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Coal Cars - 10
The Mt. Coffin & Columbia River
Continued ...
16.
“Boating Railfan” shot made by placing the camera on the
water. Even a small N scale layout can look large when shot from
interesting angles!
16
And the next layout I build, I'll be using low-profile slide switches
as both turnout control and frog-power router following Steve
Lohr's article on "Easy Slide Switch Turnout Control" in N Scale
Railroading (Jan/Feb 2011) [Writer’s note: Recently I’ve been
using Fast Tracks’ Bullfrog turnout machines on my Free-moN
modules and like them very much, though they do require about 2
½” of space under the baseboard]
I ballasted the “mainline” with cinders, then poured some tinted
Magic Water into the river area. I added Mod Podge Gloss on top
to create more slow-moving river ripple effects. Mod Podge is
inexpensive and looks great when it first cures. However, I’ve noticed
over time that the Mod Podge both attracts and traps dust and
debris, so next time I’ll try WS Water Effects or some Matte Medium
to create the rolling water.
I built up the harbor area with a basswood retaining wall, as well as
scratchbuilt a small ore/coal unloading dock.
For scenicking the gorge (a mini “Bellina Drop” viewblock separating
the waterfront from the mine), I used plaster rock molds, paint, dirt,
ground foam, chopped moss and a lot of pine trees.
I made the trees using Ace twine fiber between Michael's floral wire
twirled in a drill, spray painted grimy black, and then hairsprayed
and sprinkled on Woodland Scenics "conifer" ground foam. You can
still see the twisted trunks, but I need 300+, so only the outer trees
near the layout edges got real trunks in the end. Trees on a ridge are
a great partial viewblock: they raise the scenic divider (in this case a
mountain ridge) up an additional 4-6 inches, yet the spaces between
branches and trunks allow the eye to monitor train movement on the
other side.
My Big Jug O' Stain (BJOS) is a large glass spaghetti sauce jar in
which I keep my weathering/staining solution. I make this solution
from 70% isopropyl alcohol, India ink, and Woodland Scenics "Earth
Colors" Black, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, maybe some slate grey,
probably some PollyScale grimy black, and a little more India ink. It's
more or less whatever looks right.
“My Big Jug O' Stain (BJOS) is a large
glass spaghetti sauce jar in which I keep my
weathering/staining solution. I make this
solution from 70% isopropyl alchol, India Ink,
and Woodland Scenics 'Earth Colors'... ”
MRH-Mar 2013
