Layout progress on Sweethome Alabama - November 2010

[Jon Grant 4472]

Sweethome Alabama received its first exhibition invite last week (Tyneside Model Railway Show, November 2011). This has finally stirred me into action to make some progress on the layout, after spending the last few months either in 1930s Chicago (Sweethome Chicago) or 1940s Pennsylvania (Westmorland Junction)

A quick look at the layout told me that the west yard needed the most work doing to it, the East yard looking quite presentable as is, despite much of the scenery not being glued down.

My first task was to lift all the temporary scenery to avoid clutter, so I pulled up the trees and removed the bridges.






Also, I wasn't happy with the painted plaster finish to the inset track in the West yard, the finish being close to rail height and leaving little room for adding scatter, without it being knocked when cleaning the track. My solution was to take a small chisel and remove the top of the plaster to lower the level to just above the rail-ties, giving me the space to add fine ballast and scenic scatter.






I then painted the bare plaster to reveal any areas that required more treatment and provide a coloured base for the scenic covering.






Jon