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Dave D Administrator 
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Greetings all! OK, Many of you know of my fondness for Colorado style narrow gauge....RGS...C&S...DRG&W...etc. I had purchased an On30 MMI K-28 locomotive...my all time favorite. After some soul searching, I decided I could not do all that I would want in that scale, so after teasing Paladin with it mercilessly, he caved and bought it from me. I don't think he is real sad about it either, he sent me a note this morning telling me of a visit from the postman and if it is possible to sense excitment in an E-mail thats what I sensed.  So, what did I do with my newfound riches  Well I put them towards the 2 HOn3 K-27's I purchased from Blackstone..that's what.  Maybe I want too much, but I would never give up On30, so I will have to be a rubber gauger...On30 for backwoodsy stuff my other passion...and HOn3, to quench my Mountain RRing thirst. When I had the On30 K I always kept it in the box and would only take it out to peek at it now and then, and then replace it. I want to be able to drool...errr...I mean look at one of them a little easier and more frequently than that so I am making a display dio for one of them and to hone my Mountain scenery Building skills. I am not going to say what the diorama is of.... except to say that it is located on an old DRG&W narrow gauge line. I have been collecting as many Photos of the area as I could find and think I have enough to proceed. Stay tuned. |
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Dave D Administrator
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I want to use up a lot of scrap stuff I have laying around on this. I don't have a plan except for the one in my head. I have a bunch of pictures on a clip board and am just winging it as I go....I draw something on the foam or wood and make adjustments and then cut. For the start I cut a base out of some scrap 5/8" birch ply I had on hand. The I cut some 2" pink foam for the sides and back and glued them to the base with Power Grip adhesive. I then ran a few screws up into the foam just for a little added support while the adhesive set up. Then I added the top to the base...the track will sit on this. I used hot glue to attach the top part to the sides and back and inserted bamboo skewers....the kind you use for grilling....in from the top and down into the sides and backs for support.  I am going to want to apply some plaster castings over this open area so I will need to cover that up. I measured the height from the top of the base to the top of the roadbed area and cut a bunch of 2" thick foam pieces about 4" wide. I wanted pieces so I could make them follow the curve of that cut in the ply base. I attached them one by one, using Hot glue where foam meets foam, and power grip where foam meets wood. As before, I added a screw through the base into the foam for support.  Once that was done I filled in the other edge with bits and pieces stacked and hot glued together. Then using a foam rasp, I scraped the foam to the shape of the curve in the ply base and also thinned the foam on the upper edges so it angled back a little..I did not want that area to be vertical.  |
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Dave D Administrator
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From that point I started on the upper area. More 2" foam for the sides and back. Looking at the photos, I penciled in a profile on the left side piece. After a few adjustments I cut that out. Then a couple more adjustments and when I was happy with it I went on to the other end and did the same. Then I cut a piece for the back matching the height of the right side which was the tallest. Then I marked the height of the shorter side and drew an uneven line from the right edge..( The tallest ) to the left edge..( the lowest ) and cut that out. I glued the pieces to the base and each other with hot glue and inserted bamboo skewers for added support.  |
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Trebor Moderator 
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Lookin' good Dave. Knowing you, it will be a show stopper. |
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Dave D Administrator
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Trebor wrote: Lookin' good Dave. Knowing you, it will be a show stopper. Thanks Bob...I'll do my best...you just never know..if I like how it turns out ... I may just try to stop a show with it.  |
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Dave D Administrator
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Here, I have started to work on a corner piece. Just a square corner bit, with other chunks hot glued on top of one another, angling slightly back. BTW...this is only a sub base...it will not be an exposed pink foam Diorama like some folks build. I am just trying to get basic shapes down, it all will be covered with plaster cloth.  This is how the part will sit in the corner...more or less.  Here, I added another forming brace, and took a page out of the WS scenicing manual using pillow puffed newsprint to fill the gaps...something lite, quick n easy.  Finally, I cut the tunnel opening in the corner.  Has anyone figured out what this diorama will be a model of yet?? |
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Trebor Moderator
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Hotshot wrote: Has anyone figured out what this diorama will be a model of yet?? Is it a mouse hole? |
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Dave D Administrator
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Ummmmm...... |
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Dave D Administrator
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I cut some more foam and shaped it and attached it where I wanted some important contours. Like next to the tunnel opening here. I sliced the face of the foam so I could fit it to the base foam and have more surface area for the hot glue.   I had some gaps I needed to fill.  I sliced wedges of foam and applied Hot glue and just....well...wedged them in.  Then it was just a matter of slicing the plug off with a steak knife.  Now it is ready for the plaster cloth. :Woohoo:  Any guesses yet?:Hmm: |
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Lynn Member 
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Nice to see you modeling again  |
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Trebor Moderator
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 Is this it? Last edited on Tue Aug 28th, 2007 07:36 pm by Trebor |
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Dave D Administrator
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 But gee...wouldn't that be fun!! I could see a tall trestle right about....oh never mind.  =========================================================== Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth. George Washington ========================================= It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible. George Washington ========================================= Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe. George Washington Hmmmmmm:Hmm: ========================================== Almost forgot........ I got it plastered this morning.  This is starting to get fun now! Last edited on Tue Aug 28th, 2007 08:32 pm by Dave D |
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loggeron30 Member 
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Now that is very cool! That is a great idea Dave! |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks Lynn, Bob, and Ken. If anyone on the forum right now would be able to recognize the area I am trying to model before I get any further....it would be you Ken I believe.  FYI..... it is NOT in Colorado..  ..and no...it is not in South Dakota. |
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Trebor Moderator
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Muley Twist Canyon, Utah |
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Dave D Administrator
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No Sir Mr. Robert. I had to Google that to make sure it was a real place...lmao!! Very cool though and would make a great scene and or layout!  I found this 380 degree virtual tour link. http://virtualguidebooks.com/Utah/Canyonlands/MuleyTwist/MiddleMuleyTwist.html I started messing with one of my Bragdon molds. I could but I would rather not carve this by hand. I placed a sheet of cling wrap on the surface in the event I did not like it so I could remove it without any trouble. Then I did the pour in the mold and waited. If you keep close tabs on it, and check it now and then...the plaster will set up to a point where, you can pick the mold up and not have the plaster run out over everything, yet still be flexible. When I was satisfied it had reached that point, I laid the mold on top of the wrap, and slid the wrap into position. after about 30 to 45 minutes the mold was peeled away from the casting and I got to check out my handiwork.  so far so good.  Yeah this will work and will save me a lot of work in the process. |
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Paladin Administrator 
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I think it may be:- Magic Mountian at Disneyland if so your trains are going to be going flat out:Dance: |
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Dave D Administrator
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Dizzyland?  lol!It's just south of the Colorado boarder, in New Mexico.  The stone wall has to go into that corner....well...close to that corner anyway, as rock castings will start off in that area. This area originally had a wooden trestle supporting the track, just outside the tunnel. The trestle was then replaced by a stone retaining wall. It was common practice to build quick trestles initially, and then later, when there was more time,go back and build a more permanent structure, such as this stone wall.  A unique feature....( This will give it away for those who know the area ) are the large boulders, which seem to poke out of the wall as the wall was built around them. I found two pieces of rock casting to represent them, and fitted them together. Here I outlined the upper casting onto the wall casting, so I can cut out the profile.  Here, I have cut and formed the other section of retaining wall.  Here they are as they will be fitted to the base.  These are the rock castings fitted inside the cut out.   |
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Tileguy Member 
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So was it on a Narrow Gauge Line OR a Standard gauge line?? New Mexico? Utah? If i had to guess, La Madera would be a branch you might have chosen to model a section of for OBVIOUS reasons. The La Madera Branch was constructed in 1914 to connect the Hallack & Howard Lumber Company's La Madera operation with the Santa Fe Branch. H&H had a network of logging lines extending out from La Madera, in addition to having a sawmill, planing mill, and box plant at La Madera. Lumber harvesting wrapped up around 1927, and the branch was subsequently abandoned five years later, in 1932. Looking Really Good Dave.......  ...........Are you going to run Rocks Up TO the stone wall Molds and Kinda blend them into one another?? |
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Dave D Administrator
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LOL! TG it looks like you and I were posting at the same time . I did not choose this area with any thought of lumber cutting hauling or anything of that matter. I chose it because it is a favorite area of mine...it just looks cool. Are you going to run Rocks Up TO the stone wall Molds and Kinda blend them into one another?? Yes, The stone wall was built around an outcropping of rock. As you can see from the last post it will be under the stone wall...and...within it. |
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Trebor Moderator
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San Juan Central? |
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Dave D Administrator
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Your getting warm Bob. One more hint...the last I can give without just saying what it is. It's on the present day Cumbres and Toltec Scenic RR. |
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Trebor Moderator
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Rock Tunnel |
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Dave D Administrator
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Trebor wrote: Rock Tunnel Ladies and Gentlemen we have a winner!!! Good goin Bob!  |
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Dave D Administrator
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I will be using the Broken Casting technique here to blend my different castings together. Here are 2 castings applied to the base.  Notice the castings on the roadbed area....these are some I have saved from other pours and some are new pours I have broken up.  These are used to fill in the gaps between the castings...I search for a shape that either fits...or...I snap and scrape the edges until they fit the area I need them for. After check fitting them I use some Power grab on the backs and seat them in place and move on to the next one.  Notice near the bottom there is a piece of casting that hangs up over the base. I want that to sit down so I apply pressure to it and snap it off. ( I have already done this to the area to the upper left of the casting on the right side. )  I could leave it like this and just glue it back on....but I want the crack to be less wide.  So i trim some of the material on the edge so it will snug up to the other edge closer..here I drew a black line with windows paint to highlight the edge I want to leave on.  After shaving up to that line with an exacto...a Dremmel would work well too...I checked the fit....looks better.  Now back to snapping cutting and fitting more pieces for the gap above.  Now for the fun part....using a hobby Hypo...  I mix a thin slurry of plaster and draw it up into the hypo...then it gets squirted down behind the broken bits and in the cracks. Have a spray bottle of water handy. When some of the plaster squirts out of the joints, take the spray bottle of water and mist the stuff that squirts out right away, and it will flow and smooth out real nice. This joins everything together.  After a little scratching with a pic and so on....it looks like one piece. You'll see later...I hope.  Last edited on Fri Aug 31st, 2007 12:26 pm by Dave D |
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loggeron30 Member
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Now that little trick with the hypo is way cool!!!!! |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks Ken...just a little something i picked up in my travels through pages and dvd's. I promised to add that to my little bag-o-tricks when I saw it, and now you can add it to yours. |
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Trebor Moderator
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That's a really good step-by-step. Thanks. |
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Dr 5euss Member
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Great going Hotshot, I have to say I was totally confised until you posted the pic of the real thing, what an interesting thing to mode l |
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dwyaneward Member 
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Awesome Dave... You do great work.. |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks guys! I'll be happy if I can just capture the flavor of the area when it is complete.  Here is where I am at with the rock outcrop at the block wall.  Still need to blend it in a little better in a few spots but I am happy with how it is comming along.  |
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Paladin Administrator
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Anxiously await the colour to be added To have the ability to visualize and implement is a God given gift, and you utilize it to the full |
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Tileguy Member
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Ya Know Dave.................For a Novice at this stuff your getting pretty damned Good.....I'd say your work would match up with most of the MMR's work ive seen out there............Not ALL perhaps, But Most for sure!!! Ever think about going after the NMRA's MMR certificate??  It would be a challenge, But One I'm sure you'd handle quite readily!!  I hear those MMR certificates can be worth a bit of money...........Publishers take articles from MMR's more seriously AND theres all those Perks you get from the NMRA (cant remember what they are off hand though )Sure is fun watching the projects you choose come to life A Casting Manual on Paleoanthropology and Allied Disciplines is where i first read about using a hypo syringe with Plaster (chapters 3 & 4 i believe) http://www.duke.edu/~mtb3/castingmanual/titlepage.html |
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Trebor Moderator
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Todd, Now you’ve done it… We were all just having fun and you went ahead and added SCIENCE to our efforts. :Brilliant: What next… ACCOUNTING! Only kidding. Bob Last edited on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 03:20 pm by Trebor |
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loggeron30 Member
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Tileguy wrote:
Dave, Todd is true when it comes to your work. I honestly think it is some of the best out there. And even what Don said is true; to be able to visualize in your mind first is a God given talent. If you ever do go after a MMR certificate I wish you the very best. I looked into it about a year ago and it is loads of work not that you could not do it. I am very confident in your abilities. In the end it makes a great wall hanger BUT...you wont get one penny extra for an article AND publishers will take what is hot and what looks good period. It doesn't matter if you got that cert or not. MR still will take only slide film no digital and will pay you all of about 100.00 bucks a published page and them and NG&SL is about the same.....THE TOP TWO PAYERS I might add. Still, I love what you are doing with this project. Very nice! ken |
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Dave D Administrator
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Everyone, You are much too kind.  How about I get a Railroad built and see where that goes huh? But...you have my curiosity peeked now, as to just what it is all those MMR have had to go through, in order to have that little wall hanging...I will have to go have a look. :Hmm: |
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Dave D Administrator
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Meanwhile......back in the modeling cave...... Here I added a casting to the end of the block retaining wall.  I guess I was in a hurry and did not press the top edge in far enough and I ended up with a gap again. No biggie.  Here I pressed on the top edge and snapped it back....you know the procedrure...  While I was at it I added another chunk on the upper left area there, and started to blend in the bottom of the crack.  Here it is with everything filled and blended.  |
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dwyaneward Member
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Hotshot wrote: But...you have my curiosity peeked now, as to just what it is all those MMR have had to go through, in order to have that little wall hanging...I will have to go have a look. :Hmm: Here's the link to the info http://www.nmra.org/achievement/ |
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Tileguy Member
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BUT...you wont get one penny extra for an article AND publishers will take what is hot and what looks good period. It doesn't matter if you got that cert or not. Ken, I guess i didnt mean it would get him Extra Money, It might get a new author submitting a first article a bit CLOSER look. How many first time authors submissions get looked at (MR is pretty persnickity from what I hear) At one time, the chances of seeing an article in the 2 biggies magazines (Carstens & Kalmbachs) were slim if you werent an NMRA member...........Not so much anymore I guess. If you look back through the older 60's 70's and even 80's magazines you'll see that 95% of all articles written that Made publication were from NMRA members and MANY of these either HAD or were Going for their MMR certificates. Keep in mind, Both of the publishers were HUGE NMRA advocates and Past Presidents. The Gazette has Never been real particular about the authors submitting articles (other than they are relevent and show good workmanship) but they Pull from a MUCH smaller percentage of Modelers........They do have an excellent staff of Editors though and IMHO have THE BEST model rr magazine on the planet!! BAR NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Dave D Administrator
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I agree..NGSLG is my favorite. Here I have started adding castings up from the previous area.  Here is a mold with the cast plaster still inside setting up.  Here it is with the mold removed..I cut the upper edge of the tunnel opening and you can see at about 10 o'clock on the opening where I have begun picking and chipping at the edge of the new casting, there was a lump there I didn't like so I chipped it off with a pick. One thing I neglected to mention when I was talking about injecting plaster with a Hypo, is that when some of the plaster squirts out of the joints...Have a spray bottle of water handy. Take the spray bottle of water and mist the stuff that squirts out right away, and it will flow and smooth out real nice. I'll go back and add that to that area of the thread.  Last edited on Fri Aug 31st, 2007 12:27 pm by Dave D |
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loggeron30 Member
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Dang it that is great! Now I am getting the itch to do something small. haven't done much of anything RR in about a year now. But I do like the display diorama. What a great idea Dave! |
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Dave D Administrator
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Glad you are enjoying it so far. Ken you should do one..great way to stay in the hobby while you go through all involved with finding a new place and doing the move. Here is a shot with the castings on the upper area complete.  |
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Trebor Moderator
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Dave, I just went back and looked at the proto picture. That is really cool. FANTASTIC JOB!!! Bob |
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BELG Member 
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Dave, another very interesting project and am wondering do you make your own molds or buy them, if so where do you get them? I saw on the one mold a $22 price tag is that what they go for? Thanks and I'll be following along on your build for coloring tips for all that plaster. Pat |
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Dave D Administrator
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Muffin man!! How are ya Pat! I have made my own...in fact thanks for reminding me...I have a rock outside I used in the landscaping, that has some fantastic detail on it. I noticed it last winter...I told myself to make one when it got warm and forgot all about it.:Doh: The molds I use most are the Bragdon Enterprise Molds. They range in price according to the size. 5.00 for the small ones to 50.00 for the huge ones. ( That's not as bad as it sounds as you can cut the big ones to get about 3 or 4 med or 5 or 6 smaller molds.) It depends on the mold you buy as to weather you would want to do that...some big molds like one that I bought for 48.00 have 4 or 5 different patterns in them...some don't. The one in the pic is a medium size I bought at a local LHS. I nagged them into stocking them.....now they can't keep them on the shelves. The website for Bragdon is here... http://www.bragdonent.com/smpic/item2.htm I see they must be redoing the site as they used to have thumb nail photos and now you have to click the icon. They are the best. |
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Dave D Administrator
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Okay, I got the itch to color some rocks so here is what I did. For the paints I make my own Flo stain. I take the color I want and pour about 1/8" into the bottom of an empty Floquil jar. Then I fill the rest with Diosol. I am going to use Diosol for this for the last time here. It is no longer produced and my supply is limited and I will use it for thinning paint for locos and rolling stock from here on out. I have used regular paint thinners and they are fine for this..the only thing about those are, they are not formulated for Floquil paints, and they separate. Thats bad for painting with the air brush, but for stains with castings, all you need to do is swish the brush in the bottle to re-mix now and then, and they work great...its what I used for the Engine House walls. So here is what I did. I will work in sections to get a variety of hues as that is how rock faces are..the tones vary in areas when seen from a distance. you will see how that plays out soon. I selected this corner to work on. The first stain for the base coat is made with Floquil Dust. This I just swabbed on with a brush..3/8" wide or so.  Then I made another stain using Floquil rust. This gets applied in a random manner...this helps get color variations within the separate areas...remember.....variation,variation, variation. With the thin stains, as you apply washes, sometimes the washes overlap and that creates more...you got it...variations.  The last stain I made for this was with Floquil Oxide Red. This is in New Mexico but on the Colorado border and the rocks have a Red tint there. ( Did you know Colorado is from Spanish, meaning ruddy or red?) Now you do. This stain was also applied randomly...this is so much fun! Do your best whacked out paint artist imitation while your at it..I chose Bob Ross..."we don't have mistakes...only happy accidents!"   Then I used a thin Ink/alcohol wash made from Higgins Calligraphy ink and Isopropyl alcohol.... I use the 97% alcohol blend I find at the local drug store. I used another empty Floquil jar and put 4 drops of the ink in and filled the rest with the alcohol. Calligraphy ink is very dense and dark...a little goes a long way. This is about after 7 washes or so...also some added concentration on the cracks and such to highlight them. It looks very light in this shot but it is not... I had my work lamp and the camera real close when I shot this so you could see the .....variations...of color.  Here is it as I start a second area for coloring, same progression of stain and colors, you can see the true shade of that first area now.  Here I stopped and took a picture, so you can see the difference in the shade from the first, to the second applications of color from left to right.  The second application complete.  On to the Oxide Red wash. Variation,Variation,Variation.  And finally after the ink/alcohol washes. Close....  And back a bit.  Ken lives there....did I get it right Ken ?:Hmm:I am thinking I will do some more redish blotching in the second area. |
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BELG Member
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Dave, thanks for the link and the how to on the coloring of the rock, I was a little worried when in the real closeups I saw a big difference in the seamline coloring but when you got to the final wash the color had all blended very well. This thing has to weigh a ton, what are the long term plans for it? As I want to model the northern sections of PA and western NJ, my coloring for the stones will be considerably different,  (gray) with some white highlights drybrushed I'm thinking. Something along these lines. I think alot of a&I washes will be needed for this. Pat |
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Dr 5euss Member
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That's awesome, Dave! "Don't, be scared of the paint; I get a lotta letters from people that tell me the paint's chasing them" |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks George.As I want to model the northern sections of PA and western NJ, my coloring for the stones will be considerably different, Your right Pat..very different. I would try..on a practice bit of course...just a thin wash of primer gray....splotch it around overlapping in some areas and leaving it as a single or double coat in others. Don't over do the staining as the ink wash will darken it a lot as you have seen in my pics...and yes a lot of ink washes. Well, Plans are to display my HOn3 K-27 on it for now. There are a few local train shows comming up...getting tobe that season...I may just enter it in one of the contests. The local one did not have an NMRA sponced contest but maybe they will this time around...that one is not untill spring though. Trainfest in Milwaukee is in about 8 weeks or so..Hmmmm. Lets see how it turns out first. For now it will show of one of my Ks...Oh...and a box car of course! Last edited on Sat Sep 1st, 2007 04:57 pm by Dave D |
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Lynn Member
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Looks real good Dave , the colors are awsome . I bet your like the Bragdon molds , one of the molds I got from them was so big I had to cut it in half. Really you only need 3 at max of the Bragnon molds as I had found out , then you just flip them 180 |
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Dave D Administrator
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The prototype has an overhang of blocks on the upper edge of the retaining wall. My mold did not have that on it so I made a strip of plaster that I formed by pinning 2 bits of strip wood parallel to one another on a piece of foam and then I just poured and leveled it off. After it set up I removed the forms...just like pouring a mini sidewalk....and then I snapped bits off of the end of that to make the rough edges for the block ridge. They did not always snap straight across and I did not want to score them and have the knife blade mark on them so I would just use my thumbnail to break tiny bits off the ones that were not straight to even them out. I only had to do that on about 4 or 5 as sometimes the other end snapped straighter and I just flipped it and used that end.    |
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Paladin Administrator
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Looking good. Dave how thick are the flagstones ? Snapping rather than cutting gives a nice random effect. |
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Dave D Administrator
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I had my first real screw up too. I was doing the streaking on the stone wall face and I just over did it....I should have remembered.......less is more. Todays project is to try to straighten that up which is going to be tough because it is hard to downplay color once it is on.:Doh:  It doesn't look bad close in for pictures but when you step back...I'm just not happy with it....I'll figure something out. Meanwhile I could not resist setting the piece of track on the roadbed and shooting from down low to get a feel of how it will look in the end.  |
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Dave D Administrator
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Don the bits are a little bigger than 1/16 of an inch or so...not quite an 1/8th. Lets call them 3/32nds. |
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CopperValleySouthern Member 
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Hi Dave, That really does look absolutely fantastic Also, I have heard only good things about those K-27's. Are yours sound equipped?Chris |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks Chris. Yes these are sound equipped and, what you heard is correct..they run like a dream. |
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Dave D Administrator
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Okay it took a bit of elbow grease, but I got it lightened, and then recolored it....I like this much better. As you can see, I have ballasted the track, and am working on fadeing that now.  It was very stark when I first put it down Here is a shot of it right after I had wet it down with the glue mix. Does not look very prototypical does it? Funny thing is.... it would if used in the proper model...you see, the redish stuff is REAL " Pink Lady" Chicago Northwestern rail ballast and the gray is REAL SOO line ballast crushed very fine. ( No not by me..a local fellow does it.he has a few different mixes.) I had an idea these would work here with a little doctoring up. I'll let you know how I did it after i finish up with it. If you look back to the other pic...I think you will agree it is very close already. Yoou will also see this pic was taken before I fixed the retaining wall colors.  Oh...about the 2 different colors...if you look back to the prototype pic on page 3 of this thread....you will see the real ground in that area changes color....not the ballast...the dirt on either side of the tracks. I wonder if that would be an area that they emptied the cinder traps at over the years?? Or if it was just the color of the backfill the track crews used, or just a natural occurance....:Hmm: Last edited on Sun Sep 2nd, 2007 09:02 pm by Dave D |
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Trebor Moderator
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Phenomenal |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks Bob! I worked on the Railing while the balast dried up today.  And got that installed along with some fine talus in the rocks near the base.  Just in time too as 453 came through right after the track crew left in the speeder.  After that we all heard some raucous honking and we just caught a glimpse of a migrating Goose! Good thing the cameras were at the ready !  The ballast was recolored with some grout in, bone, smoke and Chapparal colors. I just dipped a brush into the grout and used it like Bragdons weathering powder.  |
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Dave D Administrator
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Trees and brush are starting to pop up too! |
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Paladin Administrator
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Amazing result !! Could not spell Fenomanil Last edited on Mon Sep 3rd, 2007 04:49 am by Paladin |
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acousticco Member 
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That's looking extra-great! The railing (and everything else) is superb:Woohoo: -Cody |
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dwyaneward Member
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All I can say is WOW. Jaw hitting the floor.... |
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Dr 5euss Member
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Hehehe, I couldn't help but grin when I saw those pics, they look awesome I have to say though, I'm still not keen on those streaks on the retaining wall. I've looked a the prototype again, and the real dirt seems to match the colours of the rocks and dirt pretty well. I think your dirt on the bricks might be too light and yellow - another wash with a reddy colour might do the trick. Last edited on Mon Sep 3rd, 2007 11:20 pm by Dr 5euss |
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Lynn Member
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Wow Dave I'm not shocked but sure impressed , great job. Now here's just a suggestion and this actually goes back to my own layout , when I started doing mountains with tunnels I always said the rock portals would do the job, then I seen some real nice wood rickety portals on paul Scoles dvd layout and I decided from that point on that some day I would get around to adding not so much wall retaining walls but over wood head retaining portals. Nothing too fancy but just enough to keep the rocks from rolling down onto the track. Just a thought of course, otherwise I'm enjoying the progress. |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks again all. Lynn I know what you are talking about but the prototype does not have the wooden portal or the retaining wall. The track crews monitor the track closely in this area, and more so near phantom curve, as falling rocks and debris is always falling and needs to be removed to keep the tracks clear.  To the east of Rock Tunnel on the C&TSRR is mud tunnel. That's what you want to model then. This is the westward portal.....  and a better shot of the wing wall....  This is the east portal.  and a close up of the wing wall for that .....  ok..... you now have your images...don't forget those boards on the inner tunnel walls...it will be a nice detail....get busy!!!! |
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Lynn Member
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LOL ok well thats kida what I meant but yes I will be getting at that soon only got 7 to do :Brilliant: |
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ffayolle Member 
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Great work !!! |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks again everyone! After looking closely at a few of the photos I have of the scene I added a few details. Some low brush, low evergreen shrub type growth, a few dead tree trunks, some light colored rocks as there is a grayish cliff that rises over this and they had fallen down off of that, some weeds and dirt that had eroded into some of the spaces between the rocks. I did not want to overdo anything just add a little more detail. Dead Branches on a pine.  I started to add them to this one from the top down and I stopped..Happy accident!...They look like pine cones to me.  Low creeping evergreen shrubs.  Dead fallen pine tree trunk and scattered branches.  Another dead trunk. I like this one as it is natures own...all I did was add a little ink in areas and then dabbed a little rust colored pain to simulate fungus and rot. The green fungus is a bonus from Mom Nature...wish I could take credit for that. LOL!  Shrubs down by the tracks.  |
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Dave D Administrator
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Here are a few parting shots. I would like to either make a glass fronted case or purchase one to keep it in and the dirt off.     |
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loggeron30 Member
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This is without a doubt one of the finest dioramas I have ever seen. It is insipring to say the least! |
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madmike3434 Guest
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impressive..............madmike |
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loggeron30 Member
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Hey Dave, Are you aware that when that section of the line for the D&RGW was built back in the 1880's that the rock and stone wall was a trestle? Years later it was filled in. I ran across a photo of it when it was a trestle yesterday. Ken |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks again!Are you aware that when that section of the line for the D&RGW was built back in the 1880's that the rock and stone wall was a trestle? Ken yes I am. From what I read, they used to build wood trestles right away to get the line up and running, and then go back and replace them with more permanent structures when time permitted. Is the pic you found this one?  Here is a more modern shot..95.. from roughly the same angle.  2 more you may find interesting. Inside looking out. I know , I know, I didn't do the third rail...the guard rail. I figured the train will cover it on display so why go through that for the dio. I will add that when I rebuild it on my layout.  and the view over the edge.  How about from space ?   I tried to do my homework so the rivit counters could not beat me up too much.This is for them!  |
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Tileguy Member
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Nobody can fault your Research Dave LOL Excellent Pictures but I was particullarly fond of this one here---->  |
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W C Greene Member 
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Dadgum Hotshot-you're too $%*& good!!! Just wonderful work. Keep up the work, it beats most everything I have seen, and I have seen a lot! More pix please....and I won't bug you about r/c. Woodie |
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acousticco Member
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So GOOD! nothing much more I can say... -Cody |
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CopperValleySouthern Member
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Just had to bring this thread back, I never saw it with all the foliage. It looks amazing. As far as modeling Toltec Gorge ( I believe it is called that?)...Good luck Chris |
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Dave D Administrator
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Thanks Chris. Check this out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnDwCbWNung&feature=related |
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Trebor Moderator
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Where do they stand to take those pictures!!!!!! |
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loggeron30 Member
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Trebor wrote: Where do they stand to take those pictures!!!!!! Just outside the space shuttle.......... |
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Tileguy Member
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Dave , I hate to say this.................BUT.................. You never took a Final AS WILL BE DISPLAYED Photo of the Entire thing. And If you did, YOU Never Posted it.............Cmon, put that Mike Back on there, Pose it like your prototype Photo and snap a Full Diorama Picture!!! Thank...............YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D |
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loggeron30 Member
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Hey Dave, Revisiting this thread, I'm trying to figure out how you used grout as ballast. I saw at one pint that you just brushed it in but I'm trying to figure if that was all you used for ballast. I just gotta know!!!!!! |
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Dave D Administrator
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Hi Ken, For ballast I used a local product. It is Pink lady used a great deal in Wi. ( CNW & Wisconsin southern just to name 2. A fellow in the area has gone around and collected real ballast materials used by local RR's. He then ground them fine and packages them for sale to modelers. I am not sure if he has a website or not. I will look into it for you. |
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loggeron30 Member
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Oh, so you used real ballast and then grout as a weathering dust |
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Dave D Administrator
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loggeron30 wrote: Oh, so you used real ballast and then grout as a weathering dust Yep, that's right. |
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Russell Member 
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I'm cryin. I can't take anymore. |
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