Just thinking of all the little tricks you learn on this forum on how to build and operate a layout and am wondering if anyone has any secrets to pass on. You know the kind where you stand back and look and say that turned out better than I thought. I’ll start with sculptamold. This stuff is great and easy to use. Just add water, spread, the let dry. Add washes of color an whallah…Instant mountains.[:D]
The best trick I know is both the simplest and the most obvious:
Clean up EVERY rail end. Even flex track fresh out of the box can have almost invisible burrs that will either get in the way of rail joiners or cause flanges to climb over the rails. Three seconds with a fine-cut file will pay off in time not wasted collecting the debris after a derailment.
At the same time, take the sharp corner off the railhead on the inside (toward the flanges) edge. A tiny bevel there will keep cars on the tracks even if there’s a misalignment of a few thousandths of an inch.
Chuck (who considers a derailment a noteworthy event)
Best trick I know…
Sleeping any place any time!
Don’t know how you do it.
2nd Best trick:- being able to wake up as soon as anyone approaches!
I notice that in the generic US RR rule book “sleeping” is defined as adopting a horizontal position with eyes shut. No problem! Sleep standing up! [:D]
Not that I ever sleep around the railway… in quiet moments I study my Rule books carefully. [:I]
when you paint your rails, use some of that blue, rubber masking tape that Micro Mark sells to cover the rail surfaces, so you don’t have to clean them. Since the tape’s rubber, it bends easily around curves.
I knew a girl in school who did really good tricks. Something tells me that’s not what you mean though.
I like using latex rubber to make my own molds for Hydrocal castings. I bought single sheets of Evergreen “Tile” and “Sidewalk” styrene patterns, and made a mold for each. I did the same with a plaster tunnel portal. Now, I can make castings of them for pennies. Even better, the Hydrocal takes paint and weathering much better than the original styrene would.
I also took modelling clay and made a staircase. Then I did the latex rubber mold thing, and now I can make concrete steps which come out very well.
My favorite thing to do is to use plaster to weight cars. I use it in box cars by filling the ends one at a time, covered hoppers after they are assembled and before putting on the roof and especially tank cars that are notoriously light. The big advantages are cost and the fact that soupy plaster conforms to the shape. In addition when it dries you just wash off any that leaked out or got on the outside.
One thing I’ve had success with is artists acrylic modelling compound. I’ve used it mixed with paint to simulate soil and plaster-rendered walls. Its fine texture captures the scale texture of soil better than soil itself, I reckon. I even use it on tree trunks, especially those I’ve made from glued-together twigs. It fills in the gaps and disguises the fact they are glued-together twigs [:)] And it’s easy to paint, and dries quite fast.
Mike
I married her !
Patching the roads if they crack, putting black plaster in them
oooooo, I like that one! I guess drywall mud would work too!!!
The best trick I know…
If I don’t know the answer, I know a lot of guys I can ask! [:D][;)]
Gordon
Is this like clay or what? Sound like it works well.
this seems like a great find, but in reality, the plaster is really bad for plastics…plaster against plastic for too long can deteriorate the plastic over a realitively short period of time…I use flat weights like pieces of thin iron plate cut into squares from old door hindges or nails taped together (stuff like that) for weighting down my cars glued to the bottom of the rolling stock floors…chuck
my little trick is low cost trees…a piece of wire, hemp rope cut to lenght and unraveled into single strands, a clamp or a vise, some cheap green spray paint, and an electric drill does the trick… bend a piece of wire in half about 7 - 10 " long and clamp the two wire ends into a vise, feed some pieces of hemp rope between the two pieces of wire, chuck the other end of the wire in an electric drill, give it a whirl, paint it green and walaa!..an instant pine tree ready for the layout…chuck
Simply put where to start? I could write a volume on what I know and another volume on what I don’t know.[:O]
My best solution is to find what works best for me and stick with it.I also shun gimmicks and “new and improved ideas” that experience taught me I don’t need to do to enjoy the hobby.
When the yard gets really busy, take a bunch of ready-to-go caboose over and put them at the tail end of the departure track. Make the trains infront of the caboose instead of trying to add it to the end after the train is all made up.
Well theoretically that may be although I’ve never heard it before. All I can tell you is I’ve been adding plaster to cars for thirty years with no problems whatsoever. And that includes all the major shake the box kits back through Varney.
Pick a card, any card…
My best trick? [swg]
Give me foam and my trusty propane torch.
[:D]
When the modeling gets too intense … like installing 5,000 windows on a building… back off and sleep for a week. Seems like 5,000 windows sometimes.
Drudgery is the enemy of quality. Easy does it. =)