Large Scale Central

Little River Rail Road in Doc Tom's back yard

General Discussion
#181

Always love your pictures. You never post enough. LOL

#182

Great Pics Tom…that hog sure gets around tho.

#183

I sure did as well Tom.

#184

Great duplication of an actual event and structure.

#185

Ric Golding said:
Great duplication of an actual event and structure.

Thanks guys for all the nice comments. This site really functions like a good Large Scale model RR club. The encouragement is very helpful and the ideas and tips are superb. Here is the picture that I did not put in the previous post as I could not figure how to get the neighbors fences out of the shot. This picture to me looks very much like the the prototype picture of the Little River Red Wood Company out in California that I posted earlier.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/trestlefullview.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/ProtoBigtrestleLittleRiverRedwoodCoCalif.jpg)

Thanks for looking. Doc Tom

#186

It has been such a beautiful weekend that I was able to build my first ever grade crossing…and it did not derail anything. Little River management made it over for the final inspection for the grade crossing over Black Gum Road just below Elkmont. The photographer even caught a glimpse of Mr W.B. Townsend himself, a very hands on rail road owner.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/GradeCrossing1.jpg)

Of course true to the standards of !920’s Tennessee the workman who did all the heavy lifting on the timbers for the crossing stayed to the back in the picture that was taken on this fine Spring day.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/GradeCrossing2.jpg)

The grade crossing was made from .25"X .25" poplar hardwood strips from my new local hobby shop…Lowes. This size allowed it to nestle below the .322" rail and helped with the avoidance of derailments. The wood got the generous soaking of Thompson’s Water Seal I have used throughout this project.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/GradeCrossing3640.jpg)

Doc Tom

#187

Nice job, Tom. I really like your collection of figures.
Ralph

#188

That does look great and the people really make the scene.

What did you use to glue the wood to the ties?

#189
Ralph Berg said:
Nice job, Tom. I really like your collection of figures. Ralph
Woodland Scenics and Preiser.......take a bow.

I did paint the suits on the Preiser figures and did do some research on Southern gentleman’s clothing in the 1920’s to get the right look of Seersucker.

                                  Doc Tom
#190
Doug Arnold said:
That does look great and the people really make the scene.

What did you use to glue the wood to the ties?


Thanks Doug.

The wood is glued ( with Titebond III) and nailed to small pieces of strip wood floating between the ties. The wooden pieces can be moved “en bloc” if needed.

Next I will try to find some large scale cross bucks that I can print off the Internet ,laminate, and mount to a strip wood pole.

Thanks for the interest and feedback.
Doc Tom

#191

Good Stuff Doc!
:slight_smile:

#192

Spring time has been a chance to literally “grow the rail road.” I have been going to Lowes and getting cheap plants (less than $10) to put out out on the Little River. My wife, Kit, an avid gardener, has gotten in on the selection of plants. She picked these neat “Brass Buttons” and is getting more involved in the hobby of these model RR’s in the dirt. LRRR Management celebrated the planting of this interesting flowering plant with leaves that look to me like little ferns. Ferns are very common in moist areas of the Appalachian forests including the Smokies. Here’s some pics:

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Brassbuttons640.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Brassbuttons2640.jpg)

Doc Tom

#193

Nice Tom. I love the brass buttons. I bought some last year at Lowes. They grow nice and look great especially in rock creveses. If I had found these earlier I would have done a large portion of my RR with these because the Kittatinny Mtns (part of the Appalachain Mtns) also has ferns all over.

#194
Shawn said:
Nice Tom. I love the brass buttons. I bought some last year at Lowes. They grow nice and look great especially in rock creveses. If I had found these earlier I would have done a large portion of my RR with these because the Kittatinny Mtns (part of the Appalachain Mtns) also has ferns all over.
Shawn,

That is very nice to know. The Brass Buttons were planted along the banks of the Little River overlooking a lot of rocks that edge it. I was hoping the plants would spread in to the rock crevasses. I also liked that the growth rate was described as “fast” on the little plastic card that comes with the plant as I have a large area that needs covering.

I may have “lucked up” on this plant selection just like I “lucked up” on my bride of 32 years.

More to come…

                                                                   Doc Tom
#195

Doc Tom
I just read the whole thread and your work through the pictures with all the “people in them” is
OUTSTANDING. The figures add a lot to the scenes. This makes me want to get started on logging
part of our RR but I want to get all the mainline done first. I like the way you duplicated the high
trestle scene. Keep those pictures coming.
Rodney

#196

Rodney Edington said:
Doc Tom I just read the whole thread and your work through the pictures with all the “people in them” is OUTSTANDING. The figures add a lot to the scenes. This makes me want to get started on logging part of our RR but I want to get all the mainline done first. I like the way you duplicated the high trestle scene. Keep those pictures coming. Rodney

Thank you Rodney. I am glad you like the pictures. Using figures in RR scenes can really make them come alive and allow you to make up stories about what is going on in the scene. These “figure fotos” are a hold over from my 25 years in HO. Here are a couple of pictures from my now defunct HO C&S RR. Notice once again the Woodland Scenics guys are center stage in these shots.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Figures1.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Figures2.jpg)

I also like to use the “close up” setting on my SONY digital camera and try to take as many shots at the eye level of a 1:20.3 photographer as possible. Out in the garden this does lead to many more muddy knees than in the HO basement, but still a lot of fun. I will try to keep the pictures coming. Doc Tom

#197

Work scenes, waiting passengers and other miniature activity scenes certainly put a fine touch to any railroad. I spent most of the budget over the last few years on track and stock - thank heavens I did: prices have escalated.

Now it is time to build more structures and populate the property. That’s the great thing about outdoor large scale railroads; you are never finished.

#198

A special thanks to Bill Nelson who donated this nice Box Car lettered for his HO Dead Grass Crooked Creek and Western. And a special thanks to Kevin Strong for his articles on weathering with acrylic paint washes. Because of these two generous guys I was able to take the bright red box car in the picture below

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/lgb2.jpg)

and weather it turning it into an interchange car on The Little River Rail Road.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DGA640.jpg)

The office gang now needs to figure out how much tare is indicated for this foreign box car on Little River tracks.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DG1640.jpg)

I reworked the car replacing the bottle opener couplers with Kadees and building up the brake wheel and ladders from the scrap box.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DG3640.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/DG4640.jpg)

With the slowly growing roster of RR cars ineed to lay some more track for them to run on in the Smoky Mountains. Doc Tom

#199

…grinning…

#200

Nice job on the weathering and hardware.
Fine scene too :slight_smile:
Ralph