Thanksgiving Break Finally!

First, I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!  You probably have been wondering when my next post would be or maybe I fell off the face of the earth.  Yes I know I have not posted since the end of October but really nothing has been going on on the layout at all.  I started coaching another sport this fall and my 10 hour days have been literally kicking my butt.  Today has been my first day off since Labor Day and I made sure I got some modeling in.  The crappy weather made sure that it was going to happen.  My main point this week is to get scenery on my new peninsula I added this summer.  Being the first thing you see when you walk into the room, it was a priority.  So I tackled that today.

Adding some paint to the area around the sand plant.

Larger view of the area I'm working on.

Sculptamold around the edges of the base of the road.  The fascia board base is a little thick for my liking but it will have to work now.  

The styrene asphalt road on top of the fascia board.  The dark patches are supposed to be road repairs.  I need to weather  the road.  

After letting some Sculptamold dry, I ran a rail cleaning train.  I picked up a rolling track cleaning car to pull behind a loco.  I also build a track cleaning car to pull behind it.  I cleaned the lower level and the helix.

Here's my Centerline track cleaning car I picked up at a show earlier this month.  It needs a little more weight but still pulls the rolling rag around the layout.  I use CRC 2-26 to clean the track.

My homemade track cleaner.  I use WS track dusters attached to the wheels to slide on the tracks.  It's a boxcar frame with lots of weight.  The wooden planks keep the dusters on the track.

Gotta have some muscle to move this train.  VMID SD50 #706 does a great job on this train.  She been weathered finally.

Here's the roller car.  Looks like the track was quite dirty.  The colorful rubber bands are from the kids loom kit (makes wrist bands)  These little rubber bands are perfect for keeping the cloth on.

Back to the scenery work:

Ballast added to the hopper spurs.  Some sand mixed in also. 

Going for a sandy/dirt area around the plant.  Still going to sand it down a bit.   

Ballasting is complete in this area.  

A view from the other end. Hope to get this area most of the way done this week.  

Work on the upper level starts

Just like my work desk, I have to have several projects going on at one time.  My layout is no different.  The lower level has come to a halt and I have moved to the upper level expansion.  I ripped out the bridge and river scene last night.  Amazing that it takes you days to do a scene and only minutes to rip it out.  This area represented some of my first scenery applications on this layout.  I did a decent job on it. I was mainly unhappy with it because of the track and ballast.  It did not look good and why did I ever use sectional track?  Most of the trackage on the VC in the old aggregate area is being removed.  The spur to the elevator will remain.  I will add another crossing to the VMID trackage to access the new expansion.  I will curve the VMID trackage toward the door and the removable cassette will no longer be needed.  It's alot more work but will look good when complete.

This scene is now gone.

Saving what scenery I can.  The VMID mainline between the signal and the electrical box will be curved now.

Popcorn and hard shell scenery made the hill side along with some plaster rock outcroppings.  

The river scene is no more.

Now time to rip out the track and ballast.

Thought I was done taking out track and ballast but since this is a difficult trackage with a crossing, I will have to rip out almost all of it.  

Snow days equal layout workdays

We had our first two snow days of the year.  Not for much but 2 back to back storms that really did not amount to any snow.  I used the time away from work to get some time in the layout room.  I finally got away from locomotive building (even though I have 2 of them ready for decals)and focused on the layout itself.  I decided I want to focus on the team track on the Midland.  This the last spur on the layout that has not received any attention.  Well it got some this week.  Take a look at what it started like:

This scene was dying for some attention!

 

Was not to happy with these grass mats up front in scenery but they look good in the back.

Used the mats on the other side also.  You can see the seam that I will put some larger bushes on.

Wanted to use a loading ramp but which type?

Looks like a field of grass.  The perfect buffer for the Patriot Industries, a chemical company it's beside.

Decided to use this configuration on the ramp.  This gives me the option of unloading boxcars or unloading say a covered hopper just to the left of the Railbox.

Added the ballast to cover the edge of the mats and the mix for the gravel loading area.

Notice how the gravel lot is slightly darker than the ballast.  Weathered up the ramp also.  Patriot is on the layout now in the background.

A few details brings the scene to life.

VMID #281's conductor talks back the loco to a couple.

The lot is still drying but weeds and and a few more details will complete the scene.

Scenery rush and another dilemma

Spent the last week working on some scenery items on the layout.  In my last update, I replaced 2 turnouts that would help out the layout.  I finally got the Old Dominion Foods turnout installed and it looks great and more importantly it works great.  So after I got the turnouts in and wired, I was ready for some ballast.  I had a whole bag left and a little in another to work with.  I use real rock ballast and it looks great.  A lot better than the walnut shells Woodland Scenics has.  I used the little bag first and then opened the second bag.  It was not the ballast I needed.  It was super fine!  This ballast was bought from a vendor at local shows.  The vendor, Brazos & Pecos owned by Gene Browning, died earlier in the year.  I thought I had enough to finish the layout, but I did not since I bought the wrong bag last year at a show.   So I was at a stopping point.  I ordered some Highball ballast online last week and it arrived on Friday.  It was the wrong color and was not even close.  Hard to order ballast online especially when your trying to match what is down already!  So, on Saturday I was a vendor at the Lynchburg Railday train show.  I always do this show.  It's a great small show in the area.  Last time I was there, I bought the ballast from B&P.  After looking around the show, I found a vendor who's been clearing out in the last 2 shows there.  There and behold, I found not one bag, but 2 bags of the ballast I needed.  I got the 2 bags, 4 coal loads and a bag of granite loads for $9.  I was very thrilled!

Last night I finished ballasting all the mainlines on the VM.  I just glued it down a few hours ago.  It feels good to finally seeing this layout getting finished.  At least for the ballast!  I also put in an order to Scenic Express for a some grass mats and other items.  The only ballast I have left is two spurs that have no industries on them.

Add all my switch timbers last week while waiting on the wrong ballast.

The turnout at Old Dominion Foods works great.

Virginia Central trackage is drying.  Real stone ballast will always be darker when glued down.

The VM mainline is complete with ballast.  The spur to the right will be a pulpwood loading area on the VC.

Another view from the Battlefield Yard area.

I also did some work on the Battlefield yard crew house.  I used Monster Model Works concrete sheets for the parking lot,  Cannot wait to add the rest of the details.