I ... I ... I am A Model Railroader

[HAL]

Here's the finished helipad model. It looks even better than the camera depicts. That's about 3 weeks of work off and on.

[HAL]

Here's a couple of what are called intermodal cars. The "intermodal" refers to the Hicube containers that go on ships, trains, and trucks. I got the cars from the hobby shop and had to mod them to accept modern N scale trucks with modern N scale couplers (they are older models). I then made the hicube containers myself from paper printouts you then assemble into a 3D model.

[HAL]

I bought some children's crayola supertip markers to tint the edges of the paper models after cutting them out. Most of the markers have a colored tip with a white barrel, but about six have colored tips with black barrels - didn't know why.

I was using one of them that had a black barrel - a raspberry color, and I realized, wow, this marker smells delicious! Then I was using a yellow one today and it smelled like lemons. I then realized all the black-barrel markers smell like a fruit. Man have things changed since I was a kid!

[MadBunny]

probably you've seen it already, but I remember a trick we used to do to make stuff look worn or aged in the shop.

You undercoat your project[1], let it dry, then when it's dry you can either....

Paint on some rock salt and spray paint your piece, or spray paint your piece and use crumples newspaper to add random scratches.
For military hardware we'd paint it and slide ours across the shop floor where they'd sit in a pile and dry.  worked surprisingly well.

1.	eg: chrome paint for the base to look mettalic under scratches, but you could use rust, blood or whatever

[Hatter23]

probably you've seen it already, but I remember a trick we used to do to make stuff look worn or aged in the shop.

You undercoat your project[1], let it dry, then when it's dry you can either....

Paint on some rock salt and spray paint your piece, or spray paint your piece and use crumples newspaper to add random scratches.
For military hardware we'd paint it and slide ours across the shop floor where they'd sit in a pile and dry.  worked surprisingly well.

1.	eg: chrome paint for the base to look mettalic under scratches, but you could use rust, blood or whatever

For something more subtle, I used chalk washes followed by artist's fixative spray

[MadBunny]

how does that work?

[HAL]

For something more subtle, I used chalk washes followed by artist's fixative spray

Yea I have some weathering powders. It's really neat and works like magic for weathering.

[Hatter23]

how does that work?

you will need several small containers of water,a couple of small brushes, chalk in multiple colors(particularly charcoal-black, and reddish brown), q-tips, and artists fixative spray. All pretty cheap.
 
You apply the chalk directly into the corner area of your rolling stock and locos, even buildings, occasional draw a line into the main area but only if it is reddish brown, charcoal, or a color close to, but not exactly the same as the original surface. Now moisten a brush, slightly and father the areas. the ares it will settle in are lower recessed areas, it might streak. Well what's going on is the same way how grime and rust settles and streaks on an object that gets rained on as often as railroad cars do, you are using water and gravity to simulate water and gravity! If you think you've overdone it a little in one area, use the q-tip as your eraser. Not happy with the whole thing, just a bath of warm sudsy water will remove it. When you are satisfied, use the artist fixative 12 -15 inches away from it.

 If you want clean rolling stock again, just give it a sponge bath in warm sudsy water two or three times.

 

[HAL]

Hatter - you got any work to show off?

[Hatter23]

Hatter - you got any work to show off?

I don't think so, since last time I did it was 20 plus years ago. I do the Lego train thing now.

[HAL]

I'm starting to work on some terrain features on a couple of curves. I envision the RR cut through a small hill at this location. Here's what I have so far.

[HAL]

Here's some rocks I am working on. They are made of plaster of paris and the coloring is done with washes of diluted latex paint. The highlights are done with white weathering power.

[Hatter23]

Here's some rocks I am working on. They are made of plaster of paris and the coloring is done with washes of diluted latex paint. The highlights are done with white weathering power.

Those are really nice, but have you considered some light flocking?

[HAL]

Those are really nice, but have you considered some light flocking?

Yea I'll probably be doing that later when I add grass and bushes.

[MadBunny]

Here's some rocks I am working on. They are made of plaster of paris and the coloring is done with washes of diluted latex paint. The highlights are done with white weathering power.

Surprisingly well made rocks, nice work Hal.

[HAL]

Surprisingly well made rocks, nice work Hal.

Thanks!

I didn't post up the ones I practiced on. I wasted several rocks until I got the sequence of colors and amounts down. Ah well the "rocks" are cheap enough to make so no big deal.

I'll need to make more for my tunnel area and I'll want to make them look like a different sort of strata - possibly more of a reddish rock. That's why I'm practicing on this turn area because the tunnel area will take me several months to make the way I want it. Stay tuned.

[jetson]

I wonder why you couldn't use some form of actual rocks?  Surely there are some granite "pebbles" that would serve you well, even if you had to color them somewhat.

[HAL]

I wonder why you couldn't use some form of actual rocks?  Surely there are some granite "pebbles" that would serve you well, even if you had to color them somewhat.

Good question Jetson.

The reason is that real rocks the size I need (to duplicate 1:160 scale), little 1 - 2" rocks found in nature, would almost all be smooth little rocks. They wouldn't have the jagged edges required to duplicate large rocks in this scale. It would take more work to make a small natural rock look like a "large boulder" in N scale than it would take to just make it from plaster.

[Hatter23]

Surprisingly well made rocks, nice work Hal.

Thanks!

I didn't post up the ones I practiced on. I wasted several rocks until I got the sequence of colors and amounts down. Ah well the "rocks" are cheap enough to make so no big deal.

I'll need to make more for my tunnel area and I'll want to make them look like a different sort of strata - possibly more of a reddish rock. That's why I'm practicing on this turn area because the tunnel area will take me several months to make the way I want it. Stay tuned.

I know one method to create an awesome cliff on the cheap. Broken ceiling tiles. Stack them up with the broken edge mostly following each other, prime and paint.

[HAL]

I know one method to create an awesome cliff on the cheap. Broken ceiling tiles. Stack them up with the broken edge mostly following each other, prime and paint.

Interesting method. I'll keep that tip in mind.

[Hatter23]

I know one method to create an awesome cliff on the cheap. Broken ceiling tiles. Stack them up with the broken edge mostly following each other, prime and paint.

Interesting method. I'll keep that tip in mind.

Been around for a long time, read it in Model Railroader magazine in 86. Only recently have I see a new take on it, not making it perfectly horizontal in order to simulate a plate tectonic shift, as opposed to sedimentary erosion.

[jetson]

I used to sit in the library and read Model Railroader.  Great mag.

[HAL]

I used to sit in the library and read Model Railroader.  Great mag.

Did you ever have a model RR?

Here's some more progress, but still needs grass, bushes, trees, and such.

[jetson]

That's great progress!  I did try it, but I was far too young to have the patience and resources to do it right.  So I was a dreamer, and most of the attempts I made at crafting were dismal failures.  I bet that I could do it much better now - if I could find the spare time!

[HAL]

I bet that I could do it much better now - if I could find the spare time!

And the money ...

I'm attempting to invite another model railroader to WWGHA. He's religious but a nice fellow. I sent him a link to this thread. We'll see!

[jetson]

I bet that I could do it much better now - if I could find the spare time!

And the money ...

I'm attempting to invite another model railroader to WWGHA. He's religious but a nice fellow. I sent him a link to this thread. We'll see!

Oh yes, the money.  That was always a great hindrance back in the day...and my priorities would have to shift - causing a rift in the household, no doubt!

[HAL]

Tomorrow I'm baking dirt.

Yea, you read it right - I'm baking dirt. I sifted a bunch of dirt from the yard to use on the layout and I need to bake it in the oven @ ~ 250 deg to kill all the bugs. It's what's for dinner.

This is the extent to which we go in this hobby. 

[HAL]

Making my own trees from a local plant called Yarrow. The dried ends get coated with glue and dipped in artificial turf. They make perfect trees and save a lot of money. The store bought trees are the definition of highway robbery.

[kin hell]

Making my own trees from a local plant called Yarrow. The dried ends get coated with glue and dipped in artificial turf. They make perfect trees and save a lot of money. The store bought trees are the definition of highway robbery shrubbery.

fixed