Turning the Throw

The throw on Atlas switches can be switched from the through side of the switch, to the curved side, if clearance is needed on the through side.  Simply lift the black plastic tabs on the top of the throw, that hold the switch points, and slip the rails toward the centre (from under the tabs).  The throw bar can now be pulled out, turned around and slip back into place.  The rails will now snap back under the tabs with a simple push.  Don Pearce was the first to explain this to me.

throw in normal position, you can see the tab at the point of the rail

throw removed note hole in tab on the switch point this is what the throw tab locks into

throw now on opposite side

Sedum Tree Production Line

Two boxes of dried Sedum flowers were brought in to make trees. An area was set up and a crew gathered with deluted glue and ground foam at the ready.  Each flower head was dipped in the deluted glue, sprinkled with ground foam and put into foam board to dry. Some toy or bottle brush pines also got this treatment, and although many trees were produced, many more are needed.  Good work guys.

box of dry sedum

production line

shaking off excess glue

shaking on ground foam

sedum trees

bottle brush trees

Tuesday night at the Huff & Puff

More track was ballasted on the main and branch line. A group of members was formed to made up some trees, more on that later. The yard at Lincoln was spiked down and wired.  Rock and wall castings are being applied in a few areas and more land formations are developing. In one area, to get away from the table top effect, a section of ceiling tile and the plywood under it was cut away and lowered. This may be developed into a swamp or rural area later on.  Rock castings were added in the quarry area. Jim's technique to apply rocks involves fitting two sections together and refining the mating edges by running a hacksaw blade between them to remove material until the two section fit.  He then glues them in with construction adhesive. Plaster will be added to blend the joints.  Meanwhile Glen changes from rock formations to a thinner block stone wall, because this section narrows down. Small pieces of rock and a lot of plaster, bridges the transition area.  Another stream area is added further down this line, at the other end of the block stone wall.  This will again help diversify the look of this long, narrow, straight length of track. Even though this is a small stream it will require the addition of four bridges and a culvert.

Area lowered to add scenic intrest

construction adhesive used to hold large rock pieces

changing from rocks to a stone wall



small stream being added



Tall Grass and Reeds

First cut lengths, about three inches long, of regular sisal twine to fit into a small container (I used a test tube).  Slightly twist open each piece of twine to help get the stain to each strand. With three or four lengths of twin in the test tube, add a few drops of dark green paint to it and some water, then shake it up to stain the twine. Stain other lengths of twine with other earth tones. Remove the twine and let it dry. Grasping one end of a piece of twine, untwist it with your fingers of your other hand and cut it to about two inches long. Holding it at one end, lay the twine flat on your scenery (this will only work if you used foam or ceiling tile or other soft material, otherwise you will have to drill holes in the plaster) and using a small, flat screw driver, put the blade of the screw driver on a few strands of twine and push the twine down into the scenery. Then pull the rest of the twine away and repeat the process until the twine is used up. By not centering the screw drive on the length of twine the grass will have different lengths and by varying the angle of the blade and not working in a straight line the grass/reeds will look natural. You can also make dense stands or a few sparce clumps.

stained lengths of twine

cut to length and untwisted

pushing the twine in a few strands at a time

tall dead reeds on my Grants Pass Railroad

various colours

shorter green grass clumps

Coil Car

Gary sent me this picture of a new coil car

Implied History

By adding a section of ties left over from a section of flex track, along side of the mainline but separated by a new ditch, it will show that the mainline has been moved.  The ties should be well weathered and partially overgrown with weeds and brush. A little scenic addition like this gives the railroad an implied history.

Tuesday Night at the Huff & Puff

With almost all of the track laid, our focus has turned to scenery. The first layer of plaster has been added to many areas and rock cliffs abound. Miller gets some trees and the yard in Wellington gets ballasted.  A meeting was held to give a Treasurer's report and sum up our DCC order, so much for business let's get back to modelling. The yard area at Lincoln was refined for better traffic flow.  Another area of concern is the looks of a long straight section of track, to add some visual impact a bridge spanning a gully was cut into the area. Changes to the elevation of the terrain between the flat town areas, will go a long way to enhance the realism we are trying to achieve.

yard changes at Lincoln

plastering at the quarry

trees grow in Miller

ballasting the yard

cutting in a bridge