East Terminal & Newburgh

[Schraddel]

Hello,

meanwhile with some colour:


The oversight.
Note the highway overpass is in place. In future this will be part of an exchangeable scenery set.





The stairs for the varnish were painted somewhat concrete greyish.





And another tree with magnetic roots.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

as raised in the last post, this will be a chapter of the ET&N, to enable the modular layout to be transfered into the age of former eras on demand. The question here ist: "How did it look alike when the highway and it's overpass not just existed?"
Because this is a marginal metropolitain area, there must be existed a radial street leading out of the city crossing the rails of the ET&N by the means of a grade crossing.


Interlude 1:
When i became a US Model Railroader in 2006 i purchased two laser cut kits of J.L.Innovative. One of this kits was a house with candy store and integrated candy production.


This was my first laser kit.



And in a nutshell the building:


















In this state this build up kit outlasted the last years. Not really be of avail, but a nice piece of illustrative model integrated to nothing.

But that was changed.


Lutz

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice model!

[Schraddel]

Hello,

the next task was to cut a baseplate out of 4mm plywood. The shape has to be exact the same as the ground view of the bank of the hightway and abutment. Therefor it has an irregular shape with 6 corners. The baseplate was painted in earth colour:



Onto the the building was glued down. Not paralell to any edge, but rectangular to the street. In my inventory i found structural panels of cobblestone road pavement made out of printed and embossed cardboard. This was glued and weighted down.





After the glue has dried up.
The street has just the same angle as the later highway.


Lutz

[doctorwayne]

That's a great way to enable varying the time-frame of the layout to an earlier era, Lutz.  Very nicely-done!  

Wayne

[Tyson Rayles]

Neat idea!

[Schraddel]

Hello,

the interdude #2:


Just the same time as i purchased the building above, this crossing keeper house was also purchased.
And in short term the synthesis:








In this stage the building of the kit was interrupted, the unfinished kit was stored away for 12 years.



A few weeks ago i remembered the kit:

One of the difficulties back then was a strongly fitting of the supports out of bent rails.
Nowadays i solderrd the ends onto a baseplate made out of a piece of scrap brass. Two M2 screw threads were drilled and tapped.





Simply screw it onto the bigger base.





Fixed and still removeable.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

some progress:


The supports for the small platform.





The cabin and supports were painted, the roof also. And the stairs too. Als was mounted onto small "concrete" foundations to meet the height of the floor.









The windows were glassed and the roof mounted. The parts for the roof were not those of the kit, instead i found in my huge inventory a suitable plastic sheet with shingle reproduction. There is still a lack of interior fittings of the cabin. For that the roof is only attached temporarly.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

now let's look into this huge cardboard box where i have stored all my landscape building stuff which were purchased the last 20 years.
Astonishing and whatnot appears


So i started with Woodland fine turf of 3 types for covering the ground.
Added some irregular fluff balls of Woodland coarse turf to simulate scrub.





The rear side. Here too the building is rectangular to the road, so this triangle came about.











Streetview.
So let the white glue dry up overnight.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

let's plant some trees:








Found a old package of HEKI Naturbäume (natural trees). many were broken and nearly all of them bend.
The broken pieces were planted just before the crossing gate keeper's hut.
Explanation: Some of the trees grew up and high so that they interfered the free sight of the keeper. The Railroad sent a maintenance gang equipped with chainsaws. This chainsaw gang arranged a chainsaw massacre and cut the trees down.
But the trees were not dead, they simply continued what trees used to do: growing and pushing new branches.


Lutz

[Charlie B]

Very nice trees with prototypical trimming. He has to be able to see to do his job. Good work
Charlie

[ezdays]

I can certainly accept that explanation. Nice work Lutz, it's your attention to the details that makes the scene just right.

[Tyson Rayles]

That is a real work of art Lutz!

[Schraddel]

Hello,

thank you gents for the laurel.

And now (drum roll) :






The insert for the first time on the layout. In think the new vegetation blends well into the existing one of the layout.





Next task was the crossing. Found a board with plank imitation. It looks alike the coarse stuff RR companies used in fomer times to fill the gaps between the rails at grade crossings. This is also a coarse cut and need adjustments.

I am thinking about the possibilities:
- Fixing it permanently and ignore the stuff in later eras when the bridge is mounted instead.
- A not permanet fixing of the fillings with magnets so that it can be removed by demand.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,


A further lokk in the late sunshine. This half is nearly done, but the other half beyond the street needs something. I thought for a little  period gas station.





Looking around on the stocks of my dealer, other dealers, evilbay and more i found a suitable kit here in Germany. This saves the high postal charges from overseas and custom hassle.




What the box contains.







Ordered from this dealer a contemporary tow truck (Athearn) too.


Lutz