For the wall panels I used 1/8 Tempered Hard Board. For the cap on top I used 1 x 2 pine cut down from 1
1/2 to 1 1/4 with a 5/8 x 1/2 notch cut in it .I had several pieces I trimmed from some Scenic Express
concrete tunnel portals I used for detailing. Then I applied Rust-Oleum Camouflage Paint Khaki color for
the first coat. I really like the texture you get with Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Paint. For this
project I used Bleached Stone and Pebble colors. Finish with a sporadic misting of Rust-Oleum Light Grey
Automotive Primer. The pediments with the Pennsylvania Lines Keystone Logo on top of the tunnel
portals were machined from 1 x 2 pine on a C.N.C. Milling Machine.
For the tunnel leading into my terminal
area I used 1/2-inch plywood for the
top and 1x2 pine for the framework.
Two of the 1x2s are covered in Velcro
so I can remove that wall panel to
gain access to my switches
For the curved wall I used Flexi-Wall from Scenic Express. First I traced the edge contour of the upper
level on to a piece of scrap plywood and cut it to match. Then I placed it on the lower level aligned it with
the upper level and screwed it into place. Using some scrap wood I made ½ inch square vertical supports
and glued them into place. I spaced them so that I would have a support on the outside edges and center
of each section of wall. I used bottles of wine and large cans of soup to hold the wall sections in place
against the framework until the glue dried. After all the wall sections were in place I glued on seam sealers
also from Scenic Express. The walls and seam sealers are painted using the same technique as the
bridge abutment above.
Concrete Tunnel Project
The concrete wall running along the North end of the layout is made from 1/8 Tempered Hardboard. The
cap on top is made from a pine 1 x 2 with the height taken down to 1-1/4 with a 1/2x5/8 notch cut in the
back so that it overlaps the wall and the shelf surface. The seam sealers are made from 1-1/8x1/8 molding
with grooves sawn into the cap corresponding with the seam sealers. This wall was painted with
sandstone colored Rust-Oleum Textured Paint For Plastic.
To give the walls at the Eastern end of the lay out a different look I used Dark Grey Primer and I gave it a
mottled effect with Woodland Scenics Earth Colors Liquid Pigment Slate Grey using a short stiff bristled
brush. I finished them using the same stone paint technique as above. These walls are capped with a
sidewalk made from 1-½ x ¼ molding. I segmented the sidewalk every 1-½ inches using a small Hobby
Saw. The sidewalk is painted a concrete color then lightly spritzed with the stone paint. The outside edge
of the sidewalk has a wrought iron fence purchased from Scenic Express.
For the Bridge Abutments I got from Scenic Express for Atlas Pratt Truss Bridge. I first glued a 3/8 wood
shim to the bottom to get the proper height. Then for the first coat I painted it with Rust-Oleum Light Grey
Automotive Primer. Next I gave it a mottled effect with Woodland Scenics Earth Colors Liquid Pigment Raw
Umber using a short stiff bristled brush followed by a light spritz of RustOleum American Accents Stone
paint in Pebble color (By spritz I mean hold the can about 24 inches away and lightly tap the nozzle once
or twice). I painted the concrete with Woodland Scenics Earth Colors Liquid Pigment Concrete and
finished with a light spritz of Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Paint in Grey Stone color to give it that
bird poop, tar and dirt spattered look.
Bridge Abutments
Curved Stone Wall
Stone Wall
(click on thumbnails to enlarge)
Concrete Wall
Station Platforms
The Platforms are made from 1/8 Tempered Hardboard cut to fit in between
the track sections. Next I cut them into 8-inch long sections and numbered
them. I painted them with sandstone colored Rust-Oleum Textured Paint For
Plastic. Then I dabbed on Woodland Scenics Earth Colors Liquid Pigment
Concrete colored paint with a piece of natural sea sponge. I followed this with
a spritz of RustOleum American Accents Stone Paint in Pebble color. To
mount the sections I screwed down strips of ½ inch plywood between the
track sections. Then glued the platform sections in place with Liquid Nails this
left the surface of the platforms just bellow the tops of the rails.
Above is a color-coded diagram of the construction of my roof beams including plastruct catalog numbers.
Then there is a diagram and a photo of the fixture I built to assemble the components. The fixture has a
pocket milled into it for the 3/8 H-Beams to sit down below the surface enough that the gussets, which are
¼, come out in the center of the H-Beam .I used Plastruct Plastic Weld Solvent Cement to assemble all
the beam components.
The stairwells above the platform are
just two pieces of wrought iron fence
with a piece of molding for the backstop
the signs are drawn in AutoCAD and
printed out on photo paper. Below the
platform is a box made from ¼ inch thick
pine that houses the stairways L.E.D
lighting and period Railroad
advertisements on the walls. I can’t tell
you why I went to all that trouble for
something you cant really see that’s just
the way I like to do things.I haven’t
decided  if I will also build the tunnels
connecting the stairwells to the station .
Above to the left is a diagram of the roof buildup. It is color-coded to reflect the location and size of the
various Basswood strips that were used; the 1/8 thick pieces are 36 inches long the rest are 24 inches.
The total length of the roof is 83 inches long. As I glued the various components together I staggered the
ends of the strips so that they covered the joint in the layer below it. This process gave me a single
83-inch long lamination when I was finished. I used canned goods to weigh down the wood strips while
gluing together with carpenters glue. The photo at the right shows the cross section of the finished
lamination.
The photographs above show the roof after the overhangs were trimmed flush with the sides and the top
has been given a base coat of Flat Black and the bottom is painted Hunter Green. Next I used canned
goods and clamps to attach the pre-painted Fascia Boards. To finish I covered the fascia boards with
Painters Tape Then textured the roof surface with Rust-Oleum American Accents Stone Paint. I followed
that with another coat of Flat Black and then a very light spraying of the stone paint (pebble color) this
process resembles a tar and gravel covered roof.
The Service Platform is stained with black and brown India ink to resemble fuel, grease and oil stains. The
platforms are populated with Lionel, Woodland Scenics and MTH Figures and accessories. I still need to
add benches, baggage carts, luggage and several more figures.
The Hillside Tunnel
The Corner Cliffs
Along with continuing work on the passenger platforms I am also
working on the two projects below. I will update them as they progress.
This section of the layout will resemble some of the forested rocky out cropping’s I remember from my
youth in Ohio. Places like Nelsons Ledges, Virginia Kendall and Hocking Hills.
I am using a product called Dupont Trymer .It is a dense fine-grained urethane foam board that carves as
delicately as clay. This light density product is used for making stage and film scenery. I cut and stacked
various blocks in the rough shape of what I envision the finished product will be. Then I joined them
together with 3M SUPER 77 Spray Adhesive. The foam is very easy to work with you can actually carve it
with a pencil I have been using pottery tools to rough it in. Because of the sand like texture it is very messy
to work on so I will do the carving in the garage then return the piece to the layout to check progress. It is
however easily gouged or dented so it will require a heavy duty sealing product when finished. I did some
testing and came up with a mix of white glue, joint compound and latex paint. This thick slurry fills in the
grain and leaves a nice hard shell on the piece that can easily be painted.
This corner of the layout will be Christmas 365 days a year. From bottom to top it will have a snowy pine covered
slope leading up to a stone wall atop which is perched a street right out of the forty’s and fifty’s all dressed up for
Christmas. Behind this another stone wall atop which will be another street of shops and behind these shops a
snow covered hillside with an animated skating pavilion on top lots of snow, pine trees and Christmas lights.