At the time of this article preparation, I’m still in the process
of finishing the layout room, so having a solid base gives me
a secure way to store the mill until it’s ready to be placed on
the layout.
The base itself is constructed of ¾” plywood with a piece
of ¼” luan glued to the plywood with carpenter’s glue and
several drywall screws. The luan acts much like a piece of
Homasote, since it’s a softer wood and accepts track spikes
much easier than plywood. The majority of the base was cov-
ered with asphalt. One method I’ve learned to easily recreate
asphalt is using a readily available brand of drywall spackling
34. The car unloading shed was a straight forward
assembly of the Pikestuff Small Modern Engine House
with pieces of styrene used for the overhead door
assembly.
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Agway Feed Mill - 17
paste and adding cement coloring [35]. Once thoroughly
mixed, the spackling paste can be applied directly to the base
using a trowel.
As the spackle dries, I periodically use the trowel to smooth
the surface to remove the majority of the trowel marks. After
it dries, I use a wet cloth to smooth out the area. The benefit
of adding the coloring is if the spackle chips, the white color
doesn’t show through. If the coloring isn’t perfect, I paint on a
coat of 50/50 mix of Woodland Scenics concrete and asphalt
35. I’ve always used drywall spackling for creating
asphalt roads and parking lots, but the drawback was
always chipped or cracked surfaces that allowed the
white spackle to show through. One trick I discovered
a few years ago was commercial grade cement coloring
available at home improvement stores. The pigment
content is strong enough to darken the white spackle
very quickly and saves a step by not having to paint the
completed asphalt.
35
MRH-Sep 2014
