You can put that thing in the back of your “Ranger Cruiser” and play with it at work…
Ken Brunt said:
You can put that thing in the back of your “Ranger Cruiser” and play with it at work…
I like the way you think Ken. Then you can come up and ride around with me. (shut up Rooster)
In one post you say the dia is 31"
In another post you said the whole board was 60" x 30" Did you mean 36" wide??
When you say 31" dia, is that the outside rails, centreline or inner rail?
Sorry to be pedantic
Oops the board is 40 inches wide and the dia of track is 31. Not sure where I got the 30 from. Must have hit the wrong number key.
Thanks Shawn. I’m trying to resist building a small layout, but you go and rekindle the fire.
Are your questions about building switches in another forum, to do with this micro layout?
Greg Hunter said:
Thanks Shawn. I’m trying to resist building a small layout, but you go and rekindle the fire.
Are your questions about building switches in another forum, to do with this micro layout?
The micro is very easy to store. Im going to put a handle on it to make it easier. I could have used lighter wood to make it lighter but I ended up using what I had laying around. Its worth making one to have, especially rainy days.
Check out Vics Pizza. That should motivate you even more lol…
The switch building topic is in another thread. I plan on handlaying my outdoor track and building switches for it. I was going to do the same for the micro but the Aristo looks pretty good once painted.
I made a little more progress with the micro. Track is ballasted. I ran out of Ballast and it took me some time to get more. It took a little practice to get the ballast on, had to fill in cracks and loose spots. Still have a little patching to do. Next is start shaping the landscape and build the sawmill.
Wow, that is awesome!!!
Ron Tremblay said:
Wow, that is awesome!!!
Ron, we can see the wheels turning through the computer screen.
…winking…
I finally got back into the Micro. AT least its to the point I can run stuff on it. Today I scrounged through my wood bin and started building the Sawmill. I have the basic frame done. Going to use my Bachmann steam donkey for inside, perfect fit. Now I have to cut some siding and make the details for inside. Nothing fancy since I will close part of it off. Space is limited so I have to keep everything compact. I want to start building tall pines but cant find the fern stuff people use. I should have Ron send me some
Shawn next time I go by the store I will get some , if they still have any.
I made some more progress. I got most of the Sawmill completed (see thread in modeling forum) I got some scultamold to fill in the gaps etc… I also started making some pine trees using wooden dowels. I first shaped them using a table saw, then I roughed the trunks up, by running the blade up and down. Then it got stained with some dark walnut stain. The next step was to add the branches. I was originally going to use dried fern like the Asparagus fern but I could not find it anywhere in my area. Ron sent me something he found that was comparable. Im not sure the name of it but it is in the Ashland fern collection. What I really liked about this stuff is that it is plastic rather then dried up material. I thin for what I was doing I needed something that could handle being packed away. The ferns were attached and then sprayed with krylon camo green spray paint.
So far this what they look like. I still have a little more playing around to do, to get the look im after. I also need to make trunks/roots on the bottom. I have to get some more ferns to complete the last two trees.
Pictures are not great, too much clutter in background.
Looking great, its getting there;)
I like the trees. Good job.
Doc Tom
Great job!
Looks great, but I hope the trees come off easy, otherwise it’s going to be a pain to fit into the Jeep.
Ahah! I’ve found your build thread at last! Very cool, Shawn. I’m following with interest…
Thinking out loud here, I wonder if it would one could make the trees removable as Mr Radder suggests, but model the roots around them, separately, so they remain stuck to the ground surface and the trunks lift out of the centers. That way you could transport the trees in a box and the roots wouldn’t get broken.
And for yet another idea, a long, long time ago there was an article in MR about making tree stumps from rubber. The guy used tan latex rubber mold compound. I am familiar with this stuff, and it made sense. These flexible, compressible stumps could be placed right up to the edge of his benchwork, and they conformed to his rocky topography. It occurs to me that a very compliant root network, this time actually attached to your tree trunks, could be made of this stuff…
Carry on…
I double dog dare you to run a Ruby on that !
Just kidding. Thats coming along very nicely, there is a company that makes really excellent redwood type trees but they are pricey.
Just a suggestion, but you know me I cant bear to see empty space on a tiny layout, seams to me you can add a few really interesting logging related items in the open spaces, like a logging wheel skidder, a Holt tractor or a Lombard steam tractor
Wheel Skidder:
Holt:
Lombard:
and yes there was a dry weather version:
these would be great modeling subjects
Shawn,
You should bring this down to York!