01-18-2009, 12:05 PM
Glad to see that you took the plunge and decided to post some pictures, Bob. I don't see anything that would upset the Modelling Police or the Rivet-Counters Union. 
I like the idea of roads dead-ending at the tracks, and structures under bridges - it all combines to give it a "down-by-the-tracks-in-not-the-best-neighbourhood" kind of feeling. The fences look good, too - I think that your home-made one looks even better than the one from Alloy Forms.
Campbell makes corrugated siding in aluminum, in various lengths, which is also a good choice for this type of fence. I build the framework from strip styrene, then use contact cement to fasten the panels in place. The easiest way to do this is to use a brush to coat one side of the siding material with the contact cement (try to estimate how much siding you'll need for whatever application you're doing), then, after the cement has dried to the touch, use a sharp blade to cut it into individual sheets. Make sure that the cut-out sheets don't come in contact with one another, though: they don't call it contact cement for nothing!
I spread them out, face up, on some newspaper. Once the cement on the fence framework has dried to the touch, you can start slappin' the panels in place, making sure, of course, to "slap" carefully, as you won't be able to adjust them once they touch the framework.
![[Image: th_Foe-toesfromTrainPhotos2007third-3.jpg]](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Trackside%20Industries/th_Foe-toesfromTrainPhotos2007third-3.jpg)
You shouldn't dread ballasting, either. It's actually pretty simple, and, other than painting your rails, is probably the most "bang for your buck" in our hobby. I'm going to post a ballasting how-to in the Scenery Forum - no pictures, as I wrote it after I figured out how to do it through trial and error, but it's pretty easy, and cheap, too.
And, now that you've got the hang of it, Bob, keep those pictures comin'.
Wayne
I like the idea of roads dead-ending at the tracks, and structures under bridges - it all combines to give it a "down-by-the-tracks-in-not-the-best-neighbourhood" kind of feeling. The fences look good, too - I think that your home-made one looks even better than the one from Alloy Forms.
Campbell makes corrugated siding in aluminum, in various lengths, which is also a good choice for this type of fence. I build the framework from strip styrene, then use contact cement to fasten the panels in place. The easiest way to do this is to use a brush to coat one side of the siding material with the contact cement (try to estimate how much siding you'll need for whatever application you're doing), then, after the cement has dried to the touch, use a sharp blade to cut it into individual sheets. Make sure that the cut-out sheets don't come in contact with one another, though: they don't call it contact cement for nothing!
I spread them out, face up, on some newspaper. Once the cement on the fence framework has dried to the touch, you can start slappin' the panels in place, making sure, of course, to "slap" carefully, as you won't be able to adjust them once they touch the framework. ![[Image: th_Foe-toesfromTrainPhotos2007third-3.jpg]](http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/doctorwayne/Trackside%20Industries/?action=view¤t=Foe-toesfromTrainPhotos2007third-3.jpg)
You shouldn't dread ballasting, either. It's actually pretty simple, and, other than painting your rails, is probably the most "bang for your buck" in our hobby. I'm going to post a ballasting how-to in the Scenery Forum - no pictures, as I wrote it after I figured out how to do it through trial and error, but it's pretty easy, and cheap, too.
And, now that you've got the hang of it, Bob, keep those pictures comin'.
Wayne