Back Drop Painting

The back drop was painted using a basic green to start the shape and profile. After that the trees and foilage was added using various shades of green. I added tree trunks in areas I plan on having the forground trees thin. I used both brushes and sponges torn into random shaped to get the desired affect.

Update

I am ashamed to say I have not updated for months, however job related travel has kept me on the road for most of the year. When I have been home I completed laying the rest of the trackage, installed the DCC wiring, installed ground throws on all the switches and have painted the back drop. On my last week at home I put the basic scenery form in the blob area using a combination of foam and cardboard strips and then covered it with masking tape and gray paint from a previous room painting. The panoramic image above shows most of these items.

Construction Update

It has been a month since my last post, much has happened. All of the spline roadbed is in with cork roadbed glued to the top. All of the mainline from the ,east heading west, from Portland staging through Sanford and almost to the B&M interchange is in. In the photo you see the mainline to the left and the cement plant siding to the right with a cut of cars on one track. I need to lay the track from Rochester staging out to the B&M interchange so that the rest of the cement plant subroad bed can be installed. The Cement plant tracks deviate from the trackplan at the bottom of the blog page. I would have had to make the grade too steep to get intro staging with a switch at the location closest tom the B&M interchange. The cement plant will now have a two track yard for drop offs and pick ups and fopr the plant switcher to use for shuffling cars. The mainline now has a 2.5% grade down from Sanford to the B&M interchange and then 2.5% from there down into staging.

The B&M interchange is also evolving and will be quite different from the intial drawing. The short length of of the sidings and trying to get a run around at the end would have made the maximum train length 3 cars plus caboose and engine. The new design will allow the B&M trains to access the P&R main and the run around switches have been deleted. this arrangement makes a convoluted wye. I am waiting for a 60 degree crossing and tracks to start working this area.

Spline Roadbed Review

This is a cutaway view of my spline roadbed. I used 8 pieces of 1/4" x 3/4" hardboard. Others cut the ballast profile into the hardboard, I chose to lay cork roadbed on top which will keep a uniform surface for track laying from the spline to plywood surfaces. The cork is attached with liquid nails to the splines.This technique is new to me and after getting used to it I found it makes the curves transition nicely and is very solid after all the sections are glued together. Once the first two sections on a curve are glued together it holds the curve! The only issue you would have with it is small radius curves. Mine are 24" throughout and I have one section that will not be scene that is 20" for a short section. The strips will break if not adequately supported or held to the radius on these small curves.

News Flash - Work Crews Near Completion

Portland Press Herald, January 12, 2008 -

Work crews have completed the sub road bed for all Portland and Rochester trackage and have completed most of the roadbed grading in preparation of laying track. With only a small amount of work left on the B&M interchange track, crews should be completed by the end of the day.

Portland and Rochester Chief Operating Officer, Cameron Green, stated; "The speed of the crew has taken management by surprise and the delivery of rail and ties is not scheduled until mid spring. We are working with our bank to release funds to purchase at least some of the material to begin mainline track installation."