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.
When my wife suggested I start a blog I really wasn't sure what I would write about. I thought about it for a while and then realized I had already been "blogging" for quite a while. I just wasn't using the accepted venue. My website, www.kelticsylk.info has more than a few "blogs". On the homepage there are several links to my "articles" on model railroading. There is also a link called "The Other Side" which is meant to be more personal in nature. So I decided to go with what I know.
Hence "Milepost 15" which is actually an extension of the original series, just now it will be in this new venue, which for me is totally untried. If it works out, I'll probably do as many other do and add other blogs for other interests and endeavors. This particular blog centers around my love of trains in general, including the real thing, scale modeling, and to some extent toys. Hopefully I will have something meaningful to say on the subject.
For my first flight into the "blogosphere" I think I'll take you on a railfan trip around my uncompleted N scale layout, the Allegheny Eastern.It's based (rather loosely) on the Pennsylvania Railroad between Altoona and Gallitzin PA or as it is sometimes called "The Hill". It's roughly a twelve mile long section of four track mainline where the Pennsy twisted it's way to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains. I'm not trying to build an exact replica, that would be impossible in any scale in the space allotted in my garage. I just want to capture the impression of mountain railroading as it was practiced by "The standard of the World", the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The video starts with the camera "pacing" an Pennsylvania L1s class "Mikado" The model is a Kato heavy 2-8-2 rebuilt with the GHQ L1s "kit". I purchased it at a local train show. It has no traction tires or other aids and is able to pull a ten to fifteen car train on level track. It's shown pulling a short mixed freight "westward" up The Hill. The camera then switches to an A-B set of class EF15 cab units. EF15 is the Pennsy's classification for Electro Motive 1500 HP F-7 product. The models are Bachmann "Spectrum" locomotives that had the dreaded "cracked gear" syndrome. I replaced the wheel sets with Northwest Short Line part number 2574-6. This took care of the gear issue, but I found I had to swap out the electrical contacts to get them to run right. The ones that came with the unit were painted black and were no longer able to conduct electricity. I used the contacts from Bachmanns PCC trolley and now they run fine. The train is a mixed freight with empty coal hoppers heading downhill "eastward". As the eastbound freight passes the camera pans to another eastward train, this one a short passenger consist pulled by an A-B set of AP20 class Alco PA's. The stainless passenger cars are ConCor models of Budd Company lightweights. The model AF20 units were made by Kato. Only the A unit is powered, the B is a "dummy" unit. While freight trains actually need multiple locomotives to make it around the layout, the passenger trains are currently short enough for one powered unit. As the train arrives at the west end of Altoona the camera pans again to follow a westward passenger train pulled by an A-B set of EP20 class cab diesels. These are Electro Motive E-6 units rated at 2000 horsepower. They are pulling a short train of heavyweight cars trailing an REA express boxcar. The heavy weights are all older Rivarossi / Atlas products. The REA car is an Athearn model.
I had backdrops in place all around the layout separating the various areas from one another. While this is the "recommended" practice in the model rail press, I find I actually enjoy seeing all the trains running at the same time. Not very realistic, I know. I still have a ways to go on the layout yet (as if you couldn't tell) and as the scenery goes up I will have to use those backdrops. No other way to separate the mountains scenery from the city.
