When modeling asphalt, the challenge is to get away from an overly uniform color pattern…easier said than done. I tried something new this weekend. -Start by painting your street or parking lot surface with Rustoleum Light Gray Primer and let it dry. -For the second level I used “Charcoal” colored grout. A nice quality of […]
Latch Shoes at 2201 17th Avenue is the last major structure on my Downtown Spur layout. My model of it will be finished in a week or so. Reality is sinking in, the layout for the most part, is “finished”. “Finished” layouts, they can sneak up on you. It begs the question, what next? Do […]
Some questions about The Downtown Spur came up at the recent RPM open house. So, for the number crunchers in the crowd, here is some arcane minutiae. The rest of you can resume your other duties. Era: 2007 Room size: 21’6” by 17’ 6” Track: ME code 70 Turnouts: Micro Engineering #6 Turnout Count: 13 […]
At the tail end of the railfan’s photographic golden hour, Y120 shoves a massive reefer down the spur of Pan Am Frozen Foods on my Downtown Spur layout. Photography is a way to experience our layouts in a way that’s impossible with the naked eye. I used my backup iPhone6 for this shot and then […]
Yesterday, I uploaded Episode 7 in my Switching Operations 101 YouTube series. Among other things, I focus on the importance and procedures related to ensuring you have a functional “couple” prior to doing a shove move. I also cover the procedure for dicey moves across heavily-traveled streets. Thanks to all of the professional railroaders and […]