe yard during an op session.

Sorry no scenery on this part of the layout.


January 2009 Op Session - SP Coast Line in N Scale from Denny on Vimeo.

January Operating Session

Last saturday I held another op session. It started at 8PM with a "risotto alla milanese" that I cooked for my fellow operators. Then at 9:30PM the session started.

Besides a couple of problems at the very beginning, all went smooth. The first problem was related to the lack of scenery base around the Surf area. Marco, one of the operators, accidentally hit the fascia and the power of the Lompoc Local (an SD35 and a GP20) hit the ground from an height of about 4'.
I am happy to report that the SD35 is perfect just like before falling, while the GP20 suffered a little damage on the front pilot which I solved with some glue :-)

The second problem was a major derailment at the nord end of Surf, this time I got a couple of boxcar on the ground but no damage.

The remainder of the evening was pleasant and we all had fun. The news is I introduced written Track Warrants forms and we all liked it. Onto the pics!


Train are going to Guadalupe, coming from both railroad east and west. First picture, Marco is entering the yard with the Coast Merchandise East from San Francisco. In the second picture, Franco is switching Surf with the Golden Gate Manifest.

Alex played the Guadalupe yardmaster role



Franco switched a PFE reefer in Surf




Guadalupe yard action!













Enzo and Marco entered Surf with a LA bound train, then they took care of some PFE reefer.




Alex classified cars in Guadalupe quickly and neatly!




Franco, while heading to San Francisco, looked pleased to run his train :-)



Enzo was apparently busy with his paperwork at Surf



Then comes my turn. After dispatching for a while I ran the Guadalupe Local, a turn to Callender.







Marco and Enzo were still talking about cars to set out at Surf.



Then Alex took a train from LA, passed Surf and entered Guadalupe





Yes, there is more than Plywood Central...

New Video

Shot along the scenicked portion of the layout (I deleted the old video and uploaded a new, better one). Click to watch the High Quality version (don't forget to click on the link below the video window).




I think I prefer Vimeo quality over YouTube, even though YouTube high quality isn't that bad. See for yourself, here is a 16:9 version of the video above uploaded on Vimeo.com.


Along the Pacific Coast on my N scale Southern Pacific Layout from Denny on Vimeo.

Winter Layout Party, week 4

Both work and family took me away again from the layout room. I was barely able to complete ballast on the Callender siding and spurs, but no static grass nor vegetation yet.
I also had to clean up some mess on the layout and in the layout room, since next saturday (january, 24th) I'm going to hold an operating session.

But I was able to take a couple of pictures of the half finished scene!

Here is a detail of the horseshoe curve with a basic vegetation layer. It still misses static grass, bushes and trees.

An unusual meet takes place in Callender. The Coast Merchandise East takes the siding while the Golden Gate Manifest waits on the main. On the background are visible the Callender spurs - future location of a refinery and coke ovens.

Winter Layout Party, week 3

After the base terrain is in place and completely dry (allow a couple of days after the coat of dirt powder mix) and basic vegetation is added, it's time for some more ballast.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to add static grass nor vegetation, mainly because work, chichenpox on the youngest son, chichenpox passed to the oldest one, and 15" of snow kept me away from the layout room most of the time :-)

The main line (on the right) is a little higher than the siding and also weathering is different. I borrowed Joe Fugate track weathering method*. For the main I used a 50/50 mix of black powder pigments and plaster of Paris as described in the post about ballast, while the siding is weathered with the following mix:

• 2 parts black
• 1 part brown
• 4 parts yellow
• 6 parts plaster of paris

The dirt powder mix is brushed between the rail with a flat brush. Then I lightly mist some water on the tracks, the plaster in the mix will fix the powders in place.

Here is a 5 minutes howto video showing how I ballasted the Callender siding and spurs:


How to ballast and weather N scale track from Denny on Vimeo.

* You can see more on Joe Fugate scenery techniques at the following URL: http://model-trains-video.com/d-video-scenery.php where you can download great quality howto videos for few bucks.

How to ballast and weather N scale track IN VIDEO!

It's been a long time since I wanted to do this, and I finally managed to do it this time. Here is a 5 minutes ballast howto video:


How to ballast and weather N scale track from Denny on Vimeo.

Winter Layout Party, week 2

During the second week I ballasted the horseshoe curve and added a basic vegetation layer to the background rocks. It's easier completing these steps now before the foreground hills are in place.

The hills around Callender are generally greener than typical California golden grass, but I will add some yellow static grass to the scene above with the Noch GrasMaster. So far I just used Woodland Scenics fine turf in Green Grass (T45) and Burnt Grass (T44) shades.

Here is a close up of the ballasted track, not yet weathered:

Next I continued working on the hills along the Callender siding. After laying the plaster mix I applied the powder dirt mix. More on this topic in the post "Covering the scenery base".

Here is the same scene after the ground cover has dried and mess cleaned up

Next step is building the foreground hill that hides the horseshoe curve. I've used foam board which I shaped with a sharp cutter.

It's important to check clearance before gluing all down. Note also the track have been weathered with a 1:1 mix of black powder pigments and plaster of Paris as described in the post on ballasting and weathering track and as shown in this video howto. Here is another Helicon Focus processed photo:

After checking if clearance was OK I applied a layer of masking tape

Then I hot glued some carboard strips to the foam...

... and completed the masking tape layer.

Then another layer of plaster mix as described in an earlier scenery base post.

Here is a "satellite" view of the horseshoe curve right after the plaster mess :-)

I let the plaster mix dry for about 24 hours, then I painted a base coat of brown

While the paint was still wet I sprinkled on the dirt powder mix

And here is another Helicon Focus magic, showing a train partially hidden by the hill covered with basic Woodland Scenics fine turf. Next week I hope I can add some static grass and trees.