Reply To: I’ve bit the bullet, Jan. 15, 2011

[princessclyne69]

No new track or wiring, but a lot of scenery development. Several modules have had foam substrate added, which is a long process because I think about it too much. Modules 1 and 2 have a highway substructure, which is 3-1/4″ wide and about 1/2″ deep (two layers of that 1/4″ plywood that I use everywhere for the decks) and a large embankment for the US 54 highway overpass south of Durand. Once I got that done, interrupted by a couple of weeks in the land of red trains, there has been frenzy of plastering.

I use the Woodland Scenics plaster gauze material, which comes in 8″ widths and, I’ve recently discovered, a 4″ width which suits my needs more in some places. My first attempts didn’t cover the end plates, and in some places didn’t cover the side plates, which I’ve been slowly correcting. I generally burn through slightly more than one roll of the gauze per module. Once that’s down, I cover it with a random mix of green and earth undercoat to hide as much of the white as possible. That at least gets me away from the Plywood Pacific look (as Richard Hendrickson used to call it). That’s usually where I have left off, but several modules now also have the lightweight hydrocal coating on top of that, with track ballast and some coloring of ravines and other relief, and some experimental electrostatic grass that I’m not entirely happy with. No weeds, bushes or trees yet. And yes, there are a few holes in the ground, or shallow spots significantly below rail level. For some reason, that’s been hard for me.

Wherever possible, I’ve been trying to disguise the module ends to make everything more seamless. That’s been easier said than done so far, but I think things will improve shortly. There is now more green than plywood color, so at least I’ve come that far.

Ron Merrick