Tracklaying tips and techniques

PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N
Tracklaying tips
and techniques
Track
M
any model railroaders
discover a whole range of
unfamiliar terms when
they begin acquiring the track
components to build a layout.
Most of these terms match prototype track terminology and
are clearly descriptive, while
others require some explanation. The list which follows
defines the most common trackrelated terms, including some
that are often misused.
AREA: The American Railway Engineering Association is the prototype railroad
organization which establishes right-ofway material specifications and track
construction standards.
Ballast: The crushed rock used to hold
track in position, spread weight, and
provide drainage.
B&B gang: A traveling railroad crew
that specializes in bridge and building
construction, maintenance, and repair.
Bridge: A structure which supports a
track passing over a depression in the
terrain or a stream. A through bridge has
a floor structure which supports the
track between its side beams or trusses,
while a deck bridge has its supporting
structure below track level.
Bridge guardrail: A set of heavy timbers
or steel rails mounted inside the running rails on a bridge or other structure
to keep derailed cars in line.
Bridge pier: An intermediate support
used between bridge spans.
Bridge shoe: An iron or steel casting
which transfers the weight of a bridge
to its supports. One end is normally a
solid mounting while the opposite end
allows for expansion or contraction.
Bumper: A braced, coupler-height
blocking device which keeps cars from
rolling off the end of a track.
Smooth-flowing handlaid trackwork has been
the hallmark of the Detroit Model Railroad
Club’s O scale Detroit Union RR for over half
a century. This view of Duncan Junction
includes several regular turnouts, a crossing, a single-slip switch, and a double-slip
switch. Photo by Jim Hediger.
terminology
An introduction
to railroad lingo
By Jim Hediger
Illustrations by Rick Johnson
Bunk, camp, or outfit car: A passenger
Double or scissors crossover: Two pairs
Gantlet (not gauntlet) track: A pair of
or freight car converted into movable
living quarters for track workers.
Clearance: The space that’s required for
rolling stock to pass an object or other
equipment. Vertical clearance is the
space between a car roof and an overhead object or structure.
Clearance point: The location near a
turnout where equipment may safely
pass other adjacent equipment.
Cross level: A reference comparing the
relative heights of the two rails across
the track.
Crossing: A level intersection between two
tracks or between a
track and a highway (above).
Crossover: A pair of facing turnouts
which allow a train to pass from one
parallel track to the other (below).
of facing turnouts with a crossing in the
middle which allow trains to pass from
one parallel track to the other (below).
C
overlapping parallel tracks which share
a single roadbed and track structure to
pass through a narrow obstruction like
a tunnel or bridge (below).
Gap: A slot cut through the rail to break
the electrical path.
Double-slip switch: A special condensed
Gauge: The standard dimensional spac-
track component which combines the
functions of four turnouts and a crossing in a short distance (below).
ing required between the rails or
wheels. Tight gauge refers to less than
the correct spacing, while wide gauge
means the rails are too far apart.
Grade: The vertical rise or fall of a track
in units of height per 100 units of distance, expressed as a percentage. A 2"
rise in 100" is a 2 percent grade.
Grade crossing: A level intersection
between a highway and the track.
Ground throw: A low-level manual control device used to operate and lock the
switch points and select a route through
a turnout.
Guardrail: An additional rail placed
inside the running rail that engages the
back of a wheel flange to help guide its
wheelset through a frog.
Headblocks: The pair of extended ties
beneath the switch points which support a switch stand.
Industry track: Any side track where
freight cars can be spotted so a railroad
customer can load or unload them.
Insulated joint: A mechanical rail joint
which doesn’t pass electricity.
Joint: An end-to-end mechanical rail
connection using a rail joiner to maintain precise alignment.
Junction: A location where main lines
diverge or cross each other.
Drawbridge: A movable bridge that
spans a navigable waterway.
Elevated: A reference to a high level
Cut and fill: A right-of-way construction
method that removes earth or stone
above grade and uses it to fill in the
gaps below grade.
Deck: A bridge floor which may be
either ballasted or open (with the track
bolted to the supports).
Derail: A safety device that’s used on
spur tracks to keep cars from rolling out
and fouling a main track. It usually has
a cast-steel frog which diverts one
wheel up and over the rail to stop a car
well short of the clearance point. Some
derails consist of a single switch point
that’s normally left open to stop any
moving car clear of the main track.
TRACK TIMELINE
1832
1893
Wooden ties
were introduced on the
Camden
& Amboy RR
The first
concrete ties
were tested
on the
Philadelphia
& Reading
RR
right-of-way, often constructed on a fill,
to provide clearance underneath for
another track or a roadway.
Elevation: The measured height of a
specific location above a base line.
Expansion joint: A special slip joint that
includes an open space in the center to
allow the rails to expand or contract.
Facing point: A track turnout or switch
that’s positioned so its points face
oncoming traffic.
Flangeway: The space between a running or stock rail and a guardrail for
wheel flanges.
Frog: The portion of a turnout or crossing where wheels cross the intersection
of two rails.
1921
1937
POST WW II 1956
1957
1983
Mainline rail
weighed an
average of
83 pounds
per yard (HO
code 55)
The first 30mile stretch
of continuous
welded rail
was installed
on the
Delaware &
Hudson RR
Heavier rail
became necessary to handle
the increasing
loads and
equipment
weights
Prestressed
concrete ties
(reinforced
with steel
rods) were
introduced
Mainline rail
weighed an
average of
117 pounds
per yard (HO
code 83)
Mainline rail
weighed an
average of
105 pounds
per yard (HO
code 70)
Lap or three-way switch: A special track
component which combines two overlapping turnouts (below).
Main line or main track: The principle
route used by trains passing a given
location along the line.
Milepost: A trackside signpost with a
number indicating the distance from an
established starting point.
Narrow gauge: A reference to any railroad built with a track gauge that’s less
than 561⁄2" standard gauge.
NMRA: An abbreviation for the
National Model Railroad Association,
which is the hobby organization that
establishes the basic specifications or
NMRA standards which ensure compatibility between products made by different manufacturers.
“On the ground”: A railroad slang term
for a derailment.
Platform: A loading dock for freight or
passengers. A high platform is even with
the car floor, while a low platform may
be at any height below floor level.
Portal: An entrance to a tunnel or the
framing at the ends of a truss bridge.
Profile: A scale drawing which shows
the grade alignment for a section of
main track.
Puzzle switch: A slang term referring to
the special track components used in
extremely congested areas including
single- or double-slip switches and
three-way switches.
Radius: The size of a curve measured
from its center point to the curved track
center line (circumference of the circle).
Rail: A specially shaped rolled steel
beam with a wide base
that’s spiked to the ties
Head
Web
to carry the weight and E
guide trains along the
Base
right-of-way (right).
Rail code: This is a reference to the
height of model rail in thousandths of
an inch: code 100 measures .100" tall,
code 83 is .083" tall, code 70 is .070",
and code 55 is .055" (below).
Rail joiner: A formed sheet metal
mechanical connector used to join
model rails end to end.
Rail nipper: A specially ground pair of
modeler’s cutting pliers used to make
clean, square cuts in soft metal rail.
Relay: An electrical switching device
commonly used to control polarity,
power, and signal circuits.
Reverse or “S” curve: A track arrangement where two oppo- G
site curves meet at a
common point (right).
Reverse loop: A loop
of track that begins
and ends at the same H
turnout to turn trains
around (right).
Riser: A vertical piece in the benchwork
which supports a trackboard.
Roadbed: Any material used beneath
the track to simulate the prototype ballast profile.
Ruling grade: The maximum grade
which affects train size in a given area.
Single-slip switch: A special condensed
track component which combines the
functions of two turnouts and a crossing in a short distance (below).
Switch lock: A padlock or an interlocking device which secures a switch so its
points cannot be moved.
Switch machine: A remote control
device which moves the switch points
to select a route through a turnout.
Switch rod: A metal rod that connects
switch points to a switch stand or a
remote-controlled switch machine.
Switch stand: A trackside manual control used to operate the points and
select a route through a turnout.
Tangent: A straight track.
Third rail: An extra rail mounted alongside or between the running rails to
supply current for electric locomotives
or traction cars.
Tie: The structural element which runs
at right angles to the track center line to
support and hold the rails in gauge.
Most ties are hardwood, but some are
made of prestressed concrete.
Tie plate: A forged-steel plate used
between the rail base and the tie top to
help spread the load.
Timber: Any heavy wood beam that’s
used in railroad construction.
Trackboard: The horizontal wood support beneath model roadbed and track.
Trailing point: A reference to a switch
with its points facing away from the
direction of travel.
Turnout: A track component with movable points that’s used to select which
route a train will follow.
Snow shed: A heavy canopy structure
built to carry snow slides over the track.
Spike: A forged-steel fastener with an
offset head that’s driven into the ties to
secure the rails.
Spiral curve or easement: A curve of
gradually increasing radius that makes
the transition between a fixed-radius
curve and a tangent or straight track.
Spring switch: A turnout which has its
points controlled by a spring-loaded
mechanism. Trains can make a trailing
move through the switch and then the
points return to their normal position.
Spur or spur track: Any single-ended
track.
Stub switch: A pointless turnout which
changes its route by gently bending the
approach or “fly” rails sideways (below).
Frog
Flangeway
Guardrail
Wing rails
Stock rail
Stock rail
Closure
rails
Points
Headblocks
.100"
Code 100
.083"
Code 83
.070"
Code 70
.055"
Code 55
Railhead: The wide, top portion of a rail
that the wheels run on.
Guardrail
Superelevation: Banking built into a
curve by raising the outside rail so
trains may operate at higher speeds.
TURNOUT
PARTS
Switch
rod
10 TRACKLAYING TIPS
1
2
Stagger all of the joints in the
track, roadbed, and subroadbed.
Avoid humps or dips in the track,
especially near curves, turnouts, and
places where grades begin or end.
3 enough pressure to seat them
Drive spikes gently, using just
without putting a vertical kink in
the rail.
4 them gently until they’re snug
If you’re using track nails, drive
without distorting the plastic ties.
5 make sure both rails are fully
Carefully align every rail joint and
seated in the rail joiners.
6 removing the ties beneath a rail
Eliminate any potential bump by
joint, sanding them thinner, and
then replacing them.
7 rail joints with a small file until
Smooth the top inside corner of all
you can slide a fingernail over the
joint without feeling any snagging.
8 switch points to obtain a smooth
Use a small file to sharpen all
path for the wheels to follow.
9 to the underside of the rails so
During installation, solder the wires
they’ll be hidden by the ballast.
10
Use a National Model Railroad
Association gauge to check and
adjust the spacing of the rails
and guardrails in turnouts.
Turntable: A revolving bridge structure
commonly used to turn locomotives in
an engine terminal.
Wheel stop: A wedge-shaped device,
mounted on the rail heads, which is
designed to keep a car from rolling off
the end of a track.
Wye: A triangular track
arrangement which has
three turnouts connected
at their frog ends to turn
trains (right).
Wye switch: A turnout which diverges
equally in both directions.
More on our Web site
Information on preventing derailments can
be found at www.modelrailroader.com.
Sectional track
S
o you opened that train set Christmas morning and couldn’t wait to
get rolling. Chances are the set
came with a circle or oval of track sections. While it’s pretty easy to put this
stuff together and change it around,
here are a few tips for getting top performance from sectional track.
What it is
Sectional track comes in curves,
straights, and turnout (switch) sections
in every scale. In HO scale the most
common curves are 15", 18", and 22"
radius, with 9" and shorter straights.
Turnouts are normally no. 4s or 6s.
Shorter fitter sections, such as half
curves, 1⁄4 straights, and the like are
often necessary to complete any layout
more complex than an oval and are also
available. Have a selection of them on
hand so you don’t end up with a gaping
hole in the main line.
Most folks start by snapping
together a circle or oval of track on the
floor. After a while the rail joiners
loosen and the track sections work
apart, often from the weight of the
train. The result is a spectacular derailment, with track and train sailing
across the room. While fun at first this
quickly wears thin and can play havoc
with locomotives and cars.
Also, if you’re running your trains on
a carpeted floor the carpet fuzz will
work its way into the locomotive mechanism and cause operational problems.
To prevent these problems the traditional solution has been nailing the
track to a solid surface such as a piece
Fig. 1 TRACK AND ROADBED. Most manufacturers offer track with plastic roadbed sections, like this True-Track from Atlas.
Fig. 2 PROPER JOINT. Track sections should
fit together easily, without any obvious gaps
in the joint between rail sections.
Fig. 3 FORCING TRACK TO FIT. This is a common mistake with sectional track. Trains will
have a tough time crossing this gap.
Fig. 4 HIGH-RIDING RAIL. Note how one of
these rails is sitting over the rail joiner.
Make sure both rails are seated properly.
PHOTOS BY BILL ZUBACK
of plywood. This may not be the best
choice as most beginners want to easily
change the track arrangement.
Sectional track is now made with
plastic roadbed sections (fig. 1). The
roadbed sections have interlocking tabs
to hold the track securely in place and
keep the trains above the floor enough
to avoid those dreaded carpet fuzzies.
Getting up and running
Laying sectional track is pretty simple. Line up two pieces and slide them
together. Make sure the ends of the rail
are lined up properly and fit snugly
together with little or no gap (fig. 2). If
you’re using track with molded
roadbed make sure the tabs lock
securely between sections.
Two tips: Don’t force the pieces. The
most common mistake is forcing curve
sections tighter than the designed
radius. This produces a gap between
sections and a kink in the rail that’s a
sure ticket to derailments (fig. 3).
Another common problem is letting
one rail slip up and over the adjoining
rail joiner (fig. 4). Make sure the rail is
sitting in the joiner before pressing the
two sections together.
Turnouts
Closure rails
Switch machine
Switch rod
Frog
Guardrails
Fig. 5 TURNOUT COMPONENTS
Points
Watching a train chase its tail
around a circle can get boring. The
solution is to purchase some turnouts
and additional track sections, which
will enable you to vary the train’s route.
It’s hard to have trouble with sectional turnouts. Perhaps the most
important thing is to ensure the switch
rod is correctly installed and the points
throw freely. Figure 5 shows the basic
components of a turnout.
While the standard geometry of sectional track somewhat limits layout
design options, for ease and simplicity
it simply can’t be beat. Good luck! 1
Fig. 4
LAYING
CURVES
Laying flextrack
on curves
Bend track to
curve, mark cut
with hobby
knife. Use rail
nippers to cut
longer rail ends
flush
CHRISTINE PAUL
Fig. 1 CUTTING FLEXTRACK. Use a heavyduty rail nipper, like this one from Micro
Engineering, to cut the track to length.
Leave 8"-10" of track
straight. Solder next
section on with
rail straight
CHRISTINE PAUL
Fig. 2 REMOVING TIES. Remove a few ties
from the end of the track by cutting the web
(the plastic piece between ties) with a knife.
Spike track in place.
Joint will assume
curve
GEORGE HALL
Carefully laid flextrack curves add up to
operating fun. Here a trio of GP60Ms lean
into the bend on Jack Kenefick’s HO railroad.
CHRISTINE PAUL
Fig. 3 FILING RAILS. File the end and underside of the rail as well as the web so a rail
joiner will slip on easily.
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON
G
ood track is the main difference
between a layout that’s fun to operate and one that gathers dust. Laying straight track is easy, but laying
curves with flextrack can be tricky, especially when you need to join two sections of flextrack in the middle of a
curve. It’s easy to introduce a kink, guaranteeing operating problems. Here are
some tracklaying tips that work for me.
Cutting and fitting flextrack
You need a good set of rail nippers.
To avoid damaging the cutting edges
use them only for cutting rail. I happen
to use Micro Engineering’s but other
brands are available.
To determine where to cut position
the track and mark the rail with a knife.
Figures 1 through 3 show how to cut
the track and file the cut smooth.
Laying curved track
Because the rails start out the same
length and the inside of a curve is
always shorter than the outside, the
inside rail will have to be cut. This isn’t
all that difficult.
For all but the tightest curves you’ll
find you need to use more than one
piece of track to complete the curve.
But if you lay the curved track and then
add a second piece on the curve you’ll
likely end up with a kink.
To prevent that problem start the
curve by spiking down a piece of flextrack through the start of the curve,
leaving the last 8" to 10" straight (fig. 4).
Cut the rail ends flush, file smooth, and
join the next section of track.
Solder the joint while the track is
still straight. Use rosin-core solder and
a clean, hot iron. Heat the rail and
touch the solder to the metal. The solder should take only a couple of seconds to flow. After the solder cools bend
the track to the desired curve.
Smooth trackwork is critical to
enjoying model railroading. Take your
time and you’ll be surprised at how precise your track can be. 1
Grades
F. L. BECHT
Capturing the image of a train climbing the
grade is the goal of many modelers. This is
Tehachapi Pass in California, circa 1973.
8"
I
’ve yet to find one thing that confuses
more model railroaders than grades.
Sure, everyone knows what they are –
essentially track going up or downhill.
It’s translating that to the layout that
trips folks up.
ent
erc
7"
4p
6"
Rise (height
above base 5"
level) in
4"
inches
3"
t
ercen
2.5 p
ent
2 perc
t
en
rc
pe
1
2"
1"
Doing the math
The math for figuring out the percent of grade for a model railroad is
almost ridiculously simple. The basic
formula is the number of units of rise
per 100 units of run (fig. 1). The “unit”
can be any measure of distance, though
the easiest one for us to use is inches.
For example, a two percent grade
climbs 2" for every 100" of travel. By the
same token, a track that climbs 1" in 50"
of travel or climbs 3" in 150" of travel is
also a two percent grade. The length of
the run is really immaterial, only the
angle of the climb matters.
Don’t let the grades get too steep as
it’s amazing what a slight grade can do
to a locomotive’s pulling power. Start
by figuring on two or 2.5 percent. If you
need to go steeper than that go for it
but try keeping grades under four percent if at all possible unless you plan to
run short trains or geared locomotives.
50"
Fig. 1 PERCENTAGE OF GRADE
150"
100"
Run (length of track) in inches
200"
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICK JOHNSON
3. Secure riser 11⁄4"
above top of joist
2. Measure angle of climb with
grade gauge – 2.5 percent
1.Secure subroadbed
to top of joist at start
of grade (0" in this case)
4. Fill in with
additional risers as needed,
checking with gauge to make
sure there aren’t any steeper
“hidden” grades
Fig. 2 BUILD A GRADE
Desired 2.5 percent grade
Run – 50"
BILL ZUBACK
The grade gauge from K-Tool Products fits on
a standard two- or four-foot level. Set the
dial at the desired grade (here, 2.5 percent).
Making the grade
One way to add a grade to a flat
tabletop layout is with the Styrofoam
incline subroadbed from Woodland
Scenics. These are precut subroadbed
sections in two, three, and four percent
grades. Glue them to the plywood and
you’re ready to add roadbed and track.
It’s important to make sure the grade
you’re building matches the one you figured out on paper. The grade gauge
(above) from K-Tool Products, is handy
for this. It’s available through Walthers
and most hobby shops. Set the desired
grade and place the level on your subroadbed. When the bubble reads level
the subroadbed is at the proper angle.
To add grades to a long run I find it’s
easiest to figure out what the starting
and ending point elevations are, relative
to the tops of the joists. Then I secure
the risers and subroadbed at those
heights and fill in the additional risers
needed for support (fig. 2). While doing
that I check the grade with the gauge,
since I don’t want any hidden grades
(undesired steeper grades within the
length of the run) causing problems.
Finally, keep an eye on ceiling
height. It’s amazing how much elevation you gain with a long grade. If
you’re not careful you may burst
through the ceiling and end up on the
living room floor. 1
Easy easements
L
aying tangent (straight) track is
pretty straightforward but those
curves can, well, throw you a curve.
Equipment that enters a sudden curve
is more likely to derail. And even if
wheels stay on the rails the sight of a
train jolting into a sudden curve can
make even the most realistic layout
look like a train set.
Your trains will look better and long
rolling stock will track more reliably if
you add an easement between the
straight and curved track. An easement
is a gradual transition, or a very broad
non-concentric curve, inserted between
the tangent track and the circular curve.
Obviously, you can’t have a true
easement with sectional track, although
if possible you might want to insert a
broader radius curve, like a 22"-radius
section, between the straight track and
the 18"-radius sections. Whether you’re
using flextrack or handlaying your track
you’ll find easements will keep things
running smoother and looking better.
The “bent stick” method
The prototype uses all kinds of fancy
formulas to figure out easements, and
you can spend a lot of time adapting
those same formulas for model railroad
use. But that’s hardly necessary. The
Step 1:
Mark center
line of tangent
(straight) track
Co
Step 2: Mark center line of
curve using trammel. Leave offset
between the lines where tangent is square
with radius. Offset should vary with radius and
length of easment: 3⁄8" for 18" radius to 1⁄2" for 30"
radius, or greater for longer easements (see box)
t cu
tan
ns
Curve
Length of
radius Offset easement
3
3
6"
9 ⁄4"
⁄16"
1⁄ 4 "
10"
16"
3
12"
18"
⁄8 "
7⁄16"
16"
24"
1
18"
30"
⁄ 2"
en
Tang
Constant curve
t
Offset between drawn lines
rv e
en
Tang
t
Small brads to hold
stick in place if needed
Step 3: Lay flexible
stick along tangent and
curve, mark along stick
Easement length should be divided
equally on both sides of this point
Easement
en
Tang
LAYING OUT
EASEMENTS
t
Step 4: Lay roadbed along
marked center lines of track
Easement
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT WEGNER
diagrams show how I plot easements
using nothing more complex than a
pencil and a flexible piece of wood.
Start by drawing the center line of
the tangent track directly on the subroadbed. To ensure a constant radius
curve use a trammel, which is nothing
more than a piece of wood (a 1 x 1
works fine) with a hole for a screw or
nail at one end and holes big enough to
clear a pencil every inch starting with
your minimum radius and ending up
with the largest practical radius. Or you
can use a template made from styrene,
Masonite, or cardstock, cut to the
desired curve.
Draw a circular curve of the desired
radius. Don’t connect this line to the
center line for the tangent track –
instead leave a slight offset, about 1⁄2" to
3
⁄4", between the two lines. The offset
and length of the easement varies with
the curve radius. For an 18"-radius
curve the offset is 3⁄8", with a 12"-long
easement. The offset is 1⁄2" for a 30"radius curve, with an 18"-long easement. Mark the point where the tangent
is square with the radius and equally
divide the length of the easement on
both sides of that mark.
Now you’re ready to mark the center
line of the easement. Use a piece of flexible wood molding. Hold the wood
along the center line of the tangent and
bend it to match the radius of the curve
you already marked. For very large
curves you may need to temporarily
drive a few small brads along the molding to hold it in place. Once you’re satisfied with the alignment trace along
the molding with a pencil, creating a
nice smooth transition. Remove the
molding and lay your roadbed or track
in place along the center lines.
This is, admittably, a simple way to
lay curved track with an easement. A
detailed explanation of easements, complete with a table showing suggested
measurements for various curves, can
be found in John Armstrong’s Track
Planning for Realistic Operation (Kalmbach). John also presents convincing
arguments for using easements. 1
Laying roadbed
JIM FORBES
W
hen it comes time to lay track for
a first layout, many beginning
modelers think that laying
roadbed is a hassle and are tempted to
skip the step and lay track directly on
the plywood table or subroadbed.
However, what they fail to realize is
that model roadbed serves many important purposes. The first is appearance:
Look at a real railroad main line and
you’ll see how it’s elevated above the
surrounding ground on roadbed and
ballast. Model roadbed allows us to
similarly raise the track profile, making
the track look more realistic.
Model roadbed also provides a
smooth contour for ballast. The sloped
shoulders help define the ballast profile.
Other important reasons for using
roadbed are that it provides a smooth,
level base for track, and it also quiets
JEFF WILSON
Fig. 1 SPLITTING CORK. Cork strips are perforated at an angle down the middle, and
the two halves must be peeled apart. You
need to sand the rough edges after laying.
The most common roadbed material
is cork. It’s available from many manufacturers such as Busch, Faller, Midwest Products, and others. It’s easy to
find, relatively inexpensive, and available in scales from N through G.
Cork roadbed comes as a single
piece that’s perforated down the middle
and must be separated (see fig. 1). The
samples shown are in HO scale, but
installation of other sizes is the same.
Peeling the two halves apart, flipping
one half over, and placing the pieces
side-by-side provides a beveled edge on
each side. The beveled edge helps to recreate the proper ballast profile.
Glue is the best way to install cork.
Start by running a bead of white or yellow glue next to the track center line
drawn on your subroadbed. Press the
cork onto the glue, then use push pins
or wire nails to tack the cork in place as
shown in fig. 2. Don’t drive the nails all
the way into the cork – once the glue
dries the nails will be pulled out.
Cork often has a burr along the
beveled edges that can keep ballast
from lying smoothly along the slope. To
remove the burr, lightly sand it with a
sanding block and coarse sandpaper.
To provide a smooth roadbed, be
sure to stagger the cork joints so they
don’t fall directly above any subroadbed
joints. It also helps to stagger the joints
on the two halves of the cork.
When laying track on cork, the heads
of track nails should be just above the
JEFF WILSON
JEFF WILSON
operations by insulating the track from
the underlying wood base, which otherwise can act like a sounding board.
Using traditional cork
Fig. 2 GLUING AND TACKING. Run a bead of
white glue along one side of the track center
line, press the cork in place, and secure it
until the glue dries.
Fig. 3 ROADBED UNDER TURNOUTS. Start by
laying the outside two pieces of cork following the track center lines. Then cut the inner
two pieces to fit and glue them in place.
ROADBED ALTERNATIVES
I other manufactured roadbed prodn addition to cork, there are some
ucts available. Each offers unique
advantages as a base for laying
model railroad track:
AMI – Instant Roadbed – a selfadhesive uncured butyl rubber strip
that sticks directly to the subroadbed. It can also be shaped to
make roads and sidewalks.
California Roadbed Co. –
HomaBed – a manufactured Homasote product with several contour
profiles available. It works well for
handlaying track.
Hobby Innovations – VinylBed –
a single-piece roadbed made from
multi-shaded gray granules of recycled vinyl. It is very flexible and has
good sound absorption qualities.
Tru-scale Models – Milled basswood roadbed. It is available with a
smooth surface or with pre-gauged
ties for handlaying track and comes
in straight sections and various
radius curves.
Woodland Scenics – Track-Bed –
a flexible single-piece spongerubber roadbed. It is easy to cut
and also available in sheets for
making yards. – Jeff Wilson
ties. Driving the nails too deeply can
buckle the ties and kink the track, shifting it out of alignment.
Laying roadbed for turnouts
Precut turnout pads are available in
various sizes and scales from Midwest
and IBL, but it’s also easy to cut even
complex arrangements yourself.
Start by laying cork strips along the
outside of both the straight and diverging routes. Add the inside part of the
straight route, using a hobby or utility
knife to cut off the beveled edge where
it will meet the other cork strip.
Lay the remaining strip of cork in
place and draw a cut line with a
marker. Cut the cork and lay it in position as shown in fig. 3.
Here, the joints don’t have to be perfect, as they’ll later be covered by ballast. Simply make sure that the cork is
level so it will firmly support the track.
With a little knowledge and practice,
you’re now well on your way toward
providing a smooth roadbed base for
your trackwork! 1
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
From track plan
to benchwork
Y
ou’ve managed to find the perfect
track plan in a book or magazine,
or you’ve spent hours at the drawing table or computer carefully drafting
a track plan. The next step is transferring the track plan to your layout table
or benchwork.
If you’ve never done this before, the
first thing you’ll probably learn is that –
regardless of how carefully you’ve measured – track will almost always take up
more room on the layout than it did on
paper. It is important to take your time
and be precise, as any miscalculation
will hinder tracklaying.
lines on the track plan to match those
on your layout surface.
Once the basic grid is drawn on the
layout and track plan, the next step is to
mark out the radii of curves. Figure 2
shows how to find and mark the center
of the radii on the track plan. Transfer
Tools and tricks
One of the first steps in track planning
is drawing a grid on the plywood (or
whatever surface your layout top happens to be). As fig. 1 shows, a drywall
T-square with a four-foot arm is invaluable for this. A 12" grid is usually sufficient, but for complex plans you might
want to add grid lines at the 6" marks as
well. It’s also important to draw grid
Fig. 1 GRID ON TABLE. A drywall T-square
with a four-foot arm works well for laying out
a grid on the table. A 12" grid is sufficient
for most track plans.
Fig. 2 CURVE CENTERS. Measure to find the
center point of each curve, then mark it on
the track plan.
Fig. 4 LAYING TURNOUTS. While turnouts can
be trimmed for size, they must be kept in
proper alignment. As you use the turnout
templates, tape them in place to prevent the
track from becoming misaligned.
templates in 2" intervals from 18" to 44",
and as the photo shows, there is different radius on each side of the template.
Planning turnouts
Fig. 3 CURVE TEMPLATES. These templates
are especially handy for drawing broad
curves. They can be made from styrene,
hardboard, or thin plywood.
the center point to the layout table, then
use a compass to transfer the curve to
the table.
You can make a large compass by
using an old wood yardstick. Holes in
the yardstick at 1" intervals make handy
guides for a pencil.
However, some curves are too broad
to easily use a yardstick, or the center of
the curve may be well off the layout
table. In this case curve templates work
well (see fig. 3).
My curve templates are about 40"
long and made from large pieces of
.060" styrene that I had on hand. You
can also make them from hardboard
(such as Masonite) or thin plywood.
Cardboard will work, but it is not as
durable as hardboard. I made my
Probably the most difficult part of
track planning is leaving enough room
for turnouts. They always seem to take
up more space than originally figured,
and every manufacturer’s turnouts vary
slightly in size and shape. Because of
this, complex trackwork in published
plans often doesn’t fit the same way on
a layout.
To remove the guesswork, make several paper turnout templates by placing
turnouts on a photocopier, then running off as many copies as you need. Be
sure to label them with the brand name
and size.
As you use templates, tape them in
place, as shown in fig. 4. Alignment is
the important thing – remember that
you can trim turnouts to fit tighter
areas as long as you maintain proper
alignment and track center spacing.
From paper to benchwork
Large rolls of newsprint or brown
craft (or wrapping) paper work well for
laying out full-size plans. You can do
this even before starting benchwork by
laying the paper on the floor where the
layout will go.
Getting your track plan to the benchwork is a fun step in visualizing what
your finished layout will look like. Work
carefully and take your time, as the
process is vital in getting track to fit
properly, which will enhance operations
and enjoyment. 1
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
Manual switch controls
T
rack switches – usually called “turnouts” in the modeling world – are
the key trackwork component that
make running our trains interesting.
Part of reliable operation is to make sure
that the points, the moveable part of a
turnout, always stay put in the direction
they’re set. Otherwise a train can end up
on the wrong track, or worse yet, derail.
There are many different ways to
operate the points. Electric switch
motors are popular and work well; however, many modelers use manual controls as they are reliable, inexpensive,
and easy to install.
The prototype and the model
Let’s start with a look at a prototype
(real) switch. The points are secured at
one end to the switch rod. The switch
rod extends under one stock rail to
the switch stand as shown in fig. 1. The
mechanism holds the points securely
against one stock rail or the other,
depending on how it’s set.
Model switch points operate in similar fashion. Having a manual switch
stand or ground throw might not seem
necessary at first, but you’ll eventually
find it important to have some type of
mechanism to hold the points in place.
N scale turnout
Switch rod
Manual ground throw
Switch points
HO scale turnout
Stock rails
Fig. 1 PROTOTYPE SWITCH STAND. On the
real thing, the switch rod connects the
points to the switch stand, which is
operated by hand.
Without positive locking, the points can
creep away from the stock rails and
cause a derailment.
Ground throws
Some model turnouts, like the Atlas
HO and N scale turnouts in fig. 2, come
with a manual switch controller
already attached. These often look the
same as above-table electric switch
motors but without the wires. Although
this type of mechanism works, it’s
unsightly and bears little or no resemblance to anything found alongside a
real switch. As you gain experience in
the hobby you’ll find that for esthetic
reasons, it’s best to discard this type of
controller and change to a less conspicuous ground throw.
Operating ground throws are made
by Caboose Industries, NJ International, Rix, and others. You’ll find them
in functional sizes from N through O
scales. Although many tend to be a bit
oversize compared to a real switch
stand, these ground throws look much
better than the manual controls in
fig. 2, and they operate very well.
Fig. 2 BASIC CONTROLLERS. These Atlas
N and HO turnouts come with manual switch
machines. Though they work well, the large
mechanisms don’t look very prototypical.
Installing a ground throw
The procedure for installing a
ground throw is simple. Start by determining which side of the turnout you
want to position the ground throw.
Next, check the unit’s mounting pin as
styles vary among manufacturers.
Caboose Industries’ throws, such as the
no. 202 ground throw (shown in fig. 3
with an Atlas HO turnout), have a pin
on the bottom of the operating rod,
designed to fit in a hole on the turnout’s
switch rod. If the switch rod doesn’t
already have a matching hole, it’s easy
to drill one to fit the pin.
For good operation, the ground
throw must sit at the proper height to
match the level of the switch rod. As
seen in the prototype photo, real switch
stands rest on the turnout head blocks
– long ties on either side of the switch
rod. You can make extensions for
model turnouts out of stripwood or
styrene if you like, but in this case I
simply added a thin piece of wood to
shim the ground throw to the proper
height. The shim can be glued in place
and hidden when you ballast the track.
To install the ground throw, set the
lever of the ground throw so it’s at
the halfway point and the switch rod is
at its midpoint as well, as seen in fig. 4.
Next, fasten the ground throw in place
with small track nails or spikes. When
secure, move the mechanism each way
to make sure the points are held tightly
in each position.
The toggle spring method
You can also make a latching device
for your turnouts from wire. It’s
another inexpensive project that’s easy
to make and quick to install.
Straighten out a small paper clip,
then bend a portion of it into a Vshaped spring as fig. 5 shows. To install
the spring, insert its long leg into a hole
drilled through a tie near the throw bar.
The short leg should then be set into a
hole in the center of the throw bar.
For the proper tension, the space at
the open end of the V should be slightly
longer than the distance between
the holes in the throw bar and tie. The
paper clip spring provides a toggle
action that snaps the points into place
when pushed by hand. Once you’ve
installed and tested the spring, paint it
black or dark brown so it blends in
with the ties and ballast.
With a little effort, you can quickly
have smooth-working turnout controls,
which will go a long way toward
improving your layout’s operation. 1
Fig. 3 MOUNTING. Caboose ground throws
have a pin that mounts in a hole on the
turnout’s switch rod. If a matching hole is
needed, it’s an easy task to drill one.
Fig. 4 ALIGNMENT. Set the ground throw in
place with the turnout switch rod and ground
throw lever at their halfway points. Secure
the ground throw in place with track nails or
small screws.
Fig. 5 TOGGLE SPRING. A simple spring
made from a paper clip works well for controlling turnouts. After installing and testing
the spring, paint it black or dark brown to
blend in with the track ties.
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
Grade crossings
W
e’re all familiar with the sight of
flashing lights and descending
gates as we approach the railroad
tracks. These intersections, where railroads and roads cross each other, are
known as grade crossings. They are an
interesting feature of railroads that can
be a focal point on our model railroads.
The most common types of grade
crossings on real railroads today (used
on most new installations since the late
1960s) are prefabricated rubber-andconcrete crossings made up of panels
that are secured to the ties. See fig. 1.
Prior to prefabricated designs, the
most commonly used material for
crossings was hardwood with planks
bolted in place over the ties. These can
be found on all types of roads, from
concrete and asphalt highways to gravel
country lanes. Although wood crossings
are being phased out, you can still find
them in service in many locations.
Paved grade crossings are also in
common use, with asphalt laid up to
and between the rails.
Fig. 1 PROTOTYPE CROSSING. Prefabricated
crossings, like this rubber one, are the most
common type in use today.
Fig. 2 KITS. Two HO models available are the
Walthers plastic kit for a rubber crossing
and the Blair Line timber crossing.
Modeling grade crossings
You can either model your own
grade crossings or use commercial kits.
Modelers in HO can choose from rubber
crossings from Accurail (no. 117) or
Walthers (no. 933-3137) as well as a
wood crossing from Blair Line (no. 165);
Fig. 3 CROSS-SECTION
Crossing material between
rails should be below railheads
Carve material to
clear spike heads
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON
Fig. 8 ROAD. Add the road material so that
it is flush with, but not higher than, the top
Fig. 4 PAINTING. Paint the ties and insides of
the rails the color of the crossing material to
Fig. 5 CUTTING. The Walthers grade crossing
can be cut to almost any length needed, so
even wide highways aren’t a problem.
Fig. 9 ASPHALT CROSSING. You can make an
asphalt crossing by simply continuing the
road material across the rails.
Fig. 6 CARVING. Carve away any material
that interferes with the crossing fitting next
to the rail.
Fig. 7 PLACING. After test-fitting the parts,
place drops of CA on the ties and set the
crossing in place.
N scale modelers don’t yet have prefab
rubber crossings, but timber models are
available from Blair Line (no. 65) and
Cal Freight (no. 1185).
Figure 2 shows two HO crossings:
the Walthers rubber crossing, made of
unpainted injection-molded styrene,
and the Blair Line timber crossing,
made from stained wood.
Whether using a kit or making a
crossing on your own, it’s important
that the crossing materials not interfere with operation. See fig. 3. The
material on the outside of the rails
should butt firmly against the rails but
shouldn’t be any taller than the railheads. Keep the material between the
rails below railhead level to avoid snagging uncoupling pins or otherwise
interfering with operations.
It’s easiest to add grade crossings
before you have ballasted the track, but
you can add crossings over ballasted
track as well – just make sure no stray
pieces of ballast interfere with the
crossing materials.
Paint the ties and insides of the rails
to match the crossing materials. See fig.
4. This helps disguise the fact that modeled flangeways must be noticeably
wider than those on real crossings.
The Walthers crossing is made for a
very wide street, but the pieces can be
cut to any length to match the width of
the road material. See fig. 5. I cut mine
to 23 feet to match my styrene highway,
then painted it black.
The wood crossing requires some
prep work as well. Carve away enough
wood from the bottoms of the outside
pieces (entire length) on the side where
the timbers meet the rail. See fig. 6. If
you don’t do this, the track spikes will
keep the pieces from butting firmly
against the rails. The Walthers crossing
is molded to fit over the ties.
Test-fit each piece to make sure it fits
properly. Add drops of medium or thick
cyanoacrylate adhesive to the ties, then
press the pieces in place as in fig. 7.
Once the crossing is in place, test it
by running a locomotive and car
through it to make sure that nothing
catches. A National Model Railroad
Association standards gauge is handy
for checking the flangeway widths to
make sure they are correct.
Now you can add the road material.
I cut my roads from pieces of .060"
sheet styrene, painted them gray, and
weathered them with black chalks, as
shown in fig. 8.
You can also make your own asphalt
crossing. To do this, run the road material (styrene in fig. 9) up to the outside
of the rails, then cut a thin piece to fit
between the spikes and the rails. This
is also the easiest method to use for
curved grade crossings, as the road
material can be cut to match the curve
of the track.
You can also make wood crossings
using scale stripwood. Curved crossings
are made by cutting the stripwood in
six- or eight-foot lengths and placing
them end-to-end at a slight angle.
Finish the scene by adding ballast
and scenery materials. You’ll appreciate the added realism that these grade
crossings bring to a layout. 1
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
Cleaning track
W
hen it comes to nuisances that
interfere with running trains,
dirty track is probably the number one offender. Running trains is the
goal – not nudging stalled engines. By
cleaning track regularly, you can keep
your trains running smoothly.
Dirty track is caused by a combination of dirt and dust that accumulates
on railheads. In addition, an oxide
forms on both brass and nickel-silver
rail over time. The oxide on brass rail
inhibits electrical contact, but the oxide
on nickel-silver rail is conductive. For
this reason I recommend using nickelsilver rail.
An important factor in keeping track
clean is eliminating sources of dust
and dirt. Among the best ways to do
this is to put your layout in a finished
room. If you have a layout in a basement or attic, install a ceiling (solid or
suspended) in the entire room or just
over the layout to minimize the amount
of dust and dirt that gets on the rails
and scenery.
You’ll also want to isolate the layout
from sources of dust, such as workshops. Keeping windows closed also
helps, as open windows let in a great
deal of dust. Smoking also results in
grime on the track, so if you must
smoke, do it away from your layout.
Fig. 1 TRACK CLEANING TOOLS. Many products are made for cleaning track, including
(clockwise from lower right) the Roco no.
10002 cleaning block, Walthers Bright Boy
(no. 949-521), Centerline track cleaning car,
Life-Like no. 1415 track cleaning fluid, and
Aztec track cleaning car.
Methods of cleaning track
Cleaners fall into two broad categories: track cleaning cars, which are
designed to do the work for you; and
products that require you to do the
cleaning work.
In general, I’ve found that when
starting with extremely dirty track –
such as newly laid or painted track, or a
layout that hasn’t been run in several
months – the only way to get track truly
clean is with elbow grease and an abrasive cleaning block such as the Walthers
Bright Boy or Roco cleaning block seen
in fig. 1.
Rub the block along the rails, as
shown in fig. 2, being careful not to
bump into nearby details. Also use care
around turnouts and other complex
track areas, but make sure the points,
frog, and other rails in these areas are
thoroughly clean.
Follow this with a cloth, wiping the
rails to remove any residue left behind
from the cleaning block. Going over the
Fig. 2 ABRASIVE CLEANERS. Abrasive cleaners, such as the Roco cleaning block, are
effective for extremely dirty track.
track with a vacuum to suck up stray
dust, dirt, and ballast is also helpful.
Don’t use sandpaper or emery paper
to clean track. The abrasives in these
are harsher and leave small grooves in
the railheads, which accumulate dirt,
dust, and oxidation. The net result is
impaired electrical contact.
Liquid track cleaners are another
option. With these, you brush the
cleaner on, then wipe the rails with a
cloth. Some products are made specifically for cleaning track, such as the
Life-Like track cleaner in fig. 1. Other
fluids that work well are Goo Gone and
TV tuner cleaner.
Keeping it clean
Once you have the track clean, the
best way to keep it clean is to run trains
frequently. Although I have no scientific
proof, I’ve found – and I’ve talked to
other modelers who agree – that metal
wheelsets and track tend to polish each
other, much in the way that well-used
wheels and rail stay shiny in real life.
Track cleaning cars also keep track
clean. There are two main types: those
that use a wet pad and those that use a
dry abrasive wheel (some use both).
The Centerline car in fig. 1 uses a
cloth wrapped around a heavy brass
roller. The cloth is moistened with track
cleaning fluid and the car pushed or
pulled around the layout. Some modelers use these in pairs, with the lead one
wet and the trailing one dry. They are
available in scales from N to G.
The Aztec car in fig. 1 uses a pair of
abrasive wheels to clear grime off the
tracks. The wheels are set at a slight
angle to the rails to increase the drag.
Versions of these cars are available in
both HO and N scales.
You can make your own inexpensive
track cleaning car using a small piece of
Masonite hardboard, as fig. 3 shows. A
pair of galvanized roofing nails glued
with epoxy to the Masonite fit through
holes drilled in the floor of a boxcar.
The weight of the pad is enough to hold
it to the rails, so it polishes the rails as
the car moves along.
Because the pads aren’t permanently
attached to the car, you can remove
them at any time. These pads won’t
clean the track if it’s especially dirty,
but they help maintain track already
cleaned. The pads have to be sanded
clean before each cleaning (or operating) session, otherwise they end up just
spreading dirt.
Model railroading is the most fun
when you don’t have to worry about
operational problems, and keeping your
track clean will make that possible. 1
TWO PHOTOS BY JIM FORBES
Fig. 3 MASONITE CARS. Simple – and effective – cleaning cars can be made by gluing a pad
of Masonite hardboard to a couple of nails. Drill holes in the floor of the car to clear the nails.
The pads can be sanded clean when they become dirty.
AFV/13 Nov/Dec 03
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Page 14
Train Spotting
Introduction
from central Russia in late spring and early
506. during March 1944. At this moment,
The Schwere Panzerabteilung 506 was
summer 1944, eventually being sent to
the Tiger Is belonging to the unit still were
created in August 1943 and was the first of
Germany for refitting in August. The 506.
of the ‘mid’ type, with rubber tyred wheels.
these units to be equipped only with Tiger I
was issued a full complement of 45 Tiger II
The crews have received orders to
tanks from its creation. The 506. was sent
that were used against the Western allies
assemble the vehicles in Mankowzy, and
to the Eastern front were it fought in the
until the dissolution of the battalion in April
prepare the tanks for railway
Tscherkassy region until it lost all of its
1945.
transportation. The 506. handed its 7
remaining Tigers over to the s.Pz.Abt. 503
tanks. The unit was rebuilt with a new
14
allocation of 45 Tiger I in March and April
The diorama represents one of the rare
and travelled to Lemberg to receive their
1944 and fought during the withdrawal
quiet periods for a Tiger I of the s.Pz.Abt.
45 brand new Tiger I. For these veterans, it
AFV/13 Nov/Dec 03
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4:26 pm
Page 15
by Antonio Martín Tello
was time to say farewell to their old Tiger
plenty of room for the addition of details
that had kept them alive during the last
and improvements. The limit is just set by
hard winter.
the builder and his/her sanity. Also, for the
painting aspect, all the techniques used for
Building the little Tiger
bigger models can be applied to these
little gems.
Like many of us, I started in AFV modelling
by building and painting 1/72 kits. Soon, I
Probably, the current leader in 1/72
moved to 1/35 because these “big” tanks
injected plastic kits is Revell. The quality of
were more impressive, better detailed and
their most recent releases is astounding
I thought that they allowed my modelling
and small-scale modellers await each new
skills more scope to develop. Thus, I
one with great expectation. Anyway, one
relegated the 1/72 scale and saw it as a
has to be cautious, since among these
“starting point” and the models in this
“state of the art” kits are re-editions of
scale as toy like. Recently I discovered
older Esci or Hasegawa moulds which are
some of the newer 1/72 kits and was
not up to the same standards.
astonished. All the finesse and quality of
the best 1/35 kits is there, but in a tiny size
The Tiger I depicted in this article
and they are fun and quick to build. Out of
(reference 03516) is an example of one of
the box they give excellent representations
these new generation Revell kits. This
of the “real thing” but they also leave
brand has in it’s 1/72 catalogue two Tiger I
15
AFV/13 Nov/Dec 03
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Page 16
1
kits. This one represents a mid/late vehicle while the other
(ref. 03508) allows you to build an “African” early Tiger I.
Both kits share most of their parts, with one sprue specific
for each type of tank, and their overall quality is excellent.
I decided to build my model as a mid Tiger I with rubber
tyred wheels. This type is provided in the box (they are
common to the “African” version) along with the all steel
type, but curiously enough, they are marked as “not for
use” in the instruction sheet and thus no advice for their
placement is given. Photographs and literature have to be
checked for their correct installation, a minor task. A
shortcut taken by Revell in this area is that the double
wheels are represented by a single, thicker one, much in
2
the same way as Tamiya did with its seventies 1/35 Tiger I.
This apparent shortcoming is barely noticeable when all
the running gear and tracks are installed.
As I have already mentioned, I decided to finish my Tiger
as one belonging to the s.Pz.Abt. 506. in Russia during
spring 1944. The most remarkable feature of this unit’s
markings at this period was the large unit symbol on the
rear of the turret bin, consisting of a “W” (after its former
commander, Major Willing) with the shield and the tiger.
The colour of the “W” and the turret numbers denoted the
company (Stabs-green, 1. Kp.- white, 2. Kp.-red and 3.
Kp.-yellow). I chose this unit because the 506. crest is
included on the decal sheet.The construction work
progressed with no problems. There are plenty of
aftermarket products available for 1/72 models including
the Tiger I, but I decided to follow the “homemade way”.
3
Photos 1 to 4
First of all, the version I chose for my Tiger required a
zimmerit coating. I did this by engraving with a small
screwdriver the surfaces that had been previously
softened with liquid cement. Two or three applications of
glue were given in a relatively small area and after a few
seconds, the pattern was engraved with the screwdriver. It
may be necessary to check the degree of softening of the
plastic and to apply more liquid cement before starting the
engraving work. It probably would be advisable to practice
a little bit first on non-visible surfaces, such as the interior
or the underside of the hull. When the softened area is
done, the process is repeated on the next area until the
entire surface is completed. When the glue is completely
dry and the plastic has hardened again, it may be
necessary to sand the zimmerited surface in order to
eliminate some hairs caused by the molten plastic.
Photos 5 to 10
Some other details added included new metallic towing
wires, cleaning rods and their brackets, new track
changing wire and its brackets, new exhaust protectors
made with aluminium sheet, brackets for the missing fire
extinguisher, electric wire for the headlight, periscope
protectors from aluminium sheet for the driver and co-
16
4
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Page 17
5
6
7
8
9
10
driver hatch and turret roof, handles from
had to sand this to make it thinner at the
model, in order to have a better access to
wire on the commander and loader
end where the muzzle brake fits. The
paint and weather the upper portion of the
hatches and engine deck, holders for the
engine deck grilles were cut from nylon
tracks.
spare tracks, brackets for the jack and
mesh from a DML Panzer IV L70(A) kit and
details on the front mudguards and the
the frames made with aluminium strip.
Painting
The base colour was Tamiya matt earth
turret bin. Just few words for two additions,
the gun barrel and the engine deck grilles.
I reworked the side fenders, sanding them
(XF-52). Onto this, I airbrushed Tamiya dark
The kit gun barrel looked too thick to my
down until they were more of a scale
yellow (XF-60) but allowed the base colour
eye so I decided to replace it. The only
thickness. Also, I cut them into sections as
to show at the edges of panels. Next coat
material I had available at the time and
on the real tank. These fenders were the
was a mixture of dark yellow (70%) and
was suitable was a nice pink lollipop stick. I
only parts I did not permanently glue to the
matt yellow (XF-3) (30%), both from Tamiya,
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11
again without covering the previous colours, and finally,
some details and the centre of some panels were
highlighted with this mixture lightened up with Tamiya buff
(XF-57). On this base, I airbrushed the brown camo colour.
In order to obtain a colour that would blend better with the
base, I made a mixture with Tamiya red brown (XF-64)
(70%) and the mix of dark yellow and matt yellow
previously mentioned (30%) (Photo 11).
Photos 12 to 15
At this stage I added the decals. The unit symbol at the
rear of the turret bin came from the kit decal sheet.
However from the wartime photographs I consulted it
seemed too small, and the W is hollow, so I had to paint
12
its interior in white, matching with the colour of the tactical
numbers on the turret sides. These are spare decals
which I had and were applied using Microset and Microsol
to conform to the Zimmerit. I applied a couple of filters of
each of the following colours, all from the Humbrol enamel
range: matt pale yellow (81), cream (103) and reddish
brown (62). In all cases the paint was diluted with Humbrol
thinner, which does not attack the previous acrylic paint.
After this step, the model gained in chromatic variations.
(slides T17-T21).
Photos 16 to 17
Some chipping and scratching was made with the base
colour lightened with buff (Vallejo). Also, I made some
"deeper" chips with a mixture of Vallejo chocolate brown
872 and black , concentrating especially on the edges and
13
areas where a more intense wearing of the paint appears.
The following step was the oil washes. As can be
observed in the photographs, this technique allows
obtaining a degraded and faded look on the paint at the
same time the model gains once more in chromatic
diversity. My method of application of the oil washes will
be described with some detail and the support of step-bystep photographs in the SdKfz 251 painting chapter. Also,
at this moment I painted the tracks and the tyres in black.
The degraded and worn out look was then accentuated by
an acrylic mapping. This technique consists of the use of
very diluted paint (Vallejo acrylic) to draw small spots of
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irregular shape. Since the paint is so
diluted matt black enamel on the non-
chocolate brown, flat earth and hull red.
diluted, when dry, the effect is almost
zimmerited surfaces. I let the pigment
Next, I painted the gun cleaning rods with
imperceptible, but it is there, and can be
accumulate in recesses and around the
gold brown.
enhanced by repetition. I chose for this
details. When dry I drybrushed with dark
task brownish colours such as chocolate
yellow (Humbrol enamel) very slightly some
Photos 19 to 21
brown, flat earth, hull red, burnt umber,
details in order to bring them out.
So far I had worked to achieve a degraded
and worn out look, but the tank was clean,
dark yellow, gold brown, medium flesh and
orange brown.
Now, I applied a controlled wash of very
Photo 18
so my next job would be to make it dirty. I
I painted the towing cables and tools in
did not want to ruin the previous work so I
black, following by some light washes of
decided to concentrate mainly on the
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17
18
19
20
21
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23
24
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lower areas. I tried to replicate the effect of dried mud in
the recesses of the tracks and, more sparingly, on the
wheels and lower hull. To make this mud, I mixed some
pastel powder until I got a colour that I think was good for
this purpose. Then I added to the powder a mixture of
water and white glue until I obtained a paste with the
desired consistency. Then, with a small brush I applied the
paste to the track recesses. With a cotton bud I removed
the excess paste, mainly on the outer surface of the track
links. Also, I applied some patches of the paste on the
wheels and lower areas and textured them with the brush.
When dry I worked all the tracks and wheels with the
pastel powder in order to integrate the mud. I also used
some lighter shades of pastels to get some colour
variations and a dried mud look. Next, I dry brushed very
27
slightly with black enamel on the outer side of the track
links to “clean” the surface where the mud should have
gone.
At this stage I glued the side skirts and applied some
pastels on them, as well as in the tools and towing cables.
I painted the periscope glass with very dark green artist’s
oil. I added the periscopes in the commander’s cupola
made with plastic strips painted in dark green.
The final touch was to apply graphite powder on the tools,
towing cables, bow machine gun, anti aircraft MG rail and
some handles to give them a more metallic look. Also, I
painted directly on the track details and horns, and drive
sprocket teeth with a soft lead pencil to achieve this
metallic look.
28
The SdKfz 251
Hasegawa also has in their catalogue an extensive range
of AFV’s in 1/72 scale. Some of them are older kits that
date back to the 80’s or even the 70’s and are not at the
same level of more recent releases. Nevertheless, some
of their later kits are very close or at the same level as
Revell’s best. Some of the finest Hasegawa kits are the
three versions of the SdKfz 251 German half track.
Hasegawa produces the “normal” personal carrier SdKfz
251/1 (ref. 31144), the SdKfz 251/22 “PakWagen” (ref.
31145), armed with a 75 mm PaK 40 gun, and the SdKfz
251/9 “Stummel” (ref. 31146), armed with a short 75 mm
support gun. These last two versions are in fact the same
kit as the 251/1 with the addition of a new sprue
containing the gun and the corresponding attachments
and a new decal sheet. The version of the famous German
28
half-track depicted in these models is the final Ausf. D,
designed in order to save materials and simplify
production in the second half of WWII.
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29
30
31
32
33
34
35
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Photos 26 to 29
Fortunately, this area was barely visible
wide lines, “spider legs” and so on, so I
The construction of the model progressed
when the model was completed.
had to retouch with dark yellow to finally
get an acceptable result. At this stage I
with no special difficulties. I did not want to
super detail this model and only made
Painting the tiny 251
added the decals, the tactical numbers
and German crosses are spares from
some small improvements. Thus, in the
interior I added some levers by the driver’s
Photo 31
Revell and the license plates are the ones
seat made with stretched sprue. Outside I
The overall procedure was very similar to
provided by Hasegawa in the kit. To finish
replaced the MG shield and the rear
the one described above for the Tiger, so
the airbrush job, I used a very dilute (95%)
mudguards with aluminium sheet, since
only the main differences will be stressed.
mixture of brown and black to outline the
these parts were too thick in the kit. The
Again, the base colour was Tamiya matt
edges, separation lines and recesses.
MG itself was replaced by an MG34 with
earth (XF-52) on which I airbrushed Tamiya
armoured sleeve (used in tanks), a spare
dark yellow (XF-60) allowing the previous
Photo 35
from Revell. Also, I rebuilt the tubular
colour to arise on the edges and panel
Next, I applied a couple filters of cream
support for the rear MG with stretched
separations.
(103) and reddish brown (62), both
Humbrol enamels.
sprue. Finally I replaced the two width
indicators with stretched sprue and a drop
Photos 32 to 36
of superglue to simulate the ball.
On this base, I airbrushed thin stripes of
Photo 36
red brown (XF-64) as the first camouflage
The chipped paint effect was done next.
It was necessary to paint the interior
colour. To obtain better results I put the
Some chipping and scratching was made
before the two main parts of the hull were
nozzle of the airbrush very close to the
with the base colour lighten with buff
glued together. The painting process here
model (about 5 mm) and set my
(Vallejo) and with a mixture of chocolate
was similar to that used in the exterior and
compressor to low pressure (around 0.5
brown 872 and black. A thin, very sharp
will be described later. This was also the
psi). Also, I diluted the paint more than
brush has to be used and the chipping
moment to put the driver’s figure in his
usual with isopropyl alcohol, at about 75%
should be kept small and done moderately
place. This figure came from a Preiser set,
(slide S8). The olive green (XF-58) colour
in sensible areas. Also, on the sides I
and it’s fit in the tight driving station
was airbrushed next in a similar way. My
painted some longer scratches, since
needed some major surgery in the seat.
first attempts were not successful as I got
these parts would be more prone to this
37
38
39
40
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type of damage due to rubbing with
the pigment, but improves the final
parts of the same zone.
branches, other vehicles or obstacles.
appearance. I wet a zone of the model
Photos 41 to 42
Photos 37 to 40
with clean Humbrol thinner and then, I
As in the Tiger, the worn out look was
The following step was the oil washes . As
apply a very small quantity of oil directly on
accentuated by an acrylic mapping (slides
a general rule, I deposit a small fraction of
the model, blending it quickly . I never use
S19 and S20) of chocolate brown and
the oils (several shades of brown, ochre,
a general wash, but small washes of
orange brown.
green, white and blue) on a tissue paper
several shades in small zones. In my
and wait for 15-30 minutes . Some of the
opinion, the trick is that the oil has to be
Photos 43 to 44
greasy components of the oils are
blended with the surroundings in order to
It was now time to apply dirt to the model.
absorbed by the paper-this does not affect
achieve subtle tonal variations in different
To do that, I applied controlled washes of
41
42
43
44
45
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very dilute buff enamel colour (Humbrol). I
powder to the metallic parts. Now, I
integration of all the elements (vehicles,
avoided a general wash, but tried to draw
attached the tracks to the running gear
figures, vegetation…) in scenes that are
vertical lines on the sides and other vertical
with superglue, and glued both sets of
often full of life and dynamism. Bearing this
surfaces simulating rain streaks, and
wheels and tracks to the main body. The
in mind, I tried to build a diorama “à la
irregular shaped spots on the horizontal
machine guns were painted in matt black
Japonais”.
surfaces letting the pigment accumulate
and then rubbed with graphite powder.
I wanted to put both vehicles on different
slightly where the dust would be more
To finish the painting process of the tiny
levels, with the SdKfz 251 climbing uphill
251, some touches were given with pastel
towards the level where the Tiger I is, and
Photo 45
powder of several shades of earth colours,
with the tall tree emphasizing the vertical
To enhance the details and the volume I
mainly in the lower areas, but very
perspective. Two secondary elements such
applied a controlled wash of very dilute
sparingly in order not to hide all the
as the railway and the stone wall, would
matt black enamel followed (when dry) by
previous painting work
create some variety.
The diorama
Photos 49 to 53
apparent.
drybrushing with dark yellow (Humbrol
enamel) very lightly in the same way as for
The main body of the background was
the Tiger. I painted the tools in black,
followed by some light washes of
One of the advantages of 1/72 scale is that
done with insulating foam, a versatile and
chocolate brown, flat earth and hull red,
you can build dioramas combining several
light material that can be easily cut with a
and graphite powder. Next, I painted the
vehicles and still keep the size reasonably
hobby knife and sanded. The basic shape
wooden handles with gold brown.
small. In this case, my idea was to try a
was cut with the knife (Slide D1) and then
somewhat different composition, with
a thin layer of modelling clay was used to
Photo 46
several levels and elements in a relatively
model the ground and to create some
The tyres and the tracks were painted in
crowded space, which was dictated by the
texture. The ballast and the rail track are
matt black, then I applied some washes of
circular wooden base. I have always
items from railway modelling, cheap and
brown and cream enamel colours. On the
admired the dioramas built by Japanese
easily available in specialised shops.
tracks I drybrushed the rubber pads with
and other Asian modellers because I think
Another advantage of 1/72 is that many
matt black and finally I applied graphite
they master the art of composition and the
scenic elements conceived for train
47
48
49
50
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51
models can be adapted to our military dioramas. A
generous amount of white glue diluted with water was
used to fix the small stones and the tracks. To further
enhance the texture of the ground, I glued bicarbonate
powder as I thought that its grain size was adequate for
this scale to represent the earth and sand. Also, I glued
some small stones. The stone wall is also a railwaymodelling accessory.
The painting process started with a first coat of Tamiya
acrylic matt earth, followed by an irregular second
overspray of dark yellow and a final one with buff. Then,
the ground was drybrushed with several shades of
Humbrol enamel ochre and tan colours. The ballast was
52
painted with a dilute Vallejo acrylic mix of white and black,
changing the proportions and concentrating more on
some areas than others to avoid monotony. The track
sleepers were painted in a medium brown and washed
with very dilute brown, ochre and grey enamels. The rails
were painted in black and treated with red brown pastel
and graphite powder. The stone wall was painted in grey
and also treated with several washes.
The vegetation comes from different sources-the short
green grass is again from railway modelling. It was glued
to the surface with matt varnish and once it dried, it was
drybrushed with the same ochre colours as the ground to
integrate it better and to eliminate its excessive green hue.
The tall grasses are natural plants and some Woodland
Scenic materials, as did the tree and the purple flower
53
plants. I have found that Woodland Scenic has an
excellent catalogue full of very useful items for 1/72
diorama builders.
The figures are from Preiser. This brand has a very
comprehensive catalogue of figures at different scales,
mostly intended for railway modelling but also some very
interesting military items in 1/72, among them are two sets
of German panzer crews. I can only say that the quality of
these figures is outstanding, with very natural poses and
finely sculpted details. They are moulded in a hard plastic
and most of them are of the “multipose” type, so you can
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combine arms, legs and heads. I painted
the figures mostly with Vallejo acrylics,
using black and German green as the main
colours, and shadowing and highlighting
areas following the “light from above”
method mostly described by the “Spanish
school” of figure painters.
References
- Tigers in Combat I, by Wolfgang
Schneider & Jean Restayn, J. J.
Fedorowicz Publishing. 1994.
- Achtung Panzer No.6:
PanzerKampfWagen Tiger, by M. Bitou. Dai
Nippon Kaiga. 1999.
- Tiger I on the Eastern Front, by Jean
Restayn. Histoire & Collections. 1999.
- The SdKfz 251 Half Track, by Bruce
Culver. Osprey Vanguard no. 32. 1983.
- SdKfz 251 in action, by Charles Kliment.
Squadron Signal Publications no. 21. 1981.
27
PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N
Weathering tips
and techniques
Weathering
PHOTOS BY JIM FORBES
B
ack when I got started in the hobby
I read an article on weathering in
which the author stated that everything should be weathered. My reaction
was like that of most beginners: Why
weather anything? I felt my cars and
locomotives looked quite realistic out of
the box, so how could gunking them up
help? I also worried that I’d ruin a perfectly good model.
Why weather?
“Weathering” is a catchall phrase
used to describe finishing a model to
duplicate the effects of time and use.
Since it doesn’t actually rain, snow, or
beat down with relentless desert sun on
our layouts (at least I hope you don’t
have those problems!) we need to resort
to other materials and techniques to
duplicate the ravages of Mother Nature
in our plastic and plaster worlds.
But don’t fall into the trap of weathering every model to the same degree.
This is as bad for realism as no weathering at all. Instead, weather models to
reflect various ages, maintenance practices, and locales.
For example, older cars should be
weathered more than newly painted
cars or brand-new equipment. Automobiles in daily use may look worn but
they’re rarely rusted through, especially
today’s autos which feature paints
designed to prevent rust and corrosion.
Weathering techniques
I do a lot of weathering with an airbrush but I also use washes and chalk.
A wash of Polly Scale Grimy Black (9 parts
Polly S airbrush thinner to 1 part paint) produces a basic road grime. Cover the entire
model so the paint won’t dry spotty.
Pastel chalks, available from art supply
stores, are great for rust or heavy road dirt.
Apply the chalk with a brush. I add more
than I need, then brush away the excess.
If the car looks too filthy, simply moisten
your thumb and rub it along the side of the
car in a vertical motion. This removes most
of the chalk from the model.
Combining these techniques – a wash of
Grimy Black and Rust paints, followed by
rust-colored chalks – makes a night and day
difference between the roofs of these cars.
Frequently I’ll combine all three (airbrush, wash, and chalk) on one model.
The most basic weathering is eliminating the plastic sheen from models.
This single step does more to increase
realism than anything. Painting all your
trucks and wheels flat Grimy Black also
helps since it eliminates that “floating
on air” look shiny trucks impart.
The difference between an unweathered and weathered model is really startling, as the lead photo shows. The
photos and captions explain how I used
washes and powdered pastel chalks to
age some N scale freight cars. The same
techniques can be applied to buildings,
roads, vehicles, locomotives, and even
figures. Now get dirty. 1
&
freight car weathering
Easy ways to make rolling stock
look more realistic
By John Pryke • Photos by the author
M
any freight car weathering techniques produce a high
degree of realism, but also tend to be time-consuming.
If your layout has a large number of freight cars, you
probably don’t want to spend an entire evening weathering
just one piece of rolling stock. As an alternative, I’ve developed
a quick and dirty weathering method that requires only basic
airbrushing skills and a little knowledge of the prototype.
Color selection
There are many paints on the market made specifically for
weathering. Table 1 lists the water-based acrylic and organicsolvent-based enamel paints I used to duplicate the weathering pattern shown in fig. 1. It also lists the dilution formula
In September 1948, an aging New Haven 2-8-2 hauls a peddler
freight toward its next destination on John Pryke’s HO scale layout.
With a little prototype knowledge and an airbrush, John can apply
weathering in a matter of minutes.
required to spray the paint through a fine airbrush tip without clogging. Weathering color choice is also dictated by a
railroad’s operating region. The color you choose to represent
dirt and dust on a car’s trucks and underbody is based on the
area of the country that you model or on a car’s home road.
Table 2 shows some suggested truck and underbody colors
for cars from different locations in North America.
Quick and dirty weathering
By using an airbrush with a fine tip and readily available
enamel or acrylic model paints, you can weather one car in a
few minutes or a batch of ten cars in less than an hour. It is
important to follow each step in its proper sequence, as some
prototype weathering (faded paint on side panels, soot on
vertical side ribs) takes place over a long period, while other
weathering (ballast dust on the underbody and accumulated
Soot/exhaust: darkest in the
middle, fading to light
along the edges
Light streaks
Dark streaks
Roadbed dirt/dust
Rust
Fig. 1 WEATHERING PATTERNS
Roadbed dirt/dust:
streaks above rail and
on end sills and coupler
soot on the roof) occurs faster and should be applied over it.
I spray one color at a time on all the cars that I’m painting,
then switch to the next color and repeat the process. When
using a fine tip, it’s essential to keep your airbrush as clean as
possible so that it doesn’t clog or spray globs of paint. While
painting, I wear disposable latex gloves (available at any drug
store) to protect my hands.
I start by applying light streaks to the sides of the carbody, as shown in fig. 2, using a quick vertical stroke from
top to bottom with my airbrush. If I am painting a rib-sided
car, I spray only the panels (between the ribs) and keep the
streak parallel to the ribs on either side. See fig. 3. I recommend practicing this technique on an index card or an old
car shell until you are comfortable with it. Next, I paint thin,
dark streaks on the ribs with a very narrow spray, again
moving quickly from top to bottom. Figure 4 shows these
vertical streaks on the Pennsy boxcar on the left.
When the weathering on the carbody is finished, I paint
the underbody and trucks with a color that matches the ballast dust and dirt from the car’s home region as shown in
fig. 5. Using the same color, I also paint streaks halfway up
the car’s ends above each rail. See fig. 6. These are caused by
roadbed dust kicked up by the next car in a train.
Control coat and soot
Fig. 2 SMOOTH SIDES. For smooth-sided cars like this boxcar, John
starts the weathering process by painting light streaks on the sides to
simulate where dirt and grime have washed off of the roof.
Next, I spray a control coat – Grimy Black diluted 50
percent with thinner – over the entire carbody. This makes a
car’s lettering look dull and mutes the weathering, avoiding
stark contrasts in color. The more control coat you apply the
older the car will look.
In fig. 4, I sprayed several passes of control coat on the car
to the left; it looks like it has not seen any new paint in many
years. The car on the right has only one light pass of control
coat and looks like it was painted only a few months ago.
Finally, I spray the roof with a dusting of soot and/or
diesel exhaust, with the heaviest coating along the center line
and lightest along the edges. If you model the steam era,
spray Engine Black to simulate soot – especially if your layout has hills or mountains. The amount of soot on car roofs
will be heavy because steam engines work hard on grades
throwing up lots of cinders.
Diesel exhaust is thinner, and car roofs require only a
dusting of Oily Black.
Optional weathering details
Fig. 3 RIBBED SIDES. When spraying light streaks on rib-sided
cars such as this hopper, John aims the spray between the side
posts. Starting at one end, he uses a quick top-to-bottom motion to
spray each car panel individually.
Once a freight car has been weathered using the quick
and dirty process, you can either put it in service “as is,” or
add some more weathering to make it unique.
• Rust: Stirrup steps, lower ladder rungs, door stops, truck
springs, brake shoes, coupler faces, and end poling pockets
usually display rusty spots. I hand-paint rust on these parts
using a no. 5/0 brush (see fig. 7) as the last step in the weathering process.
• Dust: Cars from dry climates such as the Southwest often
pick up a heavy coating of dust, which settles into every nook
and cranny of the carbody. I spray Floquil Dust on these cars
after the basic weathering is complete, but before spraying
soot on the roof. I hold my airbrush above the roofline and
spray down onto the sides and ends at a narrow angle, producing the dusty car in fig. 8.
• Galvanized roofs: During the transition era many boxcar
roofs displayed patches of galvanized steel showing where
the paint had started to peel away. I add these spots of bare
metal after all of the car’s weathering is complete except for
the roof soot. Using a no. 1 brush and Polly Scale Undercoat
Light Gray, I paint irregularly shaped blotches on the roof
TABLE 1 – Paint colors used
for freight car weathering
Weathering pattern: Light
streaks on side panels
Polly Scale (water-based
acrylic): Erie-Lackawanna
Gray
Floquil (enamel thinned with
organic solvents): Grime
Weathering pattern: Dark
streaks on ribs/rivets
Polly Scale: Grimy Black
Floquil: Grimy Black
Weathering pattern: Trucks
and underbody
Polly Scale: see table 2
Floquil: see table 2
Weathering pattern: End
streaks
Polly Scale: see table 2
Floquil: see table 2
Weathering pattern: Rust
Polly Scale: Rust
Floquil: Rust
Fig. 4 RIBS AND RIVETS. The Pennsylvania boxcar (left) has
light streaks on its panels and dark streaks along its rivet lines.
The Pennsy car also has a liberal coating of control coat (Grimy
Black diluted 50 percent) to make it look older than the Baltimore &
Ohio car (right).
Weathering pattern: Roof
soot (steam era)
Polly Scale: Engine Black
Floquil: Engine Black
Weathering pattern: Roof
soot (diesel era)
Polly Scale: Oily Black
Floquil: No match, use
Oily Black
Weathering pattern: Dilution
(for fine tip airbrush)
Polly Scale: 20-25 percent
distilled water
Floquil: 15-20 percent
Dio-Sol
Weathering pattern: Control
coat
Polly Scale: Grimy Black,
thinned 50 percent with
distilled water
Floquil: Grimy Black,
thinned 50 percent with
Dio-Sol
Fig. 5 ROAD DUST. John sprays Earth on the underframe, trucks,
and lower portion of the bodies of his cars to simulate dust and dirt
kicked up from the roadbed. He changes colors on cars that operate
in different regions of North America as shown in table 2.
Fig. 6 END STREAKS. Earth streaks over each rail on the ends of a
car are caused by dirt sprayed up from the wheels of the next car in
a train. Match the color used on the trucks and underframe.
Fig. 7 RUST. John paints Rust onto any parts of the car that would
receive a lot of wear. He added rust to the steps, ladder rungs,
coupler faces, and truck parts of this boxcar with a 5/0 brush.
Fig. 8 SOUTHWESTERN DUST. To create distinctive weathering on
a car from the Southwest, John sprays Dust down the sides at a
narrow angle from a point above the roof. The paint, like real dust,
settles on all the upper surfaces of the car’s details – ribs, ladders,
even the wood grain – and really makes them stand out.
Fig. 9 GALVANIZED ROOF. Using a no. 1 brush, John painted
patches of Undercoat Light Gray on the roof of this boxcar to simulate
paint peeling off a galvanized steel roof. He then sprays Engine Black
over the roof (shown on the right-hand end of the car) to represent
locomotive soot.
panels. I put larger blotches in the middle and only a few
tiny ones, using the end of the brush’s bristles, on the end
panels as shown in fig. 9.
TABLE 2 – Dirt color mixes
for different regions
Advantages
My quick and dirty weathering process consists of a few
simple steps that allow you to weather freight cars in a minimum amount of time with an airbrush and readily available
paints. Rolling stock weathered using this process will look
great on your pike “as is,” or you can easily add some of the
optional techniques to make individual cars really stand out. 1
John Pryke is a frequent contributor to the pages of MODEL
RAILROADER. “Quick and dirty freight car weathering” is a
follow-up to his article “Realistic weathering for steam locomotives,” featured in the August 2002 issue. John models the
New Haven in HO scale.
More on our Web site
To see a video clip of weathered freight cars in action on John’s HO
scale New Haven layout, go to www.modelrailroader.com.
Region: Northeast
Polly Scale: Earth
Floquil: Earth
Region: Southeast
Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth,
1 part Oxide Red
Floquil: 3 parts Earth,
1 part Boxcar Red
Region: Midwest
Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth,
1 part Mud
Floquil: 3 parts Earth,
1 part Mud
Region: Mountain states
Polly Scale: 3 parts Earth,
2 parts MOW Gray
Floquil: 3 parts Earth,
2 parts Grime
Region: Desert southwest
Polly Scale: Dust
Floquil: Dust
Region: Northwest
Polly Scale: Dirt
Floquil: 3 parts Earth,
1 part Roof Brown
TABLE 3 – Additional weathering for specific cars
Caboose
Detail: Streaks on sides
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
(light coat)
Floquil: Grime (light coat)
Note: Most cabooses display little weathering except for soot on the roof and
dust on the trucks and underframe.
Chemical tank car
Detail: Dome
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
Floquil: Grime
Detail: Streaks on tank
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
Floquil: Grime
Detail: Drip marks under dome
Polly Scale: 3 parts Milwaukee Rd. Gray,
1 part Depot Buff
Floquil: Dust
Note: On chemical tank cars, I spray
Grime on the dome and tank and then
paint drip marks of Dust or very light
gray with a 5/0 brush.
Coal hopper
Detail: Top 1⁄4 of carbody
Polly Scale: Engine Black
Floquil: Engine Black
Detail: Hopper doors
Polly Scale: Engine Black
Floquil: Engine Black
Detail: Panels
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
(light coat)
Floquil: Grime (light coat)
Detail: Side posts
Polly Scale: Grimy Black
Floquil: Grimy Black
Note: I spray Control Coat liberally over
these cars to simulate the coal dust.
Covered cement hopper
Detail: Drips and streaks on car side
(use stencil)
Polly Scale: Concrete
Floquil: Concrete
Detail: Side posts
Polly Scale: Concrete
Floquil: Concrete
Detail: Bottom of hoppers
Polly Scale: Concrete
Floquil: Concrete
Detail: Coating on trucks
Polly Scale: 1 part Concrete, 1 part Earth
Floquil: 1 part Concrete, 1 part Earth
Note: I paint drip marks on the side panels by spraying through a narrow Vshaped stencil, made from an index
card. When the stencil is removed a neat
drip mark remains.
Car Type: Gondola
Detail: Panels
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
Floquil: Grime
Detail: Ribs
Polly Scale: Rust over Grimy Black
Floquil: Rust over Grimy Black
Detail: Interior of car
Polly Scale: Rust
Floquil: Rust
Note: If the car is used for carrying other
materials such as pipe loads, spray the
ribs Grimy Black and only lightly dust
the interior with Rust.
Petroleum tank car
Detail: Dome
Polly Scale: Engine Black
Floquil: Engine Black
Detail: Streaks on tank
Polly Scale: Engine Black
Floquil: Engine Black
Detail: Drip marks under dome
Polly Scale: Oily Black
Floquil: Oily Black
Note: I use a 5/0 brush to add Oily Black
drips around the filler hatch, down the
sides of the dome, and a short way down
the tank.
Refrigerator car
Detail: Streaks on sides
Polly Scale: Erie-Lackawanna Gray
(light coat)
Floquil: Grime (light coat)
Detail: Door hinge pins
Polly Scale: Rust
Floquil: Rust
Detail: Drips under ice hatches
(use stencil)
Polly Scale: Rust (light coat)
Floquil: Rust (light coat)
Note: I paint Rail Brown on the ice hatch
hinges and handles, as well as on the
door hinges. On steel reefers, I spray a
few, very light rust drips through a stencil onto the sides just under the hatches.
SPECIAL SECTION
Weathering
your diesels
Filth? Yes. Rust? Yes. Faded paint? Absolutely.
And those are just the start of the fun.
It’s simple to weather your locomotives so
they look more like prototype diesels, as Terry
did with these F units. Read on as he shows
you why real diesels weather the way they do
and how you can duplicate those effects.
By Terry Thompson
Model photos by Jim Forbes, prototype photos by Carl Swanson
O
kay, let’s have a show of hands.
How many of you weather your
structures, and maybe even some
rolling stock, but leave your diesels as
squeaky clean as the day they left the
factory? I thought so! What are you
waiting for?
I’ll confess that at one time I was
reluctant to weather locomotives.
“What if I want to sell it?” I thought.
Then I decided that while I wasn’t sure
whether I would sell any given locomotive, I was sure that my power would
look better if I weathered it – and that
I’d enjoy it more. Now weathering a
new diesel is one of my favorite parts of
the hobby.
As with all rail equipment, diesels
have a variety of moving parts, static
parts, parts that get hot, parts that get
wet, parts that are subject to the wind,
and parts that are touched – often
roughly. Weathering model diesels,
however, is different from weathering
freight cars or steam locomotives. It’s
no harder, though. Even better, well-
executed weathering can add so much
realism that many viewers will think
you’ve added extra detail to a model
that’s actually out-of-the-box.
In the August 2002 and February
2003 issues of MODEL RAILROADER,
John Pryke showed the simple techniques he uses to weather steam locomotives and freight cars. In this article,
I’ll show how you can use a few of
John’s techniques plus a few that might
be new to you to make your diesels
more realistic. Let’s get started. 1
Sideframes
Wheels can be weathered to different
extents to match the rust, grease, and
oxidation they exhibit on a real locomotive. The wheel on the left is
unpainted, the wheel in the center is
painted to simulate a new wheel, and
the one on the right has been weathered with a rust color.
The brand-new wheels and trucks on
this SD70M shine in the sunlight, but
they’re already collecting rust and
dirt. You can improve even a “new”
locomotive by painting wheels with a
few specks of dirt.
Wheels
Let’s start with the wheels.
Because they are not painted,
they could conceivably be gray
on a brand-new locomotive, but
they rust almost immediately. As
time passes the wheels darken
from additional oxidation and a
combination of dirt, brake dust,
and grease.
First, I clean any oil from the
faces of the wheels using a cotton swab dipped in Windex. Mix
an oxide red (I use one of several
different Polly Scale and Tamiya
colors; which color isn’t terribly
important) and black of the same
brand, then brush that mix onto
the faces of the wheels. Don’t
worry if you get some on the
treads – Windex will take it off if
you don’t let it dry too long. Just
moisten a paper towel, lay it on
some track, and run the locomotive over that.
I also paint couplers with an
oxide red blend, but always with
an airbrush so that I don’t gum
up the moving parts. Spray so
the paint is nearly dry when it
hits the coupler – this gives you a
realistic rough finish.
brush it on the inner areas. Once
I love painting sideframes
you’re satisfied with the results, mix
because I am firmly convinced that
a slightly lighter blend and paint
time spent on them has a greater
the pieces farthest from the rails
payoff than on any other area. The
(and closest to the viewer). This
first step is to remove any flash or
“painting for depth”
parting lines and add
increases the apparent
detail parts. Next,
relief of the part. I use
decide what your
an airbrush for this step
base color will be.
and often spray from
Most railroads use
below with the darker
either black or silver.
color and from above
I don’t recommend
with the lighter color.
using either flat
Once the paints
black or straight silare thoroughly dry,
ver for your base
brush on a wash of
because you want
burnt umber oil paint
to be able to mix
thinned with
accent colors that
Turpenoid. Make
are both lighter and
sure the sideframe
darker than your
is laying flat so that
base color. Give
the wash will settle
yourself some latiinto the low spots.
Sideframe steps (top to bottom): dark The Turpenoid
tude by starting
gray, highlights added, shadows
with a color that’s
won’t remove dried
added, overall grime added.
either slightly
acrylic paint, but it
lighter (if you’re
can soften or even
using black) or darker (for silver)
remove enamels – this is why it’s
than the pure color.
important to use acrylics for your
Apply the base color to start.
base colors. I don’t usually dryThough the particular brand of
brush (see below) sideframes, but
paint isn’t terribly important, I preit’s another option if done judifer an acrylic paint. Next, mix a
ciously. That means don’t use
slightly darker blend and spray or
white, which is just too obvious.
Rust spots and paint chips can really
draw attention to the details of your sideframes. Use colors representative of the
area where your locomotive works.
Note the many distinct colors on the sideframes of this GP9. Carefully airbrushing
dirt and grime or brushing chalk onto your
model will give it this realistic look.
Accenting the sideframes
Some locomotives have grease near
their axle bearings. Most trucks will
have a light-to-heavy coating of
dust and grime from the area where
the locomotive works. Hint: this
color should also be one of the colors you use when painting your
track. I usually airbrush this from
slightly above the truck using a very
thin mix of the color. Chalks work
well also, and they’re especially
good if you want to highlight particular spots.
Add interest to your trucks with
accents. You will sometimes see a
bit of silver on the brake cylinder
piston rod. When brake shoes are
changed, the paint is often chipped
from bolts or other nearby surfaces,
which means small rust spots
appear. I just brush tiny spots of
rust-colored paint onto the places
where I want an accent.
The lower surfaces of a truck
will often develop a layer of crud.
SCALE COLOR
S
ome modelers adjust their paint
colors according to a theory called
“scale color.” Here’s the short version: because air is not totally transparent, objects appear lighter in
color the farther away from them we
are. The smaller the scale of a
model, the “farther away” we are
from it visually. Thus N is farther
away than O or G in scale even at
the same actual distance.
Great theory, but what does it
mean? Simply that it doesn’t hurt to
lighten all your colors a bit, especially in the smaller scales, or if your
layout room is somewhat dark. – T.T.
Bearing plates
Many diesels have shiny bearing plates on the sides of gearboxes (“Accenting the sideframes,”
page 67), which are at the center
of the truck. These plates are distracting if left unpainted.
Degrease them with a swab
dipped in either Windex or a mix
of dish soap and water. I don’t use
lacquer thinner here for two reasons – it will rinse all the oil from
the axle bearings, and it can damage some plastics. Dry the plates,
then brush or spray them (with
an airbrush – a rattle can will get
paint everywhere) flat black.
Notice the dirt specks, rust marks,
and steel details added to the pilots.
The grime-covered m.u. hoses on the
bottom locomotive fit right in!
Pilots
Frames and tanks
Not every locomotive has a visible frame, but on those that do,
weather the frame with the same
colors you used on the truck sideframes. I don’t spend nearly as
much time on this step. All I normally do is airbrush the frame with
the basic frame color then dust it
with the grime color.
The fuel (and water) tank, however, is a very different matter.
Tanks are large and highly visible
canvases for you to weather. Once
again, start with the basic frame
color, then add a bit of lightened
frame color along the upwardfacing surfaces and darkened frame
color on the downward-facing. The
ends of real fuel and water tanks
are literally blasted by grime, however, so make sure to put some vertical streaks of grime there, roughly
in line with the wheels. Fuel will
inevitably get spilled on the tank, so
brush a streak of lighter (on a black
tank) or darker (on a silver tank)
paint under the fuel filler. (Remem-
Note how the fuel tank on this SD40 has
been heavily colored with grime, dust,
and spilled fuel.
Fuel tanks can be weathered and given
extra dimension by carefully adding a
lighter color to the top of the tank and a
darker one to the bottom. Vertical streaks
in line with the wheels will give the ends
of the tank a realistic grime-blasted look.
ber, you’re not seeing the actual
fuel, but rather the dirt that stuck
there while the surface was wet.) If
your locomotive also carries water,
it should be cleaner under that fill
cap. And if the air reservoirs are
visible over or behind the tank,
weather them as you did the tank –
lighter above, darker below.
Ah, the pilot. So little space,
so many opportunities. You’ll see
stone chips, dents, and hoses that
not only add color but also add
their own chips in the paint.
There’s also the dirt that came
from any units that were ahead
of your diesel, and the effects of
rainwater and wind – what a
beautiful thing!
Most pilots start out body
color. Add grime using your airbrush or chalks, and add stone
chips using rust-colored paint. I
will occasionally add the tiniest
bit of silver in a chip, but don’t
overdo it. If your locomotive has
multiple-unit hoses, they should
be a grimy black, with steel or
rust-colored ends. If you’re feeling sporty, put some thick, dirtcolored paint in your airbrush,
crank up the air pressure, and
add some specks. On some airbrushes, notably Iwata and
Tamiya brushes, you can also
create this effect by removing the
cap and nozzle from the brush
before you spray.
I don’t add plows, but you can
accent a plow with some rustcolored paint. Rubbing a little
silver Rub-n-Buff or SNJ metal
powder along the very bottom
can give it a just-used shine (look
at a bulldozer blade to see what I
mean); for a slightly less stark
effect use a cotton swab to rub
some graphite powder on the
lower part of the plow.
Fade the lettering on your locomotives by spraying with a slightly lighter version of the
base color. Vary the fading by how much paint you apply. The Santa Fe F3s have a light
overspray of a heavily thinned dark blue. The Baltimore & Ohio GP30 has a heavier coat
of the same color. The New York Central Geep and B&O Fs have oversprays of black.
The heavier rust spots on the kickplates
and pilot and the more pronounced “bow
wave” give the B&O F unit a more weathered appearance than the Santa Fe unit.
Body sides and ends
subtle. On cab units (streamlined
diesels) in particular, make the
grime heaviest along the bottom
edge of the body.
In HO or larger scales, it’s even
possible to fade individual panels
(or doors) by airbrushing the lighter
color into the center of the panel
and leaving the edges in the original
(darker) color. If you go this far, you
can follow up by drybrushing the
model (with a brush that has had
virtually all of the paint already
rubbed off onto a card) with the
lighter color. Doing this highlights
the raised areas, like the joints
between panels on an F unit, making the shadowed areas more visible. As an alternative, you can fade
the model then highlight panels and
doors by airbrushing a darker color
around the outer edges of the panels
and doors. (If you’re good enough to
do this in N or Z scale, please send a
photo of your work!)
Several factors determine the
weathering of the sides of the locomotive. The same road grime that
clings to the trucks, pilot, and frame
also covers the sides, though less
heavily, and the ends suffer the
occasional rock hit. In addition, the
sun’s ultraviolet radiation causes
paint to fade. So does the rain and
any cleaners the railroad might use
on the unit, and the minute particles
of dirt that pass over the locomotive
will blast the paint off over a long
period of time.
Depending on the locomotive, I
sometimes fade the paint and the
lettering. This sounds a lot harder
than it is, as long as you have an airbrush. Find or mix a paint that’s
slightly lighter (just slightly, though)
than the body color, and make an
airbrush mix that’s thinner than you
would spray if you were painting the
unit, but heavier (more viscous)
than a wash. Spray some of it on a
piece of styrene to make sure you’ll
be able to lay down color without
having droplets of paint visible. I
often add a drop or two of Liquitex
flow enhancer to the mix to make
sure it covers evenly. Once you’re
satisfied, spray a few light coats of
the paint onto the locomotive,
including the lettering. If you have
the right mix, you’ll lighten the body
color and (almost magically!) make
the lettering look faded. Sometimes
it helps to keep a new body nearby
for comparison.
Once you’ve faded the paint to
your satisfaction, add a light layer of
grime with chalks or paint. This is
another point at which to keep the
word “judicious” in mind. I’ve seen
models over the years that were
excessively weathered with Floquil
Grimy Black, Dust, or both, and
that’s what they look like – a model
covered in paint. Remember, be
By cranking up the air pressure in
your airbrush, you can add dirt specks
to the pilot of your diesel. Adding
rust, steel, and dirt to your steps and
walkways is just as easy using an airbrush or brush. Real soil will give
your locomotive a more textured look.
Roof – fading and exhaust
Roof – fans
A locomotive’s roof (page 71)
will fade more severely than its
sides, so make sure to fade the
paint there. Diesel exhaust is a
bluish black, and while it most
often blows opposite to the direction of the locomotive’s travel,
most power will eventually have
a bit of it on nearly every part of
the roof. Simulate it with a flat
black, with a bit of very dark
blue added if you like. On a black
locomotive, it’s doubly important
to fade the paint, because otherwise you won’t be able to see the
exhaust residue!
The fans on a model diesel are
very visible. On some diesels, I’ll
airbrush the tops black and then
drybrush with body color to
bring back the grill detail, and on
others I’ll leave the fans body colored and use a wash to increase
the apparent depth.
Some model railroaders like
to highlight fan blades with silver
or steel so that they’re especially
visible. I can’t get too excited
about that, though, because an
operating locomotive would have
its fans running, making the
blades a blur.
Footboards, steps,
walkways, and doors
These areas attract not only
road grime but also whatever the
crew members might track onto
them. They also get scuffed and
chipped, which means that you’ll
see bare metal and then rust.
Add grime with your airbrush or
chalks, then accent with rust,
steel, and dirt. For a nice textured effect, sprinkle just a bit of
real soil over wet dirt-colored
paint. On steps, the outer and
center parts of the tread are the
most likely areas to have the
paint worn off and the areas
most likely to remain free of rust.
Kick plates and doors get similar
treatment, and handrails will
likewise have chips, wear, and
areas polished smooth.
SOURCES
Tamiya
Paints and airbrushes
www.tamiya.com
Iwata
Airbrushes
www.iwatamedea.com
Rub-n-Buff
Metal paste
available at
craft stores
SNJ
Powdered metal
P.O. Box 292713
Sacramento, CA
95829
Polly Scale
Acrylic paints in
railroad and
military colors
Turpenoid
Paint thinner available at craft stores
This C&NW GP15-1 has an especially weather-beaten appearance because of its use in
drag-freight operations around heavy industries.
Special effects
Senior editor Carl Swanson noted
that how a locomotive weathers is
especially dependent on three factors: geography, service, and age.
For example, the trucks and frames
of locomotives that serve in mountainous territory will often have a
dusty appearance from the sand that
they use to get traction, but their
bodies are often blackened from
being in smoky tunnels (Southern
Pacific fans know what I mean!).
Locomotives that work in iron ore
country (or in steel mills) will often
have a reddish appearance.
Locomotives in heavy service, like
drag freight operation or pusher service, will often have a more weatherbeaten appearance than a
locomotive in passenger or intermodal service. And don’t forget to
consider a locomotive’s age – a GP9
would likely look considerably different by the 1970s than it did in the
’50s. (If you’re really getting specific,
consider whether the period you’re
modeling is toward the beginning or
end of a particular paint scheme’s
time frame.)
I admit that I sometimes get a little carried away with weathering,
but if you look at the prototype (and
you don’t even have to look very
closely), you’ll see that locomotives
are dirty pieces of machinery. There
is a point in weathering beyond
which you can overdo it, but with
practice you’ll develop an eye for
what looks right.
Roof – heat
The roof is also where heat
affects a locomotive’s paint most
severely. The exhaust stack(s) will
have no paint on their sides – paint
them rust, with black at the very top
and a transition to body color at the
bottom. The dynamic brake grids
will often lose their paint in the
same way. A light coating of rust, or
even shades of rust with some heat
discoloration (bluish color) in the
center, will accent them. If your
locomotive has a steam generator,
don’t forget to show the effects of
heat in that area also.
Even if you didn’t overspray your
locomotive with body color to fade
the lettering, a coat of a lightened
version of the body color will help
imitate the fading that comes from
the sun’s rays. On darker locomotives it also allows the exhaust stains
to be visible. On my NYC diesels, I
always lighten the roofs, even if the
locomotive is otherwise quite clean.
If you really want to see the details,
drybrush with an even lighter color.
Notice the different levels of weathering on the roofs of these three locomotives. The B&O
F7 (top) was weathered extensively, with fading, exhaust, and heat damage evident on
both the roof and fans. The B&O GP30 wears a slightly less weather-beaten look, while the
ATSF F3 has black only around the fan and stacks.
TIPS FOR HAPPY AIRBRUSHING
• Never shake paint – always stir. Shaking leaves paint around the top of the
jar, where it dries into clumps. Those
clumps are the best way to clog an
airbrush. Using a screen on your
pickup tube can help, as can straining
your paint before spraying.
• Stir thoroughly. It takes longer than
you would think to remix a bottle of
paint that has settled, especially if a
large percentage of its pigment is clay
(common on tans, grays, and browns).
• If using a single-action brush, close it
(run the needle forward or twist the tip
closed) if it will sit for more than 20
seconds. Thinned paint dries quickly.
• Drain your water trap each time you
spray. It can’t work if it’s full.
• Make sure your thinner is clean. Dirt
or lint (been doing the old tip the can
onto the towel trick?) can clog your
brush, or at least appear in your paint.
• Lubricate your airbrush according to
the instructions, and don’t abuse it by
over-tightening the threads.
• Some parts, including washers, gaskets, needles and tips, will wear out.
Paint is abrasive (due to the pigment
– many contain titanium dioxide), and
solvents are harsh chemicals. Keep
spares so you can keep modeling.
• If you think you bent your airbrush’s
needle, check it by pulling it across a
towel while rotating the needle. Do not
check it by running it back into the
brush – that just ensures that you’ll
ruin the tip or your airbrush as well.
• If you own needle and tip sets in multiple sizes, keep the sets separate.
They all look very similar, but they
don’t all work together.
• If you can afford to, it’s a good idea to
have separate airbrushes for solventbased paints and acrylic paints. The
two paint types don’t mix well, and
sometimes paint left in an airbrush can
form clots when exposed to a solvent.
• When you reassemble a double-action
brush, the action should be crisp. If
the needle sticks in the nozzle or the
action seems mushy, there’s still paint
in the nozzle. Clean it again.
• If you get bubbles in your color cup or
feed jar, you have an air leak, probably where the tip joins the nozzle.
Check your brush’s instructions to see
whether you can repair it.
• Weathering mixes are much thinner
than regular airbrush mixes, so their
pigments settle faster. Remember to
stir every few minutes.
• Flow enhancer can help substantially
when spraying acrylics – a few drops
per jar of weathering mix is plenty.
• Lower your air pressure when spraying
thinned mixes of solvent based paints
to avoid spidering. You can spray from
surprisingly close to a model with low
pressure, well-thinned paint, and an
airbrush with a small aperture (I use
an Iwata brush with an .18mm tip for
really fussy work). Removing the cap
(or installing a crown cap, if available)
can let you get even closer because
the blowback can dissipate more easily, but be careful – once the cap is
off, your needle has no protection.
• Most manufacturers have a recommended airbrush mix, but consider
that a starting point only. Different
colors (even different bottles of paint)
will behave differently. Mix, then test,
then adjust if necessary before you
start painting your model.
• Test your mix on a similar substrate –
if the model is styrene, test on
styrene, and so on. - T.T.
More on our Web site
Before you start your next airbrushing
project, read tips on how to clean single-action, double-action, and hybrid
airbrushes at www.modelrailroader.com
SPECIAL SECTION
Weathering
your structures
Adding that realistic run-down feeling to
structures in any scale
By Steve Harris • Photos by the author
I
t doesn’t take much railfanning to
realize that most prototype structures and rolling stock show the
effects of sun, wind, rain, snow, and
years of use or neglect. In fact, some
lineside buildings and pieces of railroad
equipment have more bare wood or
rusted steel on them than their original
paint and primer. You can easily learn
several tricks that will allow you to
achieve the weathered look of the prototype on your own models.
The key is to develop an eye for
color. Look closely at any piece of landscape art, and you’ll see that the artist
used many different colors to achieve
what at a distance appears to be a solid
color. This same principle holds true in
real life. Almost nothing in the real
world is only one color, but instead a
combination of distinct separate hues
when observed closely. Even shadows
add their own color to the surface.
The blend of color that makes up
what we see in the real world, particularly on structures that have suffered
the effects of nature, can be reproduced
in our modeled world using various
commercially available art and office
supplies and easy-to-make stains. Fol-
Steve Harris built this American Model
Builders’ Baltimore & Ohio depot kit straight
from the box, but aged the model using a
number of weathering techniques. Follow
along as he explains how to make structures
look as though they have withstood the
ravages of time.
lowing are some of the methods I’ve
used to mimic the effects of age and the
elements on my own models. With
some practice and careful observation
of real structures, you should be able
to give your models a greater touch of
realism too. 1
Steve Harris lives with his wife in Valley Center, Calif., a suburb of San Diego.
He models the Rio Grande Southern in
HOn3 and built his layout in an office
trailer. Steve’s modeling work has also
been featured in the Narrow Gauge &
Short Line Gazette.
Powdered pastels
I like to use powdered pastels and
pigments to get a soft-edged color
application that looks to me more
natural than if painted with a brush
or airbrush. To cover a broad area,
simply brush the pastel powder on
the model. For more control in a
small area, or to scrub the powder
into the surface, use a Microbrush
disposable applicator. A little pastel
powder goes a long way, so be sure
to practice before you apply it to
your model. When you have the
color where you want it, fix it in
place by applying a light coat of
Testor’s Dullcote. Because the Dullcote tends to make the coat of
weathering less apparent, you may
need to apply more pastel powder
and Dullcote.
I make my weathering powders
by rubbing colored pastel sticks on
a piece of drywall sanding screen
mounted on two wood blocks as
shown in the photo. I place a sheet
of paper under the mesh to catch
the powder (a fold down the middle
will help you dump it). Sometimes I
grind up several colors and mix
them to get the shade I want. I save
these mixtures in a plastic parts box
for future use.
I also use Bragdon Enterprises
weathering powders (pre-ground)
which seem to affix themselves to
surfaces a little better.
Using alcohol-based stains
Isopropyl alcohol is a good
medium for making your own
stains by adding India ink or shoe
dye for pigments. I use alcohol
instead of water because it penetrates well, dries fast, and is less
likely to warp wood. Isopropyl
alcohol is also inexpensive and
available at any drugstore. Get
the highest percent alcohol you
can find, as it contains less water.
I use leftover film cans to mix
and store my dyes and stains,
labeling the cans to show the formula I used. Start by filling the
film can nearly full with alcohol,
then use an eyedropper to add
ink or shoe dye. As the brew
darkens, test it on a piece of
scrap material and add drops of
ink or dye as necessary. A comparison of shoe dye and ink stain
on scribed wood siding is shown
in the top photo.
Alcohol and India ink stain
applied to wood gives it a weathered gray look as if it had been
out in the sun for many years. I
use it for things like station platforms and loading docks.
Alcohol and shoe dye gives
wood a darker, creosoted appearance. It works well on things like
ties, trestles, and timber cribbing,
as seen in the second photo. Any
shoe dye will work, as long as it
does not produce a shiny finish. I
use a mixture of half brown and
half black dye.
Pastel pencils
Pastel pencils allow you to
quickly and precisely apply color to
areas that are too small for powdered pastels. These are great for
coloring individual boards on
plank, scribed, or clapboard siding
as well as door and window trim.
For a weathered wood-siding
look, I use several different colors,
being careful not to overlap the
edges of the boards. I use two or
three shades of gray, a couple of
browns, and sometimes a little
black. I blend the colors by rubbing
them with a blending stump, which
looks like a crayon made from
rolled up paper, though a piece of
thick cardstock cut to a sharp point
works just as well. To get an evenmore-blended look or to bleed the
colors, rub it with a little alcohol.
On the building at right, I first
stained the individual boards using
the alcohol-and-dye technique, then
weathered the wood with the pastel
pencils. I used a white pencil to add
the remnants of paint in the protected area under the eaves, then
blended the color into the unpainted
area with a blending stump.
I also use pastel pencils on my
wood-sided rolling stock to tone
down the white lettering, as shown
on the boxcar above.
Drybrushing
Artists often lighten the tips of
objects to simulate the reflection
of the sun. I accomplish the
same effect on my models by
using the drybrushing technique.
Drybrushing is just what it
sounds like. For a broad area like
a roof, use a wide, flat brush and
wipe off most of the paint on a
piece of cardstock or paper towel
until the paint is streaky. Then
lightly whisk it over the area you
want to highlight.
For example, on the Rico station roof above, I first stained the
roof with shoe dye and let it dry.
Then, I drybrushed thinned
white paint on the roof to highlight just the tips of the shingles.
Etched corrugated roofing
After many years of exposure to
the elements, corrugated metal siding and roofing begins to rust, leaving jagged, decayed edges. Dipping
model panels in etchant can produce this same look. Because of its
harmful effects, make sure you use
etchant in a well-ventilated area,
according to the manufacturer’s
Scratching back
Use this technique on styrene siding to simulate wood or to make a
painted wall look worn. First spray
the model with two or more coats
of the undercoat paint. Then after
each coat has dried thoroughly,
lightly “scratch back” through the
painted surface with a scratch brush
(a fine wire brush) or fine sandpaper
to expose the undercoat. Be careful,
because it’s easy to scratch too
instructions, and wear proper eye
and skin protection.
First, cut sections of metal corrugated material into the sizes
you’re going to use on your structure. Pour a little etchant into a
plastic container, then drop a panel
into the etchant. After a few seconds, the panel will begun to bubble indicating that the etchant is
starting to work. After a few more
seconds, lift out the panel with a
pair of tweezers, rinse it thoroughly in cold water to stop the
etching process, and lay it out
to dry on a paper towel. The resulting panels are fragile, so handle
them carefully.
In addition to eating away some
of the metal, the etchant also conveniently discolors them with a
blotchy weathered look. If you had
a different color in mind, spray
paint or dust them with pastels.
I used this technique on some of
the panels on my model of the
Ophir tram house. Before assembling the structure, I painted the
panels, including the etched ones,
different shades of Floquil brown. I
then used pastel powders to give
them the final rusty touch.
much and expose the white styrene.
I used the scratch-back technique
on my model of the Ophir depot.
First I sprayed the styrene walls
with a mixture of Floquil Roof
Brown and white and let the first
coat dry completely. Next, I sprayed
the walls with Floquil Depot Buff.
Then, using a folded piece of fine
sandpaper, I lightly scratched the
buff coat back to the first coat to get
the look of worn paint.
TIPS FOR BETTER RESULTS
• Whenever possible, use a photo of
the prototype you are modeling as
your guide. It is much easier to
catch details held in photographs of
the real thing than trying to work
from memory.
• Before using any weathering technique, test it on a piece of scrap
material. This will give you a preview of the final look and help
avoid nasty surprises. Also, with a
little experimentation, you may
even find a better approach.
• Plan ahead and weather your
model as early in the building
stage as possible. Though some
techniques can be applied to the
finished model, many, such as
scratched or peeling paint, must be
done before assembly. It’s also
easier to work on a wall when it’s
flat on your workbench.
• Doors and windows show the
effects of the weather too, so
remember to make your trim pieces
appear as tired as your walls.
• Be prepared to do it again. Mistakes will happen and sometimes
the only way to master a technique
is to be willing to try again. – S. H.
WEATHERING A BALTIMORE & OHIO DEPOT
Exposed roof sections
weathered with alcohol
and ink stain
Correction film paint
I use correction film to simulate
peeling paint. To start, I stain the
siding with the color I want to
show through the peeled paint. I
then place correction film over
the surface and burnish it with a
burnishing tool or ball-point pen
just like when using a dry transfer. The technique transfers some,
but not all, of the white material
to the wall, leaving lots of places
where the “paint” has peeled
away. If you want more of a peeling effect, use a scratch brush to
expose more of the undercoat.
BILL OF MATERIALS
Bragdon Enterprises
FF60 rust and soot weathering powders
Ko-Rec-Type
1ES correction film
Micromark
82466 scratch brush
Pastel pencils
Bruynzeel pastel pencils
http://www.marcopaper.com/bruynze
elpastel.htm
Pastel pencils can be purchased in
sets or as open stock.
Pastel sticks
Alphacolor
www.currys.com/drymedia/prodinfo2.asp?SubcatID=640&catID=3
Soft square pastel sticks come in a
variety of sets including grays and
earth tones.
Radio Shack
276-1535 PCB etchant
Walls treated with alcohol
and ink stain base then
drybrushed with thinned
paint colors
B
Shingles highlighted
with drybrushing
Random individual
boards and trim colored
with pastel pencils
uilding the American Model
Builders’ Baltimore & Ohio depot kit
shown on the cover in its dilapidated
condition presented an enjoyable
weathering challenge. I treated it as if
the depot hadn’t seen any paint or
other maintenance for many years. That
gave me the opportunity to employ a
number of my favorite techniques.
I started with the walls. Time and
weather fade paint and turn exposed
wood a silver gray. Before removing the
sides from their material sheets, I
stained them with a base coat of alcohol and ink. The stain accentuated
the seams between the boards and
gave the walls the correct weatheredgray look.
Next, I made a custom paint mix for
the station using 10 parts Floquil
Reefer White, 1 part Reefer Yellow, 10
parts Depot Buff, and 2 parts thinner.
(Always start with the lightest color and
slowly add the others to it.) The result
was a thin, faded version of the original
buff color. (Before adding most of the
white and the thinner, I painted the
underside of the overhanging roof,
which would still be closer to the original color as it had not been exposed
to weather.)
I drybrushed the paint over the gray
walls, keeping in mind that each board
would have weathered in a manner
slightly different from its neighbor.
With thinned paint I could build up the
final color in successive coats, providing variety. Finally, I used three different colors of gray pastel pencils lightly
drawn over individual boards.
I made the broken windows by cutting clear styrene with a no. 11 hobbyknife blade and a little patience. My
goal was to make each window a little
different from the others – some are
Paper signs weathered with
brown shoe dye stain
Glazing
dusted
with
pastel
powder
to look
dirty
missing entire panes, some have a few
shards remaining, others are simply
cracked. After installing the glazing, I
dusted it with powdered pastels to
make the glass look dirty.
I wanted some of the bare sub-roof
to show through the shingles, so in several places I scribed the roof panels to
represent planking and then gave them
a wash of ink stain.
The slate roof material comes in
precut strips with peel-and-stick backing. I sprayed it with Floquil Southern
Pacific Lark Dark Gray, then lightly airbrushed over that coat with Reefer Gray
and SP Lettering Light Gray. Unfortunately, the solvent in the paint caused
the adhesive to come off the shingles.
As a result, I had to glue the strips on
one at a time. A water-based paint
would work better.
I painted the trim Roof Brown. After
gluing the trim in place, I weathered it
with a gray pastel pencil.
I made the depot signs on my computer, printing them in color on glossy
paper and then fading the lettering
with a wash of white acrylic paint. I
also lightly weathered the signs with a
wash of thinned shoe dye stain. Once I
had glued them in place, the depot was
complete – another model made to look
as though it had been ravaged by the
effects of nature and time. – S. H.
Painting and
weathering track
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
O
ften we pay so much attention to
painting and weathering locomotives and freight cars that we forget the track they run on is worthy of
similar attention.
Today’s ready-to-use track generally
has fine detail, including close-to-scale
tie plates and spike heads, accurate rail
profile, and wood grain molded into the
plastic ties. However, the bright nickelsilver rail and shiny plastic ties detract
from the appearance. A little time and
paint can easily take care of this.
You can take painting track to as high
a degree of detail as you want. Simply
painting the ties and rail a uniform
shade of flat brown is an improvement.
You can go on to paint and weather the
rail, individual ties, and even spikes and
tie plates.
Preparation
Painting track after it’s laid lets you
get it working properly, with all feeder
wires and gaps in place, before painting. If you do this, paint the track
before adding scenery. Should you have
to paint track in a scenicked area, use
masking tape and paper to protect the
scenery from overspray.
A disadvantage of painting track in
place is that it can be awkward to get
an airbrush into tight areas. Using
solvent-based paint or spray cans is also
a hazard in an enclosed room.
Track appearance is important, but
not as vital as locomotive electrical contact. For good contact it’s important to
ensure that you can easily remove paint
from the railheads.
One way to do this is by applying a
light coat of oil to the railheads before
painting. Once the rail is painted a
Bright Boy or similar track cleaner will
easily remove the paint. Figure 2 shows
how to apply the oil with a cloth. It
doesn’t take much – just wrap a corner
of a rag around a fingertip and rub the
cloth along the railhead, taking care not
to get oil on the ties or sides of the rails.
Turnouts require special care to
avoid gumming up the moving parts
with paint. Before painting, mask along
the points and throw bar as shown in
fig. 3. Brush-paint these areas later.
You’ll also have to clean paint from
the rail before soldering feeder wires
and from the rail ends before adding
rail joiners.
Consider the colors you want to use.
Wood ties on a heavily used main line
are replaced often, thus are usually black
You can paint track before or after
it’s installed on a layout. The advantages
of prepainting track are that you can do
it in a spray booth or outdoors without
worrying about paint fumes or getting
stray paint on your layout or scenery.
One disadvantage of prepainting
flextrack is that the plastic spike heads
mask the rail, and as you bend the track
some of the spikes move, revealing
shiny areas that were shielded from the
paint. See fig. 1. Simply touch up these
areas with a brush.
Fig. 1 SPIKE MASKS. When prepainting flextrack the spikes sometimes move, revealing
unpainted rail. Touch these up with a brush.
Fig. 2 OILING RAILHEAD. Applying a light
coat of oil with a piece of soft cloth makes it
easier to remove the paint later.
With a few simple techniques and some
paint, you can turn shiny nickel-silver track
into a near replica of the real thing.
Fig. 3 TURNOUTS. You can airbrush turnouts
as you do flextrack, but mask the points and
throw bar and paint these areas by hand.
Fig. 4 COMPARISON. Simply painting flextrack a uniform shade of brown is an improvement compared to unpainted flextrack.
Fig. 8 TIES. Give individual ties washes of
black, gray, grimy black, and brown. The
grayer a tie is, generally the older it is.
Fig. 5 PAINTING RAILS. Keep angle of airbrush low to direct paint onto the rails, not
Fig.ties.
5 PAINTING RAILS
the
Keep angle of airbrush low to
keep paint on rails, not ties
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON
Fig. 9 OILY STREAK. Drag a brush of Oily
Black paint down the middle of the track to
simulate grease and oil drippings.
Weathering
Fig. 6 TRACK AND ROADBED. Painting the
roadbed, rails, and ties greatly improved the
appearance of this Life-Like True-Track.
Fig. 7 PAINTING ROADBED. Give the roadbed
a wash of Grimy Black or any medium gray to
black color to cover the plastic appearance.
or dark brown and are uniformly
spaced. Spurs and lightly traveled
branch lines often have older ties that
have weathered to medium or light
gray, with much more variation in color
and spacing.
Rail can be found in many shades of
dark brown and dark rust while spurs,
sidings, and branch lines sometimes
have a brighter rust color.
The next step is to highlight the rails
with streaks of lighter colors. An airbrush is handy for finer control, but
you can use spray cans if you’re careful.
Aim directly from the sides, just hitting
the outside of the rail nearest you
and the inside of the far rail. You can
also do this step with a brush, but it will
take a bit of time. See fig. 5. Don’t
worry if a little paint gets on the ties.
Painting
Combination track and roadbed
Start by painting the ties and rail a
dark brown color. If you have an airbrush you can use any flat dark brown,
such as Polly Scale Railroad Tie Brown,
Roof Brown, or Rail Brown, or mixtures of all.
Spray cans also do the job in short
order. For the samples shown here I
used Krylon spray paints including nos.
8142 Brown, 8147 Medium Brown, and
1317 Ruddy Brown Primer.
Cover the ties and rails from all
angles, making sure the paint coats the
sides of the rails. Figure 4 shows a strip
of flextrack after painting.
As fig. 6 shows, painting greatly
improves the appearance of combination track and roadbed. Start by separating the track and roadbed if possible,
then paint the track in the normal way.
Figure 7 shows how I gave the
roadbed a wash of Polly Scale Grimy
Black (one part paint, ten parts Polly S
Airbrush Thinner). You can use other
colors as well. Once they’re dry, press
the pieces back together.
If you’re working with track that
can’t be separated, brush-paint the rails,
give the roadbed a wash, and paint the
ties individually.
You can stop at this point and have
nice-looking track, but for a truly outstanding appearance you’ll need to break
out a fine brush and highlight the details.
Paint individual ties with washes of
grays, browns, and blacks for a varied
appearance. See fig. 8. These highlights
should be subtle on mainline track, with
more variations on lightly used track. I
keep four mixes handy: black, grimy
black, gray, and Railroad Tie Brown. Go
ahead and dip your brush in more than
one mix to create varied effects.
Well-used track often has a blackish
streak down the middle created by
grease and oil dripping from locomotives
and cars. Re-create this effect with Polly
Scale Oily Black paint as fig. 9 shows.
If you really want to take your track
to another level, get out a fine-point
brush and some rust-colored paint and
highlight the tie plates and spike heads.
Although this often isn’t practical for an
entire layout, it adds fine detail to foreground scenes.
When you’re finished, use an abrasive track cleaner to gently polish the
railheads, and you’re ready for trains.
None of these techniques are difficult, and a bit of time and paint are all
it takes to turn ordinary track into a
worthy stage for your detailed locomotives and cars. 1
Jeff Wilson is a former associate editor
for MODEL RAILROADER.
PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N
Basic electricity
and control systems
Electricity
K
nowing how to use electricity in
model railroading extends beyond
running trains. You’ll also want to
use electricity to power switch
machines, structure lights, streetlights,
and other accessories. Having a good
basic knowledge of electricity will help
you use these accessories with confidence and improve the realism (and
fun) of your layout. Let’s start with
some basics.
Fig. 2 POWER PACK CONNECTIONS.
MRC’s Tech II has fixed DC terminals for
accessories. Power packs also include
variable DC (track power) and fixed AC
(accessory) terminals. When making
connections, always wrap wire clockwise
around the terminal screws.
PHOTOS BY JEFF WILSON
To trains or
accessories
AC vs. DC
3
Standard house current
is alternating current(AC),
and although some model
trains (notably three-rail
O gauge, American Flyer S
gauge, and Märklin HO)
use AC, most scale model
trains use direct current (DC).
With AC, as the name implies, the
polarity constantly alternates at 60
cycles per second in the United States.
With DC the polarity is constant as the
current flows. Direct current allows us
to use polarity to control motor direction (very important in running trains),
something that can’t be done with AC.
Figure 1 shows how this works.
On a typical power pack, the variable
DC output goes to the track – this is what
is adjusted by the speed controller. Most
power packs also have fixed AC terminals, and some also have fixed DC terminals (see fig. 2), which put out
continuous voltage. These can be used
for accessories.
Power
supply
3
Ammeter
12
0
12
Voltmete
r
Ammeter
connected in series Voltmeter
connected in parallel
Volts and amperes
It’s important to provide the proper
voltage to accessories, as too much
power can burn out bulbs and motors.
Electricity is measured using volts
(V) and amperes (A). I find it easiest to
understand each using the analogy of a
water supply pipe coming into your
house. Volts measure the force of electricity (the pressure gauge on a water
pipe) and amps measure the amount of
electricity (the water meter).
The water pressure (volts) to your
house remains constant, but the volume of water (amps) used varies
depending upon how many faucets you
have open at a time.
The electricity in your house is at
120V, much too high to use safely
Direction of travel
Motor
Motor
Polarity
Polarity
Fig. 1 DC POLARITY
Direction of travel
0
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT WEGNER
Fig. 3 METER CONNECTIONS
for model railroads. Transformers
reduce the voltage to the 12 to 18V
needed for trains and accessories.
For current, most modern locomotives in HO and N scales use less than
.5A, while some older models draw
more. Engines in O scale and larger
models can use 1A or more. Small
devices such as light bulbs require little
current, and their current consumption
is often measured in milliamps (mA).
For reference, one milliamp is a hundredth of an amp (1mA is .01A; 5mA
is .05A).
Most power packs and other power
supplies are rated in volt-amps (VA),
meaning “volts x amps.” To convert this
to the ampere ratings used by model
railroaders, divide the output rating of
the power pack by 12, which will give
you the pack’s amp output rating at
12 volts.
Light bulbs are probably the most
commonly used electrical accessories.
Most small bulbs draw roughly 10mA
(0.1A), while some microbulbs draw
less than 5mA.
How do you know if there’s enough
power for all of your accessories? Add
the current required for all accessories
and make sure the total is less than the
rated limit of your power supply. For
example, if you have a 1A power supply
Each bulb receives
full voltage
12V
12V
12V
Optional switch
To other
lights
12V
4V
4V
Parallel
4V
Single-pole, single-throw (SPST)
Optional switch
12V
Series
Voltage is divided
among bulbs
Fig. 4 TYPES OF CIRCUITS
you can use it to power ten 10mA bulbs
or 20 5mA bulbs.
You can determine the amount of
current a bulb or accessory is drawing
and how much voltage is in a circuit
with separate meters or a combination
volt-ohm-milliammeter (VOM) as
shown in the photo on page 54. The
proper way to connect a voltmeter and
ammeter in a circuit is shown in fig. 3.
Don’t use a VOM as part of a permanent circuit, as the electronic components of the milliammeter function can
be damaged by continuous use.
It’s a good idea to have a separate
power supply for accessories. With
small power packs, the drain of accessories can slow your trains, and increasing the speed of trains can dim your
accessory lights.
It’s also good practice to operate
bulbs at less than their rated voltage
(12V for a 15V bulb; 1.2 or 1.3V for a
1.5V bulb). This increases bulb life and
lowers the operating temperature,
important with plastic models.
Series and parallel
You can connect multiple accessories or bulbs in one of two ways:
series or parallel. Figure 4 shows each
style, using light bulbs as an example.
Parallel connecting gives each bulb
the same voltage, regardless of how
many there are. Adding bulbs is easy by
wiring them to the main (bus) wires.
Connecting in series (end-to-end)
divides the voltage equally among all
bulbs. A disadvantage is that if one bulb
burns out, the whole string loses power.
Throwing switch turns power on or off
Single-pole, double-throw (SPDT)
Throwing switch directs power
to one of two circuits
Fig. 5 TOGGLE SWITCHES
Also, you can’t add additional bulbs
while keeping constant voltage.
Switches
You can turn accessories on and off
by turning the power supply on and off,
but a better way is with a switch. Figure 5 shows the two styles of toggle
switches used on most layouts.
They come in a variety of sizes and
styles, with the single-pole, singlethrow the simplest type (a basic on-off
switch). The number of poles refers to
the number of connections that can be
made. The number of throws is the
number of positions that the switch
can be turned to.
For more detailed information on
wiring, see Easy Model Railroad Wiring:
Second Edition by Andy Sperandeo
(published by Kalmbach).
The more comfortable you are with
wiring, the more animation and life
you’ll be able to bring to your layout. 1
Cab control
Insulated joiner (or gap)
switch which can turn the power to that
block off. Since the switch is a doublethrow type it connects only one of the
cabs to the block at any one time. The
illustration at left shows how to connect
both cabs and a switch to a single block.
Of course, you need more than one
block on the layout. The schematic
drawing shows how to wire an oval
with a passing siding for two-train control. The wiring may look complex but
it’s simply a matter of repeating the single block wiring as necessary.
You’ll need not only a cab but also as
many single-pole, double-throw (SPDT)
switches as you have blocks.
Another option is the Atlas Selector,
which is simply four SPDT slide
switches in a single case. Most modelers, though, prefer to have the switch
controlling a particular block mounted
on the control panel schematic, making
it easier to tell at a glance which block a
switch controls.
It’s a good idea to test each block as
you wire it up as crossed wires are the
biggest problem with cab control. And
be sure you color code your wiring as it
makes the initial wiring and any future
alterations or troubleshooting a whole
lot easier.
One block
Common feeder
Common
connection
Switch set to select cab B
to control this block
SPDT
toggle
switch
Block
feeder
Cab B
Insulated joiner
(or gap)
Cab A
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICK JOHNSON
Block 1
Block 2
Common rail
Block 5
Block 3
Block 4
1
A
2
B
A
3
B
A
4
B
A
5
B
A
B
SPDT
Switches
Common connection
Cab A
T
he only thing better than running
one train is running two at the
same time. Getting a single train to
run around the layout is usually a matter of simply running a pair of wires
between the power pack and the track.
But simply placing a second locomotive
on the track will mean both trains run
in the same direction at the same relative speed, so getting independent control of two trains will require some
additional wiring, what we commonly
call cab control.
Cab B
Layout wiring
Cab control works by dividing the
layout into electrically isolated sections
of track, called “blocks.” You can do
this using plastic insulating rail joiners
or by cutting a gap in the rails and filling it with a non-conductive material
like styrene. Since you can isolate the
track sections by gapping only one rail,
the other rail is called the common and
is wired to both cabs.
Power wires, or feeders, from each
block are connected to an electrical
How it works
Once your wiring is complete place
one locomotive in block 1 and flip the
toggle for that block to cab A. Then
place a second locomotive in a different block and flip that toggle to cab B.
You should be able to control the two
locomotives independently within the
individual blocks.
As the trains work their way around
the layout turn the next block to the
appropriate cab. Turn off the block
after you leave it or the next train entering the block will be controlled by the
“wrong” cab, leading to that familiar
cry of “Someone’s got my train!”
While command control (another
topic for a later time) takes care of that
problem, cab control is still a viable
option. For more details on layout
wiring see Easy Model Railroad Wiring
by Andy Sperandeo (Kalmbach Publishing Co.), which includes a detailed
explanation of cab control and the associated wiring. 1
Wiring reverse loops
Fig. 2 LOOP
SHORT CIRCUITS
Short circuit!
Return loop with all-live turnout
Short circuit!
Return loop with power-routing turnout
PHOTO BY JIM FORBES
R
everse loops – tracks that turn
trains around – can add a great
deal of operating interest to a layout, but they also require special wiring
that goes beyond connecting a pair of
wires to the track. Some modelers
avoid building layouts that have a
return loop or wye, thinking that the
wiring is beyond their level of expertise.
However, there’s no need to fear.
Although reverse loops require special
wiring, the job is not difficult and can
be done quickly.
What qualifies as a reversing track
section? The most common is the simple
return loop or “balloon track,” but wyes
and reversing cutoff tracks also qualify
as reversing sections and need special
wiring. Figure 1 shows four examples.
In some track plans the existence of
a return loop isn’t as obvious. To check
Without special wiring, turning trains on
loops or wyes on your model railroad will
cause an electrical short. Fortunately, wiring
a reversing section of track is easy. You need
only a little electrical know how, some wire,
and a toggle switch or two.
a plan, trace the path of a train around
various routes. If a train can wind back
to go the opposite direction on a track
without reversing the locomotive, then
there’s a reverse loop.
Without special wiring, a reverse loop
will result in a short circuit as fig. 2
shows. This is true regardless of
whether you’re using a single power
pack, a cab-control system with multiple power packs, or Digital Command
Control [For more on reverse loops and
DCC, see DCC Corner in the August
2003 issue of MODEL RAILROADER
Fig. 1 TYPES OF
REVERSING
TRACKS
Return loop or “balloon track”
Cutoff track
Magazine. – Ed.], and whether your
turnouts are either the all-live or powerrouting type.
The basic idea in wiring a reverse
loop is to isolate the loop itself using
insulated rail joiners to make it a
separate electrical block. Double-pole,
double-throw (DPDT) switches are then
used to change the polarity of the loop
track, thus avoiding a short circuit.
There are two simple methods of wiring
loops: One method uses a single DPDT
switch; the other uses two switches.
Reversing with one switch
Figure 3 shows the single-switch
method. It’s the simplest to wire; however, it can be difficult to operate
smoothly without bringing the train to
a complete stop.
Here’s how the single switch works:
First set the loop direction switch to
match the polarity of the main line,
allowing the train to enter the loop.
Next, stop the train on the isolated section of track and throw the power
pack’s reversing switch, the loop
switch, and set the loop’s turnout to
Fig. 3
SINGLE-SWITCH
METHOD
Turnout set
for diverging
route
Wye
Loop direction
DPDT switch
Figure-eight connector
Power pack
ILLUSTRATIONS BY RICK JOHNSON
allow the train to exit the loop segment
back onto the main line.
You can try using this method without stopping the train by throwing both
the reversing switch and the loop
switch at the same time, though it can
cause jerky operation.
Reversing with two switches
The better method for layouts with
standard DC control is to use two
DPDT switches, requiring only a bit
more wiring, as shown in fig. 4. The
additional switch serves as the mainline direction switch. It lets you change
the polarity of the main line independent of the reversing section, eliminating the need for stopping the train (or
throwing both switches at once) while
the train is in the loop.
A potential problem is that it’s
impossible with toggle switches alone
Fig. 4
TWO-SWITCH
METHOD
Turnout set for
straight route
Mainline
direction
DPDT switch
Loop direction
DPDT switch
Power pack
Fig. 5 ADDING
POLARITY
INDICATOR
LIGHTS
Optional red bulb
to indicate polarity
doesn’t match
16-volt
light bulbs
Green bulb
lights when
polarity is
correct for route
for an operator to determine for which
route the polarity is aligned. A simple
solution is to use a pair of green 16-volt
bulbs wired as fig. 5 shows. Place them
on the control panel next to their corresponding routes. Whichever is lighted
indicates the correct route.
Another option shown in fig. 5 adds
a red bulb to indicate incorrect polarity. These aren’t necessary if you’re
using green bulbs set in a control panel,
but you can add a bit of animation to
the layout by using both red and green
lamps in lineside signals to show operators if the track polarity is correct.
You can also control return loops
automatically, but that’s a bit beyond
this column. For a thorough look at
return loops, including details on
wiring wyes and incorporating return
loops with cab control wiring, see Andy
Sperandeo’s book Easy Model Railroad
Wiring, Second Edition (published
by Kalmbach). 1
Basics of wire
O
nce you begin building a layout
you quickly discover you need a lot
of wire. Control panels, track feeders, switch machines, lighting, signals,
and other accessories will require
separate circuits.
Knowing what different types of wire
can do, what tools and connectors are
available, and what connection options
you have besides solder can help you
wire your layout more quickly and easily.
Work toward two goals when wiring:
First, ensure that every circuit never has
a reason to fail. Crawling under a layout
to find a broken wire doesn’t fit my goal
of model railroading being fun. Second,
Fig. 2 TOOLS. Small and large (6" and 8")
wire cutters and a combination wire stripper/crimper are vital for working with wire.
organize and label circuits to make later
modifications or troubleshooting easier.
Wire
Fig. 1 WIRE. Many types and sizes of wire are
available. Shown here are 14-gauge solid,
18-gauge stranded, 22-gauge solid, and twoconductor 24-gauge solid (speaker wire).
Insulated copper wire (fig. 1) is the
standard for electrical wiring. Wire has
two key descriptors: gauge (size) and
whether it’s stranded or solid.
The size is measured in gauge and
indicated by a number, as in 22AWG
(American Wire Gauge) or 14AWG. The
smaller the number, the larger (in
diameter) the wire. The larger the wire,
the more current it can handle.
Most 120V (volt) household wiring is
12- and 14-gauge wire. Either will work
well for track and other main power
supply wires on model railroads.
Smaller wire, such as 20 or 22 gauge, is
okay for track feeders, but shouldn’t be
used for long runs, because the voltage
will drop more the farther the wire is
from the power source compared to
heavier wire.
Solid wire should be the first preference for most applications. It’s easy
to strip and prepare for soldering and
Fig. 3 SOLDERING IRON. A 30-watt penciltype iron with stand and rosin-core solder
will handle most soldering jobs.
Fig. 4 COMMON JOINTS. For a T-shaped joint,
wrap the feeder wire around the main wire.
For splices, wrap the wires around each other.
can be used with crimp-on terminals.
Use stranded wire where flexibility
is important.
You can find smaller sizes of wire at
electronics stores such as Radio Shack
as well as many hobby shops. For heavier wire, check hardware stores or
home improvement centers. Heavy wire
can be purchased either by the foot or
in spools of 100 to 500 feet.
Wire cutters and strippers
Several tools are handy – make that
necessary – for working with wire. A
good pair of cutters like those in fig. 2
will stay sharp for a long time, but never
use them to cut piano wire or other steel
wire or the cutting edge will be damaged.
A wire stripper is indispensible. See
fig. 2. Many modelers try to get by without one, but the first time you use a
good wire stripper you’ll wonder why
you wasted so much time whittling insulation with a knife. Wire strippers make
an otherwise tedious job fast and easy.
Crimping tools enable you to use
many types of wire connectors. Many
strippers are combined with a crimping
tool, such as the one in fig. 2.
now many lead-free solders available.
Never use acid-core solder for wiring,
as electricity flowing through the joint
will cause corrosion.
Figure 4 shows two of the most common solder joints. Whichever joint you
use, the technique is the same. Place the
iron at the joint as in fig. 5. Once
the joint – “work” – is hot, touch the
solder to the work – not to the iron –
until the solder flows freely through it.
Remove the iron and keep the work
still until the solder sets. A good solder
joint should be shiny. The solder should
flow around all of the wires with no
clumping. See fig. 6.
If the work moves while the solder is
still liquid, the solder will appear crystallized and the joint won’t be solid. If
this happens, reheat the work until the
solder flows again.
Be sure to cover all solder joints.
Leaving them exposed is an invitation
to a short circuit or other problem. The
best way to do this is with heat-shrink
insulation tubing. Figure 7 shows how
to do this. Thread a length of tubing
onto the wire before soldering the joint.
Once the joint is made, slide the tubing
into place. Rub the side of a soldering
iron (not the tip) against the tubing and
it will shrink tightly around the wire.
You can also use vinyl electrical tape
to protect joints, but this tape has a
habit of unraveling over time.
Spade and other connectors
Whenever a wire needs to be connected to a screw terminal (such as on a
power pack or terminal strip) you can
add a spade connector as in fig. 8.
Strip the end of the wire, ensuring
none of the bare wire will be exposed
beyond the connector. Slip the spade
into place, then use a crimping tool to
fasten it. Figure 9 shows a couple of
other crimp-on connectors, including
butt splices and ring terminals.
Terminal strips (fig. 8) are available
in many shapes and sizes. They’re great
for simplifying wiring on modular or
sectional layouts and can minimize solder joints on other layouts.
Suitcase or tap-in connectors (fig. 10)
allow you to connect a feeder into a bus
wire without having to strip either wire.
Snap the connector in place on the bus
wire, slide the feeder into its slot in the
connector, and use a channel lock pliers
to clamp the metal piece into place. The
metal strip cuts through the insulation,
making contact with the two wires.
Many brands of suitcase connectors,
also known as “insulation displacement
Soldering
Soldering makes solid connections,
and if done properly the joint will be as
strong as the wire itself. A pencil-type
iron rated at 25 or 30 watts (see fig. 3)
works well for smaller wires, but the
larger pistol-style soldering guns are
handy for heavy wire. I prefer a penciltype iron – it provides enough heat for
most applications.
Keep the soldering iron tip clean and
tinned with a light coat of solder. Have
a damp sponge handy and periodically
wipe the hot tip on it to keep it clean.
The best solder for model railroad
wiring is rosin core 60/40 (60 percent
tin/40 percent lead), although there are
Fig. 6 COMPLETED JOINTS. Joints should be
shiny with the solder melted within both
wires. The T-shaped joint is a poor joint – the
solder only flowed onto the feeder wire, a sign
that the larger wire did not get hot enough.
Fig. 7 HEAT-SHRINK TUBING. A finished joint
is shown at top. Be sure to thread the tubing
onto the wire before soldering the joint. Rub
the tubing with the side of the iron, not the
tip, to make it shrink.
Fig. 5 SOLDERING. Heat both wires with the
iron, then touch the solder to the wires (not
the iron). The solder should flow into the joint.
Fig. 8 CRIMPING. Add spade or other terminals to wire by threading them onto the
stripped end and crimping them in place.
Fig. 9 OTHER CRIMPED CONNECTIONS. Butt
joints, as well as ring terminals, can be
added using a crimping tool.
connectors” or “IDCs” are available. I
prefer 3M’s Scotchlok brand because the
metal strip cuts through in two locations, providing better electrical contact.
Keep it neat
It’s tempting to make wire runs as
short as possible, but this can create a
rat’s nest under a layout. I like to route
the main track power wires under the
main line to keep the track feeders as
short as possible.
Label all of your wires, and colorcode everything – don’t rely on your
memory to recall whether the blue wire
is the switch machine positive, half of
the lighting supply, or the north rail.
When routing wires, use wire staples
to hold the wires in place. See fig. 11.
Using ordinary staples or wire nails
crimped over wires can cut into and
damage wire, leading to short circuits
and other failures.
Remember the keys to wiring: Keep
it neat and do it right the first time.
Using the right tools will make wiring
less of a chore, and more importantly
you’ll save time for more important
things, such as running trains. 1
Jeff Wilson is a former associate editor
of MODEL RAILROADER.
Fig. 10 TAP-IN CONNECTORS. Suitcase or
tap-in connectors are made to be used without stripping the wire. Use a channel locks
to push the metal strip in place, then close
the plastic cover.
Fig. 11 WIRE STAPLES. Keep your wiring neat
by using wire staples, which are available in
many sizes.
Control
panels
C
ontrol panels are a great way to
centralize all the switches and buttons needed to control everything
on the layout in one central location.
Making good-looking control panels
may seem hard, but luckily a tool has
become very common these days that
makes it easy to create neat control
panels. Enter the personal computer.
PHOTOS BY BILL ZUBACK
CONTROL PANEL
Computer panel theory
Recently I got serious about adding
control panels to my Southern New
England. I wanted the panels to be neat
and easily understood by operators. I
also wanted them to be fairly unobtrusive. I didn’t want the control panels to
be the first thing catching visitors’ eyes
when they see my layout.
I’ve seen some intimidating control
panels bolted to the sides of model railroads – and I used to earn my living in
the Combat Information Center on an
Aegis guided missile cruiser. Perhaps
that’s where I learned the simpler and
easier to understand a control panel is,
the better off everyone will be.
To use a buzzword a control panel
is an interface between the user and the
layout. Perhaps the simplest panel is
nothing more than a track diagram
with the various tracks labeled so operators will know where to set out or pick
up cars – the panel isn’t used to control
the trains or track. At the other extreme
is a control panel with all the throttles,
levers, and switches needed to control
everything from one central point.
My panels fall somewhere in the
middle. With walkaround control I
don’t need to mount throttles to the
panel. I also don’t need to worry about
block power or cab assignments since I
use command control. My panels tell
operators what town they’re in, identify
the various tracks by name, number, or
purpose, and localize turnout control in
one place.
But even if you’re not using command or walkaround control, there’s no
Toggles
To switch motors
Drill holes
to clear
toggles
Terminal
strip
Fascia
Marty prewired the toggles before installing
them on the panel.
reason you can’t make your control
panels the same way I created mine.
Computer control panels
The illustration shows how I made
the panels. I started by using the simple line drawing software on my PC to
create a track schematic. The panel
shown is for Palmer, one of the more
complicated areas on my layout.
I began by drawing a box the size of
the control panel and shading it in
black. Then I followed the track plan to
create a schematic drawing of the location, making sure to leave sufficient finger room for the toggle switches used
to control the switch motors. I then
identified each track by name or number, just like prototype railroads. This
is an easy way to add some real world
flavor to any model railroad and makes
it easier on operators.
With the drawing complete I printed
it in black and white and created a
dummy panel from a piece of cardstock. This is a good way to double-
.060" styrene
Computer printout
.015" clear
styrene
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON
check the spacing and location of the
switches and lettering. I found I had to
move some of the track labels since they
would be obscured by the toggles.
I printed the control panel on my
laser jet printer and used spray adhesive to apply it to some .060" styrene.
Then I drilled holes for the toggles
through the styrene. I used the panel as
a template to mark the hole locations
on a piece of .015" clear styrene. Once
I drilled the holes in the clear sheet I
installed the toggles and secured the
panel to the fascia with small screws.
One tip – run the wires from the
panel to a terminal strip under the layout near the panel location. Then run
the wires from the terminal strip to the
layout. This will help troubleshoot any
problems and will make the wiring look
much neater. 1
Digital Command Control
By Cody Grivno
Photos by Jim Forbes
and Carl Swanson
6:00 PM
6:12 PM
1 MOUNTING THE POWER STATION
THE POWER STATION
2 CONNECTING
AND COMMAND STATION
The power station (referred to as a “generator” by Atlas) provides the power to the
command station and ultimately the trains.
I mounted the power station on one of the
1 x 4s used to support the legs of the layout,
which also happens to be directly below
where the command station will be located.
It works best to mount the power station and
command station close to each other so you
don’t have to run long lengths of wire, which
might cause a voltage drop and lead to other
operational difficulties.
After I mounted the power station to the layout, I swapped the layout’s DC power pack for
the command station, mounting it with Velcro
fastener strips. This made it easy to remount and work on later. I wired the two
units together using different colored wire to
make them easy to trace. It’s also good practice to tin the ends of the wire (coat them
with solder) to prevent any stray pieces from
touching other connections and creating a
short circuit. DCC systems are much more
sensitive to short circuits than DC.
8:18 PM
8:33 PM
5 DRILLING A FEEDER WIRE HOLE
6 SOLDERING THE FEEDER WIRE
Since the original track plan had only one
wire running to the interchange track, I
needed to add a second wire. That meant I
had to drill a feeder wire hole. I used a pin
vise and a no. 60 bit on the top of the layout.
Don’t worry if the hole is too big. You can
come back later and fill it in with ballast. In
order to run the wire underneath the layout
to the command station, I enlarged an
already existing opening in the hollow-core
door with a utility knife.
With the wire run through the hole, I was
ready to solder the feeder wire to the rail.
Use caution when soldering the wire to the
rail so you don’t melt the plastic ties, and be
sure to clean any paint off the side of the
rail so the solder has a surface to stick to.
Once the new connection is cool, use needle
files to shape any excess solder to the contour of the rails to prevent derailments.
Touch up the soldered area with paint so it
blends in with the rest of the rail.
N
ot long ago, MODEL RAILROADER’S
editor Terry Thompson challenged
me to convert a small N scale layout to Digital Command Control (DCC).
The goal was to see if I could finish the
project in an evening.
On the surface this seemed like an
easy task. However, all of my own layouts to this point had been direct current (DC) operated, so this was to be
my first real experience with DCC.
The layout I had to convert was the
Carolina Central, an N scale project layout from 1996. Since the layout had
been designed as a beginner’s project,
the wiring was simple and offered only
limited operating potential. With DCC,
however, block controls would be
unnecessary, and we could enjoy the
accessory functions of DCC, such as
controllable lighting and sound effects.
After reading the instruction manuals provided with the Atlas Master DCC
System, I was ready to begin. So come
along and see if I can convert this layout
to DCC in an evening. 1
Bill of materials
18 or 20 ga. model railroad wire
Subminiature double-pole
double-throw switch
Razor saw
Screwdriver
Solder
Soldering iron
Pin vise
no. 60 drill bit
Utility knife
Wire cutter
More on our Web site
To see the DCC-controlled Carolina
Central in action, visit our Web site
www.modelrailroader.com.
in an evening
6:38 PM
Converting an N scale
layout to DCC
6:52 PM
CAROLINA CENTRAL
DCC WIRING DIAGRAM
Terminal rail joiners
Insulating rail
joiners
D
C
Q
P
K
J
VU
Generator
3 CUTTING THE RAIL
With the operational hardware in place, the
third step is to begin preparing the layout
for DCC operations. Start by creating an isolated section of track for programming each
locomotive’s decoder address. It works best
to use a siding or seldom-used track as a
programming track. I used a razor saw to cut
gaps in the rails on the layout’s interchange
track. Be sure to cut the gaps carefully so
you don’t damage nearby rails or scenery.
After the gaps were cut, I smoothed out the
rough spots with a needle file.
Single-pole
double-throw switch
Single-pole
single-throw switch
Double-pole
double-throw
switch
Command
station
4 ADDING A DOUBLE-POLE DOUBLE-THROW SWITCH
ILLUSTRATION BY RICK JOHNSON
With a double-pole double-throw (DPDT)
switch in hand, I was ready to begin the
most time-consuming part of this whole
project: replacing the single-pole singlethrow (SPST) switch with a DPDT switch.
The DPDT switch allows you to use the
interchange as the programming track.
When the switch is set for programming
mode, the isolated section of track can’t be
operated. Once finished programming a
locomotive’s decoder, setting the switch to
operational mode restores power to the
programming track.
To run multiple locomotives, I had to give
each locomotive its own two-digit address.
When operating the layout, you can toggle
back and forth between the two locomotives
to control them independently.
After roughly three hours of work, the
Carolina Central has been converted to DCC.
Now we can run multiple trains on the layout
at the same time, adding to the operational
fun of this small layout.
9:05 PM
7 RUNNING THE TRAINS
The final step, and the one that lets you know
if the wiring was done correctly, is to program
the locomotive’s decoder address. The steps
for programming the locomotive’s decoder are
included in the instruction manual.
PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N
Getting started in
Proto:87 modeling
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
a Maine
Planning a “no room
for a layout” layout
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
T
he various MODEL RAILROADER
project layouts built over the years
have assumed many shapes and
sizes, and several have introduced new
concepts and techniques. This project
layout is one of the smallest yet, and
the first to be conceived and executed
outside the United States.
Those of us living outside the U. S.
have had to become adept at squeezing
a lot of visual and operational interest
into very small layouts. Many of our
layouts are also portable and make use
of lightweight construction materials.
These are all concepts relevant to a
growing number of U. S. modelers.
Our Roque Bluffs (pronounced
“rock bluffs”) project layout has a U. S.
setting but explores many European
layout ideas, including the use of
Proto:87 (P:87) HO track and wheel
standards that are closer to actual 1:87
scale prototype dimensions. P:87 is also
similar to the British Protofour system.
Commercial P:87 products, notably
NorthWest Short Line’s superb wheels,
are now widely available, and most
aspects of fine-scale modeling can be
PART 1
Seaport
1. Watched by a row of curious Sheepscot
gulls atop the rendering plant, Maine Central
U18B no. 403 makes a rare appearance at
Roque Bluffs, our 11⁄2 x 12-foot shelf railroad
built to Proto:87 fine-scale standards.
designed around a cassette system,
which allows me to use a common staging board for the various layouts with
trains that rest on movable cassettes
(see “Staging solutions” in the April
MR). However, conventional staging
would work just as well for Roque
Bluffs – it would just need more space
than I have available.
The display slot in my office has a
permanent backdrop and built-in lighting. It is situated 44" above the floor, a
good viewing height. All my layouts use
the same basic control system.
When my layouts are not in use, I
store them on racks in my basement
utility area. My layout-building bench
is also in this area. I have an additional
bench in my workshop (an 8 x 12-foot
garden shed). This arrangement ensures
that I keep messy work out of the living
areas of our small home. It also allows
me to have two layouts “on the bench,”
one set up in my office and two more
stored on the racks.
As a self-contained portable layout,
Roque Bluffs and its cassette staging
board can be set up in any 12-foot-long
space. I designed Roque Bluffs to be the
kernel of a larger model railroad as it
can be easily extended at either end.
The joys of stub terminals
accomplished with familiar techniques.
Our Roque Bluffs project shows you
just what is entailed in building a layout
to P:87 standards, but it can also be easily adapted if you wish to build it to
normal HO practices.
Site? What site?
Roque Bluffs is a “no room for a layout” layout. It sits in a gap between the
upper and lower bookshelf units in my
home office. This tight space allows a
total layout size of 11⁄2 x 12 feet, with
height restricted to 17".
Roque Bluffs is one of five layouts
that I’ve built to fit this space, enabling
me to overcome one of the main drawbacks of small layouts – lack of scope –
by changing the entire layout. The other
layouts are my P:87 1950s Dutch steam
tramway, two different British railway
terminals in P4, and a French-prototype
HO meter-gauge layout. And no, they’re
not all finished!
All the layouts are sectional and
portable. With the exception of the
Dutch tramway, they also all require an
add-on staging board. My staging is
A stub terminal with a fiddle yard is a
very popular subject for compact layouts in Europe. First, it needs a single
set of staging tracks as there’s only one
way out of the dead end. Feeding the
end of a branch line direct from staging
means that trains always depart the
same way, avoiding any problems of orientation. Second, terminals often have
more interesting track layouts and more
complete facilities than through stations, with runarounds, extra spurs,
engine terminals, and so on. Finally,
they are more interesting to operate –
no one gets to highball right on through!
Terminals take many forms. In
Europe, the country branchline terminal has long been popular with modelers, but many of these are quite large
and difficult to compress. More recently,
cramped city, industrial, and harbor terminals have become common small-layout subjects.
Roque Bluffs is the terminal of a fictional branch inspired by the real Eastport Branch of the Maine Central
(MEC), which ran south-eastward from
2. A lighthouse is a signature structure of
any Maine coastal town. The Roque Bluffs
Light is an altered Builders in Scale model of
Brandt Point Light on Nantucket Island.
Cannery
Roadway Grade up
complex
Meiner’s Town
water tank
Top of grade
Diner
Warehouse
Hidden switching
lead in staging
1⁄2"
Boiler
house
1⁄2"
Roadway
Rock
cut
Firehouse
1 ⁄2 "
0"
0"
Staging tracks
Section joint
Fish meal
Quay
plant
1
Oil depot
Rip-rap
Harbor Pier
office
Boatyard
4
3
Slipway
Lighthouse
2
Compact version 1'-6" x 12'-0"
Extended version 8'-0" x 14'-6"
Extra section
Extra section
Inner harbor
Approach
Extra
section
ROQUE BLUFFS
Minimum turnout: No. 6
Maximum grade: 3 percent
Minimum curve radius: 33"
Careful detailing of track and
equipment and a well thought-out
operating plan bring a Maine seaport community to life on Iain
Rice’s HO project layout.
Staging
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PROTO:87 WHEEL AND TRACK STANDARDS
P
roto:87 (P:87) wheel and track standards for HO scale are very close to
true prototype dimensions reduced to
1:87 scale. The standard was first set
out as long ago as 1966, when the
Anglo-Australian Model Railway Study
Group (MRSG) produced workable truescale standards for a number of popular
model railroad scales. Two MRSG standards have found widespread favor in
Britain: 4mm/ft, 1:76 (known as Protofour or P4) and 7mm/ft. 1:43 O scale
(Scaleseven or S7). In North America
and parts of mainland Europe, the
related 1⁄4" O scale standard, 1⁄4 AAR or,
more recently, Proto:48, has also been
taken up. These standards have been
well-proven in three decades of use.
Proto:87 has a much shorter history.
The most notable pioneer was British
modeler Brian Harrap, who built a complex HO triple-gauge Austrian-prototype
layout in 1989 using the standard. Brian
was followed by other groups and individuals in Europe who decided to experiment with the MRSG dimensions; in the
Netherlands, the Anglo-Dutch Scalefour
Society set out to build an ambitious
Dutch P:87 layout, Portiershaven.
In the process of evolving their layouts, the Dutch modelers commissioned
British manufacturer Alan Gibson to produce commercial P:87 components such
Proto:87 standards use wheel and track
dimensions that are close to 1⁄87 of prototype dimensions.
as locomotive and rolling stock wheelsets, and wheel and track gauges. The
availability of these critical components
led others to take an interest.
In the U. S., P:87 modeling started
with the launch of the P:87 Special
Interest Group Web site, which attracted
interest from around the globe. Ideas
were exchanged, and various individuals
set out to see how P:87 would work in a
U. S. context. Canadian modeler Rene
Gourley produced some of the first P:87
North American models, which included
a Canadian National SW12 switcher and
modern freight cars converted from commercial models, together with scratchbuilt 1890s-era equipment.
Discussion within the SIG covered a
wide range of topics, but it was the
fusion of the European experience with
well-established National Model Railroad
Association procedures and proven modeling techniques that led to practical
solutions and put the MRSG P:87 standard firmly on the path to becoming a
worldwide norm. P:87 became a viable
option for North American modelers with
the arrival of commercial components
and gauges. Roger Miener, a P:87 SIG
member, persuaded NorthWest Short
Line to produce P:87 wheelsets, while
member Ed McCamey designed and had
NMRA-pattern P:87 gauges laser-cut in
stainless steel.
Paul Dolkos covered P:87 in his November 1998 MODEL RAILROADER article,
“Proto:Scale – Standards based on the
prototype lead to greater realism.”
Recently, Kadee has started to produce its close-to-scale no. 58 coupler,
with other couplers arriving from Sergent, McHenry, and Accurail. – Iain Rice
More on our Web site
To read the November 1998 “Proto:Scale”
article by Paul Dolkos, visit our Web site
at www.modelrailroader.com
3. A truck belonging to Dolkos Oils leaves the
tank farm to deliver early fall heating oil.
4. A Maine Central S1 delivers a tank car of
heating oil. A carefully thought-out track
plan makes the most of limited space.
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs
Lightweight bench
No space for a layout?
Start by looking in
your office
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
L
ast month I introduced you to
Roque Bluffs on the Maine Central,
a shelf-type HO project layout built
to Proto:87 practices. (You could also
easily build this railroad in traditional
HO.) This month I’ll show how I found
room for a model railroad in my “no
space for a layout” house and how I
built the lightweight and sturdy benchwork for Roque Bluffs.
A model railroad slot
Roque Bluffs is one of five interchangeable layouts I’ve built to fit an
18"-deep, 121⁄2-foot-wide display space –
I call it the “slot” – in my office bookshelf system. Because I have a variety
of layouts to choose from, I can change
my model railroad whenever the mood
strikes me.
The shelf units in my office consist
of a 44"-high free-standing lower unit
and a wall-mounted upper unit. In
between is a 17"-high by 121⁄2-foot-wide
space that’s ideal for a shelf layout.
To make a base for my interchangeable layouts, I installed a 15"-wide piece
of laminated 1⁄2" particle board. Home
improvement stores sell these boards as
shelving. I made sure the board was
level and square before I firmly screwed
it in place on top of the bookshelves.
The shelves house my collection of
model railroad magazines, which I
keep in large-size laundry detergent
cartons. The boxes are efficient and
cost-free but are not pleasant to look
at! Thus, I conceal the soap cartons
behind drapes that run on nylon curtain track supported by a strip of 1 x 2
lumber mounted under the front edge
of my new shelf-top. As the layouts are
mostly a tad wider than the 15" top, the
curtains are effectively set back some
way beneath the layout front fascia.
A perspective drawing of my model
railroad slot is shown in fig. 1.
Lighting Roque Bluffs
Another particle-board shelf runs
above the layout display slot, which is
also 15" deep and spans the full 121⁄2 feet
of wall. This shelf is framed with 1 x 2
lumber and supported by heavy-duty
shelf brackets, one on every other wall
stud, as it carries quite a load – files,
more magazines, and boxes of photographs. It also keep dust off the layout
and supports the layout lighting system.
Concealed 35-watt fluorescent lights
illuminate the railroad. The 4-foot
“slimline” lights have small-diameter
tubes and are mounted sideways on the
1 x 2 framing that supports the top
shelf. I nailed a 4" fascia strip to the
front of the shelf to hide the fixtures.
Mounting the lights at the front of
the display ensures that the forward
edge of the layout is adequately lit. Ideally, these lights should be another
three or four inches out from the wall –
but there isn’t space to permit this and
still open my office door!
I prefer fluorescent lights for model
displays. First, fluorescent tubes are not
“point” light sources, which dodges the
multiple-shadow effect that often
results from using a number of incandescent lamps. Second, fluorescent
lights produce little heat – an important
consideration when the lights are as
close to the models as these are. And
PART 2
Fig. 1 THE “SLOT”
work
4"
Fascia and
side pieces
are dark blue
to match
drapes
Books
14"
Upper
bookshelf
Lighting –
4-foot slimline
daylightbalanced
fluorescent
tubes
Lighting
fascia
Viewing 12'-6"
aperture
44"
Side pieces
to viewing
aperture
Support
shelf for
layout
Drapes to floor
(dark blue)
Magazine
storage
in boxes
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KELLIE JAEGER
Iain Rice’s Roque Bluffs project layout is one
of five interchangeable model railroads that
fit an 18"-deep, 121⁄2-foot wide space in his
office bookshelf system, proving that there’s
always room for a layout.
Fig. 2 BASE ASSEMBLY
Medium-density
fiberboard base
third, the soft-focus, even illumination
is much closer to the way daylight falls
on a scene, provided you want a soft
northern autumn light and not a searing noontime in Nevada!
Mounting blocks
for top board
Plywood crossprofile board
1"-square
glue block
Lightweight benchwork and girders
Roque Bluffs is made of three 4-foot
sections. This design allows me to easily
disassemble and transport the layout.
For any truly portable model railroad,
the benchwork sections must be made
small enough, strong enough, and light
enough to be easily handled. I made the
benchwork sections of the Roque Bluffs
layout from good-quality 1⁄4" plywood,
3
⁄8" medium-density fiberboard (MDF),
cardstock, and even paper. I used adhesives, staples, fine steel nails, drywall
screws, nuts and bolts, and Velcro to
hold it all together.
Roque Bluffs is built on a surface of
3
⁄8" MDF, which is smooth, stable, and
rather hard. The MDF is supported by
mini L girders made from 2"-wide strips
Secure with 3⁄4"
drywall screw
Water
surface
Rear
L girder
2"
Hot glue
bead
Hole for
wiring run
if needed
Slot to
fit over
T girder
3⁄4"
2"
fillet also
makes good
gluing block
Mounting
blocks for
Masonite
fascia
Small finishing nail
Front
T girder
Plywood
splice plate
Add-on support between
profiles as needed
Fig. 3. Accurate benchwork. The benchwork of Roque Bluffs varies in height with the surface features it supports. To create an accurate template for the benchwork, Iain first drew
a full-size plan of the Roque Bluffs on the same sheet of medium-density fiberboard that
will eventually form the three levels that make up the top of the layout.
Fig 4. Custom-fit framing. With a layout template drawn full-size on the medium-density
fiberboard base, Iain knows exactly where he needs to place his L-girder benchwork in order
to support the different levels that will be present on the finished layout.
of 1⁄4" plywood. My local home improvement store cut 12 of these strips for me,
each 4 feet in length. Slicing them from
a standard 4 x 8-foot sheet of plywood
was economical and quick.
In a traditional railroad layout, Lgirder benchwork is used because it can
support considerable weight across a
long span. For that reason, L girders are
usually made from substantial pieces of
lumber that are glued and screwed
together. However, the essential virtue
of the L girder is that each leg of the L
braces the weak (thin) dimension of the
other leg. That remains true regardless
of the girder’s size.
Since the three sections that make
up Roque Bluffs are only 4 feet long,
the mini L- or T-section girders I made
from 1" x 2" and 2" x 2" strips of 1⁄4" plywood provide ample strength and stiffness for the structure.
I glued the girders together using a
high-strength resin-based woodworking
adhesive. To hold the wood while the
glue cured, I hammered in fine steel
nails and used staples from a staple gun.
Most of the girders are 2" x 2" sections,
but the front girder on the right-hand
board, where the water of the harbor
extends inward to the rear of the scene,
is an inverted 1" x 2" T girder.
I cut plywood cross-members and
glued them inside the L girders to serve
as frame cross-braces and as supports
for the MDF top, as shown in fig. 2.
The 2"-wide girders at the base of the
structure make a good reference surface
and sit evenly on the shelf that supports
the finished layout. For this reason, I
set the support girders a bit less than
15" apart to fit on the width of the base
shelf. All track is arranged within this
15" width. The area of the model cantilevered outward from the front girder
is scenic foreground (mostly water
areas on the Roque Bluffs).
Correctly shaping the cross-profiles
of the framing is essential. Each part of
the framework supports a particular
area of the model, so the track or other
surface feature determines the outline
of each part of the framing.
Roque Bluffs has three main levels –
the water surface, the land surface, and
the raised roadbed of the cannery spur –
and these profiles have simple outlines.
I just had to be careful that my framing
did not interfere with any of the subtrack-level features.
Roadbed and water surfaces
Fig 5. An even playing field. The L and T girders are made of high-quality 1⁄4" plywood
glued with woodworking adhesive. By building the benchwork on a level shelf, Iain knew
his lightweight but strong framing would also be level and square.
Before doing any cutting, I sketched
a full-size plan in pencil on my 2 x 4foot MDF sheets. I then temporarily laid
all the track using flextrack, overlapped
at the turnout locations, to check clearances and radii. I find this works well,
as it’s easy to adjust flextrack by eye to
get nice smooth curves and transitions
and to make sure there are no awkward
kinks or tight spots. I also find it much
easier to mark track positions on the
boards when I’m using actual track.
I held the flextrack in place with
thumbtacks and marked just outside
the tie ends to establish the foundation
area of the track. The twin lines make it
easy to position the foam roadbed strip.
At the locations where the tracks
extended over the water on the pier and
the trestle, I marked the track position
on the water surface. I’ll build all the
track-supporting structures when I lay
the track.
When I was satisfied with the position of all the elements on the layout, I
inked the lines with felt-tip markers (fig.
3). I used a color code: track edges in
green, structure positions in black, and
cut-lines in red. To make everything
absolutely clear, I also outlined and
cross-hatched the watery areas in blue.
I then used a saber saw to cut the gently
curving front of the layout and carefully
smoothed the edge with an orbital
sander. I used the marked MDF base
pieces as templates for assembling the
framing (fig. 4), knowing that the support structure would match the surfaces
it supported.
Fig. 6. Site-specific considerations. Iain has set his long main support girders so they rest
solidly on the 15"-wide shelf the layout will occupy. He gained a few extra inches of width by
cantilevering part of the layout outward from this shelf. While all of the tracks will be supported by the main benchwork, the extra few inches will become a scenic foreground.
Assembling the benchwork
Benchwork accuracy depends on
careful assembly. Building on a flat surface – in my case, a level shelf – ensured
that the finished base would be both
level and square, thanks to the wide
bottom elements of the L girders resting
flat on the shelf, as shown in fig. 5. I
assembled the benchwork framing with
woodworking-grade adhesive applied
with a hot-glue gun. Fine finishing nails
held the girder pieces in position until
the adhesive cured.
I set the end profiles first. These
were made as a matched pair cut from
two pieces of 1⁄4" plywood clamped
together with 1⁄4" bolts. I left the bolts in
place until all the framing had been
assembled. With the whole layout accurately aligned from the start, I knew
that Roque Bluffs’ three sections would
always go back together as intended.
I built the framing around the endprofiles and girders. First I lined up the
girders of the adjacent sections on the
end profiles and glued them in place
using dots of hot glue on the base
flanges of the girders. Then I reinforced
each corner with 1" square blocks glued
with the resin woodworking glue. I let
Fig. 7. Finishing the benchwork. With his frame of L- and T-section girders completed, Iain
no longer needs to use the plan drawn on the fiberboard as reference and can cut the board
to separate the three main levels of the layout and attach them to the top of the benchwork.
the adhesive cure before adding the rest
of the framing.
I had a problem with excess adhesive
squeezing out and gluing the sections
together. I should have trapped some
sheet plastic between the adjoining endprofiles before I bolted them together.
I fitted my remaining cross-profiles
in place on the girders and glued and
nailed them in place. I made the cantilever pieces in front of the T girders
individually to fit their location (fig. 6)
and similarly glued them in place.
To reinforce each joint between a
cross-piece and a girder, I placed a glue
block and added additional blocks
along the top edges of the cross-pieces
where they would join the baseboard
surfaces. Once the adhesive cures, this
type of light benchwork is robust and
surprisingly rigid.
When I finished gluing the frame, I
no longer needed to use the MDF piece
as a template. I cut out the water, land
surface, and raised track areas with a
saber saw (fig. 7). I glued these pieces on
the cross-members with resin adhesive
secured with 3⁄4" drywall screws. I added
a Masonite fascia later, after installing
the turnout motors.
Speedy construction
The light, solid, and strong benchwork for Roque Bluffs was not expensive or time-consuming, and it enabled
me to move speedily to the actual construction of the layout.
Next month I’ll show how I selected
and detailed the right mix of freight
cars to serve the layout’s industries, and
I’ll share some tips for giving rolling
stock a Proto:87 makeover. 1
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
rolling
Developing an equipment list and finding
the right level of detail
By Iain Rice
L
ast month I described how I prepared a location in my home office
for my Roque Bluffs shelf-type HO
project layout and how I built the railroad’s lightweight and sturdy benchwork. This month I’ll show how I
developed a realistic mix of rolling
stock for my fictional Maine Central
branch line.
Photos by the author
Roque-ready rolling stock
“Hold on!” you say. “How come
we’re talking about rolling stock before
an inch of track has been laid?” The
answer is logistics. Roque Bluffs will be
built with the more true-to-scale
Proto:87 (P:87) HO track and wheel
dimensions. Track needs to be tested as
it’s laid, and to test P:87 track you need
P:87 equipment.
Motive power for Roque Bluffs is a
straightforward proposition, even for a
slightly obscure railroad like the Maine
Central. For many years, the Maine
Central kept a General Electric 44-ton
diesel locomotive at Calais to work its
Eastport branch. Alco S-1 and ElectroMotive SWs were also used. All of these
PART 3
stock
An Alco for Roque Bluffs
When he encountered Life-Like’s
sweet-running and well-detailed Proto
2000 Alco S-1, Iain Rice knew he had
found the right motive power for his
Roque Bluffs HO project railroad.
locomotives have been produced in
Maine Central colors in HO.
Rolling stock is even less of a problem than motive power, but first I had
to think about the level of detail that
would be standard on the Roque Bluffs.
The tread width of the wheels is the
major difference between a P:87 car
and a standard HO scale car with
wheels made to RP25 (the National
Model Railroad Association’s recommended practice for standard HO). But
there’s a bit more to P:87 modeling than
swapping wheelsets. I’ve found that
work lay in bringing equipment from
other – mostly older – sources up to the
same level of detail and finish. While I
do try to make my models authentic,
I’m not a freight-car expert, and I’ve
relied greatly on those who are for
advice. I felt that if I avoided obvious
visual anomalies like molded-on grabs,
the cars would at least look okay to me
and to everyone else except the experts.
ultra-fine details may be prone to damage on an operating layout, but I still
wanted an amount of detail that complemented the finer wheels.
My ideal specifications list included
P:87 wheels in scale-width trucks,
where possible; scale-sized couplers,
with no trip pins; scale wire grabs; delicate ladders, stirrups, and running
boards; and realistic paint jobs.
Recent equipment from Proto 2000,
InterMountain, Bachmann, Kadee, Red
Caboose, and Athearn met my specifications right out of the box. The real
Choosing a locomotive was my first
step in equipping Roque Bluffs. Initially
I envisioned an SW7 in Maine Central’s
later “solid green” switcher scheme – a
choice helped by the fact that I already
had an undecorated Athearn SW that I
knew was a cinch to convert to P:87.
The work was coming on quite well
when, in search of a Detail Associates
etched SW front grill, I paid a visit to
Henry’s Hobby House in West Boylston,
Mass. Fate was smiling that day, for the
store had just received new models
from Life-Like. One look at Life-Like’s
Proto 2000 Alco S-1 in razor sharp
Maine Central black-with-red-stripe factory paint and I forgot all about SW7s!
NorthWest Short Line’s no. 27691-4
P:87 wheelsets for Life-Like engines are
easy to install. After I installed a set of
Kadee no. 58 scale-size couplers in
place of the original couplers, the 953
was ready for service.
I added the appropriate details supplied with the model and installed a
pair of Cal-Scale no. 280 brass marker
lights on the nose in approved Maine
Central style. I reworked the paint
slightly to vary the shades of black – allblack engines are rarely uniform in
color, and using different shades on
trucks, frame, cab roof, and walkways
really brought the model to life. The
step-well ends on the pilot were picked
out in Harvest Gold. I also chemically
blackened the bright sides of the NWSL
wheels and lightly brushed them a
rusty-greasy brown.
All the new paint was brush-applied
Polly S or Humbrol acrylic, and the
engine received a moderate weathering
with powder to blend the finish and dull
the lettering and stripes a tad. This model
is superb and runs like a Rolex. It also
tracks very well in its P:87 form and
negotiates all the nooks and crannies of
Roque Bluffs without problem.
Finding the right caboose
Life-Like also supplied the caboose
for Roque Bluffs. The Life-Like model
has excellent detail and quality of finish
and is a dead-on match for the prototype – except for its color. It seems that
no two manufacturers agree on the
shade of Maine Central’s Harvest Gold.
(Judging by the color variations in photos of the real thing, the railroad itself
wasn’t too sure!) The dull orange of the
Life-Like caboose is the most extreme
variation I’ve encountered. I may repaint this car, but for the moment I’ve
contented myself with a set of NWSL
wheels, no. 58 couplers, and a touch of
paint and weathering to complete what
was literally a half-hour project. It’s a
dinky little crummy and it looks
absolutely right for Roque Bluffs.
Choosing the right freight cars
Before buying freight cars, my first
task was listing the traffic generated by
the on-line industries and the car types
needed to handle this lading. With a tiny
layout like Roque Bluffs, there’s a finite
number of cars that can be handled, so
I restricted my choice to around 20
pieces. My traffic and car-type list is set
out in the table on page 115.
My predominant need was for boxcars – no surprise, as these are usually
the most common general-service cars.
Looking at pictures of Maine Central
trains, though, I was struck by the relatively high number of home-road boxcars found in its trains, so I decided the
mix of road names would strongly favor
the home team. Covered hoppers, on
the other hand, seemed to come from
all over the place and fish meal (a fertilizer and a feed for fish-farms) is a general lading not requiring dedicated
hoppers, so I reckoned I had a free
hand. I went for a mix of older two-bay
and newer cylindrical and multi-bay
hoppers. Tank cars come in two basic
variants – single-compartment (and single-dome) cars handling one product
only, and two- and three-compartment
Stock HO
to Proto:87
in 5 easy
steps
cars that can carry a mix of products. I
purchased both a single-dome car and a
three-dome car to serve the customers
at Roque Bluffs.
P:87 car conversions
All the equipment at Roque Bluffs
rolls on NWSL P:87 code 64 wheelsets,
and about half the cars ride on scalewidth trucks from Eastern Car Works.
The company also sells P:87 bolsters
that fit its standard truck kits. As they
currently offer 19 truck types, you
should be able to find something suitable! Most of my stock rides on the
common Barber 100-ton S-2 rollerbearing trucks.
Equipping newer cars with Eastern
Car Works’ scale-width trucks and the
NWSL no. 37677-4 P:87 wheelsets on
.917" axles is generally simple, except
on some Athearn cars where the ECW
bolster gives a ride height that is too
tall. The Athearn truck mount doesn’t
permit lowering, and the alternative –
thinning the ECW bolsters – made them
too flexible. I had to reinforce them
with strips of .060" square styrene strip.
The only other snare with the ECW
trucks is ensuring that you cement
them truly square and flat. I made a
couple where the axles ended up a tad
skewed, leading to instant derailments.
I now assemble the truck sides and P:87
bolsters on a piece of plate glass using
Plastic Weld liquid cement, checking
the truck alignment with a small square
while the joint is still soft. I make sure
to let the joints cure hard before I gently
force the sides slightly outward to ease
the wheelsets in place.
The resulting ECW trucks run freely
without any slop in the fit of the axle
pinpoints in the truck frames. That’s
vital, because any play in the wheelsets
1
Remove the truck sideframes by unsnapping
the lugs at the truck ends and withdrawing
the central locating pins from the contact
strip and truck side. Take care not to damage
the leads from the contact strips and the
brake chains on the rear truck.
is a strict no-no in P:87. Trying to get
narrow-tread wheels onto the rails
when they can move around in the
truck frames is almost impossible.
This proved to be a problem with
most original-equipment trucks and
some otherwise excellent replacements
such as the equalized InterMountain
trucks. Even using the version of the
NWSL P:87 wheelset with the longer
axle left way too much movement with
most types of “wide” trucks, although
some recent castings by Atlas and LifeLike (the Proto 2000 “Bettendorf” is
very good) proved to be fine.
I found that it was possible to adapt
standard-width trucks to take the longaxle NWSL P:87 wheelsets by drilling
the bearing seats in the truck frames a
little deeper with a 2mm drill and
inserting brass bearings to take out the
end-float on the axles. The ones I used
are either Peco type R30 or the turned
“top hat” type widely used by British
modelers. I purchase mine from Mainly
Trains, a mail-order specialist, at Unit
C, South Road Workshops, Watchet,
Somerset TA23 0HF, UK; the Web site
address is www.mainlytrains.co.uk.
A multitude of couplers
When I started out on this project,
the only closer-to-scale alternative to
the normal Kadee no. 5 (or equivalent)
knuckle coupler was the no. 711 “Old
Time” coupler – essentially, the HOn3
coupler with longer trip pins. This coupler is, if anything, a tad too small for a
modern knuckle, but it looks good. I
used this coupler, without the trip pins,
for the first few cars I built for Roque
Bluffs. Getting a no. 711 to fit generally
requires some shimming to locate the
tiny coupler box at the right height for
modern cars.
2
Slide a fine, straight-blade jeweler’s screwdriver in the middle of one side of the keeper
molding to gently spring the lugs free of the
truck gearbox and remove the keeper plate
from the gearbox and set aside.
Above: Iain decided that Life-Like’s Northeastern pattern caboose is just right for a
branchline railroad. This model has excellent
fine details right out of the box. All the
caboose needed was P:87 wheels, Kadee no.
58 scale couplers, and a touch of weathering
and it was ready for service.
Left: Iain needs only about 20 cars to operate Roque Bluffs. Just as real railroads did
in the era he models, Iain updated some of
the older rolling stock by removing the running boards and lowering the ladders.
3
4
5
Remove the wheelsets from the truck. Pull
out the Life-Like wheels with their stub
axles. Push replacement NorthWest Short
Line P:87 wheels with stub axles in place
and use a caliper to set the back-to-back
wheel spacing at 15.55mm.
Note the difference in tread width between
standard HO in front and Proto:87 at rear.
When all the wheelsets have been replaced
in the truck, snap the keeper plate back in
place on the gearbox.
Place 1.5mm-diameter by .020"-thick spacer
washers over the axle ends outside of the
wheels to take up the difference in width
between RP25 and P:87 wheels. Place the
contact strips over the axle ends outside the
washers, and replace the sideframes.
When I was a year into the project,
Sergent, Kadee, and Accurail all
announced couplers, and I obtained
some samples from Sergent and Kadee.
The cast-pewter Sergent looks great –
and is nearly exactly to scale – but it has
to be assembled, which is a tad tricky.
The Kadee no. 58 arrives ready to drop
into a standard no. 5 coupler box, making installation a cinch. Kadee also
makes a no. 78 – an assembled no. 58 in
a narrower box. I found that the Kadee
nos. 5, 58, and 711 couplers all couple
quite readily with Sergent couplers.
Era-specific car detailing
My chosen late-1970s/early 1980s
period is at the time of changeover from
traditional freight cars with running
boards and full-height ladders to the
modern standard of short ladders, lowmounted brake wheels, and no roof
access except on cars – like covered
hoppers – where it is necessary for loading. To accurately represent this period,
I needed one or two unconverted boxcars with the traditional arrangement, a
few slightly older cars that had been
modernized by removing running
boards and lowering brake wheels and
ladders, and a handful of modern cars
that arrived from the builder with a
low-ladder arrangement.
The first and the last were easy
enough to come up with, but modernizing older cars proved quite tricky, especially starting with models with cast-on
ladders. By the time you’ve carved away
the ladders, running boards, and brake
wheel platform and filled any resulting
holes, you’ve made quite a mess of the
factory paint job! Fortunately, the real
railroads had the same problem, and it
was quite common to see modernized
boxcars with the end panels and ends
repainted in not-quite matching colors
or even patches of oxide red primer. So
I touched-in the paint on my conversions without worrying too much about
getting an exact color match and
blended the colors with weathering.
Otherwise, my freight-car detailing –
such as it is – follows conventional
lines. I use Detail Associates pre-formed
wire grabs to replace the cast-on variety, and I generally make my own
replacement stirrups using ordinary
steel office staples re-bent. I find the
flat-section staple wire is just about
right to represent the steel strap section
With NorthWest Short Line P:87 replacement
wheelsets, Kadee no. 58 couplers, and a
touch of weathering, this Atlas PS-2 covered
hopper is ready for fish meal service.
from which the real thing is made, and
using four staples sliced off a standard
refill strip makes it easy to produce a
set of matching stirrups in one try.
I attach wire details by either drilling
holes and gluing them in place using CA
(cyanoacrylate adhesive) or by carefully
melting the stirrup into the plastic with
a small soldering iron.
The new ladders, brakewheels, and
other plastic details are mostly from
Detail Associates, Details West, and Des
Plaines Hobbies. Air hoses are of fine
wire, and uncoupling levers are bent to
shape from .012" brass wire and held
with loops of 40-gauge copper wire (a
single strand of layout hookup wire)
cemented into drilled holes with CA.
The essential art of weathering
I regard weathering as essential.
Weathering aids realism, helps to integrate equipment into the overall layout
context, and tones down the over-bright
TRAFFIC AND CAR TYPES
Industry
Traffic and direction
Car type
Fish meal plant:
Bulk fish meal, out
Bagged fish meal, out
Fish oil (in drums), out
Fuel oil, in
Covered hopper
Boxcar
Boxcar
Tank car
Cannery:
Canned goods, out
Empty cans, in
Bulk ingredients, in
Fuel oil, in
Boxcar
Boxcar
Boxcar
Tank car
Oil Depot
Diesel fuel, in
Kerosene, in
Gasoline, in
Bunker-grade fuel oil, in
Tank
Tank
Tank
Tank
Boatyard
Steel plate, in
Lumber, in
Machinery, in
Gondola
Flatcar
Boxcar
Pier
General merchandise, in
Chandlery supplies, in
Fresh fish/shellfish, out
Boxcar
Boxcar
Reefer*
Town:
General merchandise, in
Boxcar*
car
car
car
car
Iain used a variety of scale couplers for
his Roque Bluffs rolling stock. This boxcar
has Kadee no. 711 “Old Time” coupler
knuckles, which work well but are almost
too small for HO scale.
*This traffic most likely carried by truck at this date.
Semitrailers may be added to scene in place of rolling stock.
factory finish. Looking at a model is
equivalent to looking at the prototype
from some way off, so colors need to
take account of the intervening distance
– what artists call atmospheric dilution.
The atmosphere is not totally transparent, so distant colors seem less vivid
than those seen up-close.
In art, colors are modified when
being mixed to account for atmospheric
dilution. This isn’t possible with prepainted models, so I start by giving the
model an overall thin coat of a dilute
blue-brown-gray mix of acrylic paints
dusted on with the airbrush or washed
on with an artist’s sable brush. I then
add weathering tones as needed by
painting or drybrushing with acrylics. I
am careful to avoid any strong or pure
colors, especially blacks. I never use
pure black or white in model work – a
dark brown or dark gray shade for
black and a pale gray or cream for
white always looks better.
Finally, I use weathering powders to
add traces of dirt and rust. The ones I
use are British, made by Carrs, and you
can order them from International
Hobbies in California. Alternatively,
ground-up pastel chalks work as well.
Once I’m happy with the look of the car,
I seal the finish with a dusting of MicroMatte acrylic varnish.
I’m especially careful to weather the
front and backs of wheelsets, the axles,
the truck frames, and the couplers. A
light dusting of weathering color with
the airbrush doesn’t affect the function
of the knuckles and makes these important items look as though they are part
of the car. To help paint stick to wire or
metal details like grabs or cut levers, I
treat them with chemical blackening
solution such as Blacken-It. This gives a
good base for paint, and if the paint
does wear or flake off, you don’t see
bright metal.
Iain likes the Kadee no. 58 scale couplers
equipping this gondola. All Roque Bluffs
rolling stock is manually uncoupled, and
Iain reports that the various sizes of
Kadee couplers he sampled as well as
cast pewter couplers from Sergent couple
just fine with each other.
Keeping busy with a small fleet
Equipment for a small layout like
this offers a lot of scope for modeler
input even if you start, as I have, with
stock ready-to-run or kit models. I tend
to gradually upgrade stock over time so
as to keep a reasonable selection available to work the layout, and there’s still
plenty of scope to improve the cars
rolling on Roque Bluffs.
Next month I’ll show how I built
P:87 trackwork for Roque Bluffs. 1
The difference between scale-width P:87
wheels and trucks and standard HO wheels
and trucks really jumps out at you when the
two are set beside each other.
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
realistic
Great-looking handlaid
track starts with simple
tools and techniques
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
L
ast month I showed how I selected
and detailed the mix of freight cars
to serve the industries at Roque
Bluffs, our Maine Central project railroad. I also shared some tips for giving
rolling stock a Proto:87 (HO fine scale)
makeover using wheels that are closer
to scale prototype dimensions. Although
I used P:87 for this layout, you could
build it using National Model Railroad
Association standards.
This month we’ll start laying track,
but first a word of advice. Rough spots
in the track that cause a barely detectable bump in standard HO will put
those narrow P:87 wheels on the
ground. Careful work at this stage will
reward you with track that looks great
and trains that operate smoothly.
Precision track
Proto:87 track differs from conventional HO scale track in one important
aspect – the turnout flangeway clearances are narrower in P:87. Otherwise,
all the techniques used to build HO
scale track work just fine for P:87.
There are two ways to make realistic
track. You can either study full-size railroad engineering until you understand
PART 4
track
how it all works or you can look at prototype pictures of the railroad you’re
modeling and copy what you see –
which is what I did.
I went through all the 1970s-era
Maine Central photos I could find and
took notes. For instance, I noticed the
MEC didn’t worry too much about getting their tie-ends neatly aligned!
Good track starts with good tools,
and the most essential tool of all is the
human eye. Your eye will detect kinks,
doglegs, things that aren’t parallel,
curves that lack nice transitions and –
most essential – whether the track looks
right. This is one case where the old
maxim, “If it looks right, it will work
right” applies. Model track that flows
smoothly through curves and turnouts,
transitions gradually between tangent
and curve, and rises gently onto grades
is likely to run well.
Track materials
Good-quality flextrack nicely represents well-maintained track, but that’s
not the kind of railroad I’d expect in a
backwater like Roque Bluffs. Handlaying my track also guaranteed that its
appearance would match my handlaid
Handlaid track and a few simple techniques allowed Iain Rice to accurately
model the down-in-the-weeds look of
a Maine Central branch line.
turnouts. The materials I used are standard fare – Micro Engineering’s wood
ties and Micro-spikes, with Peco and
Micro Engineering rail in codes 55, 65,
and 75. For unseen track or track destined to be embedded in pavement, I
used printed-circuit board for ties and
soldered the rail in place.
In the November 2002 Model Railroader, I described how I marked my
track locations using temporarily laid
Using a marking pen, Iain outlined the location of the track on the layout’s surface, then he glued Woodland Scenics foam roadbed in place. The long ties at left
are headblocks – the pair of ties that support the switch stands.
Rails are held in place by paired spikes in every fourth tie. At rail joints where a
little extra support is needed, Iain solders the base of the rail to a steel pin that he
pressed into the layout’s medium-density fiberboard surface.
flextrack and drawing parallel lines
along the tie ends on the fiberboard base
of the layout. I also indicated the locations of the turnout switch rods with the
letters “HB” for headblocks – the two
extra-long ties that will support the
switch stand.
I used this initial marking to place
the Woodland Scenics foam roadbed
strip, which is 17⁄8" wide. Since my tieend position lines are 11⁄8" apart, I simply
drew an additional line 3⁄8" outside the
tie-end marking. One line is enough –
the side nearest the front of the layout
being the most useful.
I glued the foam roadbed to the layout’s surface with Walthers’ Goo, laying
three beads along each strip – up the
center and along each edge. The Goo
gave me a minute or two to line up
things to my satisfaction before it set.
Weights kept the roadbed in place while
the adhesive cured.
At turnout locations, I either laid one
length of roadbed strip right through
the turnout and spliced the second
piece to it for the diverging track, or I
built up the track foundation using several smaller pieces of foam. It doesn’t
matter if the joints aren’t snug – they
will all be buried in the ballast.
Laying wood ties
I position wood ties according to the
sort of track I’m modeling. In the case
of Roque Bluffs the track needed to look
bad! The Maine Central kept its main
lines in good repair, but out in the
boondocks the railroad’s spurs, sidings,
and industry tracks were not nearly as
shipshape. The tie ends didn’t line up,
the rail was lighter and spiked directly
to ties that were often twisted, split, or
chipped. Some ties were considerably
off-center because the section crew had
shifted them to one side to find enough
sound timber to hold a spike.
The ballast appeared to be about 30
percent stone, 50 percent cinder, and
the rest dirt. In most places, weeds crept
right up to the tie-ends.
Accurately modeling less-than-perfect
track is an interesting challenge. I
started by positioning the individual ties
by eye, using a rail that I pinned temporarily in place as a guide.
At this stage in the process, the rail
location doesn’t have to be exact and
neither does the tie positioning. I spaced
and aligned the ties to suit their locations, closer together on the main running tracks and a bit farther apart on
the spurs and run-around loop.
I also sorted the Micro Engineering
ties as I laid them, copying full-size
practice by using the better-looking ties
for running lines and using the not-sogood examples for spurs. I welcomed
the occasional chipped or twisted ties
and used them to make my weed-grown
sidings look even more decrepit!
I glued the ties to the foam roadbed
with Goo, one tie at a time. A slow
process to be sure, but it was the best
way of achieving the slightly wayward
tie placement I was after.
I cut turnout ties roughly to length. I
didn’t attempt to produce neatly graduated ties – prototype pictures showed
the tie-ends staggered all over the place.
I have a typical modeler’s urge to tidy
everything up, and all of this went a bit
against the grain. But the real world
isn’t that tidy, and the real world is what
we’re supposed to be modeling!
I left most of the turnout ties loose at
this stage to allow me to adjust their
positions. The exceptions were the
headblocks and the ties at the extreme
ends of the turnout.
Paved Track
Quite a lot of the track at Roque
Bluffs is embedded in concrete and other
paving materials, as is common at dockside. You do need to ensure that the railheads are a few thousandths of an inch
above the pavement to ensure good electrical contact and easy track cleaning.
To model paved track, I soldered the
rail to printed-circuit-board (PCB) ties.
Ties spaced about an inch apart are
enough for a strong result. Don’t forget
that PCB ties require you to cut an electrical insulation gap in the copper foil
On straight track use two gauges
facing in opposite directions.
Spike rails between gauges
Outer rail
Inner rail
For curved track use two gauges set with
two points on the outer rail (lay this rail
first on curves)
Gauge widened by this amount
il
er ra
Out
r rail
Inne
Principle of gauge-widening
with 3-point gauges – exaggerated view
Using three-point track gauges
As is common with dockside railroads, the track will be set in pavement in several
places on the Roque Bluffs layout. Since the ties will not be visible in these locations, Iain soldered the rails to printed-circuit-board ties.
Illustration by Robert Wegner
surface between the rails. I find it best
to cut this gap with a triangular needle
file before laying the ties, checking the
isolation with a meter. It’s a lot easier to
do this than chase short circuits once
the track is laid. I will describe my
paving techniques in detail in an upcoming installment of this series.
Resilient roadbed and tiny spikes
I’ve found that foam roadbed makes
for smoother running, which improves
wheel-to-rail contact and reduces derailments with fine-scale wheels.
The tiny ME Micro-spikes hold only
in the actual ties, and so handlaying
track on a soft roadbed requires a slightly
different technique than spiking on a
firm roadbed like Homasote or cork.
I first set one rail on the ties and held
the alignment with straight pins pushed
into the layout base on either side of the
rail. I used a plastic ruler to align the
rail for straight track. For curved track,
I take advantage of a useful natural
characteristic of the rail – it forms a
smooth curved alignment of its own
accord if you hold the ends in place and
let the rail in between do its own thing.
I drilled no. 78 pilot holes on either
side of the rail base where I needed
paired spikes – about every fourth tie
was sufficient – then I pushed the spikes
in with fine-tip pliers. Some of the ties
were of harder wood than others. To
overcome this, I placed the tip of a small
screwdriver under the tie end as a support while driving the spike.
To give the finished track more
strength, I reinforced the rail location
with cyanoacrylate adhesive, used sparingly, to lock the spikes in place.
At points where rail location is critical or where lateral loads are high – as
at an unsupported rail end or adjacent
to the turnout switch rods – I soldered
the rail to a pin driven into the layout’s
medium-density fiberboard base and
snipped the pin at rail-base level.
There’s no point in having a nice
springy foam roadbed if you lock everything solid by ballasting with stone chips
and hard-setting glue. I use Woodland
Scenics ballast – made, they tell me,
from ground-up nutshells – held with a
flexible white glue.
The adhesive I use is low-strength
stuff intended for use by children, but
acrylic matte medium would work just
as well. You need only enough adhesion
to stop the ballast from coming loose.
You don’t want to mix a sort of glueand-ballast concrete!
I found it easy to end up with track
that looked too good for the sort of
rough-and-ready branch line I was
after, so I used short rail lengths to get
the slightly kinked look of the prototype. In an odd reversal of my usual priorities, I even deliberately arranged
joints to meet on a curve rather than
going all-out to avoid them!
Automatic gauge widening
Once the first rail was spiked down, I
gauged the parallel rail from it using a
Micro Engineering three-point track
gauge. On straight track I use a pair of
gauges, one facing each way, to ensure
accuracy. But on curved track the two-
point side, the base of the triangle,
should always be on the outside of the
curve, as the illustration shows. This
gives automatic gauge widening – the
tighter the curve, the greater the offset
of the track gauge.
To ease the friction between wheel
flanges and the railhead, the gauge of
full-size track is eased outward a fraction on curves. The tighter the curve,
the more the gauge is eased, to a maximum of around 1⁄2". This may not sound
like a lot, but it has a dramatic effect.
With the P:87 wheelsets having the
same relationship to the track gauge as
the real thing, gauge widening of a few
thousandth of an inch has a similarly
beneficial effect.
Turnouts made easy
Starting with ties, spikes, and a pile
of parts and ending up with realistic
track is a very satisfying process, and
it’s not too different from the way real
railroads do it – only without the backbreaking toil! Next month I’ll finish laying track and show how I custom-made
turnouts and crossings (“diamonds”) for
Roque Bluffs. MR
Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a “no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
PART 5
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
handlaid
turnouts
Build ‘em in place for
free-flowing trackwork
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
J
anuary’s installment on building
Roque Bluffs, a shelf-type Maine
Central switching layout in Proto:87
(HO fine scale), covered how to lay
plain track by hand. This time I’ll show
you how to build your own turnouts.
This layout is “Proto:87” because of its
track and wheel standards, but if you
prefer you could use exactly the same
methods to build track to National
Model Railroad Association standards.
Most model railroaders become
accustomed to planning layouts around
standard turnouts, or at least turnouts
that are available in the larger product
lines such as Shinohara or Peco. But if
you make your own turnouts, the range
is pretty well infinite, as once you know
the basic rules you can build a turnout
for any situation following any prototype. We’ve become a tad fixated with
the common frog numbers – nos. 4, 6,
or 8 – but real turnouts come in all sorts
of odd angles. You don’t really have to
care what the frog angle is, so long as it
fits the situation on a layout.
The rules of turnout construction are
actually quite few and basic. The actual
Toe end
of turnout
Fig. 1 Turnout
terminology
Fig. 2 Check gauge
Flanges miss point of
frog by .003" to .005"
–a miss is as good as
a mile!
Back of wheel just
clear of frog wing
Headblocks
Switch stand
Points
Frog
Back of wheel
in contact with
guard rail
Guard rail
Check
gauge
Switch rod
Stock rail
Flangeway
“Set”
Adjust the guard rail position to set the
check gauge, using a wheelset as a gauge
(this works for any standard, not just P:87)
“Set” is slight angle
of stock rail to guide
flanges onto point
Closely spaced
ties supporting
heels of points
Closure
rails
offset in the curved stock rail just where
the nose of the point touches. This helps
guide the wheels smoothly onto the
switch. [The “turnout” is the whole
assembly including the frog and the closure rails. The “switch” is the moving
part of the turnout, the points that guide
wheels onto one route or the other. –
Ed.] All of these features are shown in
fig. 1, which also names the parts of a
turnout following full-size practice.
Critical tie positions
Stock rails
Closely spaced ties supporting
closure-wing rail joint
Wing rails
Ties supporting frog
In the fifth installment of his Proto:87
layout construction series, Iain Rice
explains how to scratchbuild turnouts
in place, to fit any layout situation.
Here’s the turnout leading to the
Dolkos Oil track, with the train in the
background on the “main line.”
frog itself, where the rails cross, is normally straight. The switch points are
“housed” into the stock rail, usually by
machining the base of that rail to allow
the point to fit snugly against it. There
is also usually a “set,” a slight tweak or
Wing rail
“knuckles”
Frog
Guard
rail
Guard
rail
Wings of frog
Heel end
of turnout
Illustrations by Rick Johnson
Positioning the ties is a big part of
turnout building. In standard turnouts
railroads follow standard tie patterns,
but certain tie locations are critical even
in turnouts built to fit.
Starting at the toe of the switch,
there is always a pair of long ties on
either side of the switch rod (the real
name for what model railroaders usually call the “throwbar”). These are the
“headblocks” that support the switchstand or turnout motor.
The next critical ties are the switch
heel ties – two ties close together to support the joint between the points and
the closure rails. A similar pair of closespaced ties supports the joint of the closure rails and the knuckle rails. Then
there is always a tie beneath the actual
knuckles, another beneath the point of
the frog, and a third beneath the frog
wing rails. And, lastly, there are usually
close-spaced ties to support the ends of
the rails at the extreme ends of the
turnout. I usually glue only the critical
ties in place to start, and fit and glue
the rest of the ties in place as I go.
Proto:87 considerations
In Proto:87 construction, the flangeways through the frogs are to scale, a
maximum .024" wide. To get the rails
this close, you need to file the inside
Fig. 3 First stock rail. Iain positions the first stock rail on
the ties and temporarily pins it in place. The “housing”
where the point will fit will extend back from the headblocks.
base off the wing rails at the frog. The
actual flangeway width is easily set with
an ordinary feeler gauge as used to gap
the spark-plugs on an automobile
engine. Flangeways that are too narrow
will cause problems, but if they’re a bit
wide I find they’re usually okay.
The positioning of the guard rails,
however, is critical in P:87, as they have
to function exactly as in the prototype.
Again, you don’t need to bother with
measurements, although a gauge would
come in handy. The important thing is
that when the back of one wheel in a
Fig. 5 Point of frog
Base of rail
(shaded)
Railhead
Gap
Frog-point rails can be filed to more than half
the desired frog angle; resulting gap will be
filled with solder (color shading)
Fig. 4 Second stock rail. Using track gauges and a
metal weight, Iain positions the second stock rail opposite
the first and pins it in place as well.
wheelset touches the guard rail, as shown
in fig. 2, the flange of the other wheel is
still on the same side of the point of the
frog. The clearance needed is small, only
a few thousands of an inch, but it’s a very
important few thousandths. Allow that
flange to ride over a little too far and it’ll
pick the frog, ride up over, and pow! –
you’re in the dirt.
Building turnouts in place
Except for a Rail Works no. 6 used
for the cannery spur, all the turnouts in
Roque Bluffs were built on site following these principles and work fine. I
determined the locations of the headblocks when first laying out the track,
but I located all the other parts of each
turnout as I built it by rule of thumb.
With the headblock position fixed,
the stock rails can be set in place and
held by pins pushed into the sub-base
on either side of the base of the rail, as
shown in figs. 3 and 4. Then you can
Fig. 6 Positioning frog rails. Iain positions the first frog
rail from his “datum” stock rail, the far one in this case,
which is already spiked down. The second frog rail is added
to form the required angle from the first.
mark the stock rails where the tips of
the points will fit, over the headblock
farthest from the frog. Form the housing to allow the point to fit tightly
against the stock rail by filing away the
base of the rail on a long taper back
from this location.
Start the actual rail laying by spiking down the stock rails from the headblocks back to where they join the last
rails of the plain track, using four spikes
in every tie to hold everything firm.
Then select one of the stock rails as the
“datum” – usually the straight one if it’s
a standard turnout, or the “main line”
or “normal” route through a wye or
curved turnout.
Spike the datum rail at the far end of
the turnout and then carefully align it
back to the headblocks. If it will curve, I
allow the rail to take up a natural curve
between the two fixed points.
Pin the rail to the sub-base again to
hold its alignment. Then spike it to the
Fig. 7 Adding wing rails. With a strip of wood helping to
hold them in place, Iain solders short strips of brass under
the frog to serve as attachments for the wing rails.
More on our Web site
See how Model Railroader’s Gordon
Odegard scratchbuilt turnouts on printedcircuit-board ties. The story is online at:
www.modelrailroader.com
ties, but avoid placing spikes where they
will obstruct the guard rails or points. I
spike the outside of the rail on every tie
in these locations and glue the rail to
the spikes with cyanoacrylate adhesive.
Frog
With the datum stock rail located,
the next job is to build the frog. Start by
filing two rails to form the vee of the
frog as shown in fig. 5. The aim is to
get a nice, snug fit between them to give
a crisp, sharp-pointed angle appropriate for the turnout.
When shaping the taper of the frog
rails, it doesn’t hurt to file away a bit
too much inside the angle, as you can
easily open up the gap by a tad and fill
it with solder. But if you don’t file a fine
enough taper, the frog rails won’t meet
at a sharp-enough angle, and then you’ll
have problems.
I like to cut the two frog rails long
enough to allow for adjustment of their
exact position. You can trim them to
the final length after everything is
finally spiked down.
Once the frog rail nearest the datum
stock rail is filed sharp enough, lay it in
place with track gauges from the stock
rail to hold its position, as in fig. 6.
Then lay in the other frog rail and
adjust its angle by eye, or maybe with
the help of a straightedge to pick up
alignments from track already laid.
Once the angle is set, spike the frog
rails to the ties, and solder them
together using a small iron and paste
flux – rosin flux only, never acid, since
Track in the street
Where track will be paved over in a street, Iain builds with only printed-circuit-board
(PCB) ties supporting the rail. He built this turnout essentially the same way as he
does on wooden ties, but the rails are soldered rather than spiked in place and no
extra brass strips are necessary. The top foil surface of every tie must be carefully cut
for two-rail insulation. – Andy Sperandeo
trackwork must carry electrical current.
Allow the solder to flow into and fill any
gaps between the two rails of the frog.
At this stage, I also solder a short
length of brass strip under the two frog
rails, about 1⁄8" back from the nose of the
frog. As shown in fig. 7, these are used
to attach the wing rails and to bond the
whole frog into one electrical unit.
Another good approach is to use
printed-circuit-board (PCB) ties rather
than wooden at this location, so all the
rails can be soldered into a strong and
reliable unit. The Proto:87 and NMRA
Fig. 8 Wing rail alignment. Sighting along the wing and
frog rails is the best way to make sure they’re aligned. Iain
uses a small mirror for sighting where it isn’t convenient to
standard turnouts offered by Rail
Works use this system.
Wing and guard rails
With the frog spiked in, you have the
skeleton of the turnout. Gauge the other
stock rail from the frog and spike it to
the ties at the heel of the turnout as you
did the datum rail. Add a couple more
ties to support the wing rails, and then
make these. Again, cut the rails long and
trim them after everything’s aligned.
To get nice crisp bends for the knuckles of the wing rails, file a v-shaped nick
get his eye down to the track. Rolling a truck through the
frog is another good test. It should roll quietly and smoothly,
and any clicks or bumps mean something is wrong.
Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a Ò no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
January 2004: Handlaying track
Use a scrap of tie stock to hold the brass
strips in place for soldering.
Switch points
Fig. 9 Guard rails. Iain uses a wheelset to locate the guard rails, as shown in
fig. 2. The plain wood supports the brass strips he uses to secure the guard rails.
in the base before tweaking the rail to
the desired angle with square-jaw pliers. Check the angle by holding it tight
to the frog and sighting along it – the
gauge or running sides of both rails
should line up perfectly.
Once the wing rails are bent, file
away the rail base facing the frog to
allow for the correct flangeway spacing.
The ends of the wing rails need a “flare”
to gather flanges smoothly into the frog.
Some railroads bend the tips of the
wing rails outward, but others simply
grind away the railhead on an angle.
Positioning the wing rails is probably
the trickiest part of making a turnout,
and getting this right is the key to
smooth running. Again, the eye is the
best tool, aided by a suitable spacer, to
set the width of the flangeways. In P:87,
these are only .022" to .024" wide, and a
piece of styrene or brass this thick will
Fig. 10 Filing
switch points
work in lieu of a feeler gauge. I find a
small mirror useful for checking alignments where I can’t get into position to
sight directly along the track – see fig. 8.
At this stage, I also fit the guard rails,
which like the wing rails need their base
filed away on the side nearest the stock
rails (HO rail has an over-wide base).
Gauge them from the frog (not from the
adjacent stock rail), using a wheelset to
position them as in fig. 9 so that they
hold the wheel flanges on the same side
of the frog. This “check gauge” is critical
for any track standard.
I aim for a clearance of between
.005" and .010" between the flange and
the frog. Too much won’t hurt, but not
enough spells trouble.
Attach the guard rails by soldering
them to short pieces of brass strip soldered beneath the stock rails. This will
allow you to adjust the check gauge.
I lay the points and closure rails as
one piece. That means that the points
have to flex rather than pivot like those
found in commercial turnouts. With the
lighter rail sections – smaller codes –
this isn’t a problem.
When filing points I take care to get
a nicely formed profile. Bringing the
tips of the points to a truly fine taper
that will close seamlessly against the
stock rails is essential in P:87 – those
little flanges will pick the tiniest of gaps.
I file points over a hardwood block
clamped in a vise. As shown in fig. 10, I
file at a shallow angle along the line of
the rail. To help hold the rail while filing, I cut a saw slit in the face of the
block to hold the base of the rail.
First I use a mill file to remove most
of the metal, and then I switch to a fine
second-cut file for the final shaping. I
finish with abrasive papers to smooth
away any file marks.
To provide a firm location to the heel
of the point – the location from which
the point flexes – solder small pieces of
brass strip beneath the stock rails as in
fig. 11. This is another location where a
PCB tie or two might be a good idea.
Cut this
way
Point
File
Hold rail here – a
thumbtack
works
well
Cross section
Stock rail with base
filed flush with head
on gauge side
Vise
Saw cut for
base of rail
Hardwood
block
Fig. 11 Heel anchors. Small brass strips soldered to the
undersides of the stock rails provide secure anchors for the
heels of the switch points, where the rails will be allowed to
flex as the points move.
Trim the closure rails and wing rails
to allow for an insulating gap between
them, then spike the closure rails using
three-point gauges to gauge them from
the opposing stock rails as in fig. 12.
Once the closure rails are spiked in
place, the heel of the switch points is
soldered to the brass strip or PCB tie.
This not only anchors it in place, it
makes a positive electrical connection
so dirt or other foreign matter between
the tip of the point and the stock rail
can’t interrupt electrical power.
Crossing
Switch rod
The last job is to add the switch rod.
Make this from PCB tie strip filed to fit
easily between the headblocks and with
a gap cut through the upper foil surface
for insulation. Solder the points to the
switch rod as shown in fig. 13. This is
easier if you remember to tin the underside of the point before spiking the
point-closure rail. Adjust this joint,
reheating if necessary, so the points
close tightly against the stock rails.
For P:87, the clearance between the
stock rail and the open switch point is
around 1⁄16". I use a spare tie as a gauge
for this. It’s okay if the backs of wheels
brush the open point, since it will
always have the same electrical polarity
as the stock rail.
At this stage I like to test the completed turnout, first with just a single
freight-car truck, and then with a variety of rolling stock. Make any adjustments required for smooth passage
through both legs of the turnout in
either direction.
Once all is well, the turnout is ready
for ballasting and a point-operating
mechanism. I’ll go on with turnout control next month, along with wiring so
you can start running trains. MR
A crossing or “diamond” includes four frogs with matching guard rails. This sequence
of photos shows the construction of the diamond where the pier track crosses the
boatyard track. We’ll show the wiring for this all-rail crossing next month. – A. S.
Fig. 12 Point-closure rails. Gauges from the opposite
stock rail help Iain locate the first point-closure rail. The toe
of the point fits into the housing on the stock rail, and Iain
leaves an insulating gap between the closure and wing rails.
Fig. 13 Switch rod. Iain solders the switch points to a
length of PCB tie stock filed to slide easily between the
headblocks. The cuts through the upper foil surface provide
the required two-rail insulation.
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
wiring and
Simple wiring and
detailed scenery bring
our seaport to life
W
ith the benchwork, track, and
turnouts completed on my HO
scale Roque Bluffs project railroad, it’s time to bring this layout to life.
This month I’ll describe a simple manual turnout control, install the layout
wiring, and get started on the scenery.
By Iain Rice
Building manual turnout controls
Photos by the author
I designed this shelf layout for standing operation with a handheld cab control, and my experience with similar
layouts has convinced me that manual
turnout control works just fine on a narrow railroad like this.
Roque Bluffs is built with Proto:87
(P:87) HO wheel and track dimensions,
although it could just as easily be built
using the National Model Railroad
Association’s standards for HO scale.
Proto:87 turnouts differ from normal
HO turnouts in that the point clearance
(the distance between an open point
and the adjacent stock rail) is much
narrower – around 1⁄16" – so the turnout
throw mechanism must operate in a
very small range of motion. However,
the simple manual turnout controls on
Roque Bluffs can be used for both P:87
and standard turnouts.
PART 6
scenery
For my wire-in-tube system, shown
in fig. 1, I used K&S no. 1143 1⁄16" brass
tube. I also used K&S no. 501 1⁄32" (.032")
music wire to slide in the tube. Music
wire is springy and it can be soldered,
but it doesn’t like sharp turns.
To prevent the tube from pinching
closed when making a gradual bend, I
always form the tube to shape with the
operating wire in place. To trim the tube
to length, I make a deep nick in one side
with a needle file, snap off the surplus,
and file the end square.
You’ll flatten the tube if you use
snips or cutters, but a cut-off disk in a
motor tool works fine – just be sure to
wear eye protection.
I secured the tube by soldering it to
brass pins driven into the baseboard. At
the operating knob end, I passed the
free end of the tube through a 1⁄16" hole
drilled in a small block of wood.
Because I installed all the manual
actuators before I glued the Masonite
fascia in place, I was careful to locate
the wood block and tube a little way
inward from the fascia position to allow
room for the knobs. I also created a
simple “friction lock” at this end of the
tube by bending the tube slightly, which
Framed by seaweed and the yellowed
grass of late fall, a Maine Central U18B
idles on a wooden trestle in the Maine
seaport town of Roque Bluffs. This
month, Iain Rice explains how he wired
the track and created scenery for his
HO scale project layout.
held the wire stiffly enough to keep the
switch points firmly in place.
I purchased the knobs at a hardware
store. The hard-plastic knobs are tapped
to accept a mounting screw, so I drilled
a 1⁄32" hole through the screw to accept
the end of the operating wire, which I
soldered in place. This allowed me to
on the top surface of the baseboard.
Removable scenic pieces hide the wires,
and critical parts like microswitches
and electrical junctions are all accessible. All the wiring leads to two compact
printed-circuit board terminal strips –
one for each of Roque Bluff’s baseboard
sections. The terminals are inside the
lean-to and office of the boatyard, a
structure that spans both layout boards.
The track is divided into four main
electrical blocks because it’s a lot easier
to locate a short circuit if you can
switch off blocks until it goes away.
Then you know that the last block you
turned off is the one with the problem.
In wiring the diamond, I took advantage of the fact that the frogs of the diamond must have the same polarity as
the frogs of the two adjoining turnouts.
I simply wired together these turnout
and crossing frogs as shown in fig. 3.
When the turnouts are set to cross the
diamond, the polarity of the diamond
will also be correct. I have to ensure
that both turnouts are correctly aligned
– even the one the train won’t be using.
But this is no worse than having to flip
a switch, and it saves a lot of wiring.
Iain uses a simple push rod soldered to the turnout switch rod to operate the
lever-action microswitch that changes the polarity of the frog.
unscrew the knobs from the operating
wire to facilitate the fascia’s installation
– removable knobs are also much less
vulnerable to damage when the layout
is transported.
I then fed the wire through the tube
and trimmed it to length using flushcutters with hardened jaws – music
wire will easily chew bites in the jaws of
ordinary wire cutters. I aligned the
other end of the wire to match the
height of the switch rod and made sure
that it was exactly in line with the rod.
The push-pull action of the music wire
needs to be absolutely straight to avoid
twisting the switch rod. I then soldered
the wire to the switch rod.
I regard powered turnout frogs as
essential. I supplied power to the frog
through lever-action SPDT (single-pole
double-throw) microswitches to change
the polarity. These switches are available
from electronics suppliers like Radio
Shack. The best switches must be small
enough to be easily concealed above the
baseboard, where they can be operated
by a simple push-rod off the end of the
switch rod – usually the end opposite
the connection to the actuating wire.
The microswitches on Roque Bluffs
are all located inside structures or hidden by small removable scenic details.
The same microswitches can be used
with powered turnouts.
Basic block wiring
I used a very simple wiring arrangement, shown in fig. 2. I ran all my wires
FIG. 1 Manual turnout control
K&S no. 501 1⁄32"
(.032") music wire
K&S no. 1143
1⁄16" brass tube
Scenery with character
I wanted to capture the atmosphere
of a working port, a place where the picturesque has to contend with the practical. True, there are some characterfilled old buildings like the boatyard
and a lighthouse. But Roque Bluffs also
features brick and sheet-metal structures, sheet-steel piling, rip-rap fill, and
lots of poured concrete.
Apart from the built-up dockside,
what’s left is bare rock – pale, flat-lying
granite with pronounced horizontal
strata and some frost-shattered outcrops – and a few patches of scrubby
brush. Vegetation is confined to coarse
sea-withered grass and a few hardy
shrubs, wind-sheared to the odd, flattopped shape of coastal growth.
Switch rod
Gaps
in foil
Push rod for
microswitch
Microswitch for frog
Masonite
fascia
Hot-glue
bead
Hole drilled
on angle in
track base
Friction-lock kink
Plastic
knob
1⁄2"
locating block
Washer soldered
on each side to
locate tube
Illustrations by Rick Johnson
Landscaping with glueshell
I’m firmly in the “glueshell” camp
when it comes to landscape modeling.
Traditional hardshell uses paper towels
dipped in soupy plaster to form a thin
shell layer. Glueshell is very similar,
except that diluted common white glue
is used instead of plaster.
Glueshell has several advantages over
plaster-based scenery. Glueshell is light,
but also strong. It won’t chip or crack
like plaster, and it’s controllable if, like
me, you build up your shell with layers
of tiny pieces of paper applied with a
brush. You can work glueshell right up
to tracks and into corners, controlling
the accuracy of application by the size
you tear the pieces of paper towel.
Best of all, there’s no need to wait for
glueshell to harden before adding texture materials, as these are held in place
by the same diluted white glue used for
the shell itself.
I generally work in small areas – typically about 4 x 4 inches. By the time
I’ve completed a small section, the section I did previously has set enough to
allow scenic texturing. It’s surprising
how fast you can go from bare baseboards to finished scenery with this
method – and there’s nothing like the
rapid appearance of finished terrain to
keep your enthusiasm high.
I used a heavy-duty paper towel of
the type often encountered in public
rest room dispensers. The towels are
thick, tough, and not particularly good
for drying hands, but as a landscape
medium they’re perfect!
Roque Bluffs doesn’t have a whole
lot of topography. What little there is
rests on a foundation of breakfast-cereal
carton, cut into thin strips and woven
into a lattice using a hot glue gun.
Where necessary, I attached these strips
to thicker cardstock landscape forms
that I cut to the desired outline. I apply
the paper towel using liberal quantities
of thinned white glue and a stiff paintbrush. I start with a layer of strips cut to
about 1 x 2 inches, then cover it with
small pieces of towel, picking the pieces
up with the tip of the brush, setting
them in place, then working the glue
mix into them. I think glueshell construction is a satisfying and enjoyable
process. It’s also an activity you can
share with younger members of your
household, who will tear towels and
“sploosh” glue with vigor!
Rough grass and scrub
The vegetation on Roque Bluffs is
pretty limited, being confined to scrub
grass, weeds, and brush. The basis of
my “scrubland brew” is felt matting,
which is widely used in upholstery and
Dead-end, fed by
toggle switch
High level
Cannery
3
4
Staging
2
Fish-meal plant
FIG. 2 Wiring diagram
Siding
Loop
(section 2)
1. Main line
2. Siding
3. High level
4. Staging
Gaps
Feeders
Both
rails
FIG. 3 Wiring a crossing
1
1
Main
Oil depot
1
Dead-end, fed
by push button
Pier track,
not powered
One
rail
Main (section 1)
Track on pier
not wired
Insulated
gap in both rails
as sound insulation in older autos. You
can buy sheets of it from auto trim
shops and upholsterer’s suppliers.
The felt consists of two layers of
pressed fiber on either side of a plastic
net. I tease up wads of the fiber and
chop the mat into narrow strips – 1⁄4" or
less wide – with utility scissors. I then
“crumble” these strips of fiber between
my fingers to produce a coarse fluff. To
round out the basic mix, I add a modest
amount of Woodland Scenics fine turf –
in this case, a mix of medium green and
grass yellow. I also add a good sprinkling of Noch electrostatic grass flocking – dark green with a dash of light
green and a good helping of Heki “winterboden” (literally, “winter ground”) –
a good dun brown dead-grass flock. I
adjust this mix by eye to give the subdued shade I’m after.
Even here in rainy old England, most
grass (especially my lawn!) is burnt
pretty much to a dull yellow-brown by
mid-summer, unless artificially or naturally watered. And that’s even truer of
grass near the sea, where the salt-laden
breezes stunt growth and cause withering. For the early fall setting of Roque
Bluffs, I needed grass ranging from pale
straw yellow through buff to brown,
with only an undertone of green.
The other main ingredient of my
coarse grass mix is manila hemp – the
stuff plumbers used to use for packing
glands and joints. It’s a series of thin
strands in a pale straw yellow that is just
the thing for making tufts of withered
grass. A good commercial alternative is
Woodland Scenics field grass in the
straw yellow and pale green shades.
I selected a reasonable number of
strands to make a bunch about 1⁄4" thick.
I then chopped off clumps with a singleedged razor blade and “planted” them
into blobs of thick white glue. When the
glue started to set, I lightly fanned the
clumps out. I then built the rest of the
grass areas clump by clump using my
fiber-flock-ground foam mix, applied
with my fingers or a pair of ordinary
eyebrow tweezers. It may sound tedious
and slow, but it’s a process I enjoy,
secure in the knowledge that this is one
patch of grass I’ll never have to mow!
I then add small bushes, weeds, and
low-growing shrubs. My small, low
plants are based on brown fiber teased
into small balls and set into dabs of
white glue with the tweezers. A quick
blast of cheap hair spray and a sprinkling of suitably colored ground foam
provides foliage. I create stouter growth
by using either rubberized horsehair –
another traditional upholstery material
– or torn-up pieces of kitchen scouring
or floor-polisher pad, mixed with tiny
bits of natural growth (roots, mostly)
harvested from my garden. I use Woodland Scenics or Heki foliage matting to
create the leaves.
To ensure that all the various materials stay put, I finish the job with a
quick overall coating of hair spray.
Pretty much any firm-hold hair spray
will do. Cheap spray is more durable
and effective for this purpose than the
classier stuff, but be warned, it can
Glueshell scenery in four steps
1
2
Glueshell is lighter and more flexible than plaster-based
hardshell scenery. Start by making contour guides from
heavy cardstock. Attach guides with a hot-melt glue gun.
Make a cardboard-strip lattice. Cut-up cereal cartons work
well for this purpose. Secure the strip lattice with adhesive
from a hot-melt glue or use staples.
smell a bit flowery. The smell wears off
after a while, but it may be wise to
make sure your wife knows what you’re
doing before the lingering perfume
aroma arouses unfortunate suspicions!
Water, water everywhere
There has probably been more written about modeling water than about
any other aspect of scenic modeling. It’s
something I should be expert at, given
that pretty much every layout I’ve built –
a dozen of ’em – has had some water on
it, and several have had a lot. I’ve tried
most techniques over the years and I’ve
concluded that there’s no sure-fire way
of hitting the bull’s-eye every time.
The problem with water is that it’s
almost invariably moving, while on a
model it’s not (as are many things on
our models, where the trains move realistically and everything else stands still).
I’ve never encountered a modeled wave
that looks good, so the harbor at Roque
Bluffs forever basks in the calm of a still
day in early fall.
I started off by making a very silly
mistake. I drew out the harbor features
on the baseboard with a permanent felt
marker, and neatly hatched the areas
that were to become water. This proved
to be a Very Bad Idea. I discovered that
permanent marker shows through any
number of layers of paint and varnish.
I finally had to scrape the paint and
varnish from the harbor area, then used
spray carpet adhesive and heavy paper
to cover the stripes. I then brushed on
hobby acrylics in a dark green-blue-gray
shade with an undertone of brown.
When the paint was dry, I covered the
paper with lots of thin coats of clear
gloss varnish. The more coats of varnish
I put on, the better it looked.
Iain found that realistic stone seawalls can be created from blocks of balsa soaked
in varying shades of gray paint and set in a fine bead of white glue.
Block-by-block seawalls
Seawalls of rectangular blocks of
granite are a signature feature of a New
England seaport. After a few experiments, I hit on a simple way of modeling these distinctive walls.
The granite blocks normally used are
roughly squared off without being finished. After trying blocks made from
plaster (realistic but slow) or modeling
clay (even slower), I found that blocks
cut randomly from 1⁄4"-square balsa and
stained with acrylic paint looked almost
as good and were very quick to produce.
By cutting my blocks with a utility knife
with an older (not too sharp) blade I
obtained a somewhat ragged cut, and by
taking care not to get the ends too
square and crisp, I could rapidly make
irregular-looking “stones.”
I colored the blocks with diluted
acrylic paint, using a mix of white, gray,
matte earth, and oxide red to give the
warm brown-gray tones of the New
England granite. I mixed small batches
of paint in a deep glass jar, added the
blocks, and stirred. I kept adding blocks
until the paint mixture was absorbed,
then tipped the blocks out onto paper
towels to dry.
I built the walls against a backing of
thick cardstock secured in place with
hot glue. Each course of stones was laid
onto a fine bead of white glue. I split
some stones lengthways to give halfheight blocks and set a few shorter
blocks on end. I also found that the soft
balsa could be squeezed or crushed to
alter the shapes of the blocks, making it
easy to get things to fit.
Not all the seawalls at Roque Bluffs
are this picturesque, however, and the
stone has been replaced at various
places by more modern forms of sea
defense – poured concrete, steel sheet
3
4
Cover with small, torn pieces of paper towel, coarse heavyduty towels are best. Liberally brush on diluted common
white household glue. The same technique is used for roads.
There’s no need to wait for the glueshell to dry before
adding foliage. A final dusting of cheap hair spray helps
keep the vegetation in place.
piling, and rip-rap fill. I made the sheet
steel piling from sections of styrene
Pikestuff box-profile sheet material. I
then trimmed the top edge of the panels
to an irregular outline (to suggest individual sheets) and glued them in place.
I built the poured concrete areas
using layers of thick cardstock and hot
glue, and brushed on a coat of thinned
tile grout to convey the look of concrete.
The rip-rap is made from acrylic paintstained cat litter laid onto a glueshell
sub-base using liberal quantities of
thinned white glue.
Rubber molds for a rocky coast
Maine is a rocky state. I used plaster
of paris and Woodland Scenics C1234
Random Rock and C1242 Washed Rock
flexible molds to make my Maine rocks.
Rather than casting my rock in place, I
persuaded my daughter Bryony that she
wanted to spend a Sunday afternoon
mass-producing plaster rock castings –
castings which Daddy then smashed up,
carved, and rejoined to slowly create the
rocky shore.
I used white glue to bind the rockwork together and blended a soupy
plaster mix into the gaps. A little sand
and some cat litter served for added texture and rock fragments.
I painted the rocks with matte
acrylics, starting with a base coat of a
mid-gray-brown followed by a wash of
dilute dark gray, which I allowed to settle in crevices and beneath overhangs. I
finished with drybrushed highlights in a
sequence of pale granite grays, the last
one being almost white.
All the seawalls, piles, trestle bents,
and rocks around the harbor have a
broad stripe of green-brown wash just
above water level to suggest the hightide mark. I applied this, using thinned
acrylic paint, with a wide brush to get a
consistent high-tide line.
Cardstock roadways and docksides
There are extensive areas where
tracks are set in concrete and blacktop
paving at Roque Bluffs. I established the
foundation for my roads from cardstock, using thick corrugated material to
build up the level between tracks. Thinner cardstock fills in between this and
the railheads outside the rails, and over
the ties between the rails.
For reliable operation and easy track
cleaning, I made sure the railheads were
slightly higher than the road by finishing
my card sub-base about 1⁄32" below the
railheads and building up the surface
with layers of paper towels.
I used a hot-glue gun to set the cardstock firmly in place, paying special
attention to the edges to make sure it
wouldn’t curl when I painted on the
thinned white glue used to fix the tornpaper road surface.
Suitably slimy seaweed
All seaside structures are affected by
the harsh maritime environment, which
causes rust on steel, pitting on concrete,
and water staining, seaweed, and algae
growth on just about everything that
comes into direct contact with seawater. The rust, pitting, and flaking paint
can be represented by normal scenic
distressing and weathering techniques,
but creating realistic seaweed is a whole
other can of worms.
I found an inexhaustible source of
seaweed in my garden pond, which produces alarming quantities of stringy
green slime. I dried some slime with a
paper towel and chopped it into 1⁄4" to 1⁄2"
lengths with a sharp hobby knife. I then
picked up a few strands on the tip of a
brush and draped the stuff over rocks,
stonework, pier timbers, piles, rip-rap,
and elsewhere on the shoreline to great
effect. I added a few drops of thinned
white glue to hold it all in place, but the
stuff is pretty much self-adhesive.
Other sea-fringe details include several clusters of clams and mussels made
from Woodland Scenics fine ballast –
dark gray with a touch of brown and
light gray added to vary the colors. The
clams cling to rocks and piers at the
high-water mark. I secured them with
white glue and gave them a coat of varnish using clear acrylic.
To finish off the shoreline, I brushed
an algae mixture – made from groundup green, yellow, and orange artist’s
pastels – onto the rocks, rip-rap, and
timbers, and held the pastel powder in
place with more hair spray. There’s a
lot of hair spray on Roque Bluffs!
Next month
With the basic landscape and road
paving in place, I can move on to creating the buildings and a small but varied
fleet of boats – the real heart of a seaport model like this. MR
Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a “no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
January 2004: Simple techniques
for creating smooth-running and
great-looking handlaid track
February 2004: Building handlaid
turnouts and crossing “diamonds”
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
seaside scenery
Improve your structures
and modify boats using
a few simple techniques
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
T
his month I’ll show how I modeled
the boats and buildings that give
our 11⁄2 x 12-foot Roque Bluffs HO
project layout the flavor of a Maine seaport. Most of the buildings on the railroad are made from plastic kits or bits
of kits, but I used scale lumber to
scratchbuild two structures, and I built
one craftsman-style kit as well.
Tricks to improve plastic kits
Most of the structures on Roque
Bluffs, including the fish-meal plant and
the cannery, are heavily modified plastic
kits. I made the fish-meal plant from
styrene panels – Pikestuff’s Milton A.
Corp. factory kit is an economical way
of obtaining a good supply of components. I still have a lot of parts left even
after building the plant and warehouse!
The “Tylick’s Soup” cannery started as
Walthers’ Golden State fruit cannery.
The plastic kits I used on Roque
Bluffs are pretty good, but they have
quirks that I find hard to live with,
including visible corner joints, chunky
details, and door moldings that are
much too thick. The window frames
and sash are also too thick, and the
glazing is set too far back in relation to
the framing. Happily, improving the
windows is a simple task.
I first thin the castings by about half
their thickness by rubbing them – back
PART 7
Occasionally, even after I’ve thinned
them, I find that the mullions still look
too heavy, so I use a small, square needle file to narrow the mullions further.
This is laborious but worth the effort.
On sliding-sash windows, like those
on the cannery building, the instructions
call for the window glazing to be glued
to the rear of the window frame. However, a major characteristic of sash windows is that the glass in the upper sash
is further forward than that in the lower
sash. It’s a feature worth representing. I
cut glazing panels from Evergreen clear
styrene, insert the top ones in front of
the window molding, and put the lower
ones in behind the molding.
Doorways, handrails, steps, sills, and
cornices are some of the other details
that benefit from extra work. Kit manufacturers simplify these parts to ease
toolmaking. I find that adding extra
trim in the form of thin styrene strip
makes a big difference.
Molded handrails can be a little
clunky, and I often replace these with
soldered brass wire or strip, which
looks better and is much more robust.
I’ve also found that doorways are too
tall on many kits. By re-framing them
or adding steps or sills, I restore the
doorways to more-realistic proportions.
Where there is an obviously tapered
mold draft on the end of a wall panel, I
file and sand the end square, and fill the
cracks and joints with fine putty.
Tips for realistic bricks
This month Iain Rice shares a variety
of techniques he used in building the
town of Roque Bluffs on his HO scale
shelf layout, including the scratchbuilt
pier and harbor office and the kitbashed soup cannery.
side down – on a sheet of medium-grit
sandpaper glued to a flat piece of board.
Most plastic window castings have
mold draft – the edges of the piece taper
from back-to-front to aid release from
the mold. Removing material from the
back of the molding not only reduces
the depth of the framing, it reduces the
width of the mullions as well.
Filing the taper of the mold square is
often enough to correct the mullions.
Since all of the brick structures in
Roque Bluffs are from plastic kits, I was
able to make the brickwork look consistent from building to building. My
favorite finishing technique for brick is
particularly effective on plastic.
First, I gently rub the surface of the
brick with medium-grit sandpaper to
take away the shine of the plastic parts.
Then I assemble the building so I can
color the entire structure in one operation. If possible, I also set aside the windows, doors, and other details for the
time being.
Once the building is assembled I fill
any gaps and cracks with putty, then
paint the building a pale mortar color –
flat white acrylic with a little added gray
and flat earth. This colors the mortar in
the brickwork and, in the case of buildings with molded-in windows, serves as
a nice neutral priming shade.
Then I color the bricks with Berol’s
Karisma art pencils. The colors of these
soft pencils take well on the painted surface, and by using a variety of shades I
can create a nicely varied and subtle
brick coloring. The Karisma product
line includes several useful shades. For
Iain kitbashed the fish-meal plant
using a combination of Pikestuff
styrene panels from the Milton A. Corp.
kit. He built the structure on-site using
clips, adhesive tape, and Handi-Tak to
hold the pieces together for trial fitting.
To finish the complex, Iain later added
Rix ventilators and several components
from a Con-Cor grain silo kit.
bricks, I use 135 Black, 144 Terra-Cotta,
918 Orange, 941 Raw Umber, and 1033
Mineral Orange. I blend the Karisma
colors by layering one over the other
and, if needed, rubbing them together
with my fingertip.
I build up the final effect slowly with
a lot of lightly applied layers, working
across the brick surface with the pencil
held at a 45-degree angle to the brick. I
use black before applying the other colors just to pick out the odd brick here
and there; when overlaid with the brick
shades, the darker bricks look as if
they’ve been over-fired a tad. I find this
helps break up the monotony of large
expanses of brick.
Working with scale lumber
Although I’m a fan of plastics for
most structure modeling – particularly
Evergreen’s superb milled siding and
sections – I made the timber pier and
trestle from scale lumber.
My first step was to pre-color the
wood by staining the pieces with dilute
acrylic paint.
For working with scale lumber, I
highly recommend a North West Short
Line Chopper. Once set, the Chopper
cuts wood to a consistent length and
angle every time. I determined the correct length of the piling by mocking up
the deck of the pier to match the height
of the rail above the water. I then used a
length of scrap wood to cut a few test
pieces. Once I had my settings locked
in, I used the Chopper to turn out many
identical parts in no time flat.
The pier consists of rows of piles
joined by heavy lumber cross-braces,
The tug M. J. McGuirk is the largest
boat in Iain’s fleet. Iain made a new
hull from styrene for a Sheepscot 55foot yard tug kit, and updated the boat
with a modern steel mast, radar
antenna, and diesel exhaust stack.
The soup cannery started as Walthers’ Golden Valley Canning Co., which Iain heavily
rearranged. To turn it into a half-relief structure, Iain cut the pitched-roof main
building lengthwise and used the remaining side and end panels to form a flatroofed addition. Iain wanted the cannery to be part of the background, so he deliberately kept the detailing to a minimum to avoid calling attention to the building.
mostly scale 12" x 12" beams. The deck
is supported by two of these beams set
on top of each other. There are five of
these doubled beams – one down each
edge, one under each rail of the spur,
and one down the center of the remaining pier decking. The pier is patterned
after one I sketched near Salem, Mass.,
but I made my version a little sturdierlooking with closer-spaced piles to support the rail spur. The piles are in rows
on 10-foot centers, spaced roughly 4 to
5 feet apart. I made sure to set piles
directly beneath the beams that carry
the load of the track.
I assembled the pier with hot glue
used very sparingly. A few Peco track
nails at critical points reinforced the
structure. To make sure that the bottom
of the piles would remain firmly in contact with the water surface, I drove a
pair of drywall screws through the center line of the pier and into the frame of
the layout, using large washers under
the screw heads to spread the strain.
The screws can’t be seen amid all the
pilings of the finished pier.
The deck of the pier is 1⁄16" hard balsa.
Initially, I cut lengths of stripwood and
laid them board-by-board. After a while,
I decided life was too short and simply
attached large pieces and then scribed
grooves to represent planking. Now that
the pier is painted and detailed I have to
look closely to tell the difference.
I handlaid the spur on the pier and
spiked the rail down as described in
part 4 of this series. In the places where
the rails are set in the board deck, I put
in a tie only every now and then. The
spur is laid with Micro Engineering
code 55 weathered rail with the top left
dull. It isn’t wired – locomotives are not
allowed on the pier, so it must be
switched using an idler car or two. The
pier track will hold two 50-foot cars.
The boats of Roque Bluffs
I was looking forward to this part of
the project. I have a soft spot for boats,
especially the older and smaller varieties. I decided that I wanted a tug of
some sort, a seagoing fishing boat, an
inshore lobsterman’s boat, at least one
sailboat, plus a smattering of rowboats,
dories, and small motor craft. But when
I browsed the Walthers’ catalog, I was
surprised by just how scarce HO scale
boats are in comparison with most
other types of accessories.
Largest and most costly of my modest selection was Sheepscot’s Snapper, a
55-foot yard tug, very much a craftsman’s kit in brass, wood, cardstock, cast
plaster, and plastic. I also chose Bluejacket’s no. 300 lobster boat and no. 303
Friendship sloop, but I couldn’t find a
suitable larger fishing vessel. This is
why, on my model of Roque Bluffs, the
fishing fleet is always at sea!
I started by building the yard tug.
This is more a selection of parts and
some helpful suggestions as to what one
might do with them than an actual kit.
The plaster hull former is common to a
number of Sheepscot kits, and I think
the hull shape is rather too racy for a
humble tug. The directions suggest the
former can be altered, but I figured if I
was going to that much trouble, I might
as well make a new hull in styrene to a
more appropriate outline – not too difficult for a waterline model like this.
Building a waterline hull
I started my sheet-plastic waterline
hull by making its footprint from a
piece of .020"-thick styrene cut to the
outline of the hull at the waterline.
Once the footprint was accurately cut
(I made it a tad oversize and finished it
with a sanding block), I cut a series of
openings in it so that solvent fumes
from the liquid cement used to build the
rest of the hull could escape. If you trap
solvent fumes in a closed structure, they
can distort the styrene.
I built the hull with ribs of .030"
styrene, and a central spine former that
determines the fore-and-aft sheer (the
curving slope), the height of the deck,
and the angle of the bow and stern. I
used the Sheepscot cast hull as a guide
for the deck sheer so that the etched
deckhouse would fit. Once the frames
were installed, I added .125"-square
styrene strengtheners at the outer ends
of the frames to support the deck.
The last job in building the skeleton
hull was to cement the .020" styrene
sheet deck in place. I drew around the
top of my waterline hull and cut two
pieces of .020" styrene sheet slightly
oversize, finishing to match the hull by
sanding. The second deck layer is an
overlay into which I later scribed the
deck planking.
Cutting and fitting the crosspiece
that makes up the stern of the boat was
my next job. I made this from .040"
sheet styrene, sloped to match the
inward slant of the sides of the hull with
the top cut to form a gentle curve.
The lighthouse is a Builders in
Scale Brandt Point Light kit. Iain
scratchbuilt the handrails from
wire and added a weather vane.
working with craftsman-style kits
Nearly all the structures on my Roque Bluffs layout are made of plastic – often from kits
that I’ve heavily modified – but since the layout is set in Maine, I wanted to include at
least one classic New England-style craftsman structure kit.
Craftsman kits typically feature a variety of materials. The Builders in Scale Brandt
Point Light that anchors the right edge of my shelf layout is a good example. The kit
includes a plaster base, laser-cut wood shingles, a cardstock-tube main structure, and
several cast-metal details.
I’m pleased with The Builders in Scale kit, but I’ve found that it pays to be selective.
There is a wide disparity among craftsman-style structures. I’ve found some kits to be
pretty crude. In fact, one or two I’ve seen appear to require more work than would be
needed to build a similar model from scratch!
On the other hand, I’ve found that a good craftsman kit, carefully built, produces a
subtler and more individual model than a plastic kit. In the context of a small, dioramatype layout such as Roque Bluffs, those are important qualities, ones that justify the
extra work. I’m glad I invested the time. – I. R.
I used the etched deckhouse assembly pretty much as supplied in the kit.
For the funnel, I used a brass tube. The
wheelhouse is located on the second
deck by blocks of .250"-square styrene.
I felt that the Sheepscot tug was a bit
old-fashioned, so I updated it by changing the detailing. I simulated a diesel
conversion with a new exhaust pipe
exiting inside the original funnel. I also
installed welded-steel masts, a tubular
foremast with a radar antenna, and forward running light. I also substituted
molded-rubber tires as fenders for the
cast metal tires in the kit and made a
rope fender for the bow.
Resin boats round out the fleet
The smaller craft in the harbor are
white-metal castings, together with the
resin kits from Bluejacket Models.
Largest of these is a classic New England lobster boat, complete with cutaway wheelhouse side and the winch
and davit for lifting the lobster creels. I
built it following the instructions and
added a few details.
The other Bluejacket kit – the Friendship sloop – was also built according to
directions, with a few extra detail parts.
I greatly enjoyed building these kits, and
I’ve ordered more of them.
Operations and finishing touches
Next month I’ll put the final touches
on our project railroad, including signs,
figures, and vehicles. I’ll also talk about
how I tuned Roque Bluffs for smooth
running, and I’ll share my thoughts on
operating shelf-type layouts. MR
Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a “no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
January 2004: Handlaying track
February 2004: Handlaying turnouts
March 2004: Wiring and scenery
A small layout you can build
Roque Bluffs,
detailing
A triple layer of details
adds the finishing touch
By Iain Rice
Photos by the author
T
his month we’ll finish our Roque
Bluffs project layout by building
layers of details to create lively,
realistic scenes. We’ll also give the railroad a final tune-up, an essential step for
a layout built with Proto:87 (P:87) track
and wheel dimensions that are closer to
scale dimensions and less forgiving than
the familiar HO scale standards.
Details done right
I have definite views on the best way
to detail a model railroad. I find that a
little thought makes a big difference in
a layout’s finished appearance. It’s too
easy to just detail everything and create
scenes that are too busy. It’s just as
important to have “quiet areas” in a
scene as it is to have centers of interest.
I use detailing to call attention to a few
carefully selected centers of interest,
while leaving other areas of the scene a
little bare to act as visual respite.
In the case of Roque Bluffs, the key
centers of interest are the areas around
the fish-meal plant loading silos, the
boat shed, and the pier. Further back in
the scene are three less-detailed centers
PART 8
and operation
of interest: the diner, the oil depot, and
the firehouse. I deliberately kept the center of the scene reasonably plain – there
could easily have been a lot more general clutter – while the long facade of the
cannery at the rear of the layout is
almost bland. The fall-off in detail as the
viewer’s eye moves deeper into the scene
creates an illusion of distance.
The layered-detail approach
I find that it’s much easier to build
detailing in a series of layers. It gives
me time to carefully consider how my
overall scene is progressing, and many
of my best detailing ideas occur as I
move the model toward a finished state.
My first layer of detail consists of
those things that have to be there to conform to the prototype: switch stands, signals, signs, utility poles, relay cabinets,
grade crossing crossbucks, and fences.
My second detail layer includes the
things I add to suit my ideas of what
the scene can be. This layer commonly
includes vehicles, animals, figures, and
“mini scenes” – such as a chicken pen
on a farm or a building site in a city.
Iain found that modeling a realistic
amount of dockside clutter was one of
the most enjoyable parts of the detailing process. The different floats, for
example, are made from bits of wood,
plastic sprue, and glass beads.
The last layer I’ve christened “filigree
detail.” This layer include things that can
be seen only on close inspection – a man
working under a truck that is propped
up on cinder blocks or Grandpa in his
rocking chair on the porch.
Knowing how best to use this sort of
detail to tell a story or even to add a
A Maine Central switch engine works
the dockside at Roque Bluffs, Maine.
Iain uses varying levels of detail to
direct the attention of viewers to the
important parts of the scene and to
maintain a feeling of depth on a layout
that is just 18" wide.
touch of visual humor to a particular
scene is an art in itself.
Avoiding the frozen-movement trap
As with waves, waterfalls, and all
other things that should be moving but
aren’t, I avoid figures or animals that
are in a “frozen movement.” The galloping horse perpetually stuck in midstride, the workman with his shovel
half-raised, and the man running to
catch the train, are all banned from my
layout. Rather, I look for figures in
repose – standing, leaning, sitting, lying,
or otherwise in positions they could
conceivably maintain for some time. In
this way, their lack of movement is not
immediately apparent.
However, finding figures and animals
at rest is easier said than done. Many
HO product lines seem to be populated
entirely by people leaping about and animals at full gallop. I had quite a job finding enough “in repose” figures for
Roque Bluffs – not the most populous
spot on the planet! In the end, I used a
few figures from Noch and Life-Like,
along with some of the less-frenetic
Preiser and Merten figures.
Modeling road vehicles is almost a
hobby within a hobby, and I had a lot of
fun producing a suitable selection of
vehicles for Roque Bluffs. Some of these
are the usual HO scale favorites from
Trident, Busch, Roco, Eko, and so on,
but there are also a few kitbuilt vehicles
to add interest and variety.
As with the figures and animals, I
find that a vehicle placed in a spot
where it should be moving – but obviously isn’t – strikes a jarring note. I’ve
also made a point of giving my road
vehicles a touch of workaday grime.
The vehicle I spent the most time on
is the pride of the Roque Bluffs Volunteer Fire Department – a shiny Ford
pumper parked on the firehouse driveway while the members carry out a little
remodeling project indoors. The fire
truck is an Alloy Forms kit, which I
modified slightly to follow a fire engine
I photographed in upstate New York.
Extra detail includes grab rails, lighting,
and a full complement of fire hose on
the bed. Alloy Forms kits call for a bit of
work, but I love them.
Layout tune up
Any model railroad benefits from a
thorough mechanical and electrical
going-over before regular operation
starts. On Roque Bluffs, I spent a good
many hours carefully test-running all
my equipment and ruthlessly investigating any derailments, hesitant running, or other operating problems. Time
spent at this stage determining and correcting problems is repaid when the layout is in regular operation.
Many of the problems I found had to
do with the scenic work, such as ballast
or ground foam blocking crossing and
turnout flangeways or paint or glue
residue on the railheads.
I also looked for equipment flaws. As
a rule of thumb, the car is suspect if it
derails at more than one location, the
track is suspect if different cars derail at
the same location. For rolling stock, I’ve
found that the chief culprit in derailments is dirty wheel treads. Those P:87
flanges are really tiny and even a small
speck of crud is enough to cause a problem. I also learned that it is essential
that the trucks swivel freely and that at
least one truck on each car is able to
rock from side-to-side and fore-and-aft
to allow equalization.
The close-to-scale couplers I used
required careful installation – there’s no
room for error with these tiny coupler
knuckles. Even when the couplers are
set correctly, I discovered that manual
alignment of the knuckles was often
necessary when coupling cars, but that’s
also true on a real railroad.
To my surprise, Roque Bluffs proved
more finicky to operate than an earlier
P:87 layout I’d built that used Europeanprototype rolling stock. I believe that the
U.S. combination of long cars with
short-wheelbase trucks has a bearing on
this – my big covered hoppers are certainly more susceptible to track faults
than are my 40-foot boxcars. I’m sure
that a really free-acting equalized truck
with minimal slop in the wheel bearings
Meet Iain Rice
Iain Rice has written articles and books
on model railroading for more than three
decades, but Roque Bluffs is his first
multi-part layout project. Iain wishes to
thank his wife Rosalind and daughters
Elsa and Bryony, and friends John
Chambers, Andrew Boyd, and Marty
McGuirk. He also acknowledges the
assistance of Martha Sharp at Train and
Trooper in North Yarmouth, Maine, who
came up with most of the bits and pieces
(often at short notice), and the helpful
staffs of Terminal Hobby Shop in Milwaukee, Des Plaines Hobbies in Chicago,
and Henry’s Hobby House in West
Boylston, Mass. Iain, a professional firefighter, lives in Chagford, England.
The vehicles on Iain’s layout are
parked rather than positioned on the
road, and the figures are limited to
poses that they could conceivably
maintain for some time. This makes
their lack of motion less distracting.
would go a long way to ensuring reliable
contact between wheels and rails.
Operating a shelf-type layout
Roque Bluffs is a pure switching
puzzle, and that’s the only practical
form of operation. Short trains, usually
four or five cars, are brought into the
yard from staging. All the cars have different final destinations on the layout.
Delivering them is not a simple proposition. The oil depot and the pier spurs
face one way, the fish-meal plant spur
faces the other, and the cannery spur is
reached with a reverse move.
The other difference from normal
operating practice stems from the use
of narrow P:87 wheel and flangeway
dimensions and fine-scale couplers.
Working with these more-exacting components gave me a new appreciation for
the forgiving nature of standard HO!
I find that switching Roque Bluffs is
a much slower and more demanding
process than switching a normal HO
layout and, in terms of authenticity,
that’s also closer to real-life. Switching
is often labor-intensive and time-consuming, which is why real railroads
regard it as a necessary evil and model
railroaders think it’s fun.
Would I do it again?
Roque Bluffs is now in the shakedown phase. I’m still making all sorts of
little improvements, and every week the
layout looks and runs just a tad better. I
have no doubt that P:87 dimensions
work well, but I also know that this is
true only because I put in the time and
effort necessary to achieve the required
accuracy in the trackwork and equipment. A lot goes into keeping those tiny
flanges on the rails!
For that reason I don’t see P:87 as a
realistic option for everyone. I certainly
wouldn’t care to attempt a large P:87
project. But in the context of a small
layout, I believe the better appearance
of the narrower wheel and flangeway
dimensions are well worth the effort.
My conclusion is that there’s definitely a place in the hobby for track,
wheel, and coupler dimensions that are
closer to scale than ordinary HO, while
being less demanding than true-scale
P:87 dimensions. I may have a few ideas
to try on my next layout! MR
The narrow width of the Proto:87
wheels used on Iain’s Roque Bluffs
layout look realistic but make it difficult to rerail cars. Iain made this simple ramp from thin brass sheet and
soldered wire to solve the problem.
Building Roque Bluffs
October 2003: Planning a “no room
for a layout” layout
November 2003: Lightweight and
sturdy benchwork
December 2003: Selecting and
detailing the right mix of rolling stock
January 2004: Handlaying track
February 2004: Handlaying turnouts
March 2004: Wiring and scenery
April 2004: Seaside scenery
JIM FORBES
Locomotive splicing
Converting an HO scale Athearn GE U30B into a U18B
By Iain Rice Photos by the author
W
hen I started work on my Proto:87 Maine Central project railroad (beginning in the October 2003 issue of
MODEL RAILROADER), I wanted a locomotive for the layout that was unique to the prototype. I found the perfect candidate in the MEC’s “Independence class” U18B lightweight
road switchers. Built by General Electric in 1975, each of the
ten locomotives was named for people or events associated
with the United States’ Bicentennial celebration. However, as
no one manufactures this distinctive engine, the only way I
was going to get one would be through cutting and splicing.
sill that hold the shell to the frame. Again, consult the cutting
diagram for this detail. On the finished model, the body simply press-fits to the frame, so keep in mind that it’ll be safer
to pick up the locomotive by its fuel tank.
One other major shell modification reversed the short
door and air filter under the inboard end of the radiator compartment, both of which are molded the “wrong way up” for
a U18B. To make the correction, follow the cutting and
reassembly directions in fig. 1.
I also changed a number of molded-on cab and nose
details on the locomotive as shown in fig. 2.
Reworking the shell and frame
My model Independence class U18B no. 403, the General
Peleg Wadsworth (couldn’t resist him!), started life as an
Athearn U30B. To shorten the shell and frame follow the cutting diagram on page 93. [For a step-by-step description of
how to shorten and power the Athearn model, see Dean Foster’s article “Kitbashing a GE U18B” from the March 1984
issue of MR. You can find a reprinted copy of it on the
modelrailroader.com Web site. – Ed.]
You can make all the other indicated shell revisions at
this time as well, including removing the latches on the side
Coupler mounts
Another unique GE U-boat feature is the coupler box,
which extends part way through the face of the pilot. Figure
3 shows the pilot with the new coupler boxes installed.
I started by shortening Kadee no. 5 coupler boxes to hold
no. 58 scale-sized couplers. After sawing the cast-on coupler
mounts from the frame, I built new coupler mounting pads
behind each pilot on the shell using .250"-square styrene with
.040" styrene height-adjusting spacers. Next, I attached the
couplers and boxes to the pads with self-tapping screws.
Remove four roof vents
Fill bell-mounting holes
Remove flare
from both sides
Cut out
5'-3"
Air filter section to be
reversed (see fig. 1)
Remove
headlight
and fill
holes
Remove
drop steps,
both ends
Remove frame
latches
Remove window
center posts
1⁄16"
Cut out
5'-3"
SHELL AND FRAME CUTTING DIAGRAM
File off
Motor-mount holes
Not to scale
Step 1. Remove
radiator section
Step 3. Swap sides so panel is inverted
and cement shell back together
Step 4. Fill gaps
and sand smooth
Step 2. Cut out
panels with air
filters
Fig. 1 LOWERING THE AIR FILTER. As seen in these before-and-after
photos, Iain removed the radiator section of the shell so he could cut
I then filled the coupler cutouts in the pilot with pieces of
.030" styrene.
out the panel containing the high-mounted air filter and invert it. He
then filled any gaps with Squadron Green Putty.
Remove molded-on
grab irons
New bell
hanger
location
Detailing the shell and cab
Figure 2 shows where I would later install the new bell.
Photographs of Maine Central U18Bs show that the bell was
mounted on the long hood behind the cab on the fireman’s
side (he must have felt like Quasimodo after a trip over Crawford Notch!). I made a styrene strip bracket for a Details
Associates frame-mount bell (a portion of the finished bell
can be seen in fig. 5).
I added other detail parts to the shell as shown in fig. 3.
The cab needed some basic interior details; with those big
side windows, you can easily see into the cab. I cemented
pieces of .250"-square styrene inside the battery boxes below
the cab and built a floor from pieces of .020" styrene sheet on
top of them. This arrangement clears the gear tower on the
truck at maximum swing and covers the drive coupling. I
made a simple control stand and seats (as seen in fig. 3) from
styrene scraps.
Tuning up the mechanism
Mechanically, my U18B is pretty much identical to other
Athearn four-axle road switchers. The only real modification
I made was to replace the original trucks with Athearn’s GPtype (“Blomberg”) trucks to match those on the prototype.
Because the model was for my Proto:87 layout, I used
NorthWest Short Line’s no. 376424 Proto:87 conversion
wheelsets as shown in fig. 4. The turned nickel-silver replacement wheels simply push into the Athearn gear sockets. Fol-
Drill holes
for MV
class
lights
Remove molded-on
rain gutter and
replace with .010"
x .020" styrene
Remove
widow sill
Fig. 2 CAB AND NOSE MODIFICATIONS. After carefully removing a
number of molded details from the cab and nose, Iain sanded the
parts smooth with fine-grit sandpaper.
lowing the National Model Railroad Association’s (NMRA)
Recommended Practice RP-4, I gauged the wheelsets to .613"
measured from the back of one wheel to the rail side of its
partner’s flange. After installing the wheelsets, I carefully
checked that the trucks would roll freely before clipping them
to the frame and hooking up the drive shaft. I added only a
few details to the truck frames as seen in fig. 3.
Before assembling the trucks I chemically blackened the
steel side plates with a product called Gun Blue, though you
could paint them black instead.
Firecracker antenna
Air horn
Simple cab
interior
Athearn brass bearing
Wire grab
irons
Axle socket
Proto:87 wheel
Brake chain
Drop
step
New
coupler
box
Plow
Wire air lines
JIM FORBES
Fig. 3 ADDING DETAILS. In addition to building a simple cab interior
from styrene scraps, Iain also added the assortment of details seen
here. This view also shows the new coupler box mounted to the pilot
(the snowplow is temporarily held in place with poster adhesive).
To improve electrical contact, I soldered power wires
from the trucks to the motor. I also cut down the L-shaped
truck contact strip at the cab end just above the engine
frame to clear the detailed cab interior. Finally, I replaced
the Athearn headlight with a Train Tronics constant lighting
system. [If you use Digital Command Control on your layout, you will want to install a DCC decoder at this time
instead of the Train Tronics circuit. – Ed.]
Painting and decaling
After bathing the shell in mild soapy water to wash off all
of the oil and dust from handling and sanding, I primed it
with Floquil Gray Primer from a spray can. After the primer
dried, I airbrushed the shell with Polly Scale MEC Harvest
Gold (I add a dash of Polly Scale Clear Gloss to the paint).
I then masked the model and airbrushed the cab roof and
long- and short-hood tops Polly Scale Pine Green.
I brush-painted the side sills and frame with Humbrol
Matte Black paint, masking the straight edges. Next I used a
spray can to paint the frame and fuel tank Floquil Engine
Black. I then brush-painted the truck frames and details in a
weathered black I mixed myself from Humbrol paints,
including Matte Black with a dash of Matte Dark Earth and
a spot of Silver.
After the paint had completely dried, I decaled the locomotive with Accu-Cals set 5807. (For the pilot, however, I
used the white stripes from Microscale set 4181.) Once all
the decals were in place and safely snugged down with a
touch of Micro-Set, I sealed the decals in place with an airbrushed coat of Micro Satin finish.
Final detailing and weathering
With the painting and decaling out of the way, it was time
to add the final details. To glaze the cab windows, I used
clear plastic cut from a Ferrero Rocher chocolate box, carefully filing the pieces to size. Laser-cut glazing from American Model Builders would be a lot easier to use (except you
don’t get to eat the chocolates). Figure 5 shows many of the
other details I added, as well as the chalk weathering I
applied to the finished model. I weathered the engine lightly
as I wanted the locomotive to look newer.
The work to build this rare four-axle road switcher was
time well spent; it’s nice to have an engine you won’t see on
every layout, and these little snub-nose GEs certainly have a
lot of character. 1
Fig. 4 INSTALLING WHEELS. To bring the locomotive up to Proto:87
track standards, Iain added NorthWest Short Line fine-scale replacement wheelsets. The new wheels simply press-fit into the Athearn
gear sockets.
Bill of materials
Accu-Cals decals
5807 Maine Central
road switchers
9020 .020" sheet
9030 .030" sheet
9040 .040" sheet
American Model Builders
Humbrol paint
237 Athearn GE U series
window set
11 Silver
29 Matte Dark Earth
33 Matte Black
Athearn
3440 powered U30B
undecorated
42010 front GP power truck
42020 rear GP power truck
Microscale
104 Micro Set
106 Micro Coat, satin
4181 Maine Central EMD
switcher decals
Detail Associates
1202
1403
1508
2202
2210
2505
frame-mount bell
GE drop step
MU hoses
grab irons
safety chain
.015" wire
MV Products
19 lenses for marker lights
NorthWest Short Line
376424 Proto:87 half-axle
wheelsets
Details West
Polly Scale paint
155 snowplow
186 three-chime air horn
404049 Maine Central
Harvest Gold
404052 Maine Central
Pine Green
404100 Clear Gloss Finish
Floquil paint
130009 Primer
130010 Engine Black
Squadron Products
Evergreen styrene
100 .010" x 020"
143 .040" x 060"
199 .250" square
9010 .010" sheet
9055 Green Plastic Putty
Train Tronics
101 1-bulb constantlighting circuit
Iain Rice, a frequent contributor from the United Kingdom,
has written numerous articles for MODEL RAILROADER. Watch
for Iain’s multi-part series on building a Proto:87 project layout
starting in the October 2003 issue of MR.
Strobe light
made from
translucent rod
New railings
modified from
Athearn parts
Exhaust stack
weathered with
artist’s chalk
Frame and grills
weathered with
artist’s chalk
Bell
Window glazing
MV class
light lenses
MU
hoses
Fig. 5 FINAL DETAILS AND WEATHERING. After painting and decaling
the engine, Iain added MU hoses, windshield wipers, and MV lenses
in the classification lights. He weathered the locomotive using a light
dusting of various colors of artist chalks.
More on our Web site
For a step-by-step description of how to shorten and power the
Athearn model, see Dean Foster’s article “Kitbash a GE U18B” from
the March 1984 issue of MR at www.modelrailroader.com/
PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N
Building
scenery
2. Weave in horizontal
strips and staple (or
hot glue) where strips
cross. (Stapling is
much faster and easier,
but requires a
pliers-type stapler.)
y
;
;
y
;
y
;
y
;
y
;
y
;
y
y;y;y;
;
y
;
y
y;y;
Some scenery
fundamentals
Materials and
techniques for transforming a Plywood
Central into a realistic
model railroad
3. Lay on surface
of hand-sized
paper towel
strips dipped in
soupy plaster
(messy method),
or plaster cloth
strips (neat
method). Plaster
cloth is sold
in hobby shops.
1. Hot glue vertical
1"-wide corrugated
cardboard strips
in place.
Fig. 1 MODELING SCENIC FORMS
Increase flexibility by bending
while pulling across a handy surface.
A. Cardboard Strip Method
B
een procrastinating? Sooner or
later all the track is laid and wired,
the trains are running, the equipment has been detailed and weathered,
and you can no longer put off building
scenery. Fortunately, it’s easier today
than it was, say, 20 years ago, thanks to
all the quality scenery products now
available. You can get nearly everything
you need at a well-stocked hobby shop.
Remember that no stretch of scenery
has to last forever. If you don’t like it,
you can just knock it out and try again.
(Lots of fine modelers have done just
that more than once.) You’re out only a
few bucks worth of materials and
you’ve gained valuable experience. Like
most everything else in this hobby, the
more you do it, the better you get.
The three elements
Once we’ve modeled the ground, it’s
time to paint it. Lots of modelers
choose browns that are too dark. Soils
are lighter than we think, plus our layout lighting doesn’t approach the intensity of sunlight. Medium tan in a flat
latex wall paint works very well for
model railroad scenery.
Usually we thin the latex paint
about 50-50 with water, brush it on,
and then begin sprinkling scenery materials on immediately to take advantage
of the paint’s adhesive quality. We can
Advantages
Disadvantages
1. Inexpensive
(particularly with
messy methods).
1. Need carefully
applied finish layer
to hide outline of
strips.
2. Fast (particularly
on broad expanses).
3. Easily modified.
4. Lightweight
(particularly if
Sculptamold is
used).
2. Smooth surface with hot-wire
tool, knives, Surform tools,
whatever works. (Hint: Hot-wire
tools are great.) That’s it. You’re
ready to paint the surface with
tan latex paint.
2. May need
modifications to
obtain final shape
desired.
3. Messy (unless
plaster cloth and
Sculptamold are
used).
Advantages
1. Controllable, easy to
achieve the shape you
want.
2. Lightweight and quite
durable (especially good
for modules and
portable layouts).
y
;
y
;
y
;
y
;
y;y;
As my friend Bob Hayden says, there
are three elements of scenery-making:
form, color, and texture. Get all three
right and your scenery will be right.
Let’s start with form, the shapes of
things. Your best friend here is observation. Our memories don’t serve us
well; looking at the real thing and studying photos is much more reliable.
After considerable squinting and
hand waving over imaginary contours
you’re ready to start. Figure 1 shows
two popular techniques; I’ve listed some
advantages and disadvantages with
each. Modeling with extruded foam
board is extremely popular with today’s
modelers, so if you have difficulty
choosing, choose that.
Cut strips across
the corrugations.
Color and texture
1. Stack up layers cut
from foam insulation
board; 1" and 2"
thicknesses work well.
Bond with Liquid
Nails for Projects.
4. Apply finish
surface with
putty knife,
using plaster
(messy), or
Sculptamold
(very neat).
Sculptamold
is sold in
hobby and
craft shops.
Fig. 1 MODELING SCENIC FORMS
B. Foam board method
First foam
layer supported
by wood risers.
3. No wood formers ever
needed.
Disadvantages
1. Slow, particularly if
building a large layout.
2. Expensive if foam
insulation board is
purchased. (Scraps
can often be picked up
at construction sites.)
3. Can be messy, although a
hot-wire tool eliminates
much of this problem.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KELLIE JAEGER
2. Sprinkle on scenery materials
(sand, ground foam, etc.).
Fig. 2 ADDING GROUND COVER
1. Paint surface with
thinned tan latex paint.
3. Bond by
spraying
with diluted
adhesive,
detergent
added.
y
;
y
;
y;
4. Sprinkle on more
materials, spray
again. Repeat
cycle until
desired results
are achieved.
Fig. 3 COLORING ROCK
CASTINGS
To unify a rock surface apply plaster
between castings and use a knife to carve
the wet plaster so it blends with the castings. (A palette knife works best for me.)
Painting rocks
Most modelers use artist’s acrylics,
usually out of tubes. They dry quickly
and clean up with soap and water.
(You’ll note that the materials we’ve discussed here are all water-soluble. Generally this means you can keep working
without waiting for work to dry thoroughly, can clean up easily, and won’t
get chemical reactions.)
When painting rocks I begin with a
thinned coat of white, but many modelers go straight to work with colors. For
the most part we stick with earth tones:
burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna,
and raw sienna. Of these burnt umber
(a rich brown) is the most useful. You’ll
also need some Titanium White and
Mars Black to lighten or darken colors.
Squeeze out short ribbons of paint
on a palette, a white dish, or whatever is
handy (as long as it’s white so you can
see the colors). Keep a cup of clean
water handy (change it frequently), and
start mixing with your brush and painting. This may sound artsy and difficult,
but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Washes and drybrushing
1. Paint rocks with acrylic
paints, let dry.
2. Flow on black wash with
wide brush, let dry.
sprinkle on sifted real dirt, tiny rocks,
ground-up leaves, or kitty litter, but the
favorite material today is ground foam.
This is plastic foam (the material
inside seat cushions) ground up and
dyed. Woodland Scenics is a major
manufacturer. A variety of grinds (from
fine to coarse) and colors is available.
3. Lightly drybush to highlight
surface detail. Don’t overdo it.
als. Otherwise you can end up with a
crust that breaks away, revealing still
loose materials underneath.
For small areas spray on “wet” water
(water with liquid detergent added),
then apply the adhesive (mixed the same
as for spraying) with an eyedropper.
Rocks
Bonding scenery materials
As you build up scenery materials
you can bond them in place by spraying
them with a dilute mixture of adhesive
from a household plant sprayer, as
shown in fig. 2. (Clean the sprayer afterward if you expect to be able to use it
again.) I like to use matte medium, an
acrylic varnish available from art supply stores. A good ratio for spraying is 5
parts water to 1 part matte medium.
Adding about a half-teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent will help the
adhesive penetrate the scenery materi-
Lots of modelers carve rocks in plaster as it is setting up and some get good
results. For the rest of us a better, faster
method is to cast rocks in rubber
molds, available at hobby shops.
Plaster of paris, patching plaster, and
molding plaster all work well for casting
rocks. Just mix the plaster to a thick
cream consistency and pour it in the
molds. Either let the castings set up in
the molds, then glue them to the layout,
or else keep an eye on them and as
they’re setting hold them in place on the
layout to cast rocks in place.
Several special painting techniques
will prove helpful. The first is washes,
wherein you flood an area with a thin
solution of paint, applying it with a large
brush, say a 1" or 11⁄2" flat. See fig. 3.
Besides being good for establishing a
color base, this technique is also useful
later in the painting process. You can,
for example, apply a thin coat of dark
color that will settle into nooks and crannies and help bring out the detail.
Another technique is drybrushing,
wherein you dip the brush into paint,
wipe it dry on a paper towel, then brush
vertically over raised surfaces. (Yes, an
all but imperceptible amount of paint
has remained on the brush.) A 1⁄2" flat
brush works well for this.
All I’ve attempted here is to touch on
some primary concepts, techniques,
and materials. For a wealth of further
information, get Dave Frary’s book,
How to build realistic model railroad
scenery, published by Kalmbach.
Give scenery modeling a try. It’ll
make a tremendous difference on your
layout, and if you don’t believe me, just
sprinkle some green ground foam on a
stretch of plywood next to the track and
run a train by. What a difference! 1
BUILD REALISTIC
H
ighly detailed, prize-winning foreground scenery doesn’t
have to be time-consuming or overly complex. In fact,
with a little effort and research, building show-quality
scenery can be fun, easy, and rewarding.
My scenery techniques were inspired by a convention
clinic given by late MODEL RAILROADER staff member Art
Curren in the 1990s called “Scenery as I See It.” The main
point of Art’s clinic was that density, shape, size, and color
vary greatly in nature. As a result, the more texture you can
add to your scenic details such as trees, brush, and undergrowth, the more realistic they’ll appear to the viewer.
Follow along as I take you step-by-step through the process
I used to build the scenery for my HO scale model contest dio-
The scenery techniques Sam Swanson uses on his HO scale layout
and award-winning dioramas are fun, convincing, and most importantly, simple to duplicate for your own model railroad.
rama, Hall Hollow. It is an Appalachian valley coal mine surrounded by muddy roads, dense brush, rock outcroppings,
and wooded hills, adding realistic texture to the scene. 1
Sam Swanson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, enjoys scratchbuilding
highly detailed structures. Having won many awards for his
modeling work, his Hall Hollow diorama, as seen in this article,
won first place for On-line Display at the 2001 National Model
Railroad Association convention in St. Louis, Mo.
SCENERY
1
Landscaping from the foam up
By Sam Swanson • Photos by the author
A SOLID YET FLEXIBLE BASE
For a solid foundation I use extruded foam insulation
board. I build the rough topography by stacking layers of
foam, holding them together with Liquid Nails for Projects adhesive and bamboo skewers. After the glue dries,
the land features are easy to define using a serrated-edge
paring knife. Other tools that work well for shaping the
foam include a Surform tool, a rasp, various wire brushes,
and even sandpaper. (A Shop-Vac is also a handy item to
help control the mess.) Next, I pencil in roads and trackwork with a permanent marker, and cut spaces for structure bases that will be incorporated into the scene.
2
ROADS AND TRACKS WITH PURPOSE
I use track spurs and roads as leading lines to guide
viewers into a scene. Typically the lines provide a color
contrast – dark-ballasted rights-of-way versus light clay
roads – and each helps catch the viewer’s eye.
For rail spurs, I glue flextrack into place with a thin
layer of Liquid Nails spread on top of the foam roadbed. I
then spread soil and ballast around the track and secure it
with diluted white glue (two parts water, one part glue).
For dirt roads, I mix fine clay soil with diluted white
glue to a consistency of peanut butter as seen in the photo
on the right. Then I spread it on the roadway about 1⁄8"
thick and work in ruts with the end of a paintbrush. Next
I sprinkle dry clay on the non-rutted areas and let the road
dry thoroughly. For the final touch, I rub the road with a
stiff brush or my finger to give it that dusty, hard-packed
clay road appearance as seen in the photo below.
3
EASY ROCK OUTCROPPINGS
The bulk of the outcroppings on the diorama are
carved from the same foam insulation board I used for
the base. I score and snap 2"-thick foam pieces and glue
them in place to start the rock formations. I then carve
and sand the outcroppings until I am satisfied with the
lines and shapes of the rocks.
Next, I use a four-step finishing system, as shown in
the photo. First I paint the outcropping with a suitable tan
color. In the second step, I stain crevices and shadowed
areas with a thinned complementary dark color of paint.
For the third step, I add texture to the rocks by what I
call the “soiling” process: affixing fine clay to the rocks
with diluted white glue. I brush diluted glue over the
painted/stained (and thoroughly dried) surface. Then I
sprinkle or brush the clay liberally on the rock face and let
it dry completely before proceeding.
As a final step, I drybrush the rocks with lighter colors
of paint to highlight and accentuate the texture.
4
BLENDED GROUND COVER
To give the ground the proper look, I use an assortment of soils, rock debris, and ground foam to create
my basic ground cover. For your layout, consulting pictures of the area you are modeling is a must when making these color selections.
I start by painting the open foam areas between the
track, roads, and rock outcroppings with a flat interior
latex tan paint. I then add soil and fine ground foam,
along with talus (rocks sloughed from outcroppings)
around the rocks. To vary the soil color, I use two
strengths of diluted white glue: The stronger the glue
mixture, the darker the color of the soil when it dries.
For the area I model, foam colors include a variety of
greens, browns, and yellows. I commonly use eight different colors, starting with Woodland Scenics Green
and Earth blends. I let the ground cover dry thoroughly
before adding any other scenic details.
5
FUZZY UNDERBRUSH
I consider everything from grass tufts, bushes, brier
thickets, and weed accumulations to be underbrush.
The two materials best suited to modeling underbrush
are jute twine for grass and commercial poly fiber for
bushes and thickets. They have the “fuzzy quality” that
Art Curren stressed as important in model scenery and
simulate the dense undergrowth found throughout my
modeled region, the Appalachian hills.
To create large areas of thicket and weed underbrush
quickly, I use thinly stretched mats of poly fiber covered
with several different colors of fine ground foam fixed
in place with either maximum-hold hair spray or
Testor’s Dullcote. I use the same colors as the ground
cover and prepare a variety of color combinations, often
placing different colors on the front and back of the
mats. To make wildflowers, I add dashes of Woodland
Scenics no. 48 flower mix to a few of the poly fiber mats.
When installing them in the scene, I vary the underbrush mats by mixing up the colors, shapes, and densities. I stretch the mat so some of the ground cover
shows through and glue it in place with beads of fullstrength white glue.
6
TUFTS, BUSHES, AND SAPLINGS
With the poly fiber underbrush in place, I add more
detailed individual underbrush items including grass
tufts, bushes, and saplings.
For grass tufts, I stain and tease jute twine. When
dry, I plant the tufts in holes in the foam base and
secure them with white glue. You can also use grass
tufts to make small bushes by gluing fine foam to the
jute fibers for leaves.
I make simple bushes from poly fiber or tree foliage
balls sprinkled with fine foam. I typically use bushes in
heavy undergrowth areas to provide some vertical
shapes and vary the texture of the underbrush.
For saplings I use the small twigs that break off
when making trees and top them with a ball of
commercial fiber or clump foliage; both work well and
provide variety through color and density. I use
saplings to bridge the transition from underbrush to
the wooded areas, much as they do in nature.
8
LEAVES FOR YOUR TREES
To add leaves to the trees, I use Woodland Scenics
fiber and clump (or cluster) foliage. The key to making
realistic trees is to cover the sunflower and twig branches
with many small puffballs of teased foliage material individually glued to the branches. I start near the bottom of
the tree and work out and up along the trunk and
branches, gluing the foliage balls on with white glue.
After those have had time to set, I fill in any unwanted
open spaces by gluing puffballs directly to each other.
When dry, I highlight the treetops by dusting them with
light-colored fine ground foam, holding it in place with hair
spray or Dullcote.
I install the trees on the diorama last, only after all the
other scenery has been completed. First I test the placement of the trees in the scene, either individually or in
groups of three or five. Once I am happy with how they
look, I plant each tree by pressing it firmly into the foam
base, securing it with white glue.
With that, your lush, textured Appalachian scenery is
finished and you can to amaze your friends with your
realistic re-creation.
7
TREE TRUNKS THAT LOOK RIGHT
To make the dense stands of deciduous trees that
characterize Appalachia, I use three different types of
trunks covered with fiber and clump foliage, as well as
fine ground foam. My goal is not to model specific
species, but to vary trunk and foliage sizes, shapes, and
colors enough to produce realistically wooded hills.
For my homemade tree trunks, I use sunflower roots
and various twigs. They’re realistic and free! I preserve
the natural trunks by allowing them to dry thoroughly
over a couple of months and then submerging them in
a pool of diluted white glue. Later, I add a 3⁄8" length of
.020" brass wire to the base as a mounting pin.
To make larger trees, I combine sunflower roots and
twigs. Sometimes I thicken the trunks by sculpting root
bases from Duro Master-Mend green epoxy and then
paint the roots to match the rest of the tree trunk.
I also use Scenic Express SuperTree commercial
kits for their light and airy appearance.
Western scenery
How-tos for handling the subtleties of arid scenery
in foreground locations
By Pat Gerstle • Photos by the author
M
any modelers are drawn to
Western scenery: snow-capped
mountain ranges, twisting
canyons, endless deserts, and pine
forests. I suspect some modelers even
choose the location before they choose a
railroad. The photo of Clear Creek
Canyon, Colo., (fig. 1) is the sort of
scene that inspires us to model the West,
but what we usually see when standing
trackside, as fig. 2 shows, is a few feet of
rocky soil, some scrubby bushes, and
maybe some larger rocks and a hillside
behind the train. This article is about
how to model this up-close-to-the-action
trackside detail.
Research
Among my primary references for
colors and general scenes are pictures
from railroad wall calendars. The photos are large, very high quality, and provide a detailed view of the railroad and
its surroundings. Nothing helps like the
real thing, however, so I have an equally
large collection of personal photographs. For general how-to on
scenery, I recommend Dave Frary’s
How to Build Realistic Scenery for Model
Railroads from Kalmbach Publishing.
Terrain
In fig. 3, I have cut and glued some
2"-thick blue foam to form the base of a
small rise on which a mine will be
placed and covered the foam with plaster soaked towels or gauze. I then
painted this base with a soupy mix of
plaster to fill in any holes and thin
areas. Next I added rock castings, fixing them in place with plaster and
painting around them with the plaster
soup to blend them into the base.
Finally, without waiting for the plaster
to dry, I painted the ground and castings with the base color.
Western scenery is mostly beige with
some light tans and reds thrown in. I
use Sears no. 770 interior flat latex
diluted with an equal amount of water.
Brush it over everything except the
rocks. On the rocks, mix one part paint
with two parts water for more of a
stain. Now wait for things to dry, then
brush on some dilute raw umber for
reddish highlights. Finish with your
favorite black wash (either very thin
black paint or India ink and alcohol) to
bring out the details. Your finished
scene should look something like fig. 3.
Ground cover
The next process introduces most of
the surface details, and most of the surface detail in the West consists of LOTS
of rocks, of all sizes, scattered and piled
everywhere. I used the following Woodland Scenics products: talus (fine,
medium, coarse, and extra coarse in Buff
and Brown; ballast (fine and medium)
in Buff and Brown; turf and coarse
turf in Yellow Grass, Burnt Grass,
Earth, and Soil; clump foliage in Burnt
Grass, Light Green, and Fall Mix; and
field grass in Natural Straw, Harvest
Gold, and Light Green.
I also use finely sifted dirt and goldmine tailings I gathered from the area
I’m modeling. I make a palette of these
materials by placing them in empty
tuna cans in a box lid.
Start by painting a small area (about
one square foot) with a thick coat of
full-strength white glue. Now drop the
large talus pieces randomly and in
groups over the area. If the area is
sloped, place more toward the bottom.
Next, drop the medium talus around,
followed by the fine. Use more of the
medium and lots more of the fine. Put
some of the medium and fine talus
around the large and randomly distribute the rest over the whole area. Concentrate the talus in gullies, stream
beds, and at the base of rock formations. At this stage your scene should
look like fig. 4.
Fig. 2 TRACKSIDE SCENERY. At trackside,
you rarely see big vistas; usually you see a
relatively shallow scene of rocks and grass.
Fig. 1 CLEAR CREEK CANYON. This view typifies the scenery of the West, but few layouts
have the space to model such large vistas.
Now scatter small patches of the turf
and grass around – not a lot and concentrated in the areas where moisture
would collect. To fix the groundcover, I
spray on a coat of “wet water” (water
with one or two drops of dish detergent
added so that it soaks into the groundcover). Then I use an eyedropper to distribute a 50/50 mixture of white glue
and water. Make sure the ground is
thoroughly saturated with glue.
Only when all is solidly dry do I
plant the larger shrubs and trees. The
shrubs are clump foliage and the trees
are pines and aspens from K&S
Scenery Products. A lot of the shrubs
are placed near the larger rocks because
moisture collects in the shadows.
The last thing I add is the field grass
– I love this stuff! I add clumps in all
shapes and sizes around larger rocks
and in gullies. I think by striving for
realism in the area you would see up
close I’ve captured the look of Western
scenery without trying to include the
snow-capped back range! 1
Pat Gerstle is a computer programmer
who lives just outside of Lexington, Ky.
His primary modeling interests are
scenery and photography. This is his first
published article.
Fig. 3 BASE TERRAIN. After shaping the
basic landform and adding rock castings,
Pat paints the whole area a light tan.
Fig. 4 ROCKS AND MORE ROCKS. Woodland
Scenics talus and ballast provide a wide
range of rock sizes to work with.
Fig. 5 PLANT LIFE. Plants don’t dominate
Western scenery, but they’re needed. Concentrate them where water naturally collects.
7
steps to
realistic
ROCKS
Easy scenery you can make
with ceiling tile
By Joe Whinnery • Photos by the author
O
ne of the nicest comments I’ve heard about
my layout came during the 1997 National
Model Railroad Association convention.
Some visitors from back East said the sedimentary rock formations on my HO scale Eastern coal-hauling layout looked real, and that
they knew exactly where the actual scene was I
had modeled!
That is the essence of model railroad scenery
– making it look real. The technique I model
rocks with is time-tested but perhaps new to
some of you. Beside getting great results, it’s
easy and inexpensive.
Re-creating dramatic scenes such as this is part of the fun of
building scenery. Joe Whinnery relies on a time-honored technique to
make typical Appalachian rock formations for his HO scale Eastern
coal-hauling layout.
The Appalachian Mountains are layers of sedimentary rock that the
massive collision of two continents forced upward. In some places –
like this scene on Cranberry Grade at Terra Alta, W. Va. – the rock layers folded into elongated arches and troughs. Ceiling tile built up in
layers, textured, and painted can re-create this dramatic effect.
Ceiling tile unlimited
Planning pays off
I prefer ceiling tile for creating large sedimentary rock formations typical of the Appalachians. I’ve also used plaster castings with good results because the rubber molds duplicate the
textures of real rock. But I’ve found most rock molds are too
small to effectively and efficiently create large rock expanses.
In the same vein, extruded foam board makes fine rock surfaces, but it’s more difficult to achieve the layered look I wanted.
Ceiling tile has many advantages. It’s inexpensive and
easy to find, cut, shape, and color. But make sure you buy
new ceiling tile at a home-improvement or hardware store
rather than scrounging for castaway pieces from an old
building. The discarded stuff might contain asbestos –
model railroading is supposed to be fun, not hazardous to
your health. And always wear a dust mask when cutting
and carving ceiling tile.
Before grabbing my carving tools, I take some time to
plan how I want the scene to look. As was mentioned in Part
Four of Tony Koester’s Coal Fork Extension series (September 1998 MODEL RAILROADER), Africa and North America
have probably collided at least twice in Earth’s long history,
and the last collision created the Appalachian Mountains.
And during one of the continents’ earlier collisions, tectonic
plate action compressed many sedimentary rock layers, creating arches called “anticlines” and troughs called “synclines,” which are prevalent in the Appalachians.
I wanted some sections of my scenery to reflect this signature geological effect, so I tilted some ceiling tile layers
upward with a small wedge of material, such as a door shim.
Got your new pieces of ceiling tile and some tools? Good,
then let’s make some rocks! 1
1
TILE PIECES. Snapping pieces of tile over the edge of
2
BUILDING UP LAYERS. Stack layers of ceiling tile to
a board creates a clean edge. Score the white side with a
screwdriver, utility knife, or old hacksaw blade, then gently
bend the tile over the board until the piece snaps off. It’s a good idea
to do this step outdoors because of the dust it creates.
the height you want the rock formation to be. Glue each
successive layer to the one beneath it with white glue or a
thin layer of an acrylic adhesive such as Liquid Nails for Projects.
Weight or pin the pieces together until the glue dries.
CARVING. This is the messiest part of the rock-making
process, so make sure you do it outside and wear a dust
mask. You can carve ceiling tile with a wire brush, a
straight-slot screwdriver, and broken hacksaw blades. Use the wire
brush in a long horizontal motion to get a layered look, and the
screwdriver and hacksaw blade to make deep, vertical fissures. Refer
to photos of real rock formations and use your imagination.
PATCHING. Mix up a small batch of Sculptamold (a clay
and paper product available at most hobby shops or from
Walthers at www.walthers.com) and patch any significant
gaps in the tile with it using a palette knife (available at most art
stores and some hobby shops). The Sculptamold shows as white
areas against the gray tile and, after it dries, it will take paint just
as well as the ceiling tile layers.
3
4
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
C
eiling tile is a handy material for making easy and realistic sedimentary rock formations like those typically found
in the Appalachian Mountains. Coloring the rocks is as simple as airbrushing or brush-painting earth-tone acrylic washes
over the sealed surface.
Tools you’ll need include:
❑
❑
❑
❑
straight-slot screwdriver
old hacksaw blade
dust mask
wire brush
❑
❑
❑
❑
palette knife
2" paintbrush
shop vacuum
airbrush (optional)
Meet Joe Whinnery
J
oe’s interest in railroading started in grade school when his
uncle worked as a brakeman for the Baltimore & Ohio’s St.
Louis Division.
After a tour in the Army as a photographer, then college,
Joe’s interest in model railroading revived. His current layout
is an HO scale Eastern coal hauler drawing on the B&O,
Chesapeake & Ohio, and the Chessie System. The 13 x 30foot layout has earned the National Model Railroad Association’s Golden Spike and Master Scenery awards, and it was
one the layouts participants could visit during the 1997
NMRA convention in Madison, Wis.
In addition to his career as a professional photographer,
Joe works at the Brass Whistle, a hobby shop in Loves Park,
Ill., near Rockford.
5
SEALING. Get rid of the “fuzzies” the wire brush caused by
brushing water over the tile face. This step keeps the porous
tile from soaking up too much sealer. Leftover tan-colored
latex paint makes a great sealer. Let the sealer coat dry completely
before applying any other colors. Tile that’s too wet can break apart.
COLORING. It’s best to color your rocks under the same
kind of light that’s over your layout. You can use an airbrush or brush-paint. If you brush-paint, apply thinned
acrylic earth tones over faces, then spray the rocks with water to
blend the colors. An airbrush lets you do more precise coloring, such
as simulating a layer of shale in sandstone. You’ll get better results
with several light passes of the airbrush rather than one heavy pass.
6
More on our Web site
For another basic technique you can use to make
realistic rocks, visit MODEL RAILROADER’S Web site at
www.modelrailroader.com. There you’ll find an article
on how to make rock castings.
SOIL AND VEGETATION. After blending the existing
scenery base around the rock face, add vegetation and soil.
Kudzu, a noxious weed prevalent in the South, often covers
rock faces. Finely sifted dirt or gravel gives the appearance of soil
that’s been washed down the face of the rock. To simulate kudzu,
make a light pass with spray glue over stretched-out brown or green
polyester fiber, then sprinkle medium-grade ground foam on the fiber.
7
Splendor in the grass
Modeling knee-deep grass with a new
material and methods
By René Gourley • Photos by the author
A
s a youngster I spent many quiet
afternoons sitting in a trackside
field about a mile from my home
while the breezes rustled through the
tall grass. The rails shimmered brightly
in the afternoon sun while birds soared
overhead and the field resounded with
the sounds of summer insects. Ultimately my patience was rewarded when
the blare of a distant air horn brought
me to my feet so I could see the oncoming train.
The tall grass along the right-of-way
never saw a mower so some of the
plants tickled my chin when I walked
through them.
Over the years, I’ve attempted a
number of techniques to duplicate these
high grasses in HO scale using fake fur,
twine fibers, and ground foam. Unfortunately, ground foam evokes leaves
and foliage better than it does tall, vertical grass, and fake fur comes on a
woven backing that’s too dense.
In 1998, I received a German model
railroad magazine which had some
superb photos of scenery with tall grass
that made me look twice. The article
indicated that the scenery was made
using products from Silflor, a German
manufacturer of scenery materials.
First sample
Silflor makes a variety of grass materials as shown in photo 1. My first sample was a square of winter pasture. This
mat represents grass that’s been standing for some time so the leaves closest
to the ground are still green, but the tall
blades have been bleached by the sun.
The fine nylon fibers are tightly packed,
providing an excellent representation of
a densely planted field of standing hay.
Turning the sample over, I found the
grass is woven into a backing of heavier
fibers. You can pull this substrate apart
to produce a scattered, irregular field of
hay. See photo 2. The grass never gets
2
1
3
5
4
1. VARIETY. Silflor’s grass comes in short bristle spring, summer, and winter colors. The
autumn mat has the longer bristles to simulate tall grass. Other mat colors and textures simulate forest ground cover, moorland, pasture with weeds, and pasture with long grass.
2. THINNING GRASS. As delivered, Silflor’s grass is too dense for the scrubby growth along the
right-of-way. Pull it apart until the grass begins to look more realistic.
Sources
Silflor Products are available from
the following mail order companies:
Blue Ribbon Models
3. GRASS AND SOIL. Once the mat has been teased out, it’s glued down to a layer of soil using
white glue. Some of the soil will show through between the clumps of grass.
4. GRASS APPLICATION. Set the mat on the wet glue and press it down with tweezers to prevent matting. Adjust the clump positions as needed with tweezers. Trim off any excess grass
after the glue has dried overnight.
5. ADD DIRT. Use fine sifted dirt, worked into the grass mat with an old toothbrush, to hide
the substrate fibers. Then flood the area with wet water and diluted white glue.
sparse, but clumps spread farther apart
until they detach completely. As the
clumps pull apart, some of the grasses
fall over, but enough vertical blades
remain to represent late season grass.
Being nylon, the blades of grass are
shiny so they reflect light in a distressingly unrealistic manner. Fortunately,
this sheen is easily remedied with a fine
spray of matte medium. I use an airbrush to keep from gluing everything
together in a big mess. I can apply this
dulling spray before or after planting.
Planting procedures
The photos show how easy it is to
duplicate the coarse grasses and undergrowth common along the railway
right-of-way with the Silflor grass mats.
It takes a little time, and the materials
are somewhat more expensive than
dyed sawdust.
Begin by stretching and teasing the
mat as far as it will go. Then cut it to fit
the space. The spaces in the mat require
application over a painted surface or
one that has a soil texture so an appropriate color shows through. See photo 3.
Full-strength white glue is the primary adhesive for this grass mat.
Spread the glue liberally in depressions
and anywhere you plant the grass. The
white glue soaks in and dries transparent, making a permanent bond that
holds the grass fibers upright.
Use tweezers to press the grass mat
into the glue as shown in photo 4. Avoid
the temptation to press with your fingers as that results in a matted jumble.
The tweezers also comes in handy to
make minor adjustments. Don’t worry if
the edges of the mat overlap the glue
area as they can be easily trimmed once
the glue has dried overnight.
To hide the substrate fibers, pour the
finest dirt you can get over the area. Use
a retired toothbrush and your fingers to
work the dirt into the grass and pull the
P. O. Box 333
Swampscott, MA 01907-3333
www.shore.net/~jdf/tswelcome.html
International Models
22 Harold Rd.
Birchington, Kent, CT7 9NA, UK
www.internationalmodels.net
blades of grass back into view (photo 5).
Flood the area with water wetted with a
few drops of dish soap, followed by
diluted white glue to secure the soil.
The next morning, or when the first
glue dries, add some fine dark green
ground foam and a few bits of chunkier
light green foam and glue it down to
represent some of the other plants
mixed into the grass.
Patience rewarded
These steps take a few evenings to
accomplish, although it goes fairly
quickly when I work on several areas at
a time. It’s a small price to pay for the
chance to go back to those youthful
summer afternoons of lying in the grass
listening for the first sounds of a train. 1
René Gourley, an S and HO fine scale
modeler, recently moved from Canada to
England, where he’s a consultant for a
computer database company.
A tale of
three creeks
These waterways illustrate both
variety and consistency
By Jack Burgess
Photos by the author
W
e’ve all heard that variety is the spice of life. It’s easy
to follow this advice when adding scenery to our layouts. But if we add a little of this and a little of that,
we soon have a mishmash of scenes that don’t relate
to each other in a realistic way. On the other hand,
distinct scenes are essential to helping portray distance and variety.
The solution is to take clues from nature, so slightly different scenes can be developed which will be realistic and
also faithful to the prototype.
As my prototype, the Yosemite Valley RR, left Merced in
California’s San Joaquin Valley and headed for Yosemite
National Park, it quickly crossed three creeks: Bear Creek at
milepost 1.35, Black Rascal at 1.90, and Fahrens less than a
mile later at 2.70.
Regardless of proximity, these crossings are all unique.
Bear Creek has relatively uniform banks covered with wild
bamboo. Both Black Rascal and Fahrens flow along nonnative eucalyptus groves with occasional sycamores or cottonwoods along their banks.
Initial modeling
All three creek crossings have standard YVRR concrete
abutments, so I made a mold and cast the six abutments
from Hydrocal plaster. I scratchbuilt the bridges from
prestained stripwood and n.b.w. (nut-bolt-washer) castings.
Next I installed the bridges and roughed in the scenery
with plaster. I used real dirt to form the banks.
The water for Bear and Black Rascal Creeks is casting
resin that I poured in layers 1⁄8" to 1⁄4" deep. Since Bear Creek
is relatively deep (a scale 10 to 12 feet), I added color directly
to the casting resin, using brown and green tints for the
first layers and green and blue for the middle layers. The
final layers I poured clear. These darker colors emphasize
the deep, slow water.
In contrast, just the first layers of casting resin for Black
Rascal Creek were lightly colored with green and blue to
result in a clear, cool creek.
Once the casting resin had cured, I dappled the surface of
the creeks with a coat of acrylic gloss medium.
Bear Creek
I duplicated the dense wild bamboo covering the banks of
the real Bear Creek using Woodland Scenics field grass (fig. 1).
I applied it by cutting small clumps and gluing it in place
with white glue. This was tedious but produced the look I was
after. While there is a tendency for the material to lean over,
just keep pushing it up. As the glue dries, it will finally hold
position. Using sticky white craft glue rather than regular
white glue also helps.
Once the bamboo was in place and the glue had dried, I
used a moustache scissors to trim the material to a relatively
even length. Since the banks of Bear Creek were covered with
bamboo, little further detailing was needed.
Black Rascal Creek
In contrast to Bear Creek, Black Rascal (fig. 2) is more typical of the meandering creeks draining the foothills in the
Merced area. Moisture in the adjacent ground allows the grass
to remain green during the hot summer months.
To duplicate these conditions, I airbrushed Noch electrostatic grass a light green. The willows which encroach into
Engine no. 28 crosses Fahrens Creek on Jack Burgess’ HO Yosemite
Valley RR. It’s one of the three distinct creeks he models.
Fig. 1 BEAR CREEK. The deep, slow water is perfect for fishing, so
Jack added a raft and a youngster whiling away an August afternoon.
the creek are a combination of Woodland Scenics field grass
and flower pieces from dried artichoke heads dyed light
green. (Dried artichoke flowers can be found in craft stores.)
Since the area next to the bridge seemed an appropriate
watering hole, I mixed diluted white glue with fine-grained
clay soil and spread it on the banks. I gave the muddy area a
light coat of acrylic gloss medium to make it look wet.
Fahrens Creek
Unlike Bear and Black Rascal Creeks, Fahrens (fig. 3) is
modeled as a dry creek bed, typical of the Merced area in
mid-summer. I used Woodland Scenics field grass to model
the bullrushes along the creek banks, hot-gluing it in place.
Cattails were made with short pieces of fishing monofilament which had been dipped in white glue and allowed to dry
to form the heads. I then painted the heads brown.
I used fine beach sand to form the creek bottom and
bonded it in place with diluted white glue. The sand was
added after the field grass was in place, covering the hot glue.
Portions of the real Fahrens Creek banks are covered with
wild blackberry vines. To model this, I started with small
poly fiber balls covered with ground foam, bonded the foam
with hair spray, and glued them in place with white glue. A
light sprinkling of red foam replicated ripening blackberries.
Modeling scenery accurately requires no more than
observing nature and, sometimes, developing techniques to
reproduce what you observe. Detailing scenery can be a relaxing diversion from working on the rest of the layout. 1
Jack Burgess, who models the Yosemite Valley RR circa
August 1939, contributes frequently to MODEL RAILROADER.
Fig. 2 BLACK RASCAL CREEK. To complete the meandering creek
scene Jack added a steer and muddy hoof prints.
Fig. 3 FAHRENS CREEK. Detailing on the dry creek bed included
adding cattails and bullrushes.
Cajon
Creek
step-by-step
How to model
this meandering
mountain stream
By Ted York
Photos by the author
I
visit Cajon Pass at least twice a year
to shoot photographs and collect
information for my HO Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe. In January 2000 I
was exploring the pass with Al Bowen, a
good friend who is well versed in the
history and geography of the area.
My question for him that day was,
“Where does the water come from?”
Despite the dry desert look of the pass
some water always flowed down Cajon
Creek. In the many times I’d been there,
I had never looked into the creek’s
sources. Al promptly drove up a narrow
road to the north of the tracks; we
walked up a short trail where we found
a small, clear lake nestled in the center
of the San Andreas fault line.
Water seeping up from cracks in the
ground formed the lake, providing a
source of water flowing through the
pass year-round. I was amazed to be
standing in a dry landscape looking at
more water than I had imagined.
But modeling this water would be a
little different from what I had seen on
most layouts because Cajon Creek is
very shallow and clear, reflecting the
Preparation
F
irst I prepared the streambed, using
cardboard strips to form my scenery
base then attaching cheesecloth with
hot glue. Next I painted on two coats of
plaster of paris mixed to the consistency
of latex paint. To form the final scenery
I came in with a coat of casting plaster
about the consistency of cake batter.
I formed the smooth areas of the
riverbed by spreading the plaster with a
spatula, then smoothed it as it set up by
simply rubbing the plaster in a circular
motion with my hand.
I modeled the concrete under the
bridge (the Santa Fe called them concrete blankets) with sheet styrene
scribed to represent expansion joints,
then installed it with casting plaster.
On many areas along creeks, the
bank has eroded leaving the top layers
of soil hanging. Modeling this was quite
simple with a sponge. I put some plaster on an area then used a damp sponge
to push it toward the bank. As I did,
excess plaster moved up and over the
sponge. I pushed down upward bulges
with my hand, smoothing it out like I
did the riverbed.
Dabbing at the plaster with the
sponge as it sets up gives the plaster a
soil-like texture. After the plasterwork
was done I gave it a quick coat of a
light tan latex paint.
Then came the fun. I filled paper
cups with dirt sifted to various grades
and began tossing it over the riverbed.
Since my stream was only a small portion of the entire bed and very shallow,
I used dirt to form the channel that
would contain the water.
I added various shades of ground
foam on top of the surrounding banks.
Even though I’m modeling the desert
Before finishing the creek Ted weathered
the bridge and abutments so he wouldn’t
get the weathering materials on the finished stream.
A young railfan watches from below as a GP7
helper, lashed to the rear of a Santa Fe
freight, crosses Cajon Creek, a year-round
source of water.
color of the streambed itself, varied by
shadows from the surrounding rocks,
vegetation, and clouds passing overhead. The following photos and captions take you step-by-step through how
I modeled my steam. 1
Ted York’s previous byline in MR was
a story on detailing Union Pacific FA-1s.
there’s a lot of plant life, much of it
very green in spring.
Next I soaked the material with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol so the glue
would penetrate. I used a coat of
diluted Elmer’s white glue to fasten the
ground cover.
Before working anymore on the
stream I weathered the bridge and abutments. My weathering materials are on
the messy side and I didn’t want to get
them on the finished “water.” I applied
a very dilute wash of black shoe dye
and isopropyl alcohol on the abutments.
I used chalks to streak on the rust and
dirt colors that wash down from the
bridge. Finally, I painted a thin wash
on the bridge, using a very dilute mix of
the tan latex paint I used on the plaster.
Ted used a sponge to push the plaster
into shape, forming the eroded banks
along the riverbed.
After the plaster set, Ted painted it with
light tan household latex paint.
Painting
C
orrectly coloring the water-covered
portion of the streambed is one of the
most important things if you want a
realistic-looking stream. I studied photographs of the stream and decided a
greenish brown was needed. I used tube
acrylics for the project and experimented
until I found suitable colors. I painted
most of the stream with a raw sienna and
white mix, but for the deeper mossy bottom I used an olive green mixed from
black, yellow oxide, and white.
I kept a separate container of water
handy to dilute the acrylics as I applied
them, watering down the paint as much
as I could and still have it cover the dirt.
I first painted the riverbed the raw
sienna mix, then added the olive color,
alternating between the two so I could
blend them while wet. I also painted a
To give a realistic look to the water Ted
painted the streambed with appropriate
acrylic paint colors.
Ted drybrushed white where there might be
a rapid movement of water, like around
rocks and down the concrete blanket.
thin wash of the sienna down the concrete blanket.
Next I drybrushed some streaks of
olive down the concrete to give the look
of moss build-up where the water flowed
over it. Finally I drybrushed some white
on areas that might have rapid moving
water, such as down the concrete and
around rocks. Don’t overdo this though,
unless you want major rapids.
If you care to add junk to the
streambed such as brush, and old tires,
now is the time. Let the paint dry before
going on to the next step.
Sandwiching a sponge between wax paper
and a piece of Masonite stops the EnviroTex from “escaping” the layout.
Notice how the epoxy has creeped into the
riverbank along the water. This can be
covered with ground foam.
Here’s the finished epoxy prior to applying
the Mod Podge. It’s too smooth to represent moving water.
Ted brushes on several coats of Mod Podge
to build up the ripples that are found in
moving water.
It took three coats, spread at random, to
build up a nice textured surface.
On the concrete I pulled the brush
down the slope to get a look of downward
movement. After that set up I applied
more, this time pushing the brush downward to spread the bristles as I had done
with the rest of the stream. I did it several times in the same spots to give the
effect of water moving down in sheets as
I have often seen on spillways. Although
the Mod Podge goes on white, it dries to
a nice shine.
Not only does the water now give the
illusion of moving down the streambed,
it also gave the appearance of distorting
the light as I looked into the water.
Another nice feature is that if the water
starts to look dull after a while, I can just
grab the paintbrush and give the stream
another quick coat of Mod Podge and
it’ll be good as new.
Pouring
I
used Enviro-Tex Lite two-part epoxy
resin for water. The fun thing about
this product is that if there’s a way for
the resin to escape from your streambed
it will. I was confident my streambed
was leakproof except for the layout edge.
Sealing this escape route was quite
simple: I sandwiched a synthetic sponge
between wax paper and a piece of
Masonite hardboard. I ran a couple of
screws through the Masonite, attaching
everything to the fascia and forming a
tight seal. The epoxy won’t stick to wax
paper. Just be sure the dam extends far
enough to each side of the stream to prevent epoxy from going around the sides.
The epoxy instructions tell you to
pour a maximum thickness of only 1⁄8". If
you need it thicker make separate pours,
allowing the epoxy to cure between each.
My project took two coats. I used an old
brush (old, because it’s the last time
you’ll use it) to direct the epoxy. I also
brushed a little on the concrete blanket;
I didn’t want it to be very thick there.
Once I was satisfied with the pour, I left
town until morning to avoid the temptation to touch the stuff and mess it up.
Be aware that Enviro-Tex tends to
creep up the bank; it also cures as
smooth as a sheet of glass. I was modeling moving water and needed ripples, so
I bought a small bottle of Gloss-Luster
Mod Podge at the local arts and crafts
store. Gloss Medium will work as well.
I used a paintbrush to spread the
Mod Podge over the cured Enviro-Tex,
pushing down on the brush and spreading the bristles to form a ripple pattern.