Friday, October 13, 2017

Sowing the Seeds and Working on the Railroad

Friday saw me down at the club again working on my modules for the convention, as time is a tickin'.

I found that the grass was still wet, so I placed the modules out into the direct sunshine so that over time the warm sunshine will dry them out.


So today was time to plant some trees and lay a bit of track. I used a variety of trees, some were just cheapies that you buy online from China for 20 or 30 cents each. Others were some nice Pine trees from I know not where (maybe Woodland Scenics I think). Then there was the Woodland Scenics Fine-Leaf Foliage which I'd never used before - it has potential. Also for small stuff around the place I used the Woodland scenics Bushes and Clump-Foliage. 

So I laid out all my tools and stuff and got into it with of course my radio blaring away on 4KQ


So after drilling holes into the plaster and using an awl for the foam (much easier than plaster I can tell you) and fixing various trees into position with white glue, I then used the coloured foam Bushes etc to add in small details all over the place. Then it was outside for the modules to take in more of the sunshine we had on Friday.





Next I got the track laying gang out and laid some rails. I used Liquid Nails applied nice and thin to the cork and then pressed the track onto this. It is only a thin layer of glue and hence it dries nice and fast. Once I pressed the track down into it I placed some long sandbags we have at the club onto the track to hold it for a while to make sure it sticks. The sandbags are just 2 cm diameter material hoses a good members' missus made up for us and then stuffed with sand - think of draft excluders.

Once all four modules were done I got out a selection of various ballasts I had made a while back out of various gravels and slates and shale found in the area - hence free. I sprinkled it down and then shaped it with a small brush before spritzing on some water and isopropyl alcohol mix to wet it all down and then I dropped on some 50/50 water and white glue mix to hold it all together. Then I placed it outside in the sun to bake some more. After an hour it was hardening up nicely.






Then it was time for home and a relax and maybe a beer... or two.

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