East Terminal & Newburgh

[Schraddel]

Hello,


Work started with removing the pile of ballast which has until now served asa wheelstop. Fortunately the PVAC glue i used then is water soluble.




Meanwile the silos were built:





Some devices for subsurface pipework was added.




The compressor shack has to be placed at the side due to space restrictions. Therefor some pipework has to be altered and retrofitted.





A piece of flextrack was lose laid.





And the plant too to get an impression what it looks alike. Also to determine if the elongated track fits.

The the track was nailed down.


Lutz

[UP SD40-2]

Very IMPRESSIVE! Great start on silo area

[Tyson Rayles]

Looking good!

[tetters]

Fantastic work Lutz. The bends you made to the brass pipework is very nicely done.

[Schraddel]

Hello,


After the electric connections were done, next was ballasting the new track. I use this old spice tin which has rather big bores in their mesh. Ideal for dosed spreading of ballast.
With the aid of the brush the ballast bed was formed and unwanted granules of ballast were sweeped off the ties.
The test truck will tell you the truth if all granules have diappeared from such places were they are unwanted.







Then create a mixture of casein glue, water and some drops of cheap dishwasing detergent. The mixture should be a thin low viscosity fluid which is trickled by an pipette genorous onto the ballst bed untill all is soaked thoroughly.
In this case i also began spreading Woodland turf, underbrush and other groundcover devices. They were also soaked with the mixture.
Wait a night long until dry.





Continue the procedure with the groundcover and place some little shrubs strategical.





Dispose the pellet unloading plant and have a look how it appears.
Add a car stop.







Take another angles of sight and have a look.

For this time i am over with module #4 with the exception for the paint job für the silos still to do.


Lutz









[url=https://abload.de/image.php?img=dsc011642nkib.jpg][/url]

[doctorwayne]

Lookin' good, Lutz!
   
Once you've groomed the ballast using a brush, there's an easy method to get rid of any stray ballast left atop the ties:

Lightly grasp the brush by the ferrule (the metal part which holds the bristles), then lay the handle across the rails.  Next, lightly and rapidly use the fingers of your free hand to tap the handle as you move it along the track...any stray ballast atop the ties will "magically" bounce off, and into place between the ties.

Wayne

[Tyson Rayles]

Nice work!

[tetters]

I hate ballasting...it's annoying. However the Doc is right. "Vibrating" the ballast with a brush handle is a genius way of helping the ballast settle in between the ties.

[doctorwayne]

I hate ballasting...

I suspect that many modellers would agree with you on that, but I find it to be a relaxing part of the hobby, which requires little effort or skill, other than perhaps some patience.  The change from bare track on roadbed or plywood, turns the toy-like scene into a preview of what the modeller has in mind.

I have always thought that the process of painting rails (and sometimes ties, too), along with ballasting, are the two best bangs-for-your-buck that you will ever get out of model railroading.

Wayne

[BR60103]

Youngs's rule: Just when you finish ballasting, your wife will decide you need to move house.

[Schraddel]

David,

a well-meant advice:
Build your layout not fixed specific into a room, but instead modular. You never will move house again.

(Applied science of Murphy's laws)


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

module #4 was done then and went up into the attic and module #5 came down.


Here Anderson Steel Ltd. was demounted completely for rebuilding.
In the background there are the two signboard for different eras of MFG Autoparts Co. are visible.





That was the main reason for rebuilding. 2018 we retrieved two kitten from the local animal shelter. Instead of hunting rodents they decided to imtate them.





All restful. No not for long. More of their influence to the modules of Flats will be reported later.





One of the other reasons for rebuilding were the then used water based paint. This coating was very delicate, one accidental touch with a finger nail caused scratches and flaked off paint leaving the white coloured styrene visible. This water based dye has to go definitely. So i take action and removed nearly all of this uneligible coating.
Here the concrete ground was repainted with solvent based paint und this stuck onto the surfaces. The hall was mounted again.


Lutz

[Schraddel]

Hello,

in a search of a solution what to do with the nibbled columns:

I decided to cut the down to the level of the bridge rails.





The whole overhead crane and the steel parts of the workshop were at least painted in a dull green to replicate zinc based rust protection dye. The bridge was place nearer to the shop hall. The old position caused tricky workarounds when uncoupling with chopsticks.





And to do it right with a robust mounting, several pieces of brass rods were driven into the base plate for reinforcement. The other end were glued to the columns.





The look from above.



Lutz

[Tyson Rayles]

Cute kittens! At that age they are great when grilled with a little lemon juice!*      This of course solves the problem of them messing with the modules.





*No kittens were harmed in the making of this post!

[Schraddel]

Hello,




Compare these photos with those taken on 30th August 2020.





Found a lot of loose landscaping stuff scattered onto the modules. WTH has happened here?





Caught! Catzilla has taken her toll.


Lutz