Chester Louis said:
Vincent,
Make a wash of India ink and alcohol, oh 1 to 10 parts or so, and brush it from top to bottom. It’ll get into all the nooks and crannies and cracks. When you have it looking the way you want, give it a clear over coat.
Chester Louis SA #64 Hampshire County Narrow Gauge
Thanks for the tip, I may give this a try on the small top roof section to make sure I don’t mess things up before attempting on the larger section!
Jake Smith said:
Vincent,
I was in agreement with the others about leaving it like it was, however I think the painted look is better. It tones down the bright white.
Jake I am pretty happy with how it came out, it even looks a bit better now that it has fully dried.
Hopefully the rest of it comes out just as good with the red paint!
I have moved forward in my painting quest.
Finished painting all of the roof sections and have two sides painted red so far.
I have run into just a little issue which I actually don’t seem to mind to much. The tape is actually pulling of some of the factory white paint that was used on the trim, but I kind of like how it has given the trim a sort of weathered look.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09069_zps849e8f06.jpg)
And the red paint that I am using is going on light enough where you still get the discoloration from how the original finish has faded.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09070_zps67c2c05d.jpg)
My eyes need a break from masking the trim off so I will finish the other two sides a little later!
Before:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09066_zpsc462eb59.jpg)
After:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09069_zps849e8f06.jpg)
Looks good. Where the paint came off rub some fine sandpaper in those areas to blend it in. Do it lightly and see how it comes out.
Shawn Viggiano said:
Looks good. Where the paint came off rub some fine sandpaper in those areas to blend it in. Do it lightly and see how it comes out.
That seems simple enough, I will give it a try.
Hopefully I can get back to this and finish it up by the weekend, every time I think I have a chance to do something…it starts raining!
Looks like this weather should break after this week but might get very hot but at least dry.
Well…it’s not raining!
But it is just way to HOT outside to even think of doing anything with the layout.
Supposed to be in the 90’s with very high humidity for the next 4-5 days 
Just opening the door to go outside away from the nice cool air conditioning is a challenge!
But I need to go clean the pond filters so I get to play under the water from the garden hose for some relief 
Well…up to 3-sides of the barn painted, but it is just way to hot outside so…
No better time to hit the bay and do a little kayaking!
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/kay1_zps53916165.jpg)
Decided to get up nice and early so I could finish painting the barn before it gets too hot outside.
Didn’t come out to bad, the windows on this side actually were already missing chips of white paint (it wasn’t the tape I was using this time!)
Just going to wait for it to dry then later this afternoon I will spray it with some matte UV spray so hopefully the barn stays red this time!
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09072_zps346a83e4.jpg)
Well after a week of high humidity and the occasional thunderstorm popping up here and there the railroad was left alone…however it did not stop the insane amount of weeds that just came up out of know where instantly over night!
Spent the last 90 minutes weeding away so hopefully tomorrow I can finish the train station section, place the barn that has been painted, and run some trains!
Nothing good to report on the progress of setting up the train station and passenger platform.
Worked on it for a little while yesterday in between rain showers and down pours that NO ONE had in the local forecast!
The humidity is just unbearable, you cant even sit outside for more then 5-minutes without your shirt being soaked through to the bone.
Anyway, I was playing with more cement brick around the station and platform and just am not happy with how it is coming out, so before I go any further with it I am going to experiment with another idea that popped into my head yesterday and see if it will work out any better.
On a positive note we did take a ride to a great local nursery yesterday to start looking for planting ideas for this fall, and sadly we came upon a defunct G-scale railroad that was built on there site and has long since been abandoned. The good thing was, the plantings they used (which were all over grown) were still alive and thriving so we could easily point out what we liked and didn’t like. So now when we go back this early fall it should be easy enough to find things we want!
I hear ya on the weather. Once our daily rain stopped around the 4th the humidity has been just about unbearable. Caught a break Friday and early Saturday, but it’s back now and supposed to be in the 90’s all week.
I’ve got less done on the RR this year than any other year. Still don’t have all the spring ballast work done and what I did get done has washed away in spots with heavy rains.
Raining here every day, and every night. Roads are washed out. Trees are falling. Mudslides, you name it, it’s happening here.
Monday we should get a break…only 20% chance of rain. Then it returns to 30-60% of rain.
Ralph
Here in Toronto, Record-breaking rain last Monday… more than during Hurricane Hazel. Next day a little more. Since then temps in the 90s+ every day, lucky if it goes down to 70 overnite. Around the lakes the added humidity can be a real b-tch.
For the Invasion, hot and humid predicted, chance of brief thundershowers, which would be NICE! In my own backyard, like Jon and some of you other guys, the weather has really put a crimp in all plans this year.
And this is the year I have a lot of heavy work to do - concrete blocks to build benchwork legs, etc… very fortunate, very grateful to have fellow clubmembers come around and pitch in here and there, that’s for sure.
Struggling on regardless, doing what I can early AM and in whatever 'cool the early evening provides. The rest of the day you’d just bake out there.
After the sun started going down last evening my girl and I sat out on our deck to have a few beverages, and I think I have decided to keep the train station the way how it is using the cement bricks going around it to elevate it.
It really looked pretty good…or maybe it was the drinks!
I did build a wooden base for the passenger platform that should elevate it up to the height that I need to make it match the station, I also just sprayed it with a stone textured spray paint that I picked up this morning. If it dries as good as it looks while it is wet it should come out pretty nice.
Either way I will post a picture of it when I get home tonight, and if the paint works well I might actually spray all the cement block around the station with it.
I also received in my order of figures and accesories from Just Plain Folk today, so I should be able to setup some benches and figures on the platform & station.
This is all provided I don’t melt in the back yard when I get home, already 92 degrees and wet sticky humidity to go with it!
So here are some quick shots of the Aristo passenger platform sitting in the wooden base structure that I made and painted with the textured stone paint:
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09087_zps4cbbef36.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09088_zps0bd037c3.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09089_zps26bb4e7e.jpg)
I need to set it in place next to the station, but I think it is going to look okay. If I like how it looks outside I may fill in the seams of the cement block around the passenger station and spray that base with the same paint.
So here it is a little after 8pm here and it is still so muggy outside you can’t even breath!
Decided to stay inside with the air conditioning on and play with a few figures that arrived today.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09091_zpsd49e06b5.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09093_zps3ee66c15.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09094_zps718de450.jpg)
Very nice Vincent. 
Finally I have the passenger platform outside and in position!
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09109_zps17b2662c.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09110_zps024bee94.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09111_zpsdb5ca6d3.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09114_zpsfd13620b.jpg)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/139vinny/New%20Garden%20Railroad/DSC09115_zpsa8a82799.jpg)
I need to trim the board I have for the front of the station and then paint it with the same textured paint used on the passenger platform and that should finish this area up…besides adding more figures and what not.
But sadly that’s it for today on the railroad, it’s only 9:38am and the temp is already over 90 degrees, I am staying in for the day in the nice cool central air!
