Been making some more progress on the railyard. And I decided to try some weahtering on the concrete wall and overpass. I just used some flat black enamel paint with alot of thinner.
Before:
After:
And I was on a roll, so I finally did the way too shiny silver truss bridge. (I will do the small bridge next)
Before:
After:
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Michael
I really like the way your yard is shaping up-- it looks great! I especially like this particular view.
You’ve done a good job so far with the weathering, its blending in with the backdrop pretty good now. At least as far as I can tell from the photos.
John
Michael, it is a pleasure to watch how your layout is coming along! Very enjoyable!
Micheal, looks great! Did you have to lay on the bench to do the wreathing? If so, I bet your stomach had some interesting patterns on it! [:D]
Ken
Ok, I’m going to let you know what I think. You asked for it.
I absolutely love the top picture with the highway running to the background picture. What a great shot. If your ballast and weathering are good, it will be one convincing scene.
Now for the not so good. On the second picture down, I assume you’re not done with the bridge yet. Looks like lots of ballast, ground cover and details to go. You’re going to have to cut back those yellow grass clumps. They just don’t look right. Too uniform and tall. You also need much more ground cover to make it look realistic. I would recommend Silflor from this company http://www.scenicexpress.com
The road also looks “store bought”. Maybe some light weathering and finish up the sides with a little plaster for a shoulder.
Thanks guys for all the great feedback on my progress!
Ken, no actually I can access everything without having to crawl over anything, but it’s a stretch.
Drillline, yes I still have a ways to go with the scenery. I will take your advice and try to make that bridge scene more believable. Good tip on the road. As far as the long wheat grass weeds, we have a lot of that here in Colorado, as you can see in the backdrop as well. There is a small lake near my house that is completely surrounded by the wheat grass.I will definitley make the weeds shorter though. I also plan on using alot of dirt for ground cover mixed with different types of grasses.
Thanks,
Michael
Micheal, you might all so look at using Plant Toppers for tall weeds. They are fake grass covering to put in potted plants. Micheal’s sells them.
Here is a shot where I had just glued them down, but had not blended them in with the ground foam.
I will all so say you must have planed your bench well to be able to reach that spot. It looks a good 4 feet.
Ken
Just to give you guys an idea of the scenery here in Colorado, I just went and shot a few quick shots of my area. I was afraid I wasn’t using enough of the wheat grass.
Ken, do they have that plant stuff in wheat color too? I will look into that.
Micheal as good a weathering job as I’ve ever seen, not overly done nice and subtle. Too many guys tend to way over do the weathering thing no matter what scenery structures rolling stock or engines. Not everything in life is grungy. Your well on your way to a fine looking layout.
Thanks so much. Yes I agree with over doing weathering. I was a little scared at first, I didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good concrete wall and bridge. It’s amazing how much it changes the look and feel.
Michael
Great work Motley, It looks like you’ve been working overtime. [:)] My only question is what are you using for glue on the tracks. Unless it’s not dry, it’s leaving a white pattern.
Thanks!
I’m just using latex caulk. When I ballast over it, you won’t even be able to see it anymore. (because I’ve already ballasted some sections, and it looks fine.)
Michael
I’ll be laying track soon. I’ll have to give it a try.
Ya what I was told others do, is to lay a thin layer of latex on the roadbed before laying the track down. Well I tried this, but because of curves it was too difficult. And I kept touching the caulk with my hands and track. So I had to change my method.
Which was:
1.) Lay track down on the curve.
2.) Solder the joints.
3.) Using 3" drywall screws, screwing down 2 screws each to the outside of the rails, but inside the ties. About every 6-8" This makes it easier to form a nice curve.
4.) When the section of track is secured by the screws, then squirt the latex caulk in between the ties about every 6-8". Using fingers to wipe off any excess caulk from the top of the ties and rails.
It’s worked for me, the track is solid as a rock and haven’t even ballasted yet.
I’ll give it a shot. I use the woodland scenics foam nails to hold the track in place. They work great.
LOL… what the heck is a foam nail? Never heard of it. But if it keeps the track in place, that’s all you need.