The Eye of the Beholder

The Camera Can't Lie

John Allen wrote quite a bit about model railroading and photography. He felt that photography could be used as a tool to enable a modeler to do better work. Case in point this photo of the GHQ/Kato Mikado I purchased at the Nashville train show. Whenever I look at it I perceive a thing of beauty. Yet as you can see the camera doesn't use a "rose colored lens". It sees what is really there. In this case it shows a very rough paint job, bent and missing handrails and a slight pitch to the cab roof. Even the running board are bent. I've looked at this model a dozen times and never even noticed the Keystone number board under the headlight. I've seen more in one glance at this photo then I have since I purchased the locomotive!

PRR Class L1s

Fortunately I didn't build this model so there is no "shame" about what a lousy job I did. The caboose to the left is an example of my own work. It's a Bowser model of a PRR NC5 "cabin car" or caboose. I did not build this model, but I did repaint it. I do all my painting with brushes and for some reason I cannot explain have never had trouble with brush marks (at least when using flat paint). I do have an air brush and can use it, but it's a lot of work to keep it clean and maintained. It's just easier for me to use paint brushes. Anyway, because I have such luck I'm hoping my own attempt at the second L1s comes out better. John was right. Seeing your models through the camera lens can be a valuable tool.

The New 5 x 8 Extension

The physical work of the expansion continues...I'm not sure how many model rails out there work like this. I wold love to be the kind of person who can plan this all out ahead of time but I'm not. To fall  back on John Allen again, he was allegedly able to plan so far ahead that even after two decades people were finding things he had built into his plans years ago. Of course John had quite a few "finished" (they are never finished) layout under his belt. I have built (or started to build) layouts before but nothing this extensive. The layouts were either smaller or the first sections of a larger layout.

I actually don't mind working like this even though it is probably counter intuitive to many people. I tried building layouts in sections, but the sections are more like dioramas. I have never been happy operating dioramas.

Foam Roadbed Cut to Fit Trackage

I had mentioned last time around that the "reverse cookie cutter" method is a lot of work. I believe I first saw this idea used to modify the Maryland & Pennsylvania layout in Model Railroader. (not sure what issue). They built the layout in phases. For the second phase they cut out the table top to match the revised track plan. For the Allegheny Eastern  I cut the extruded foam "table top" using a utility knife. I removed any foam that wasn't roadbed leaving only the portion that remains under the track work. Then I cut the 1/4" plywood "sub top". As I cut the roadbed out I'm finding that it probably isn't any more work than cutting the roadbed ahead of laying track. Either way you have this huge piece of plywood with a track plan on it. In the reverse method, it just a lot more obvious where the track goes. It also demands the use of hand tools so I don't risk damage my code 55 track. It would be easier to use a power jig saw with the tried and true method with no rails to crush. I personally Dislike power tools so either way I would be probably be using a hand saw. The saw I used is a smaller version of the Japanese pull saw I used to make benchwork. 

Using a Small Pull Saw Is Not as Much Work as It Seems.

They are both manual saws, but because of their razor sharp thin blades that cut very quickly. Actually meant for fine cabinetry they cut very accurately. I have also used them to shorten countertops in place, general framing work and undercut wall trim. I have even been able to trim paper thin adjustments on 2x4's. The resulting slices make great shims.

Mountain of Foam Will be Used to Make Foam Mountains

If there is a big drawback to any cookie cutter method it has to be waste. After all you start with a 4x8 sheet of plywood (or foam) and only use the part that actually hold up the track. One advantage to using thinner plywood is cost, both for initial purchase and the value of the wasted material. While the extra plywood may or may not be suitable for other projects, the extruded foam is a totally different story. The foam will be used to build up the surrounding landscape and make the basic structure of the Allegheny Mountains. I was a bit hesitant to just go out and purchase sheets of foam to create land forms. On some layouts the mountains are built from layers of 2" or deeper) layers of extruded foam. Only one home center around here carries such material and they charge $60 for 4'x8' sheet. I have some serious reservations about chopping up hundreds of dollars worth of extruded foam. The 1/2" thick foam I used goes for $11. I can live with that.

PRR Class AP20

I'll close with another model shot, this one of an AP20 set I working on. These are Kato models of Alco PA-1 units. The DGLE paint was brushed on and Micro-Scale decals were added. I then brushed on a coat of clear matte. I'm not happy with the decals (especially on the B unit) so I haven't added the clear plastic windows yet. Those stripes are extremely hard to apply and get perfectly straight without tearing. Believe it or not it is actually easier to stripe a full size object than a scale model!!! The bigger the object, the more room for tiny misalignments. In N scale even a fractional deviation appears HUGE. Once again, photographing the model highlights the flaws that need correction. These units will be redone until I get it right. After all, that's the way I'm building the whole layout.