Scenery and Signals
Well the temperature outside today is 9° F to cold to go out so what better time than to work on the train layout. For some time now I have been meaning to add some signals for the tunnels and finish a section of scenery that runs between them into the yard. I started with a little demolition to make room for the new signals I will put in this area. Once I had removed the plaster I used two pieces of foam to make the profile of the rock face. I shaped the foam by carving it with a knife and trimming it to fit the space I wanted to put it in. Once I got the foam looking the way I wanted I mixed up some Sculpt-A-Mold and filled in the cracks and voids in the foam to make the pieces all one rock face. While I was at it I decided to fill in the rest of the rock face I had started in the Grafton yard area too. Once the Sculpt-a-Mold was dry, it took a few hour to be hard enough to move on to the next steps. I started making the new signals for this area out of brass.
Once the whole thing was dry I started painting the rock face. I used a dry brush technique to shade the rocks and give the effect of sediments and layers in the rock face, I am not impressed with the result but it will work for now once I get scenery on them it might blend better to the scene.
After I finished the scenery I started work on the tracks as I had to add blocks to the layout in this section. I started with the first tunnel coming from Elliott Junction, I was not happy with the track work in this section so I re worked the area eliminating several issues inside the tunnel. I added a much needed re-railer in the tunnel and soldered all joints to created the first block. I then moved on to the other tunnel near Grafton yard. Some things learned:
1. Prep work is key and saves time and frustration later on.
2. Using a standardized wiring schematic is a must. many times I had reversed the common rail not realizing it.
3.Access points for tunnels are a must especially on blind corners.
In the next post I'll talk about how I made the circuits for the new signals.