Large Scale Central

I give up being down

Track and Trestles
#21

Rustic folk art …

Compromise! That’s it.

There’s a lot I’d like to do, but, no make that; But, nature subtracts too much here.

I had grand plans …

The first year I installed an On3 ladder system and bought a jig to make switches and was going Fine Scale, the K-27 from Mountain Models still waits to take her first run… Monsoons! Typhoons of the pacific in my front yard! Seemed like the top 2 inches of what passes for soil here moved…

Welcome G. I built the ore bin to fine scale, nature has removed all the detail… The chain and pulley went first, then the door… Complaining/ or bemoaning that happening earned the clerk’s ‘Oh we use the 10’ rule.’ (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-yell.gif)Curses foiled again!

I buried a plank uphill behind the rocks in the long cut, so even though one only sees 1 plank, that wall is 2 planks tall. A waste of wood, dirt still buries my track with each storm …

I salvaged the pecky cedar roof from my sister’s remodel, just lucky I guess because the silver grey does blend in as easy on the eyes neutral. I do use my ‘wind winnowed on the property’ ballast on the boards to smooth out not eliminate the humps and sags.

Shamed from brass track in my HO days I could only choose Steel track (I wish it wasn’t SS)… I do have a bit of a study …

Dry rust, oily and baked on …

If I were younger I’d hand lay all my track, too bad there’s some old man in my mirror these days. Damn! He got compromised too!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

I appreciate your suggestions, my era also wants the oily drips down the center line of the track, when I squint just right I ‘see’ all these things and more. I do have mental plans for the rail painting car, bits of sponge on tubes … and there’s that brad nailer / spiker dream…

Uh oh guess you’ll have to tag along to see if I tie it all together.

It’s Grand to have your positive opinion! I’m flattered because I greatly admire your skills.

John

#22

i see, that you got a new type of rails.

is it flex?

#23

John, another minor thought. Perhaps if you were to backfill your elevated segments under the planks and cribbing, your bell worms might not find the shady cover of the planks so inviting. Mucho hard work though!

#24

Korm Kormsen said:

i see, that you got a new type of rails.

is it flex?

Can we use your belly, my friend?(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

I just got the tie plate, the pile was gone the next week…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

John

#25

Water feature!

Well would be if I wasn’t in the Sonoran Desert and elevated … I loosely follow the El Paso and South Western RR which came to Vail from Douglas down by the border. It’s the EP & SW RR right of way that the UP uses through Tucson. The old Southern Pacific ROW crossed what is now the Air Force runway at Davis-Monthan Airbase.

At Vail, AZ the line dives down to Marsh station in the Cieniga lowlands, to get there it runs down the sides of a wash in a serpentine fashion. I’ve dubbed it the Twisted Knickers Division… All trains stop to set retainers before going down at restricted speed. (My track will stay level, the scenery will suggest the change).

From west to east …

Midwest;

Not so west;

As you can see I’ve just rough cut the contours … my Plan, heh heh, is to mix some dirt into latex paint and slop thick layers on and also press more dirt into before it dries or skins over. After I’ve made a white glue and dirt molding putty to fill the seams… I’ll use the same color dirt so holidays don’t show.

The longest tangents are 12", my short G24 classics look great on this compression.

I missed adding culverts and small bridges when I was in the dirt, but in my monsoons, little things get buried. A selling point of elevating is adding details and features. Now I know what level to set the board.

So far the lower quality blade is faster than their better, er more expensive blade… I picked the Rigid reciprocating saw because it had the longest throw and uses more teeth to cut.

Still you can say this is a rough cut.

I’m on my mid day break.

This board is in my shop area, not where it goes.

John

Edit: heat caused mist spelling

#26

That really looks neat John, even just as it is.

#27

I like it! Seen it done with foam many times …never with wood.

Nice

#28

" Rooster " said:

I like it! Seen it done with foam many times …never with wood.

Nice

Me neither. It’s unique. I’m thinking along Cliff’s lines: it’s attractive and I might leave the wood showing and detail out the trackbed. I like that wood.

edit: there’d probably have to be some way of coating/weatherproofing the wood though.

#29

John stated he likes wood!

#30

I have wood, said Pooh modestly…

My sister bought and remodeled a ranch style home with a pecky cedar roof, the planks are 2.5" thick. They taper and have beveled edges like trees do. I guess it’s where you find the pecks. One side is peckier than the other.

I was allowed to salvage the wood 10 years ago, sans a tree house for her grand kids. It’s a beauty rustic.

There will be plenty of wood showing. Rather than trying to do a fine scale model, I lean towards vignettes that help the mind wander and fill in the blanks.

Guess all y’all will have to follow along to see what blanks I fill in.

John P.; you could use Thompsons Water Seal to keep the yellow, but I like the silver and being cedar I don’t need to treat it.

John

#31

John P. Use epoxy, then cover with spar varnish to keep the epoxy from taking on an orange sheen. That’s what we boatbuilders do, just ask Eric Shade. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)Thompson’s Waterseal flakes off after just a very few years. I tried it on some outdoor furniture. I wasn’t very happy.

On the other hand, I have to sand my boat down to the wood and re apply the epoxy, as water finally lifted the finish… after twenty five years. TANSTAAFL. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

#32

your wood-cañon looks cool.

i’m trying to imagine, with what you did the cuts.

neither chain saw, nor skill saw, i think.

#33

This puppy with a 10" blade

The original was called a SawZall, but ask your purveyor for a Reciprocating saw.

I added some more above track level blocks that I whittled with my 14" band saw …

John

#34

Pulled part of my choo choo out of the barn. I use my ‘big’ cars to set up my selfish clearances … hmmm better allow for a friends Mallet (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)

When I rode the Cumbres and Toltec last summer, I appreciated how close to the edge they laid tracks … as above.

At the top of the run we haven’t dropped very far into the wash.

That block of wood on the bench is screwed down to withstand the fight with the saw. The blades are 7/8" wide, so I have tricks to cutting wavy blocks.

I’ve just about have enough blocks to begin refining the fit and show.

Til next time,

John

#35

Looking really good John. That wood has some amazing character - I love it!

#36

Daktah John said:

Looking really good John. That wood has some amazing character - I love it!

yes.

in a way, it will be a pitty, to have it covered with “landscaping”.

#37

Hmmmmm two votes for my lazy nature … will be hard to do a culvert without dirt, but the trestles and bridges from the same wood hmmmmmm.

#38

John Caughey said:

Hmmmmm two votes for my lazy nature … will be hard to do a culvert without dirt

Why?..3/4 paddle bit or hole saw …not sure how thick the wood is …looks around 1" or so

#39

" Rooster " said:

John Caughey said:

Hmmmmm two votes for my lazy nature … will be hard to do a culvert without dirt

Why?..3/4 paddle bit or hole saw …not sure how thick the wood is …looks around 1" or so

The hole is already there … oh wood is 2 1/2" thick.

It’s ok I think I have a plan…

John

#40

I am with the others, maybe leave the Mountains wood and putt/sand the arroyos and gullies. Looks great as is, different with character. Keep up the pictures, and the snake patrol.