Building The Okefenokee Swamp Model Railroad in On30

End of the Line #2

2010-10-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

The Okefenokee Swamp Layout was cut out of the room today. A sad event and a I wouldn't let the guys take pictures.

The good news is all the lumber has been moved to Steve's house in order to construct the B&O layout, so that is good news.

The battleship is going to Utah!

End of the Line

2010-09-18T08:24:00.002-04:00

It's official. I'm moving my family from Atlanta to Utah. I've taken a new job in Salt Lake City and will be relocating soon.

Please don't be surprised if I don't blog between now and December, but look forward to new things happening in January!

The swamp layout will be dismantled and the plans will be filed away for some other time. I will continue to build structures and rolling stock for a future layout. Maybe a sectional one!

#011 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Making Good Progress - Rafters

2010-03-26T21:17:00.000-04:00

I need to finish the doctor's office so the good doctor can see me. Still coughing, still sick. Saw the real doctor again for the third time. More pills. More pain...said go home and rest. So I'm building models and coughing.

We working on rafters today. First we'll cut out the rafter diagram and make a jig like Darryl Huffman's excellent video directs us to do.

Once it is duct out we'll flatten it and mount it to a base.

Using a square of .040 sheet styrene we'll build a jig for the rafters.

I carefully tape the diagram to the sheet of plastic trying not to put tape all the way around the drawing, but still trying to keep it flat.

Using a long straight edge I extend the lines of the drawing using a pencil. To see this in excellent detail, get a copy of the video.

Then I took off the drawing and redrew the lines. These are the rafter lines.

You can see that I am watching the Huffman Scratchbuilding video while I'm working. This is very handy and makes modeling even more fun. I can rewind the video to catch everything that I miss.

Using some 1/8 x 1/4 styrene planks, I'll make the jig.

While Darryl talks about this, I have been doing this religiously for years. When I build a jig I often keep it forever. Therefore I do several things. One, I write on the jig with a Sharpee exactly what it is and when I made it. I then store in a plastic container or Glad Zipper Bag along with one copy of the item that it produces. That way I know exactly what it is and have one to grab and check dimensions on.

I score the plastic and then carefully put it into place. Then I put some Tenax 7R adhesive on the blocks to make them adhere. Notice my Tenax Only brush with the blue label. It is rubber banded to the bottle.

Darryl's jig requires some roofing material, so I'm using these scale 2 x 8's for the roof.

Here you can see that I positioned the plastic block to hold the cross beam. The video goes into GREAT detail on making jigs and Huffman is a master at it, so I highly recommend that you see the video and learn his technique.

The roof center board spacer is in place.

Here the jig is complete and I've started work on the jig. Unlike a magazine or other source, if you do what Darryl tells you in the video it will come out very nicely! I'm so happy! Ok, maybe that is the codeine talking. I'm highly doped up so forgive my writing. I don't do well with any kind of medicine.

I'll need eleven rafters, so I'll set up the chopper and cut all the parts out before I begin assembly. This is the beauty of a chopper...the rapid similar cuts. The razor blade is for trimming.

We have a pile of 20 rafter uprights, 10 cross members and 10 small braces for the top. Keep in mind that I already built one in order to build the jig. When I use this plan for making the logger's shacks, I'll use this jig for mass production. Making all of the rafters took all of 40 minutes after the jig was done.

Here is a rafter drying. I switched back to Elmer's glue which takes just a bit longer to set, but not much. I like the thinness of it. Notice the top cross piece.

One of the things that Darryl did was put in the bird's mouth cut. He cut his wrong in the video so I had a chance to make it right. The cut is just a small notch that helps to hold the truss in place. It works very well when you want a removable roof like I do with my detailed interior.

Here is a pile of rafters drying. Time to clean the desk. The pink box is a repair job for my daughter.

While the rafters dry I'll begin taking the walls off the glass work space. They are good and dry now.

First I cut them off the glass and clean the remaining tape off the glass, making it ready for the next use.

Then I'll remove the paper from the backing. Not sure I like doing it this way, but I tried and it is marginal. Most of the paper comes off. A few stragglers you can get with a hobby knife. The rest has to be lightly sanded off. I lost a fire block doing this. Switching to the sanding sponge (fine) did help.

The walls came out very nice. The red boards will be removed later.

Naturally I want to test fit everything. I put up the entire building but knocked it over reaching for the camera. It is very square and the walls match front to back. All the rafters fit. Good job! It is amazingly small, yet looks so big on the video!

All that work fits in the palm of my hand and I have very small hands. These pieces will be set aside and our next job will be either building the working, real glass windows or planking the sides.

C-ya!!!

#010 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Building Walls - The Sequel

2010-03-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

Greetings! (cough, cough). I'm sick as a dog and staying home again trying to get well. Bronchitis is brutal. I've been sick for over a week and decided I just need to be down 100%. So, I'm sitting here at the computer desk taking cold medicine and working on my structure. It is about all I can do. The medicine is making my vision go bad and I have intermittent coughing fits. But look what I got done!

For those of you that are reading for the first time...I've already done all of this. It was destroyed in a silicone casting accident, and I'm getting a do-over. Luckily it was just cheap stripwood and all I really lost was time. In 3.5 hours I have it all rebuilt and at a better quality level than before.

I have a long glass work surface and I cut out each of the drawings and taped them on. Its nice outside so I've opened the window. Start time is 11:30 am.

There are five sections: right and left walls, front and back walls and a front sign board.

Using scale 2x4 lumber, we'll start on one of the long walls. On my computer the Neil Boortz show is blasting Obamacare.

I took this photo to remind me to replenish my stock of 2x4's next time I'm at the hobby shop.

The next step is to cut the vertical studs. There are several dozen of these so I set up the Chopper II and mass produce them. Looks like the blade is starting to break the boards instead of cutting them.

The Chopper makes quick work of the studs.

Yup, the boards are breaking and are fuzzy on the ends. How are you fixed for blades?

Here are the studs. I'll put them in a plastic tray that is meant for cut lumber (and not raw lumbers which is kept elsewhere). I don't want to chop these up accidentally.

The blade is mounted under the handle by a small Phillips head screw. I just so happen to have a screwdriver here at the computer desk.

The new blade is swapped out quickly. It had already been turned once, so time for a new one.

Next I'll cut out about 30 fire blocks using the same format.

Nearby I keep a little metal condiment cup for storing scrap pieces. NOTHING is wasted here!!! I'll use these for something.

The cut fire boards are put into this little cup.

I'm switching to Aleen's Tacky Glue for construction. My friends swear by it, but I'm not that enthused yet. It is much thicker than Elmer's and appears to bond quicker. So I'll give it a try. The little paper souffle cup came from Captain D's, A Great Little Seafood Place. They are free as long as no one is looking. I always leave a big tip. They are for ketchup, mostly. I just put glue and paint in them.

We'll start by cutting the base and top plates out of 2x4 stock.

Then we'll put in the studs and the fireblocks, per the diagram. Want to build your own? The drawings can be found on the blog.

Here is side one already framed out. I decided that instead of using the same windows on both sides that I would use a smaller window on this side to give the office some space for a desk.

I marked this window to be the larger one.

Next, on the first wall I built I wanted to add some extra length boards so that I put the right length of siding on the building. These are temporary and I don't want to glue anything to them, so I just mark them with a red Sharpee pen.

You can now see the red extra boards on either side where the clapboard will be a little bit longer than the wall.

The tacky glue is very tacky and everytime I pick up some glue I pick up the souffle cup. So I started putting it back on the glass again. I like to try new things, but when they don't work I will not hesitate to go back to the old stand by.

Here is side 2 with the larger window. I'm using Grandt Line Castings as placeholders, but I will in all likelihood scratch build the windows. In the deep South they would be wide open with curtains blowing in and out.

Now I've added red boards to this side as well.

Here I've finished the back door assembly.

Here is the front door assembly with its small window.

Here are the four wall panels which will dry overnight.

The last item is the masthead for the front. It looks easy but the 45 degree cuts took me a which to do.

All of this will dry and maybe tonight I'll start working on it some more. Next steps will be the siding, which I've already painted and is sitting downstairs.

#009 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Sketch

2010-03-21T19:32:00.000-04:00

#008 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Drawing Modification

2010-03-21T17:42:00.000-04:00

After spending all morning in the doctor's office getting medicine for bronchitis, most of my afternoon is shot because of the affects of the codeine cough syrup. Building models is just not possible.

I did modify the Dr's office today. One layer of the fire blocks was removed on each wall, leaving just one. This appears to be more prototypical. Here is the updated drawing...

#007 01 Dr. Bank's Office - DISASTER!!!

2010-03-05T22:57:00.000-05:00

!@#$#@$%@#% I hate this kinda stuff! But it happens. Every model I've ever built had a set back of some kind. The hours I put in to building two board by board walls just went up in flames. I properly mixed the silicone mold compound, but apparently it was too old and it didn't set properly. Basically what you see above is a sticky, gummy mess. The boards cannot be removed from it.

Back to the drawing board. The good thing is that I can focus on doing a much better job this time around! We learn from our mistakes.

Learnings:
1. Throw old chemicals out, especially silicone mold compound and resins, after one year.

2. Only cast ONE WALL AT A TIME. That way you don't destroy both walls like I did.

3. Cut your loss. Don't be mad. Just laugh at it as experience and jump right back on the Chopper.

4. Don't show your friends that come over the cool mold you made and then let them see this mess.

NMRA Achievement Program Yahoo Group

2010-03-02T20:45:00.001-05:00

NMRA Achievement Program Yahoo Group is a new way to find information, guidance and the sometime necessary kick-in-the-pants to help you earn your Achievement Program Certificates and become a MASTER MODEL RAILROADER.

If you are an NMRA member and would like to join, just go here…

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NMRAAP/

I’m Scott Perry, long time Yahoo Group host and found of several groups such as…

Traintools

Trainbooks

HOGRR

And others!

So come join the fun, make new friends and make a plan to Achieve!

Scott Perry

http://modelrailroadersnotebook.blogspot.com/

#007 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Casting the Walls

2010-02-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

The framing is good. Not perfect, but acceptable for what I'm modeling. Looks like Scott needs to get new glasses, so I'll go see the doc next week.

What I want to do is to make molds of both sides so that I can produce more of these and use them as bunk houses. Since the frame takes alot of long and tedious work, we'll just cast them in plaster. We'll start with two sheets of .020 acetate since it was handy. You can use styrene or wood as well.

Next we remove the framing from the paper drawing. This is rather a pain in the but and I'm not sure I'll do this again. Next time I'll add a coat of wax paper.

There! All cleaned up and ready to be mounted to the mold frame.

Here is the acetate sheet. I like the clear material because it let's me see how well the master and casting dams are mounted, letting me check for gaps and leaks.

Using some 1/4" square basswood boards, I make a pinwheel dam. This is an easy way to build a dam that doesn't require a lot of accuracy in cutting and can be removed easily.

Done. Now I'll do the other one and let the glue dry. Note that Ailene's Tacky Glue was used liberally as wood and plastic don't always stick together. If the master is not fastened down properly it will float up into the silicone and be destroyed.

While our mold set dries, let's make some clap board. I'm using S scale 2" x 12" boards which come out to about a 1" x 9" board. The O scale 2 x 12 looked a little clunky, so I used this since I had it on hand. First I distressed the wood with a razor saw blade.

There is an exterior side and an interior side. Each has to be weathered differently. In order to keep track of sides I put a spot of red paint (or magic marker) on one end on one side.

Next I took a dull hobby knife and scored up the boards, even chopping some parts of the board away.

Damn! The Canadians beat the US in overtime. That was for the gold. Crap!

Here is where I "chunked" the board.

After I got through distressing the board, I gave it a light sanding to get rid of the fuzz.

Next I coated the exterior (red dot) side with Dr. Ben's Aged Driftwood Stain. This was done rather sloppily in order to get some randomness.

Then I weathered the interior side of the boards using Dr. Ben's Instant Age Stain. Again, I was sloppy and didn't make the wood too dark as it will be inside.

Once the boards were all weathered I placed them under a glass plate to dry and flatten out (the solvent in the stains will make them curl a bit.)

I sprayed the two masters with Testor's Dullcoat and let them dry. Later in the evening I came back and mixed up some Alumilite HS3 Silicone Mold Making Compound. This is a small kit that I keep around but often I buy it by the bucket.

You have to follow the directions carefully or it won't solidify. I'm kind of worried about this batch since the material is over a year old. I mixed 5 oz of white and a 1/2 oz of red activator.

The batch was mixed THOROUGHLY and air bubbles were allowed to escape.

I poured the silicone mold maker into the frames very slowly to help air bubbles escape We'll let both molds cure for 24-48 hours. This is a thin mold, so 24 should be enough. We'll take the wood frame out and make a casting to test the mold.

That's all for now!

#001 06 Dr. Bank's Office - Inside the Office

2010-02-25T21:44:00.001-05:00

I've had a bad night with my little one and finally have her in bed. Jeez....what a night.

I'm too tired to model, so let's do some planning. All of the photos I collected are now in a binder and one thing I need to do is to come up with a list of details to put inside the Doctor's office. My plan is to scratchbuild most of them. We'll just look at each picture and write down what we see.

Dr.'s Office Contents - Uncut

Eye chart
Roll top desk
Rolling chair
Patient chair
Exam table
Glass cabinet for medical books
Wall telephone box
Magnifying glass
Small stove
Kettle
Clock
Skeleton on hanger
Cabinet for tools - glass
Cabinet for medicines - wood
Doctor's bag
Medicine bag
Lunch basket
Coat rack w/ hat & coat
Jars with bandages, cotton balls, etc
Oil lamp(s)
Dental chair
Medicine bottles
Mortar & pestle
Scales - balance
Crutches
Picture of Hippocrates
Water bowl and towels for hand cleaning
Patient
Doctor Banks
Balance scale for people weight
Diploma in frame
Candle
Doctor's instruments
Patient screen
Whiskey

Wow, that is a lot of detail for a tiny little office. Yet, most of the pictures I have show the office as a tiny little room, just like I'm building. Going to have a tough time coming up with all of these.

The roll top desk will be a focal point, as will the exam table and curtain. I expect to make the lamps really work using fiber optics. Many of the details might have to be attached to the wall or floor before assembly.

Figures...

Finding a Doctor might be harder than I thought, at least the white coated kind. Naturally I checked out Arttista at http://www.arttista.com/ first. I also sent a note to my friend Alan Pollock at Fun & Games (The People People) to see if he has them. We'll see what they both come back with. Probably post it on the On30 Conspiracy Yahoo Group as well.

Blue Mountain contacted me off line, but they don't have a doctor. In fact, nobody seems to have a doctor! What's up with that? Ok, time to get out the carving tools and make a greenie. I hate carving figures, but this one is too key to the model. I need the practice anyway.

#001 05 Dr. Bank's Office - Framing

2010-02-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

I'm using two new tools on the workbench tonight. You can read my review here...

http://traintools.blogspot.com/

We're still framing the two long walls tonight. The new Chopper II should allow me to get better cuts than I was getting on the old unit. Let's see...

The right wall is now partially framed and drying. The smaller boards are much more neatly cut than before. You'll notice that the studs are not lining up with the diagram. I actually had a hard time cutting the fire break boards to the proper dimension and so they are a bit long. It won't matter though.

The left wall is a mirror image of the right.

Darryl Huffman uses a wider pair of tweezers than I normally use, so I grabbed a pair out of my toolbox and gave them a try tonight. I do like them and find that I can hold a small piece for a longer time without my fingers cramping up. Might switch.

Here is the left side with all the framing in place. It went together well, so let's test fit the Grandt Line Window.

The window fits greats and will only need a little shimming, as does the prototype.

The right side is now done, and the window hole is the same dimension as the other wall.

Yup, the window fits! Good! The wall framing is done. The next step is to add a guide board and stain some clap board!

#001 04 Dr. Bank's Office - Starting Construction of Walls

2010-02-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

Let's make some sawdust! I bought a small pack of Midwest Products Scale Lumber Stock #8018 .0416 x .0833 x 11" 15 pc bag for $2.99. This will get me started on framing the 2 x 4 walls. I had the Trainmaster Models Hobby Shop order some more for me. Projects like this eat up scale lumber!

Since I wanted to work along with Darryl Huffman's Scratchbuilding In Wood DVD, I decided to move my work bench upstairs to the office and work in front of the computer. Normally I wouldn't do this but Marie is VERY pregnant and I like being close by the bedroom as she gets tired late at night and might need me.

Unlike Darryl, I like to work on glass plates. He uses laminated MDF boards. To me, glass is easier to clean and it is heavy so it doesn't move much. I use a 2' section of 1/4" think edged glass that came from a store shelving unit. It's been with me for years. To clean it I just scrape it with a razor scraper and then clean with Clorox's 409 Glass Cleaner or acetone (for paint). Instead of turning the square of wood around like Darryl, I just slide the plate glass left or right to work on the next section.

Here I have taped two drawing sections to the glass, one for each wall.

Using my well-worn NWSL Chopper I cut out the top plates and the studs. My chopper is shot so I need a new one. The razor has dug a hole in the masonite base plate and the boards are breaking instead of slicing. One of these days I'll have an extra $250 and will buy a Caliber Cutter. In the mean time I'll head over to the hobby shop and buy another chopper to hold me over. This one is 20+ years old.

Following Darryl's instructions on the DVD playing on my computer, I put in the top and bottom plates, the side studs and then begin filling in the fire blocks and studs. Darryl didn't use scale 2x4's. He used strip wood, 1/16" x 1/8". I think either is fine, but this model is for judging and I want to get it as right as I can.

Since my daughter plays in the office, I'll have to be careful cleaning up at night. The glass plate and the sharp tools all go up on a very high shelf.

...stay tuned!

#001 03 Dr. Bank's Office - Drawings Complete

2010-02-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

I finished up the drawings this morning in 3rd Plan It. Here are snapshots. Next, we'll need to buy some lumber and get busy!

As to NMRA AP scoring, I got my friend and NMRA SER Region AP Chairman Randall Watkins to pre-score this model. What? You haven't even built it. Well, yeah. But WHAT you are going to do, coupled with some assumptions, can yield a score! I always do this exercise just to make sure I am STARTING with a model that can win 87.5 points.

Per Randall Watkins:

More that 87.5,

CONSTRUCTION: Simple Model to Very Complex or Difficult.

I would say Somewhat Complex and your workmanship would be Bery Good.

27 to 29 Points. (my score 28)

DETAIL Complexity of Detail, I would say Moderate Detail and Easy-to Add

10 to 11 Points. (my score 11)

CONFORMITY: Do you have photos and/or plans, if no plans or documentation

a maximum of only 15 points. Your will have plans, the model will be Largely

prototypical to Completely Prototypical.

20 to 22 Points (my score 21)

FINISH & LETTERING:

Complexity is from Simple to Complex, this model i would say Moderate,

Your finishing would be Good to Better .

16 to 18 Points. (my score 17)

SCRATCH-BUILDING: (The good Part) The Complexity of this model would be Moderate

and Completely Scratch built.

13 Points (my score 13)

I would score it 90 points.

Thanks, Randall! I scored it and got a 91, so we're in the ball park. Still not a lot of wiggle room, but judges usually score more flexibly than either I or Randall do. Actually, I'm a tough judge, but gladly took 88 points on a kit I built once.

Off to the basement to get cracking!

#001 02 Dr. Bank's Office - Make Drawing

2010-02-21T00:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight I began the drawings for Dr. Bank's Office. First, I went searching on the internet for prototypes that matched Darryl Huffman's Miner's Bar. There were quite a few including a historical preservation Doctor's Office that is almost identical to it!

All in all about two dozen prototype outer photos and another dozen interior photos are in the files now. Yes, I am detailing the interior. It is a forefront model.

I made a few changes to the front of Darryl's building but the rest remains true to form. For the NMRA contest we'll call this freelancing, and I'll use the prototype photos to back up the construction practice.

The big question is can it make 87.5 points even if I do an awesome job due to the complexity category. I'm thinking board-by-board construction should get me there.

We'll begin construction in two weeks.

Your thoughts?

(Actually, I went and got the NMRA Judging Guidelines. If I do a really good job on the finish and the interior detail, I should score between 88-91. That will do!

#001 01 Dr. Bank's Office - Found the Model

2010-02-13T19:22:00.001-05:00

Doc Banks is the company physician. He always calls himself a physician instead of a doctor. Banks if from Philadelphia and worked with Hebard Lumber after he lost his practice due to a little gambling problem. Often, after hours, you can find the good Doctor engaged in a game of cards. Other times its hard to find ole doc Banks at all.

The doctor has his own office on Billy's Island, provided by the Cypress Company. Anyone that is associated with lumbering can go see him. Locals can even come in if they like, but they seldom do.

I've decided to build one of Darryl Huffman's "Miner's Bar" building for the doc. The big windows and the sign board will serve him nicely. We'll white wash it up for him and even put a caduceus on the sign.

The building is not too hard to build and if I make a mold of the interior structure I can rapidly reproduce these to make the logger's cabins. It is a very flexible structure and I'll detail the interior. Maybe I'll change the sign board a little, but the rest will work fine.

Darryl goes into great detail on how to build the structure in his dvd series Scratchbuilding In Wood. You can read my review of the 4 DVD series by clicking on the link.

Meanwhile, Doc Banks is over at the engine house trying to scare up a game for tonight.

The Hebard Cypress Saw Mill

2010-02-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

Click on Photo to Enlarge

The Hebard Cypress Saw Mill is very unusual looking. Kind of modern in fact. It has been very hard to find photos of this mill. I intend to construct an O scale version for the layout.

Billy's Island Map

2010-01-07T02:28:00.000-05:00

Above is the only map that I have of Billy's Island. It appears to be somewhat accurate and matches a track profile that I have in another book. Not the best snapshop, but I hope to find a better one when I visit the park next time.

Here is my plan so far for Billy's Island and all the structures that I've planned to construct. I've not begun to draw any of the structures yet. There are few photos to work from.

Engine House Under Construction

2010-01-03T20:51:00.002-05:00

There is a new kit about to be released for an O scale small enginehouse and I've got a pre-production model that I'll be assembling over the next few weeks. Will give you a peak when I get done unless it is classified. So if I'm not posting its because I'm playing 007 in the basement.

Edited:

Well, maybe not so secret. It is advertised on Dr. Ben's Scale Consortium!
http://www.debenllc.com/servlet/the-3492/Industrial-Engine-Shed-Kit/Detail

Go have a look!

Working on the Lights

2010-01-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

I did some more work on the lights today, but still not finished. Most of my time has been spent on the Dixie Central.

http://dixiecentralrailroad.blogspot.com/

All Quiet - Where Did Scott Go?

2009-11-25T22:47:00.001-05:00

For those that don't know my wife and I are expecting our second child in the spring. Naturally this screws up my modeling. That and I'm working a lot more thanks to the swine flu.

So, to keep from spending major funds on the swamp and to use up a lot of HO stuff that I already have, I've designed a small layout called the Dixie Central. My main goal is to use this layout to help me get three or four more AP certificates with the NMRA.

It's got its own blog spot, so come join us! I started construction today.

Follow along here...

http://dixiecentralrailroad.blogspot.com/

Gator's Bait Shack 02

2009-08-30T19:47:00.007-04:00

Normally I start with a prototype structure. It is rare that I freelance. In this case I want to make and exception because I want something with a uniquely creepy charm to it. Ok, well, I actually did start with a prototype structure in a way.

This is the Chesser's Cabin on Chesser Island. It has been preserved and this is how it appears today. It has a lot of character and I'll be using a lot from this structure. Notice the cypress wood used in construction. The building is elevated on wood stump sections, instead of rocks which are no where to be found in the swamp. I expect that Gator's shack will not be so well kept and would not be sitting in the middle of the island like this, but closer to the water where his customers would want him to be. Notice the white and sandy soil.

Here is the Chesser compound. Notice the dark greens and bright white colors! This ariel shot is excellent!

Once I've looked at structures similar to what I want, I grab the sketch book. My first quick drawing was of a standard building. This one has absolutely no character or appeal and I kicked it out immediately.

As I often do, I analyze the business first. What do they sell? Who do they sell it too? What products are made on sight? What do they bring in? When you start asking yourself these questions you start to understand what the business does. So instead of working on the structure, I started on what the needs of the business might be. We need docks. We need still. We need bait ponds. All of a sudden the Gator's Bait Shack Compound comes to life!
After sketching out the very rough compound diagram, I start trying to put it into a 3-D image. I'm still on the charcoal pencil and sketch book stage. As you can see the massive cypress trees will overcast much of the shack. Just about the level of creepy I want, but way to much like a business than just a guy trying to get by. Needs more work.

Things I want to include in the shack...

Exterior

Alligator hydes drying on the side of the building
Outhouse
Moonshine still
Pole boats and oars for rent
Board walk
Plank walk way
Bait pond for raising minnows
Well with counterbalance pole
Washtubs for catches
Cypress wood planking
Screen windows and doors
Chairs on the porch
Night lanterns illuminated
Piling construction around dock
Fishing gear and hunting gear
Old metal signs
Stick chimney
Tin roof
Red light

Interior detail of shack

Sales counter
Guns and ammunition
Fishing gear
Animal heads on the wall and fish mounted
Bedroom for Gator
Wild Mabel's bedroom
Poker table
Wood slat chairs
Vittles cooking
Moonshine jars

Got some other good ideas? Drop them in the comments section!

Gator's Bait Shack 01

2009-08-30T17:21:00.005-04:00

"Gator" Joe Saunders lived in the Okefenokee. This is a close of up Gator from the book Okefinokee Album written by Francis Harper and Delma E. Presley. We don't know a lot about Gator Joe, but I love his picture. He appears to be the quintessential swamper/tough guy. He reminds me of Tom Laughlin in the movie Billy Jack. The bowler style hat gives him a unique appearance.

Swampers were hunters, so it only goes that there should be a place to gather for a hunt. There were several hunting lodge shacks in the area, but my guess is that there was a place that was a bit more than just a place to keep the rain off your head.

So, as the story goes, Gator Joe Saunders turns a hunting shack into a more enterprising place as interest in hunting and fishing in the swamp grows. You need a place to get a pole boat, the prefered method of travel in the thick swamp. You need bait and shells. Food, directions and other geat. You also need a Mason jar...just for emergencies, mind you. Thus, Gator's Bait Shack is born.

Gator's Bait Shack will be nestelled on Honey Island. It is build on a sandy soil and most of the operations is on pilings. There are walking boards and place to tie up. There is ample covered areas to keep the rain off the gear and the ever present tin roof. The structure is clapboard cypress with screen wire to keep the critters out.

You can buy what you need at Gator's. Buy some things you don't need when Wild Mabel comes by on Saturday night. Even more evil when the cards are on the table and the still is in operation. Its a hangout for hunters, scoundrels and folks who's morals are a bit in question. You shouldn't go there at night unless you are expected. A fellow with a shotgun is always on the lookout for revenuers, uninvited loggers or other undesireables.

So let's start designing the swamp's first habitat...Gator's Bait Shack

Dried Flower Supplier For Tree Stock

2009-08-19T04:21:00.004-04:00

Boone Morrison kindly shared his source for asparagus fern...and possibly my new source for Plumosa Fern that I use for cypress trees.

http://www.woodcreekdrieds.com/drieds.html

Another good dried plant to use is Ming Fern. It works great for evergreens.

http://weddingflowersofamerica.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=168

http://www.freshrosepetals.com/ming_fern_46_prd1.htm

These vendors are selling FRESH greenery, so you have to preserve it in a glycerin/water solution. Better to buy it dried.

More Views of the Elkhorn Iron and Timber Company

2009-08-16T21:11:00.002-04:00

Steve Austin really makes me want to go to the basement and get busy!

Here's his latest...hit the SLIDESHOW option and enjoy!

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/sea1109/The_new_Elkhorn_Iron_and_Timber_Co/

This is all On30!

More O Scale Parts

2009-08-16T17:48:00.003-04:00

Gator's Bait Shack is going to take a lot of details. My first stop will probably be my buddy Pat Turner at Turner Model Works. He usually has everything I need.

http://www.tmwshop.com/

My next stop is Keith Wiseman at Wiseman Model Services:

http://www.locopainter.com/store/

I love O scale because there are a lot of parts available, but if what you need should not be available, then it is large enough you could produce it yourself. Most likely I will make my own pole boats, alligators and other native Okefenokee parts. Drums, barrells, chairs, and your normal everyday items will come from the parts dealers.

Got a favorite O scale parts house? I love to have the link!

The Backshop - Link and Pin Couplers

2009-08-16T09:12:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to find that the Backshop, a model train supply company that focuses on O scale, has really nice link and pin couplers.

http://home.onemain.com/~thebackshop/link.htm

They have a horrible website. Hard to navigate and rough on the eyes. Says they have been in business for 50 years.

http://home.onemain.com/~thebackshop/

They do have one very handy service: they take plastic parts and turn them into brass!

http://home.onemain.com/~thebackshop/plastics.htm

My biggest complaint...they don't have a catalog of parts available on the website! In this day and age, to pay $4.00 to snail mail a catalog is crazy. Why not put a PDF on the site. Probably be a long time before I order any parts here.

THE BACK SHOP

PO Box 15285,

Sacramento, CA 95851-0285 USA

Email: dbraun@jps.net

Homepage: http://home.onemain.com/~thebackshop

New White Pass Layout

2009-08-08T12:32:00.000-04:00

Join me as I start on another layout design extravaganza!

The White Pass & Yukon in On30!

More Gator Shots

2009-08-08T07:20:00.001-04:00

My good friend Steve Berkheimer sent me some more great photos of alligators and they show him in the reeds and lilly pads. Excellent!

If you have some good swamp photos, would you share them with me?

Okenfenokee Videos

2009-08-06T11:06:00.003-04:00

I'm at my mother's house taking care of her while she recovers from surgery. Because of the interruptions its been hard to work so I've been scanning some videos on the Okefenokee. I'm doing this mostly to gather more scenery ideas. Here are the links...

Alligator in the Water The main thing I got out of this one is that the gator swims very low in the water and you don't see much of him. Notice how the branches and brush grow about 3-4 feet out over the water. This is a key scenic element because most people to do not have vegetation past the vertical edge of the water.

Gators and Cypress Stumps Some very nice old stumps in this one.

Slow Going

2009-08-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

I've not been able to work on the layout much lately. Just too busy. I'm going to carve some more alligators and start work on the HO scale cypress trees...but just can't get a minute to do so. Plus, I had to put the SUV in the shop so I can't leave the house much.

I need parts to finish the light installation job!

On The Road Again!

2009-07-29T07:43:00.001-04:00

I'm off to Enid, Oklahoma for a three day trip this morning. To keep me out of bars and away from wild women in the evenings, I've included a current issue of Model Railroader and about 50 photos of alligators to study. During the trip I'll draw and sketch 12 gator models that I'll build in clay and cast.

We'll need lots of these critters in all sizes!

I used to carry modeling tools with me, but they really confuse the rocket scientist that work for Homeland Security. They either won't check my bag or steal them.

So I do my design work when I'm on the road.

Close Up Pictures of an Alligator

2009-07-26T20:40:00.002-04:00

On my trip to Birmingham we stopped for a visit to the Birmingham Zoo, which is quite nice. They had a "swamp" there and a big old fat American Alligator. He obliged me by sitting very still and only stretching once in a while as he baked in the sun. I shot several hundred detail photos of this fellow.

The swamp was covered in duck week, a green moss that completely blankets the top of the water.
Just under the surface are small turtles and frogs....and....

Alligators! This bull gator was about eight feet long and probably weighed around 900 lbs.

This fellow is one of two that I could see. He was basking in the sun and the duck weed was stuck all over his body. A nice bit of camouflage.

This is as close as the zoo would let me get to the alligator. Actually, I wouldn't have even gotten that close except that it is a good ways down to his pen and lots of steel wire separates us.

I have GREAT respect for alligators as I once watched a buddy of mine become a snack for one about the same size as this gator. If you want the story, post a comment saying so and I'll write it down.

Sculpting Alligators

2009-07-19T22:04:00.007-04:00

In the 1920's Okefenokee Swamp, the alligators still reigned supreme. While the average gator was about 8 feet long, specimens in excess of 13 feet were common and reports of gators around 16 feet were not unheard of.

In order to model the swamp I think I'll need about 12 alligator masters to make about 40 models. The gators available as parts in 0 scale stink, so I'll have to carve my own. I took a stab at it today and my first effort was really good, but I got the head dimensions wrong. So, let's start studying alligators and taking pictures.

Information on Alligators

American Alligators

Gator Pictures

Computer Model of Alligator

Big Doings In the Okefenokee - NCI Work Night

2009-07-18T20:03:00.016-04:00

Every had one of those nights when everything you did was stupid? That was last night!

Attendance:
Gator Scott
Glue Bob
Packrat Paul
Concrete Keith
Steve-bay Steve
Coalfinger Keith
Reverend Rick

Here is the pile of lighting materials that I bought at Lowes. See the missing item? It is a small grommet-like device called a connector that is used to hold the electrical line in place. The reason you don't see them is because I didn't know to buy them. Looks like we won't get far. Thanks to my friends, though...they kept me from making a big mistake!

Rick Wade Photo

Gator gets out the first drop ceiling light. Packrat and Coalfinger look on. Packrat has a foot issue going and we hope he gets well soon. I think he broke it building his layout. Paul plays hard ball when he's building layouts!

There are two ways to put the lights in so that they are in the middle of the room. We took the plan on the left.

There are five each 2x4 light sets.

I showed the guys my Swamp Book. This is a 3" ring binder full of photos of the swamp that I use for carving stumps and trees. And alligators!

EAch photo has been carefully selected to help me build the layout.

Here are the inexpensive temporary lights and the ugly insulation. Yuck.

Rick Wade Photo

The guys take all the boxes apart and move them to the train room.

Concrete and Steve-bay take on installing the return loop that is outside of the train room, next to the furnace. This is a hidden continous run loop just for show. The loop is 18" but Keith decides that he is working on his layout at home and makes them 30".

Rick Wade Photo

Using scrap lumber Keith makes carefully detailed drawings.

Rick Wade Photo

Using a radius tool, Keith makes the radius drawings while Steve waits with the saw.

Rick Wade Photo

Using the sabre saw, Keith and Steve cut out the radius plates.

Rick Wade Photo

Every few minutes Steve counts his fingers. Still has all ten.

Here you can see Rick talking and drinking coffee. The dog is waiting for him to drop one of Marie's fresh made brownees. You can see the radius sections.

After a quick check in with the foreman, we realize that 30" radius won't fit in the space allowed for the 18" radius. Ok, back to the drawing board. Let's just make a table and Scott can lay any radius he wants.

Rick Wade Photo

Meanwhile Scott climbs the ladder and knocks in the boxes for the lights and strings the electrical line.
Paul has taken on the project of wiring in two switches. Little does he know, its a trap!!!

"I'll be damned if I can figure out what is going on here. I know Scott did this part of the wiring, so I'll ask him!"

Rick Wade Photo

OOPS! Scott wired the thing wrong. Not only did he wire it wrong but it is so bad we'll have to cut out the sheetrock to figure it out. Scott is feeling stupid tonight. That is two strikes and we've not even made it to the first coffee break.

Bob, Ken and Rick took on the task of filling in the screw head holes and finishing up the benchwork top.

Rick was actually working. Rare, but this is a real photo...not staged.

Ken is sucking up the dust as the Rick sands. Bob is demonstrating the real strenght of this overbuilt benchwork.

Scott is wiring up the lights and getting them ready to install.

Rick Wade Photo

I believe Paul has figured out the wiring now!

"Now let's just hope Scott didn't leave one of these wires hot!"

Meanwhile, Keith and Steve are building a weekend getaway home for the Perry's.

Rick Wade Photo

"Hey guys, want to come see the new table!"

Rick Wade Photo

If its messy, Bob is the first to volunteer. I'd hate to have to do his laundry.

The big shop vac really sucks.

Here are the ballasts in the lights and the pigtail connector system, waiting on Scott who didn't bring the connectors.

Almost done with the sanding!

Rick found a few more holes and some screws that didn't go in all the way. He's driving them home.

Wiring is in for the lights!

Switches are in!

Here is the wall section we had to remove because Scott is stupid!

The decking is almost done! We'll cut the holes later.

I'm not sure if I can get enough radius in this tight spot. Oh well. It may make a nice storage shelf.

This time we LABELED all the wires.

Some last touches and we'll be ready for the gurney.

If you want to build a layout, get a Bob. A Bob is a perfectionist, and when you are a generalist like me (that's French for sloppy) you need a Bob to keep you on track.

We put the top on the gurney and realized it was a tad too tall. Keith suggested we bore out the set holes on the castors.

Rick Wade Photo
GLUE BOB! GLUE BOB! GLUE BOB!

A little drilling and some wrench work and the gurney is lowered!

Here you can see the bottom of the gurney.

Here is where we drilled the plywood out with a 1" spade bit.

Bob made some cleats to raise the gurney up and keep it still.

Here are the cleats mounted on the layout.

A little sanding to make it fit and...

A little more sanding to make it fit. DONE!

Wow, did we get a lot done tonight! Thanks guys for all the help and the fun!

Stumps Hot Out of the Oven!

2009-07-11T20:40:00.004-04:00

The shop is so messy! I have got to get it cleaned up before Friday when the guys come over. When I cleaned up the scenery materials I found a lot of things that belonged in the shop so I just sat it on the counter. I did clean up the coffee materials.

Tubs and tubs of stuff everywhere. Maybe I'll get some time tomorrow to go pick up.

Here is my tree/stump carving station. It consists of a hardwood plywood base (cabinet grade, 1/4 inch) that has rounded and sanded corners. This gives me a stable working platform. The turntable is from Michaels and is heavy aluminum with bearings to it stays stable and spins very well. It is a lifesaver! I built a tool holder next to it for my carving tools, knives and the like. On top is a small stainless steel cup for holding balls of clay. So far it has worked very well. Mostly I take it upstairs so that Marie and I can chat and I can work. I also can watch the big TV.
I bought another set of carving tools today. This set was about $15. Frankly, I like my dental tools better. There are several repeat blades in this set and its not that great.
The stumps are moving right along. It takes about 20 minutes to carve one, including about five minutes to study the photograph and draw the design. Yes, I sketch out every one. This way I don't get duplicates and the detail is realistic. These are very tall stumps because about 1/2" of the stump is under water in the swamp.

Here is the carving table at work at the kitchen table. A large Coke, some all natural animal crackers from Trader Joe's and some Sculpey clay, and we're in business! I put a small piece of aluminum foil on the turntable (which is not mounted on the board, btw) and I begin to cut away anything that doesn't look like a cypress stump.

Here you can see the early shaping of the stump. The buttresses are smaller and more tapered on this model (from a picture of a real stump) and it will have more ridges. There are three types of cypress in the Okefenokee and the stumps are very different on each species.

The turntable is heavy and gives me a very stable work space. The top of the turntable is removable so that I can take it off and do very fine work up close.

My daughter is learning the hobby now at the ripe old age of four. Here she is learning how to paint. She's got a single alt brush and is practicing her fine moter skills. She is going to be GREAT! Fourth generation model train nut.

The first six stumps are ready for the toaster oven. I'll bake them for 40 minutes since they are quite thick. Its 15 minutes per 1/4". They are pretty and white now, but will come out brown and purple when done. I don't really care about the color as they will only be masters for the molding process. This is about a pound of Sculpey on this tray. I like a toaster oven better than our big kitchen oven. You can move it to the garage and get the fumes out of the kitchen, plus, it doesn't heat up the whole room which is a big consideration here in 96 degree Georgia. For some reason the fumes aren't as bad in a toaster oven anyway.

Here are all the new sculpting tools. Several are duplicates so I'll weed them out.

This is a more rounded and tapered stump. The loggers didn't want to cut through the thick buttress, so they would cut at the point where the tree tapered off. I start with a lump of Sculpey that has been THOROUGHLY kneeded to make it soft. Sculpey is hard as a rock and I'll take a ball with me while I drive in traffic or at the computer and squish it to get is soft and pliable. Then I'll make a rough shape just a bit larger than the finished stump and work it down with my fingers.

Here is the first dozen just out of the oven. They aren't a finished stump yet. I'll sand the bottoms perfectly flat for mounting and will remove the small clay balls that form from the wire brush. These match the photos perfectly!

Next week...we start the cypress knees!

Got a question or a comment? Post it here!

High Cutting Pine Stumps

2009-07-11T14:15:00.001-04:00

From an On30 group I belong to...

Scott & group
Longleaf pines were often cut high off the ground also. The reason was that if they had been hacked for turpentine. The dried pine sap would form a hard surface where it was hacked and it would damge the sawblade. I own land in the sandhills of NC I have 6 longleaf pine stumps still standing that have the hacked area on them. I asked my grandfather about it when he was still living and he told that is what they did. He worked the turpentine stills as a boy and later operated several sawmill in the sand hills as well as in the swamps of eastern NC. He also told me of a practice of girdling the tree in late fall so the sap would not rise in the spring then they would cut the trees in late spring making the trees lighter in weight he said they did this to pine,cypress and eastern white cedar.

Alan Ashworth

Thanks, Alan! Yes, they did girdle the cypress trees. The tree would float in the water when they cut them.

Bill Neilson Updates Us on Stumps

2009-07-09T20:47:00.001-04:00

The On30 people are just flat out awesome folks. Bill Neilson kindly gave this account regarding stumps....

(snip)

The following are the comments I tried to post:

Hi Scott,
My wife is an Everglades biologist who spends a great amount of time in Florida's Big Cypress Swamp doing field research related to the restoration of the Everglades, and she tells me that most of the remaining cypress stumps she sees in the field were cut quite high off the ground, many over 6 feet up. This is partly due to varying water depths depending on the season, but is also due to the shape of the tree closer to the ground. Cypress tree trunks tend to flare out dramatically near the ground, forming vertical ridges and valleys in the trunk's surface called "buttresses". These buttresses make the cut stump look like a multi-pointed star when viewed from above, and give the tree more support in the soft ground of the swamp. Because they are so deep, and steeply tapered, the buttresses actually get in the way during the cutting and milling process, so the loggers would cut the tree above the buttress, where the taper of the trunk was more like other types of trees (thus saving themselves a lot of extra cutting). It's also interesting to note that cypress trees tend to grow in groups, forming a large ring when viewed from the air. As the tree roots and knees collect floating debris and sand carried by the water currents, these cypress rings form an island, usually donut shaped, with deeper water in the "hole" of the donut, because there are no trees in the center of the ring due to the sun being blocked by the trees around the ring's perimeter. In the Everglades, these "tree islands" are scattered, and surrounded by sawgrass, making them easily visible from an airboat or highways (like I-75) that cross the swamp. Sometimes the tree islands will get high and dry enough to support other types of trees like pines and eventually palmettos, which need a dryer, sandier soil, although the concentration of these types of trees is much heavier on higher ground like Florida's sandy coastal ridges.

Regards,
Bill Nielsen
Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA

Updated Priorities List

2009-07-07T16:32:00.001-04:00

Trim back the tight aisle area
Build cypress stumps
Build cypress knees
Install 1/4" flat top on gurney
Install ceiling lights
Install drop ceiling
Install HVAC ducts
Install gurney locking mechanism
Build outside return loop
Build trial 2 x 2 scenery test
Conduct swamp water tests
Sand, caulk and seal all benchwork top
Paint the entire gurney
Cove back two walls
Install DCC power shelf
Build cypress trees
Build cypress low relief trees for backdrop
Purchase backdrop material and paint/install
Lay foam islands
Install trackwork
Wire in main DCC bus

The NMRA is coming in 2013! I've got to hustle!

Stumpede! Carving Cypress Stumps

2009-07-07T12:41:00.005-04:00

I built a carving station as I have about 120 carvings to make which include trees, stumps and knees for the swamp. Might as well have a good place to make them. I'll start with the stumps because when you are doing the big tree castings you often have a small amount of resin left. I'll take the remnant resin and pour it into a stump or knee mold so that none of it is wasted. Therefore, I need these molds ready before I start the trees.

Before I start carving there is a lot of prep work to be done. The first thing is to research what a real stump looks like. I surfed the web and came up with about 25 stump photos. The thing to keep in mind is what did the stump look like in the time period you were modeling? For me, I'm modeling 1920. The trees the loggers were felling were quite large, some over 12 feet in diameter. They would have been fresh cuts and mostly would have been cut off up high, then the stump cut with a saw. Most of the stump pictures I found on the web were old stumps that were cut about 80 years prior. So we'll have to improvise.

Once I have the pictures, I'll decide how many stumps to make. There is a list on this blog of the stumps and quantity. The first stumps will be the large foreground models, one dozen of them. After deciding the quantity, I then sketch each stump and give it a number so that I can reference the stump to the mold.

Nothing fancy, but it keeps me from making 12 stumps that all look identical. On the layout, each stump can be turned 60 degrees six times to give six different views. That makes 12 stumps turn into 72 different looking stumps.

I sat down last night and carved the first two out of Sculpy clay and left them on the table. Marie saw them and really like the look of the new stumps. I'll wait until I have all 12 and bake them. Then I'll pour the mold. Usually I'll wait until I have enough casting to mold before I order a 10 lb container of silicone molding compound, and then cast them all at once. So I'll wait until I have a set of knees and a few trees, then do them all at once.

By carving a stump or two per night, or a tree or some knees, we'll have the 120 units done in no time.

Marie was fussing at me about not being able to get the train expenses as a write off again. So I've agreed to sell the products I'm making for myself for a tax deduction. Look for Southern Scale Models to start business soon and you can have your own cypress stumps!

All Day Train Extravangza

2009-07-04T15:22:00.003-04:00

Me and the NCI guys spent all day July 3rd playing with trains.

http://modelrailroadersnotebook.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-day-train-extravaganza.html

At 7:00 pm they came over here.

Unfortunately we were really busy and I didn't get any photographs. We did finish the benchwork!

Yeah!

I now have funding to put in the air conditioning, lights and ceiling, so that is the next step.

Photos next time...I promise!

Latest Priorities for the Swamp

2009-06-28T22:26:00.000-04:00

1	Level the gurney and install locks
2	Trim back the tight aisle area
3	Install 1/4" flat top on benchwork
4	Install HVAC ducts
5	Build outside return loop
6	Build trial 2 x 2 scenery test
7	Seal all benchwork and sand
8	Paint benchwork top and the entire gurny
9	Cove back two walls
10	Install DCC power shelf
11	Build cypress low relief trees for backdrop
12	Purchase backdrop material and paint/install
13	Install ceiling lights
14	Install drop ceiling
15	Lay foam islands
16	Install trackwork
17	Wire in main DCC bus

A Little More Work Tonight

2009-06-28T21:54:00.005-04:00

The benchwork is so close to being done! Taylor went to bed early so I headed back down to the shop.

This one little section is the last real structure. I built an L-girder a little earlier today and decided that my drawing had it closer to the wall than it needed to be. So I brought it out to 16 inches and fastened it down tight.
I added two joists and we are done. Didn't take long.
The fascia needs a mounting for the reverse curve here, so I added the supports as planned. I didn't take into affect that the furthest one now needs to be moved because I brought the L-girders out, so that will be fixed when we put the fascia in.

All done! This will be a nice inset curve, a necessity in order to get to the back side of the wye.

This little pocket also helps me to get better photos of the opposite side and to put in a backdrop for the town. Nothing on this layout is not planned.
Stupidity wasn't planned either. In my haste I didn't read the plan and cut this corner square. It should have been rounded. Luckily we saved the piece (thanks Bob!).

The piece fits after I cut the radius. Just need to support it. I put a 3" board across two L girders and drew a line where they supported the board, then sank 1 5/8" screws into the board.

The top plate was heavily glued into place. It will be very strong when the glue fastens and I'll sand it smooth and fill up the small corner hole.

All that is left now is to put the top coat of 1/4" plywood on the rest of the benchwork and secure the gurney, then sand and paint the top. We'll be laying track soon!

Getting Ready for Power Building

2009-06-28T16:45:00.001-04:00

I'm getting ready to power build on the layout. I can possible get the mainline done by the time the Piedmont Pilgrimage rolls around.

Here's what I've been doing:

http://modelrailroadersnotebook.blogspot.com/

Building a Battleship For the Train Layout

2009-06-20T16:55:00.007-04:00

It's hot here at the Swamp. Air conditioner number #2 sprang a leak and the upstairs is a balmy 89 degrees, and its 99 outside so we're not opening the windows. AC #1 is pumping as hard as it can go, but the coolest place is always the basement, so that is where I spent the hot part of the day.
Taylor and Marie came to visit alot as the cool breeze from the shop fans made it right comfy here in the Swamp.

I went to Ace Hardward and bought the flat washers and fine threaded nuts to put the castors on the bottom of the gurney. Some people call these moving layout segments "battleships" or "mobile modules" but I still like gurney. The new castors roll very nicely.

The legs will be made from ripped 3/4" plywood stock cut to 3" and 2" board widths. One 3" to one 2" per leg in L-girder fashion. I do the work on my 8 foot heavy workbench. One thing that I believe all layout builders should do is make sure they save room for a work area. Many layouts I work on are short of space and that makes for sloppy and dangerous work. I have two large rooms, a shop and a two car garage as well as the back yard to work in so we're good.

I brace up the 2" board then glue and screw the 2" board along the 3" board making an L shape beam.
Using the new L to support the other board, I repeat the process.
Once the four legs were built, I screwed them into the bottom box.

I used a level to make sure they were straight and did the work up on the benchwork so that I wasn't bending over or sitting on the hard floor. Looks good!
I dropped the assembly to the floor and positioned it under the layout.
A fan keeps the air circulating. I have not installed the air conditioning yet, but really its not that warm down here. The fan keeps it cool while its 99 degrees outside here in Georgia.
The legs were checked for position and then the whole assembly was carefully leveled. Once level in every possible way, I anchored the legs onto the top benchwork with 1 5/8" drywall screws. She's solid!
I rolled the gurney around and she moves great! The heavy base keeps her very stable.
The gurney can be shoved into the back of the layout room to make way for work on the layout area behind the gurney. Its a little tight, though.
This one corner needs to go on a diet. It's not a problem since this buildge is a scenic area and not critical to the main line.
I made a note to myself to cut it back.
I rolled the gurney out of the room and into the area that will be the crew lounge. Moves great!
The ultimate test was to see if I could get it into the shop. I was able to get it inside fine!
I can even turn it 360 degrees. This way I can do detail work on this section in the comfort of the shop where all my tools are, and in a climate controlled environment. I'm also next to the airbrush.

Oops! Scratch that idea. I could get it in to the shop because of the angled cut on one side. However, it wouldn't come out! This could be a pain. I had to tip it over to get it out.
The final step was to build another shelf in the gurney. This shelf will hold the DCC system when the gurney is on tour as well as tools and models. It is much more shallow than the bottom shelf.
There! All done! Now my rolling display can go anywhere.

There is still just a little more benchwork to do, and I still don't have the right sanding belt, so I'm off to the Home Depot again. I may finish more of the benchwork tonight.

I Built a Box!

2009-06-19T22:06:00.005-04:00

There was no need to make coffee tonight. All my train buddies from the North County Interchange Operating Group (NCI) are over at Packrat Paul's for train night. Sweet Marie is drinking with the Bunco group across the street. So I'm baby sitting. Not that I mind staying with Taylor, mind you, but she is asleep at 7:30 and I can't make loud noises. Arrgh!

I took a picture of the coffee to remind me to buy some more and some creamer.
After the accident last week I took a look at the saw like Glue Bob recommended. He was right, this is a finishing blade and not a cutting blade. Still, it was a heck of a knot.

The cutting blade for wood has gaps for clearing wood chips. This blade is for moulding.

I'm working on the gurney tonight. My camera ran out of battery power, so there aren't many pictures. Essentially I need to build a rolling carriage under the gurney. It needs to be strong to handle moving, and heavy to avoid tipping over. I'm going to build a box fram with a 3/4" thick plywood base to mount the castors on. Then I'll extend legs from the top frame to the box, and add another small shelf in the middle.
The frame is built on top of the 26" x 48.5" sheet of plywood using 3/4" plywood ripped to 3" boards. All joints are glued and screwed.
This "box" or fram will hold the legs and the castors. It will also hold items that I want to transport with the module.
I started putting an additional pad glued to the base to hold the castor bolts, then realized after I had drilled one that the castor mounting bolts weren't that long. I had to pull them up.
Then I realized the castors didn't come with a top nut. Damn. Ok, when nothing is going right, go upstairs and go to bed. More tomorrow!

Swamp Rolling Stock

2009-06-18T21:21:00.006-04:00

The SER Region contest got me fired up again to get my AP Certificates. Heck, there were ZERO narrow gauge entries. I could have shown up with beer cans and won. Crap.

Not next year! Especially since the Birmingham group challenged us to show...

So...

Time to build rolling stock. Yeah, I know I've scratch built a ton of cars before. But the ones I have are either damaged, not of a prototype or I don't have the drawings. Might as well start from, well, scratch!

The first two cars will be Hebard Cypress Company Crew Cars. These cars were used to carry the logging men to the deep swamp in bad weather. So I'm thinking the rest of the time they road on a logging flat in the hot swamp with the bugs. Yuck. Car "A" was for Whites and car "B" was for "Colord Men" as it says (misspelled) on the side. This is what is known as a "Jim Crow" car, a reflection of the rampant stupidity in the deep south. The two cars are identical except for minor details and I'm going to build one of each.

If you don't have a copy of the hardback book Argent; Last Of The Swamp Rats by Mallory Hope Ferrell, I strongly suggest you get a copy. Its all about a South Carolina (and Georgia) narrow gauge logging company that lasted into the sixties. The photos are priceless. Above is a drawing by the legendary Thomas York of this car. Notice that it was built on a Russell Pattern 20 log car frame! What a cool car.

In order to build one and to get the points, I'm going to have to make my own drawings. The plan is to scratch built the car 100%. This, to me, also includes trucks and link & pin couplers. I plan to put the interior in as well so with all of this it should score more than 87.5 points, the minimum needed for an AP award. I'll put it in the passenger car category, which is seldom entered in our local contests.

Before I even started the plans, I actually scored this model! Yup, never even built it. But I know what it will be when I get done so I can estimate the score. Kind of backward planning, but you need to build to score, not build to be in the contest.

I'll finish the drawings in a few days. This is a freelanced model, so I'll change some things.

A Little On30 Inspiration

2009-06-07T08:23:00.001-04:00

My friend Steve Austin has really been working! Here are some photos of his Elkhorn Iron & Timber Railroad.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/sea1109/Elkhorn_Iron_and_Timber_Co/

Knots, Nuts and Nearly Done!

2009-06-06T00:12:00.008-04:00

We were short a few folks tonight but still got more done than I thought we ever wood. Taylor went to be early after a hug from Glue Bob and we got straight to work with Coalfinger Ken and later Mark the Neighbor.

Coalfinger brought in his new fancy Porter Cable drill with the Lowe's flip it bit that is a drill/countersink and a screwdriver bit. I love it! Gotta have it!
I keep running out of screws so I took a picture of the 1 5/8ths drywall screws so that I remember to buy another box. May need more glue, too.
We started the evening buy putting the gurney up on fake legs. It is very sturdy and level. This area of the layout I was saving for myself to build for NMRA A/P points, but I decided to let it go and get it done. 2013 is not far away!
We put some temporary legs on with some handy and cheap clamps. You need clamps! Whenever you think you have enough, you don't, so buy more. Tell all your relatives to buy you clamps for your birthday. One day you'll have enough. My birthday is July 31st, by the way!
With the gurney up on stilts the crew was able to get an idea of what I was seeing in my head. They were quite surprised and gave me the normal "you're stupid" looks. I'm use to it so we moved on. The scenery is very deep and Reverend Rick will understand.
The base block was built with two3' boards. Nice and level with Concrete Keith's sturdy leg system.
With the base done we now started looking at the angle piece. Everything is 30 degrees from the wall. I had to go back upstairs and get more dimensions from the CAD system which took up some time.
INJURY! Our first really good injury happened tonight. It is the first time in the whole history of the group that we've had anything severe. Guess who took the shot! Bob asked me to cut a small block of a 2x4 so that we could use it as a support. Using my trusty hi-powered Dewalt chop saw I cut into what I thought was a clean board. There was a knot imbedded in the wood. It jammed the saw and the blade through the board back at me at the speed of light...and hit me right in the family jewels. I fell to the floor temporarily blinded as the board recocheted off the saw again and struck me just below the ribs. OUCH! I stayed on the floor on all fours unable to talk and then slowly got up and went up stairs to cry. I'm better now but have some very large and black bruises.

Here you can see how the gurney is going to look. It is MUCH bigger than the guys thought but there is still a lot of space in the layout room.

Mark and Bob werestled the poplar contact board into place as Ken and I tried to keep the gurney from moving.

Screws and glue were used at all joints. We don't want anything to move because it won't align with the moving gurney.

Next, we placed the long 8' poplar face board in and supported it with a 64" plywood board. Solid and level! I keep copies of all the detail drawings and notes on a bright yellow clipboard that is easy for the team to find when they need it. The clipboard backing helps keep the drawings from getting damaged and gives you a good writing surface. The bright yellow plastic makes it easier to find than the masonite clipboards.
Once all the supports were in, we finally got tired of tyring to decide how to put the legs in, so Bob grabbed a piece of L-girder and we just screwed one in.

Here is all the supporting benchwork! It's very big and deep, but that is what you need for O scale.
Naturally I just have to put a train on the table. Ken and Mark are tired at 11:30 pm so I'll send them on home.
Wow! I can see the scenery already!
A lot of work went in to this section, but the hard part is still to come. The mobile gurney leg/castor system is going to be tough.
We move the clamps down to give us a smooth surface. The nice poplar wood is pleasant to work with.

Went spent some time talking about the Penoles layout and there are some problems with it from a raffle layout standpoint. It still has merit as a stand alone layout and I will finish the project.

I also showed the team my adobe building model that now has vigas on it. They liked it but I hate the thing. Time to build another one.

Thanks guys for another great evening!

Getting Behind On The Swamp

2009-05-28T23:16:00.001-04:00

Gee, guys, sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been working on another project...

http://on30mininglayout.blogspot.com/

Since I'm babysitting Friday night so my wife can go out with all the cute gals in the Bunco squad and drink all night, I'm going to work on the swamp. Look for a new post Saturday as I get some more of the tricky benchwork knocked out.

Pilings

2009-05-24T19:10:00.001-04:00

Here is a shot I found of Swamp II that had a piling trackage on it.

Bayou Bell

2009-05-18T21:49:00.004-04:00

I love to get mail. I really love unexpected mail. But when a package comes to me with my railroad's name on it, I just can't wait to open it. What will it be?

It's a set of bells in O Scale! It seems my good friend and most admired train nut Pat Turner of Turner Model Works read the story about the bell that was lost in the swamp and sent us a replacement! Actually, it will be buried in the water below the church ruins for you to find when you visit.

Pat is a great fellow and I love the stuff his company sells. They have kits and detail parts of every kind. What really gets me is that Pat is just a great guy and a super friend and would do anything in the world to help you. That kind of person will do well in this hobby.

Thanks for the cool bells, Pat!

Popsicle Rick Redo...

2009-05-18T21:26:00.005-04:00

My friend Rick was just driven absolutely mad because I had photos of his layout with popsicle sticks supporting a retaining wall for the trains while his scenery was being constructed. Being the perfectionist that he is, I got this email today...

Scott...

Ever since the field trip when you guys visited the Richlawn Railroad and did a very nice write up on your site, something was bugging me in the back of my mind..................and then I figured out what it was - the sticks! I'm not dis'n you, for it was a great article. As I looked at those popsicle sticks, I though what's next? - duck tape & bailing wire?

Sooooo, off to Home Depot I went and bought some clear plastic sheet. I made a jig, cut pieces "popsicle stick size" and replaced the wooden sticks with the clear plastic. Even though they are "temporary" (which could mean 6 months to 6 years!), they look much better as they virtually "disappear" from a distance! Thanks!

Ding Dong the sticks are dead!

Which old sticks? The popsicle sticks!

Here's a close-up view - Note in the background how much better it looks!

Here's what they looked like before the surgery...

I hereby christen Mr. Rick Wade to forever be....Popsicle Rick!

Happy Birthday To Iron Mike!

2009-05-17T17:56:00.000-04:00

Wow what a party! Marie and I, along with most of the NCI group, went to the new train store for a hell of a birthday party for Iron Mike. He's 50 today! They had an open bar, music, a bar, lot's of great food, a bar, a cake, a bar, a video presentation about Mike, a bar....see the theme? I drank way too much.

Bob went over and helped Mike set up the Raffle Layout. It was a great addition to the party and was where many people congregated.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Field Trip - Neil Thomas's Diamond River in HO

2009-05-16T14:26:00.008-04:00

It is always a fun to go on our monthly field trip. We do it once a month on a Saturday morning and Taylor, the club mascot and my daughter, always comes along. She loves trains.
Our visit this week is over to Neil Thomas's house. I've looked forward to this all week and thought I might miss it as my daughter was having some complications from a shot that the doctor gave her on Wednesday. Luckily she is ok and we got to go on the trip.

Neil built a fine layout and decided he didn't like some of the operating aspects of it. So he tore it out and rebuilt it almost overnight. I love the new design!

He was able to reuse most of the lumber and screws, along with the electrical components.

Neil tells us about his plans (dark shirt) while Taylor and I look at all the structures.
Here is one of the main towns with some industry already popping up. The sidings are long and spacious.
Here is a below-level storage area. Neil has decided not to have hidden storage.
His benchwork is pine dimensional lumber.
Bob's brain is cranking "what if" statements and taking it all in as Paul with his new buzz cut asks Neil a question.

The long aisles have track on both sides. This layout is slightly bigger than the previous one.
Here is some more staging of which there is a lot more than before. Neil really knows what he wants now and is building it quickly.
His benchwork is flawless and strong. The aisles are spacious. I can't wait to get an invite to operate on it!
The staging is both the "to" and "from" location.
He's using masonite strips for the roadbed. The right-of-way is slow curving and pleasing to the eye. It is also strong and very quiet.
Here you can see the corner.
The loop helps the train navigate up to the next level.
The DCC system is Digitrax and comes from the previous layout. This panel folds down for easy access.
Some of the roadbed is on homasote.
This is the underneath side of the turnout, constructed of Masonite.
Neil was kind enough to run a train over the roadbed for us...quiet and smooth! He builds excellent trackwork!
Two trains play around the loop.
The Tortoise is mounted on a small square of Masonite and then attached underneath the raodbed.
A lonely cabosse tags along.
While there I met Brad who is building an Atlanta 1940's layout, so we exchanged emails and I'll catch up with him later.

As always, it is fun to visit Neil. He's a perfectionist and is willing to put in the hard work to make things right. I have no doubt that this layout will run flawlessly! Thanks for the field trip, Neil! I always learn a lot from you.

Key Learnings:

When in doubt, rip it out.
Masonite roadbed is strong, curves well and deadens sound.
Masonite facia is not a good choice in the south.
You can reuse a lot of materials from an old layout, including the screws. Waste not, want more.
Good aisle space is wider aislespace.
Putting a light coat of white paint over the used pine boards on the top of the open grid benchwork will wipe out old pencil marks and give you a clean surface to work with.
Don't cut Masonite in the train room. Do it outside or in another area as it creates significant amounts of dust.
Don't hide staging, but keep it easily accessible.

Easy Trees and Track Plans

2009-05-16T00:08:00.000-04:00

It was a fun night for model trains! We had a good turn out at my house and I appreciate the guys coming over since my wife was out at Bunco and I couldn't go out since the Punkin was with me. She was very cute tonight and dressed up formally to great the men as they came buy.

Tonight's players: Steve-bay, Glue Bob, Coalfinger Ken, Reverend Wade, and a shaved Packrat Paul who looked like Curly from the Three Stooges. Man, I wish my company would let me do that. Much cooler in the summer. Mark my neighbor also dropped in to help.

The goal tonight was to work on Coalfinger's coal mining layout. He has a 3x6 layout already and is adding another 3x7 foot extension. He wanted our input on his design.I love his finished portion, so and addition would be even better. Here you can see a mock up of the track plan. Click on the photos to enlarge.

The room is plenty big enough for the layout. Here Bob checks the clearances and sees that they are at least two feet all around.

Naturally I can't mind my own business so I had to redraw the layout. Ken may never speak to me again and I wouldn't blame him. But its his layout and he can do whatever he wants with it. The major suggestions were:

The yard didn't have an adequate yard lead or a run around track, so we added them.
We flipped the whole yard complex so that it was accessed from what would be the end of the line.
Took out the turn table as a maintenance issue is always present.
Put a loco run around or "escape track" in the yard.
Installed a scenic divider to separate the coal region optically
Put in a run around track for the coal mine.
Add industrial back drop to the yard.
Moved the ice house close to the main line where it should be
Lengthened the main siding.

Yup, that should do it!

Next we had a tree making party for Bob's layout! Yes, we didn't work on mine and that's ok. I have plenty of expendable room and work tables, so its easier here to do messy projects. Bob sent us an article on making inexpensive connifer trees done by a fellow named Dave Lawler at an ONR convention. The trees are magnificent. Our first step was to tinker with the technique.

The first tree had too much paint on it and too much flock. We thinned it down for the next one. Bob wasn't real pleased.
Once we got the technique down pat, we set up an assembly line with cutting and trimming, painting, flocking, and storage. Basically we were flocking all night!
Here Bob and Steve are adding the second coat of flocking to a lightly sprayed tree. On this step we used a clear paint.
Bang it, dang it! I have to slap the tree to get the loose flock off.
A little more light flock to the top than on the bottom.
Steve puts the finishing touches on the tree and pushes it into foam for drying.
Not great, but not bad. Let's make some more!
Basically all you need is some garland rope, cutting pliers, scissors, dk green, green, brown and clear spray paint and some Woodland Scenics flock in different colors.
We coverd the table in newspapers and applied the flock over folded pieces of cardboard so that we could recycle the flock. In retrospect, it would have been easier to use a plastic tub. This is a messy business and we wore latex gloves to keep the green off our fingers. The spray paint is another issue. We took a box fan and put it in the window, then opened a door to get fresh air circulating to pull out the fumes. I was stoned in minutes!
Many of the aerosol cans say "the color matches the cap" which is all well and good until you take the cap off. So I wrote on the dome of the can with a Sharpie marker the color so we could quickly pick up the right can.
The first step is to trim the "tree" in a tapered fashion and to trim out some of the "limbs". Once that is done the trunk of the tree needs to have all limbs removed. We then spray the trunk with brown paint and set it aside for a few minutes to dry. The next step is to take the dark green paint and spray the tree limbs. We did this in a directly down from the top of the tree direction, then a directly up from the bottom direction. You want to cover the needles, but not soak them in paint. Quickly then you shake or sprinkle dark green flock over all the tree. Once the tree is covered, shake out the excess flock on the cardboard and set the tree in a foam sheet for drying.
The first step gives you a nice, green fluffy tree! These trees are destined for the northern regions of Canada so they are naturally a little sparse and thin.
We used a paint box to catch the overspray. Here are some trimmed trees with painted trunks that are drying.
Reverend Rick has a keen eye and is not above rejecting a poorly trimmed tree. Note the green paint on his fingers. Gloves are a must!
Mark, who is not a model railroader, didn't hesitate to jump in. We had an assembly line going. Paul, Mark and Ken would trim the trees, which takes the longest amount of time. Rick and I would paint the trunks and put the first coat of green flock on. Steve and Bob would put the second lighter coat of flock on the tree and do any final touch ups or corrections. Perfect! Having a bench high long table to work around helps.
Here you can see some of the finished trees. Magnificent! Cheap! Fast!
Once we got the tree techniques figured out and got a rythym going, the work went fast.
Being a factory guy, mass production of items, especially trees, makes a lot of sense. In just less than two hours the team made 75 trees at a very low cost per tree. We had a great time chatting and kicking around new ideas (and each other).
The trees look very realistic, especially from a few feet away.
Here is Bob's forest!
Here are 25 trees, completely finished on their foam carrier. They'll spend the night at my house while the paint dries. They vary in size from 10 scale feet to 80 scale feet.

It was a great evening!

Swamp Stories - The Church Bell

2009-05-10T22:01:00.002-04:00

You hear a few tales out here in the Spanish Moss. Too many to remember and one more fanciful than the other. Some ring true, though. This one really rings true.

Out past Honey Island on a sandy plot of real earth there was built a church, so they say. It was a small church. Maybe room for ten souls. Maybe less. Building something on a small island in the Okefenokee is a fool's business. Nothing here is permanent, not even the every-flowing St. Lawrence.

The church was built by the hands of Brother Michael. He was a simple man from the upper east, a man with calloused hands and rugged determination. Brother Michael knew of the unwashed and unsaved in this desolate place and came to give them their chance at the Lord's grace.

He built the church with the help of a few Swampers and traded them goods and shootin' irons for their trouble. Coffee went a long way here. So did ammunition. The church was drafty and drippy but served its purpose. When it wasn't housing a local 'possum it was used for hymn singin' along with hell-fire and brimstone.

It had no chairs, just logs with legs bored into the wood. There was no pulpit. The only window was from an old shed and it was chopped into the back where a slight draft could come through from the door, should there ever be a draft. But Brother Michael knew it wouldn't be a church if no one knew it was there.

So Brother Michael brung a bell. Yes sir, a real brass bell. The bell, they say was from an old steamship or locomotive. He bought the bell with his own savings. Two men and three pole boats carried it out and with great trepidation they hung it in the make-shift steeple. It was a proud day when they rang the bell.

The Lord saw fit for Michael to come home by the aid of skeeter that just happened to light on him one evening after supper. He took the fever and was gone home in only a few days. With no preacher the swamp took back what was rightfully hers in short order and the bell lays silently in the march grass under water.

You can still see it if you like. Just make sure the old gators don't mind you lookin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqOBGvp6ycE

Growing Mushrooms

2009-05-09T11:08:00.006-04:00

Friday night was Mushroom night over at Packrat Paul's. He has a very complicated mushroom design and I'm thrilled to be working on it. So far I have experience with two of this type of design and they are wickedly difficult to engineer. What fun! I'm learning so much!

Paul is still in the early stages of construction. This is the center "pit" of the first room and you can see the tons of pre-cut plywood that is needed for the construction.

The "L" shaped item is the test profile for the upper part of the mushroom. You can see part of the elevated floor below. They designed this last time when I wasn't there. It is very strong and is quite easy to construct. Paul was not happy with the height of the upper level and says he's going to raise it a few inches. We had a lengthy conversation about the backdrop and the back board, which was not resolved at this point. I'm continuing to push for not using Masonite as it is a poor choice for construction here in the very humid South. The team isn't listening to me, so that is probably the way we'll go. I've been meaning to take them over to Howard's house and let him tell them about the Masonite that he ripped out and replaced because it warped.
Glue Bob and Coalfinger Ken take an overview of the night's projects. Our first efforts were on the floor just beneath them where we finished cutting the "puzzle pieces" for the raised floor. Packrat was insistent on perfection in the cuts which annoyed some. Frankly I like the detail as it goes a long way to making the layout a nicer place. We may start calling him Picky Paul, but hey...it's his railroad. I'm thinking we were all very tired tonight for some reason. Caffeine is mandatory on late Friday nights.
Where Bob is standing will be the upper levels, one in front and one behind him. While I still don't fully understand the layout, I do know that this area is primarily the narrow gauge line and will have a continuous loop. I had encourage Packrat to build a model of the layout to help others with the spacial understanding and I think this is mandatory for a layout this complicated. I might get a wild hair and build it for him.
Here is a close up of the upper level mushroom construction profile. This is just a study, and not the real thing. You can see the two L-girders, which we think can be made of boards that are not so long. It is amazingly strong.

The upper bracing is attached to an L gider that is screwed into the ceiling joists.
About 40% of the room has elevated flooring. This is of very sturdy construction with thick plywood screwed on top. Packrat plans to use carpet squares to cover the wood. The floor is very comfortable to your feet.Paul needs a lot of storage so we spent the rest of the evening building bracing for under layout shelving. We used 2x4 stock, which is overkill, but they are so cheap and he had them to spare. This will provide plenty of storage for Packrat's massive collection.
Nothing is wasted here. We are saving every scrap of wood and making the best of it. So far the only thing that has been thrown away is an abundance of sawdust.
In a moment of weakness, Packrat screwed up some fascia boards just too see what it would look like. I can see the trains running now!
The room is very busy and cluttered. Mushroom layouts have such a compactness that there is very little room to move or walk. I'd suggested that he provide us with a work table top on the layout somewhere and to corrall the tools in one location so that they could be easily found. Paul also provided a ton of pencils (which we keep losing behind our ears). Our host has provided ample screw guns and charging stations, so batteries are never an issue. The only thing we really need more of are tape measures. I've got four of them now in a central location and it STILL isn't enough. The problem is that with Mushrooms, as the benchwork gets more complete the more difficult it will be to find tools since you have to travel through the layout to find things. I'd recommended a "cut through" on the far end so that you can duck under to the lower level or pass tools through, much like Iron Mike has.
The floor is held up by 2x4 boards nailed into the concrete. To provide more support we cut chock blocks in under the boards to strengthen them.
Paul's design is really comming together quickly and I'm starting to get the hang of it. We chatted about a workbench for modeling but Paul hasn't decided where it will go yet. Here is the lower level banchwork and the raised floor for the upper level. I'm so glad to be a part of this construction because I'm learing so much!

So Why The Nicknames?

2009-05-05T21:04:00.003-04:00

I love nicknames! Its a friendly way to have fun and build some camaraderie. I learned this from my fraternity days where if you did something silly or stupid, the name would stick. To this day, twenty years later, all of us remember each other's nicknames and still call them to our face.

In our group we have...

Glue-Bob - One night over at Neil's house Bob went nuts with gluing boards as we built benchwork. We stayed all night cleaning up glue off the floor and ourselves. He still is quite liberal with the adhesive! Bob is a fantastic engineer and is very good at thinking and planning. He always comes up with good ideas.

Concrete Keith - was helping me patch the floor with concrete. He went to great lengths to make sure the new pour was smooth as silk. He stood up to inspect his fine work...and stepped right in the patch with his new tennis shoes. Keith has more model train experience than most of us and is always a great help as he is free with his talents and ideas! He's witty and sharp and gets more done than anyone.

Coalfinger - was busy staining crossties at Bob's house one night and was really enjoying himself. He had a large jar of shoe dye and alcohol mix and was going to town. Ken turned around and pumped his hand and coated himself and the nice Burbur carpet. I think he still has black stains. Ken has a passion for trains like no one else and always has his train shirt on. The passion is the one thing I think I like most about train guys. He's got it in buckets.

Iron Mike - is not called iron because he's tough, although he is. It is really because Mike likes to collect railroad memorabelia and has tons of scrap metal lying around, including a railroad vehicle! Maybe we should call him "scrap iron?" Mike is a railroad whiz and always knows something about whatever you need help with. He owns the train store in town which makes him a valuable asset to any group! That and he's just a great guy, which there aren't many of these days.

Packrat - was a very easy name to come by. Paul has boxes and boxes of train stuff piled to the ceiling. So much, in fact, that we can't build his layout. I think he and Steve-bay need to get together. Paul is a genius. He plays guitar, speaks Mandarin Chineese and can talk on any topic you can throw at him. He's wide background in the military makes him a great storehouse of information and a welcome addition to the evening chat. You are never bored talking with Paul and he has a very high capacity to learn.

Steve-bay - discovered that selling trains on Ebay is fun, so Steve started selling trains as a business. He and Bob will spend hours in the basement just shooting photos. Steve is probably the finest one human being on the planet. He loves trains, the Lord and his family. I'm not sure I trust anyone more than Steve and enjoy building models with him immensely.

Big Blue - the other Steve, is a fellow we don't see much because he works for a large computer company (guess who?) and since he loves them more than us (go figger?) we call him "Blue". I don't know Steve as well as the others because we don't see him much, but when he's here he's a fine fellow and a joy to be with. He has some good club experience.

Rick - doesn't have a nickname yet, but he got really close a few times the other night. You get a few free nights before we name you, but with him it will be soon. He likes to get into the action! Rick is an acomplished modeler and an excellent scenery guy. I look forward to getting to know him better and already find him to be generous and fun to be around.

What about me? Well, I don't have a nickname. See, when you don't make mistakes, you can't earn one!!!! Oh, that statement will get me killed.

You couldn't have a better group of friends!!!

Don't Go Past Gator's Shack

2009-05-03T21:23:00.002-04:00

There's a half million square miles of swamp here in the Okefenokee, or the Oak-fen-oak as the Swampers call it. Lots of places for a man who doesn't want to found to lose hisself. Basically I tells 'em to never go past Gator's Bait Shack. That's evil enough for me but sometimes a man needs a snort and a card game.

See, here on Billy's Island life is kinda simple and easy. We've got some law here in the reality that the company owns everything and if you screw up you lose your job and your family starves. That's good kind of law. But out there the Queen of the Okefenokee, who carries a gun in her apron, will shoot you just for looking at her cows.

As you get deeper in the swamp, the more villainous of its inhabitants make their homes. Simple shacks of old cypress board and metal roofing. You can't live here without a gun and if you can't shoot straight you're liable not to eat. There's not a lot of honest ways to make money here unless you like gutting gators. Can't have a still. Can't poach on company ground. Can't grow crops and can hardly raise cattle.

Back in the deep swamp there are criminals. Wanted and desperate men. Crazy women who's husbands dragged them here and then cursed them even more by dying early. Hattie is one of those women. Town's folk says she's a witch. Others say she's just insane from not being able to sleep at night amongst the snake filled black waters. Not many have seen her. At least not seen her and come back to tell about it.

I have...

http://www.rhapsody.com/jim-stafford/the-best-of-jim-stafford/swamp-witch/lyrics.html

The Okefenokee Book

2009-05-03T21:15:00.002-04:00

I'm having a hard time keeping things organized. My research covers about four years and I'm finding that I'm losing books and files as well as photos. We have a new scanner now so I'm going to go all electronic from now on.

But first, I've got to sort out my electronic files and make some sense out of the mess. Right now I have Hebard Cypress files and photos, Okefenokee files and photos, Florida and Carolina logging files, old building pictures and tons of other stuff. Somehow this has to be cleaned up because I can't find anything.

Another thing I started today was to make the Okefenokee Book. I wanted a large ring binder manual that has all the pictures that I need to reference in it, plus a place to keep hard copies that I will use in the shop. I bought a 3" binder and put in dividers. Then I printed out my "Introduction to the Okefenokee Railroad Powerpoint presentation as it has my key thoughts and information as well as some photos.

While it seems a lot like work, and it is, being organized is critical to building a railroad. So take a minute and get a plan for organization!

Introduction to the Okefenokee Railroad

2009-05-02T16:20:00.002-04:00

Here is a hand slide show that can introduce you to the layout...

http://www.savefile.com/files/2090486

This is a free storage site, so don't pay for anything, just download the Powerpoint file and enjoy.

Its stored on www.savefile.com

Snacks During Session

2009-05-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

During our team work sessions it is customary to have some kind of snacks and refreshements. The award goes to Bob's wife Halena who actually bakes goodies for us. I've been dieting and have to avoid the sweets and fats so I've tried looking into other things.

Last night I went to Subway and bought two subs and sliced them up. They went over well, as it was something different. Next time I'll be more careful as to what I put on them. I hated the mayo and the olives, Paul doesn't eat cheese or mayo, etc. But I liked them!

I always serve coffee and am the only one that usually does that. It is usually two 12 cup pots per night as the team likes it. When it gets hot that may be a different story. Water is always popular as well and we all provide that. Most of us provide sodas, diet versions being the most popular.

Got an idea for a snack or beverage? Leave a comment below.

Clean Up! Everybody, Clean Up!

2009-05-02T15:42:00.003-04:00

It's spring cleaning time in the basement. We've made a lot of saw dust over the past few months, so I thought I should do a clean up session. My daughter and our club mascot Taylor came down to help. She will be four years old next week and actually is a very good helper.

I vacuumed up the saw dust, put away tools, sorted screws and wood, and plugged up the dehumidifier. It is really really muggy in the basement today and raining outside. The back room where I store things is a little musty. So I opened up all the doors and kicked on the dehumidifier.

After a good floor sweep, a rounding up of coffee and drink cups and a few more cleaning jobs the basement is ready to be wiped out again! Yeah!

I made a list of some things I need to get at the store.

1 5/8 dry wall screws - one box
Regular pencils
A regular size pencil sharpener
2" masking tape
Flat counter sink bit without pilot drill
Spackle - small can
Belt sander belt (take old one with you!)

Thoughts on The Swamp…

2009-05-02T00:33:00.003-04:00

We’ll probably finish the benchwork this coming week, which means we’ll be laying track soon. There are so many things that I have to figure out and quickly. Now, keep in mind I’ve been designing this layout for about five years, so it is nothing new. I’ve even built some test modules as well. But I’ve never been happy with everything.

Mission:

Prove that focusing layout design on people rather than trains can produce a higher level of realism and interest.

Goal:

To produce an On30 model railroad layout that focuses on the PEOPLE of the Okefenokee during the 1920’s when heavy cypress logging was in full swing. The layout will provide an insight into their lives and times as well as to the mythology of the great swamp.

Swamp Layout Objectives:

Reproduce the flavor of swamp logging in the Southeast. Absolute accuracy is not important.

Techniques:

To use Theatric Scenery to provide the richness of life and mythology in the railroad and to convey a sense of time, mood and feeling. See the theatric scenery spreadsheet.
Use Six Inch Square construction method for scenery, focusing only on intently detailing six square inches at a time.
Convey prototype logging practices in the southeast swamp areas.
Use story telling to help set the stage for the characters that live in the swamp. Make visitors feel that they know these people and can sympathize with their hardship.

Definitions:

Theatric Scenery – As with a theater, the backdrop and scenery set the mood. Likewise, I want to use the scenery not to just say “hey, we’re in a swamp” but to use it to build a mood and a feeling that the swamp itself brings. In the swamp, its people are the most important factor. I want the scenery to reflect not only where they live but how they feel and live. The swamp is a hot, sticky, infested place where few are hardy enough to exist. As you move deeper into the swamp the hard it is for humans to exist and the more mythology becomes prevalent.

Click on grid to expand...

Six Inch Square – The ability to concentrate your focus in one place allows for a significant depth of detail. I will mark off the railroad into these blocks and will build them one by one. This does not include the water pours.

More Progress on Benchwork

2009-05-01T23:39:00.007-04:00

While we didn't get as far on the to-do list as I thought, we did get some great work done and had a great time doing it.

Steve-bay and Coalfinger bring in the 3/8th plywood table top and mark it for cutting. Several of the guys brought extra saber saws. Packrat's was brand new and was right out of the box.

Glue Bob and Rick (Newbie) counter sunk and screwed the board down after Liquid Nails was applied to each of the rises. Packrat is using 1 5/8th's drywall screws. Seems like we had every drill in the shop out tonight!
We brought in the next sheet to take measurements. Rick cut another joist to make a place where the first and second boards could join. It is important to keep the joints tight as "water" will be poured there.

Glue Bob carefully drilled and countersunk each hole to make sure the screw heads did not ride above the surface. This surface must be perfectly flat!

Here you can see a close up of the screws and the board.

Now we mark the next board and cut it. Seldom do you see a layout built this way, but the swamp is flat, so we now have a strong and flat surface.

There was a slight bow in the wall and in order to get the board to butt flat into the wall, Packrat had to make a trimming cut.

We carefully marked off where the center of the joists were and then put a screw every six inches. The screws and Liquid Nails will hold the top firmly in place and keep the "water" from warping the wood.

Any of the small gaps will be filled with spackle. We can't use caulk because the silicone reacts with the "water" and will repel it. We found this out on Steve-bay's layout.

This was an incredibly long process putting down this top. It took us way longer than I planned.

Oh shit. Scott, in his wisdom, decided to help and mis-marked the board. It was the only wrong cut of the night, and it was a key rounded corner, which is now square. The guys were working hard to come up with a nickname for me, so this might be the one.

I use the digital camera to remind me to purchase or do things. For instance, I was working with the belt sander and needed a reminder to buy a new belt. So I just took a picture of it while I had the camera and made a note of it later on the computer.

After making sure the screws were sub-surface, we spackled them. Actually we used dry wall mud because I was out of spackle.

The second board is now in place.

The seam was heavily spackled. There can't be a leak anywhere or the "water" will find it.

During an unauthorized break I caught the crew eating roasted peanuts. Steve-bay had sinus issues from the pollen outside so he was on light duty anyway.

It slices, dices and makes juelienne fries in seconds! The GRASS-O-MATIC TURBO 5000 FLOCKER! Our new member Rick spent the week building an electro-stat flocker for scenery. You can buy them but the are $150 a piece. He build this one for $35 and it works great! It even comes with changeable screens. What a great tool! He's offered to let the team use it.

Table top #3 goes into place around the corner. Here we started having problems. The plywood is only three ply, so we were getting "cupping" or "sagging" in the corner and had to add props to make it level. Arrgh! I tried to save a buck or two, but should have bought 1/2 inch board.
Glue Bob and Coalfinger shove the supports into place and screw them down.
Spackled and drying. I'll sand them tomorrow.
I dug out a cypress tree, a section of track and a stock car. You can get a feel now for how the scenery will dwarf the trains.
We keep progressing! I'm still not putting as much time into the layout between sessions, but we are seeing some good results. Thanks guys for all your hard work!

Scenery Cross Section

2009-04-30T22:09:00.003-04:00

We're starting to build the swamp base tomorrow and I wanted to double check my notes and previous designs. I'm going with two layers of foam, the first layer being the sandy, soupy, soggy "trembling earth" and the second layer being island material. Only Billy's island and small sections of Honey Island and the others will be "high swamp".

In this drawing (scale to 1/2 inch - click it to see the full size) you can see the pink foam on the plywood base. The water is a half an inch thick. The pilings are 1 1/2 inches long with a tie on top. Here is a longer cross section with the full piling trestle. The occasional diagonals appear when a piling has quite settled on the bottom and are completely at random. The taller weeds and saw palmettos grow on the low lands. The cypress trees will be everywhere.

Another Good Swamp Song

2009-04-29T22:30:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvM7t32QtmE

No Train Time

2009-04-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

I've not been able to do anything in the train room for several days, and the contest is coming up soon. Tomorrow night I've got to get ready for the Friday night session.

Maybe I can work on the Slaughterhouse this weekend. Busy, busy, busy.

Springtime in Gator Country

2009-04-26T21:08:00.002-04:00

Mr. Hopkins told the crew to lay off this morning. Its raining...again. It's been raining now for a week and a half. Two members of the right-o-way crew already have reported some of the track pilings floating down the prairie. Some parts of the islands are flooded and there are lots of branches on the tracks. You can see the steam coming off the rails as the warm temperatures start to bake the ties.

Spring is here in South Georgia. Just one notch below Hades on the thermometer. Skeeters are starting to lay eggs and the alligators are going to mound. You can hear the bulls bellowing all night long, making your lantern rattle in shack. Everything is green exceptin' the grey cypress trunks.

Rex and Eugene worked on one of the Porters most of the day. She needed a little TLC. Rex cursed and swore as he continually wiped raindrops from his face, thanks to the leaky tin roof. You can hear the sizzle of the drops as they land on the furnace's vent hood. Eugene had to shoo away a little corn snake that had decided he'd had enough swimming for the day.

Outside its as dark as night as the thick clouds roll over the Okefenokee. Lightning reflects off the black water followed by the low, rolling thunder clap. Water is pooling up in the shop floor.

Coffee is hot, so help yourself.

Planning Friday Night's Work Session

2009-04-26T20:36:00.002-04:00

Time to put the yucky pink foam on the layout! Here is the cutting diagram. Click on it to enlarge.

This Friday the team will be doing the following:

Discussing the completion of the hammock (the Okefenokee name for a floating island, or the mobile section of the benchwork. Unfortunately my buddies can't help me work on it because I need it for my scenery and civil AP certificates.
Laying 3/8th plywood on the right hand wall, cutting it to fit and gluing it with Liquid Nails to the risers, limiting any screw holes that could leak water.
Sealing it with paint, making sure to tape off the wall.
Planning and pre cutting the foam. I've not nailed the depth of the foam down yet, so this could be hard. Will put down with Liquid Nails Latex Version
Plan for central computer placement and wiring
Plan for tree night for Bob at my house.
Remember to give Bob back his drywall tools
Scott to take pictures while we are working this time
Discuss best way to build the return loop (outside the room)

Stuff the guys needs to bring:

Extra saber saw
Wear painting clothes

Stuff I need to appropriate this week:

Paint or sealer for the plywood
Liquid Nails (check the shop first)
Liquid Nails for Projects
Sabre saw blades for plywood (check shop first)
Paint brushes
Healthy snacks and ice
Masking tape

Timber!

2009-04-26T20:28:00.000-04:00

Yup, we have timber. Packrat Paul and Coalfinger Ken brought it over late this afternoon. You could tell that they were tired. Glue-Bob called me just before they came to tell me they were on their way. The three of them had been cutting lumber all day.

Paul's truck was filled up to the top with lumber for his layout, which is using a lot! Ken had his in there, too. I'm glad to hear that Ken is expanding his N-scale layout. I've not seen it yet, but hope to soon. They are great guys for going by Lowe's and picking me up four sheets of 3/8ths plywood, C grade and four sheets of 3/4" foam insulation board. We'll be putting this down on the layout Friday night.

Photos From Today's Field Trip to the Richlawn RR

2009-04-25T20:28:00.008-04:00

When you enter Rick Wade's very nice train room you see the Richlawn Railroad printed on the glass above the double doors. Wow! Nice touch!

The first thing that grabs you is a large and sprawling city that is detailed to an extremly high level with lights, people and details, details, details.

I love the Louisville & Nashville, mostly because my grandfather retired with 50 years of service from the L&N. Seems Rick likes it, too!

Here is a fantastic really large timber trestle that will be completed and installed on the layout very soon.

The roundhouse's turntable has been removed with the aid of jack hammers and the newer engine servicing facility is seeing diesels on a daily basis. In the background you hear the sounds of the shop with lathes, drills, hammers and other tools.

Here the L&N rumbles by the busy town...

Rick's scenery is plaster over cardboard in most places, and the large mountains are preformed with wire fencing.

The etched brass wrought iron fencing is spectacular and every detail is in the right place.

That's Rick to the left with the coffee, Coalfinger Ken and Packrat Paul.

The Rexall Drug Store has a lot of new business now that they have put in the fancy lighted sign.

Rick was kind enough to open up his layout to the group on a Saturday morning in the first of what we believe is going to be a regular monthly field trip. Neil Thomas's Diamond River Layout is next and that's him to the right taking a picture.

Here you can see the distant mountains that are about an inch off the wall in the back. This gives them tremendous depth. Added to that is the N-scale scene that towers over the HO scale town in the valley. Rick is a master of forced perspective.

While there is a lot completed, there is more to go. The popsicle sticks support an acetate "fence" to keep errant locomotives from taking the short trip to the repair shop. Apparently these were put in one brass locomotive too late. Great idea! Especially for hidden track.

Here you can see the crash fence a little more clearly.

Thanks Rick!

Lumber

2009-04-25T13:49:00.001-04:00

My good friend Packrat Paul has volunteered to bring me four sheets of plywood and four sheets of 1" thick foam insulation board. He's got a very big truck, which is a major asset in my book. Train night is at my house next week, so we'll begin construction of the table top.

This Month's Field Trip

2009-04-25T13:39:00.002-04:00

Each month the NCIOG is going field trip. We think it is the best way to learn about model railroading, mainly through invading their layout and baraging them with questions. My kind of fun.

Today we marched over to Rick Wade's Richlawn Railroad, which can be see on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjrMoY_MKw. Rick has a deep layout designed for breathtaking scenery. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and a lot of good fun as we asked questions. You can take a ride in his camera car as well!

Rick is certainly a scenery guy and it jumps out at you the minute you walk in the door. His highly detailed and well balanced city is fantastic and I took a lot of pictures which I'll post soon. The benchwork is deep and makes the mountains in the background (along with their forced perspective engineering) seem like they are miles away.

He has a lot of finished scenery and still more to go. The layout runs well with two trains running behind each other and never failing. Rick's using Digitrax like most of the group.

Some key takeaways:

Deep scenery is better scenery
You can fasten your layout skirt to the layout using inexpensive clothes pins attached to the back of the facia.
Brining the mountains off the backdrop adds a large amount of depth to the layout.
Mountains are not 100% green and some dead spots make them look very realistic.
Detailing the inside of a tunnel portal really improves the appearance
Great care must be taken in planning for the use of camera cars on the layout with regards to scenery.
Always carry a camera and a note pad, or a recording device, so that you can make notes on what you see.
Using clear acetate sheets and popsicle sticks you can build an easy barricade along an unscenicked right-of-way in order to keep trains from taking the short trip to the repair shop, and even in hidden trackage areas.
Work on key scenery items off the layout. Build scenes on transportable modules and do the detail work on the workbench, then install on the benchwork.
The entrance to the layout room counts! First impressions make all the difference. Put a key focal point right in front of the door.
Sound affects are really nice and add a lot to the scene to make it lively. Having them fade out as the session moves along is helpful to prevent "burn out" on the noise.

Next month we visit Neil Thomas's Diamond River

The Fire

2009-04-25T00:08:00.002-04:00

My friend Bob McIntyre of the Piedmont Division had a fire in his home the other day. The house is a totally loss, but he and his wife Connie and the cat got out safely. Bob has just recently beat cancer again, so he's had the afflications of Job.

Bob's train layout was large and complex. A great work of art! I'm sad to see it go, as it was mostly gutted.

We're offering to help him in any way we can and to support him getting back into the hobby, but it will be a while I'm sure.

Meanwhile, I'm going to learn from him and get everything in the basement recorded!

A Night On The ONRR

2009-04-24T23:59:00.002-04:00

I love train night! I live for it, in fact. Every train night with the NCIOG (North County Interchange Operating Group) I learn more and push myself more.

Tonight was Bob the Builder's night. The Ontario Northland is really slick. Bob is allergic to scenery, but he's about out of track to lay so its the next step in the progression. Wade was there tonight and he's a good scenery guy, so he and I began to plan and design.

The key to starting the scenery is the layout scenic divider. It is structural and will hold up scenery, so it has to be installed. We came up with a clever way of mounting it over the staging tracks using an L-girder system. I think it will work great!

I always learn so much. Packrat Paul was working on mechanical turnout linkages. He spent a great deal of time getting an education tonight and I look forward to downloading his knowledge so that I can use it on the swamp.

Ken got his knickname tonight! Poor guy was staining ties with a shoe polish/alcohol mix and accidentally bumped the fascia. Ink went all over him, the layout and the floor. We're calling him Coalfinger after the dark, stained hands he now owns.

Steve-bay is really kickin' butt with track laying! He spent the evening hand laying the yard trackage. He does really nice work. The psychologist is going to visit him later next week to see if his condition improves.

Meanwhile, Bob the Builder kept avoiding the scenery team until finally we cornered him and made him go cut some boards. I've volunteered to have a tree making party for him at my house and that might kick start him a little more.

Limited Edition Swamp Cup

2009-04-18T16:17:00.000-04:00

LOL...I took my daughter out on Father/Daughter day and we went to a place where we could paint our own pottery. I painted a coffee cup with swamp things on it and it turned out great! I'm going to make some more them soon. They aren't cheap, but they are highly unique!

A Visit To Mecca...

2009-04-17T20:38:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it. I finally got the chance, and I took it. All my life I wanted to go to Promontory Point to see where the golden spike was driven. So this week, after I'd wrapped up a meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, I drove to this magical place.

Now, if you know your history, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific met on May 10, 1869 to complete the first transcontinental railroad.

I stood on the laurel wood tie (a replacement) and looked around me. The area is as desolate as it was when they built the railroad. Plains with rolling hills of grass and rock surrounded me on all sides. The rain drizzled down on me as I was the only one standing there.

While there I learned a few important things...

1. The railroads missed intersection with each other by 250 miles.
2. The golden spike was driven at Promontory SUMMIT, not Promontory Point which is much further south of the site.
3. None of the original gold or silver spikes is at the museum and most are at Standford University.
4. The golden spike was never really driven. It was of 17 carat gold and was too soft to take a hit.
5. Both dignitaries, one from each railroad, took turns driving spikes and both missed.
6. The Jupiter and the 119 locomotives are both recreations, made in the 1970's.

What a fun place! There isn't much there so you REALLY need to be a train nut to go. The best part was going to the engine house. You have to ask for permission to go and they gladly send you on your way with a permit. I was able to corner Ranger W. Daubert and spent a wonderful time learning about American locomotives from him. He is great!!!

What fun!

I found a swamp layout!

2009-04-13T20:58:00.001-04:00

It just so happens that an Australian modeler has built a section of a Louisianna swamp that looks fantastic! I don't know who he is yet, but I'm running it down so that I can squeeze him for every piece of information I can!

http://www.nmra.org.au/Layout_Tours/Muskrat/index.html

There is a movie on the page, too. Just check out the end of the movie

An Afternoon In The Shop

2009-04-12T17:58:00.003-04:00

My daughter has strep throat, so most of our normal Easter plans were cancelled as I missed church this morning in order to sit in a doctor's office. Luckily its not too bad. But that means...she is in bed watching movies and I can work in the shop!

Today I finally got around to painting. The airbrush needed some work, so I've been putting it off. Today I disasembled my Paashe VLS airbrush completely and cleaned it inside and out. Then I downloaded the VLS PDF manual and began debugging the parts. The needle (VLN 1, 3 or 5) has to be replaced and some other parts are worn, so its a trip to the train shop for me this week. I got it working well enough to paint the back walls, though and I'll proceed until I can lay in a supply of change parts.

Using Floquil SP Lark Dark Grey, I painted all the inside walls of the Slaughterhouse and the backs of all the windows. I've used black like many people do for the inside, but black has a tendency to catch your eye and I've found that dark gray is more of a "shadow" color and more natural to the eye. It took a while to get so much plastic painted so I watched "A Fistful of Dollars" while I paited. I keep forgetting to put on old clothes on paint day so I ruined another shirt. I'm out of paint so I added it to my shopping list along with the parts. The ultrasonic cleaner does a great job on cleaning the brush.

The next project while the paint was drying was to work on the benchwork. I've cordoned off a section of the layout that is a bit over 60 square feet. This is because I want to claim its construction for my NMRA AP program and my friends aren't allowed to help me. This is completely backward from the spirit of the hobby, but it is what it is. I constructed the gurney.

I wasn't going to build it until last, but I realized that I really needed to build its nesting fram AFTER I build the gurney, not before. After buying some 1x3 poplar stock lumber, I made the frame. Actually, I had a big mess on my hands because the 1x3 poplar lumber is really 3/4" x 2 1/2". Bastards. Why don't they label it that way! So the plywood I cut wouldn't work with it. This forced me to buy some more which caused an argument with the hog that was at the cash register. Jerk. Oh well.

This is about where the gurney will line up with the layout.

I wanted to make sure the gurney was strong and didn't warp or change shape, so I made it a little stronger than I woulr have normally. The poplar is nice would and notches well. It is also very light so I can easily lift this section by myself. It still needs a top cover of plywood.

That's all for today. Next time I head to the Homeless Despot, I'll carry a tape measure.

The AP Program

2009-04-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

I'm getting fired up to complete the NMRA's AP Program. I've got several of them already and just need a few more to finish. I hate paperwork, so it has been something I really just ahven't enjoyed, but with a layout going on I can easily complete the requirements. A long time ago I had listed the things that I wanted to do to finish Master Builder - Cars. So here is what I'm planning to finish by the November contest in 2009. I'm already entering a model in this June's program, so I'll finish it before I get started.

1. Master Builder - Cars.

A. You must build eight operable scale models of railroad cars:

Build the following in On30 Freelanced Hebard Cypress:

1. Logging Flat Car – loaded with large log

2. Gondola Slab Car – loaded

3. Gondola Slab Car – loaded

4. Box Car – standard with interior

5. Box Car – standard with interior

6. Tank Car – old style

7. Combine Passenger Car – regular (Argent)

8. Combine Passenger Car – Jim Crowe (Argent)

1. There must be at least four different types of cars represented in the total of eight. One of these must be a passenger car.

Four different types are logging flat 1, gondola 2, box 2, tank 1, combine 2 = total 8

2. Each of the eight models must be super detailed with either commercial parts or scratch built parts (for extra points).

Each will be scratch build and detailed entirely using resin casting techniques. All cars will work off the same frame. The trucks will be scratch built as well as the couplers for extra credit. For my own purposes each will be cast for mass production, then detailed. Yosemite Valley prototypes will be used.

3. In addition to being super detailed, at least four of the eight models must be scratch built. The term "scratch built" implies that the modeler has done all of the necessary layout and fabrication that produce the final dimensions, appearance, and operating qualities of the model.

Each will be scratch build and detailed entirely using resin casting techniques. Wheels and axles may be the only kit item. Decals will be custom made.

4. The following parts are specifically excluded from the scratch built requirement:

1. Wheels - buy

2. Couplers – make link and pin

3. Light bulbs & electronics. - none

4. Trucks. – scratchbuild frames

5. Brake fittings. – scratchbuild

6. Marker lights & drumheads. - none

7. Paint, decals, etc. - ok

8. Basic shapes of wood, plastic, metal, etc. -ok

B. You must earn a score of at least 87-1/2 points on four of the eight models in either an NMRA sponsored contest or in AP Merit Award judging.

All eight models will be submitted for judging at a contest. Getting points for flat cars is tough because they are considered more easily built, so I’ll only make one of them. The base frame, however, will supply the platform for all of the other cars. The other hard area is 30” prototypes, which there are few. I’ll have to use similar styles of cars and back them up with drawings and photos. I’ll make a hand drawing of each one.

C. You must submit a Statement of Qualification (The SOQ forms are also available from your Regional AP Manager ) which includes the following:

· An attachment giving a detailed description of each of the eight models, including:

o Identification of all scratch built features

o All commercial components used

o Materials used in building the model

o If the model is a kit, whose kit is it?

· Verification of the Merit Awards (photocopies of the certificates)

· Photos of the model are helpful, though not required.

The Gurney Has Been Designed!

2009-04-10T18:18:00.002-04:00

Ok, I finally sat down at the computer and finished designing the gurney. The wheels are not in the drawing, but the rest is planned.

It will be on four heavy casters. The side boards that connect with the layout will be made out of cabinet grade poplar.

I also decided to do the fascia in fake alligator hide. What fun!

Slaughterhouse #5 Now Serving Cargo Vessels

2009-04-10T16:03:00.003-04:00

There were slaughterhouses on the Calumet's Cal-Sag Channel! In fact, this is part of the reason it has gotten so polluted. So we'll be filling up vessels with ice and beef for export.

Lumber for the Slaughterhouse

2009-04-10T15:48:00.001-04:00

I just re-ordered the lumber for Slaughterhouse #5. The hobby shop trashed my order, so I just sent it back in. Also, I just found out that the NMRA Southeastern Region Convention is having a Rails to Sails special contest, so I thought I might add a pier to my Slaughterhouse.

Here is what I ordered today...

PRODUCT INFORMATION--

Quantity: 2
Product: 2x8 scale lumber
Scale/Price/Options: HO-scale-24 ($ 2.95ea.)

Quantity: 6
Product: 4x8 scale lumber
Scale/Price/Options: HO-scale-24 ($ 2.95ea.)

Quantity: 3
Product: 8x8 scale lumber
Scale/Price/Options: HO-scale-24 ($ 2.95ea.)

Model Jim Crowe Models

2009-04-10T15:23:00.000-04:00

I've been very reluctant to model some of the Jim Crow items that I'd like to. The Hebard Cyrpess Company had camp houses for both races, as well as cars. All of it was segregated. Foolish and racist, yes, but a historical fact none the less.

Should I model these and be bold? Or just forget about it?

Would you be offended if you came over an saw them? Or would you see it as a historical truth?

Your opinion much appreciated! Post your comments below.

For Hydrocal Plaster...

2009-04-10T15:14:00.002-04:00

This is my long time supplier of hydrocal and ultracal plaster here in the Atlanta, GA area...

DAVENS CERAMICS
5076 Peachtree Rd.

Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Phone: 770-451-2105
Fax: 770-455-7012
Website: www.davensceramiccenter.com

Mr. Hopkins - Superintendent of the Waycross & Southern Railroad

2009-04-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

John May Hopkins was educated at Thomasville in a branch school affiliated

with the Georgia State University, and after completing his course in that

institution, engaged in the study of law and subsequently was admitted to the

bar. Although thus qualified, Mr. Hopkins practiced but a short time, having

become interested in another direction. He was in charge of a survey party that

explored the Okefenokee swamp and made surveys and estimated the amount,

condition and quality of timber. After completing this survey he went to

northern Michigan to gain a practical knowledge of the lumber business, entering

the employ of Charles Hebard & Sons, lumber company, at their plant in Ba-raga

county, Michigan, and remained there until 1908, when he returned to Georgia to

establish the plant of The Hebard Cypress Company, at Hebardville, two miles

from Waycross, in Ware county, and here installed one of the most complete

plants of the kind in the whole country. This is a stupendous enterprise, 750

men being constantly employed, and the mills having a capacity of 125,000 feet

of lumber per day of ten hours. Of this plant Mr. Hopkins is the general

superintendent, and additionally he is general superintendent of the Waycross &

Southern Railroad.

History of Logging In the Swamp - Hebard Cypress Company & South Georgia Cypress

2009-04-07T22:19:00.003-04:00

Here is some of the Hebard Cypress Company's rolling stock:

Ware County, ca. 1913-1919. The "One spot" (second largest engine) ran alternate with the "Seven Spot" (largest engine) on the main line from Hebardville to Hopkins. Both engines were too large to run on the piling track that ran onto Billy's Island."--from field notes

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3awar053

Ware County, ca. 1910. Hebard Cypress Mill at Hebardville.

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3awar052

Ware, ca. 1920s. Employees of boarding house (Hebard Boarding House) and guests on Billy's Island.

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3awar054

Dougherty, ca. 1903-1910. Logs loaded so they could be transported by rail to the Red Cypress Lumber Company. Note the size of the logs compared to the size of the men in the photograph.

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3adgh070

Screven County, ca. 1910. Group of men shown with 1,924 foot long cypress tree which was cut in Screven County.

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3ascr003

Dougherty County, ca. 1903-1910. Red Cypress Lumber Company workers pictured with huge logs they have cut from this timber forest. The piece of machinery in the foreground may be a portable sawmill used in the cutting process. The logs were loaded in order to be transported by rail to the plant.

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/cgi-bin/vanga.cgi?format=photo&query=id%3adgh073

The Midnight Special

2009-04-07T21:15:00.004-04:00

Our spring break plans were trashed yesterday so my wife gave me the night off! Hooray! So at 6:00 in the evening and during dinner, I start calling the crew to see who can come over. Bob and Paul were available so we started working on the benchwork again.

I put the coffee pot on, baked some cookies and headed to my sawdust covered paradise. Paul came in and we immediately started talking about his really cool layout under construction. He was telling me how the East Broad Top might be loaning his railroad some hoppers. Being an EBT fan I was all ears.

Bob came over shortly after and we began on the right hand side of the layout. We finished the cantilevers (two of them) and the joist, which were already cut by Steve and Ken the worknight before. We decided to put the first cantilever at the weak point which is also the narrow point of the layout, then the second one in the middle of the nine foot L-girder.

These both require cutting an angle that is steeper than the 50 degree limit of my chop saw. I'm not aware of a better way to do it so we were unsafely holding it and cutting by using teamwork. Later in the evening Bob was cutting a short piece by himself as Paul and I looked on. Little did we know that this 2x2 piece has a serious knot inside that was invisible to the naked eye. It went off like a gun shot and the saw through the piece at me like a bullet. It crashed about a foot away from my face and into the sheetrock. I staggered and caught my fall as I landed in the next room. I kindly excused myself, changed my underwear, and went back to work. I do wear safety glasses for just such projectiles. Needless to say it made me jumpy the rest of the night. Later in the evening the guys broke a small profile board and I hit the dirt, much to their delight.

Since the L-girders were pitched at an angle and not parrellel to the wall, we had to notch the 2x2 uprights to make them fit. We carefully measured, cut way the excess with a chiesel, test fit the piece, noticed it was upside down, and began the process again. I laughed way to much last night, amidst dodging flying lumber.

After finishing the left side, we grabbed a cookie and a fresh cup of Joe and headed to the left side. We completed another six feet of bench and then retired to the talking table.

The rolling table module which we are now calling "the gurney" has still not been finalized. The guys brought up some great ideas and I had a few as well. Still, nothing struck my fancy. Paul came up with an excellent idea of making a mock up so I grabbed to eight foot boards and Bob dropped in a 34" cross piece and we pretended we had the module. Paul and I moved it around and we really began to understand that it was huge! Nine feet won't work and neither will 34" wide, so it either has to be 8' x 32" or two pieces. I'm really not liking the option, so I'll think about it more this evening. I might need to change the trackwork, but the track is EXACTLY like the Billy's Island trackage and it will break my heart to move it around.

At midnight we decided to pack it up and walked back into the train room to gather our jackets when Bob got the itch to put up a simulated fascia board just to see how the layout would look. I had some 4" pieces of luan plywood scrap, so we screwed them in place and the layout is going to look GREAT!

It's great to have good friends that will drop what they are doing and come play. Steve, we missed you but we know you work long hours.

I've gotten a lot of requests to start the Swamp Stories again. These are coming from the guys on the On30 Conspiracy from several years ago when the swamp modules were being constructed. I think I'll crank them up or at least post some old ones. At the time I was constructing some scenic test modules for the swamp. Here is a picture of one section with a crossing and piling bridge. It was destroyed when the "water" I poured reacted with the sealing paint on the foam and devoured the module.