Sunday, November 30, 2003

Spray Paint

Hi all...I just couldn't stay away any longer or eat another bite.

My family has decided I have totally lost it. On our Thanksgiving trip I planned stops in cities with big hobby shops a lot of HobbyTowns looking for Floquil. Many stores arn't carrying it anymore. I finally hit the jackpot in Jackson, MS and stocked up.

However, I never found the Floquil spray paints listed in the RRC instructions. Is there any reason I can't just mix up a batch of regular Floquil thinned 50/50 for my airbrush? I think I have all the colors in the 1oz bottles?"

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Sign

Ok I have the blabs tonight...
I thought you might be interested in what I decided to do about the coke sign. If you don't remember the Coke sign is on a warehouse directly across the street from the Clinchfield station. With your help I found a copy of the sign in new condition on the net. I am going to use Photoshop -- The technique desribed here http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,24330,3423189,00.html
to fade away the weaker colors just substituting a brick wall for the wood one. Then I am going turn off the layer with the wall and send the file to be made into a decal. I am looking for a custom decal place that the decal can be burnished into the brick of the model. Of the ones mentioned before who would do this the best??? Finally, I am going to weather the building with the sign in place with the normal washes and chalks. What do you think? I'm hoping for a faded worn out sign much like the one in the picture I posted. I discovered that the black tar streak was where another building roof since torn down covered the coke sign. I probably will leave the tar out.
Somebody stop me rambling."

Station at Johnson City

The old Clinchfield station in Johnson City, TN continues to draw me in. The station is in bad shape but they are trying to save it. The roof is almost gone. The Clinchfield and ET&WNC (Tweetsie) met at that station. NS & CSX still travel the old Clinchfield line in front of it today. The old state foundry was blocks up the street. Kingsport intermodal yard is not far away (15 miles by rail) and the Jonesbourgh the oldest town in TN with many old structures is on the line. So in my fantasy layout the end of steam meets deisel intermodal around Johnson City. Since the ET&WNC is no longer around except for some great old tunnels and decaying bridges I decided the part of ET&WNC I would model would be steam, coal, lumber, foundry, etc. I have pictures of all the old structures. There is a church camp in Doe Creek Gorge that is a great place to visit where you can walk or ride through history. On the Clinchfield side I am going to do CSX modern coal and NS intermodal. The only place they meet is Johnson City and all within a 20 mile stretch of track. I now need to decide if I am going to do the ET&WNC in narrow gauge being faithful and limit my options or HO. The track between Johnson City and Elizabethton was dual so maybe I do dual. I plan another picture trip next week when I get back for Thanksgiving to Kingsport to capture more of the modern stuff intermodal, chemical Eastman, another old foundry and station. I wish I knew where to get more detailed rail maps than the route map one with some indication of siding and yards.

By the way I am thinking about spring training through TN, NC, VA, & WV. I'd start at Great Smokie and end up at Cass with Doe and the Mine museum among others in between. Flea bag hotels"

Monday, November 17, 2003

Supplies

I ordered a set of Grumbacher Soft Pastels Landscape last night they were hard to find. Michael's doesn't carry them anymore and on many online sites they were out of stock.
I finally found them -- 1 LandscapeClose Out:Grumbacher Soft Pastel SetsGR00/L $22.50 at Reuels.com. Anybody know if they have been totally discontinued? I was looking for them based on Brett's Color list.

Hey by the time I'm done stocking up the supplies and tools will have cost as much as my kit order from SW. I am framing and laying out my first walls.

Well got to go wait on packages from Reuels, Woodland Scenic, Kapplers, Serria, Scenic Express and Micro-Mark. And Wednesday the new HobbyTownUSA opens here"

Sunday, November 16, 2003

Started - Glue?

RRC is coming well the strips are stained and the casts are cleaned. Drilling the cast do you drill both resin and metal? With what size bit and by hand? Would a drop of CA hold the tooth pick instead of drilling. By the way what is the difference in CA which I understood and ACC?

Saturday, November 15, 2003



This is a classic old sign painted on the side of a warehouse in Johnson City, TN. I might make the black streak a little less prototypical It is directly opposite the old combination passenger and freight station which is falling down. A speculator has purchased it and a number of other old buildings hopefully the station can be saved. Since Johnson City is where Clinchfield and ET&WNC (Tweetsie) met a lot of old pictures show the station. I am thinking about modeling it one day and am taking lots of digital pictures.

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Making Stain

Nobody is as far behind as I am. I just got started last night. I am staining strips as we speak. I used Brett's formula in leftover plastic bags. The Ham and Cheese was a little stale.
I expect to be talking to myself before I'm done. So what is new! :)

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Railroad Camp Arrives

My RRC arrived tonight and I'm eagerly getting started. The plan is to do as much as I can before the first of the year. I hope to not be too far behind on starting the Mill with you then. So I'll shelve RRC or use it as my relief project. Thanks to all of you who have gone before. I finished reading Foss thread this afternoon and will keep this one close as I work on RRC.

'This stain won't stay on my hands forever will it?' - Nah just a month or two.

Layout - Waiting on UPS

I'm still waiting on UPS. Y'all have me so excited.

My layout focuses on the corner of TN/NC/VA and with a little imagination KY. I like Clinchfield and ET&WNC (Tweetsie) around Johnson City, TN. I think I have decided on Fall in the late 40s. That would make the RRC, Sawmill, and coal perfect. Foss might have to be on a lake. Anybody know of an avaliable coal operation of the quality of SW? The area had lumber, coal, narrow guage, and eventually chemical.

My only struggle is I love to go up to Jonesbourgh, TN and take pictures of the town (oldest in TN) with the CSX intermodals rambling through or over toward Gate City and capture the NS coal train headed from VA and KY. I'd miss that if I do strictly 40s but I love the structures, images, and steam of the period of the RCC? Since time kind of left its mark on this area I have considered sticking with the structures of 40s in some areas and doing modern in other parts. It is amazing to me how many of the buildings in this area are still of that period. I have to take the digital out and capture the station and warehouse with a sign for 'Arthur's Loan - Pawn Broker fading on the outside.
Hope I didn't ramble too much, reading about your progress has already helped my planning.

Well back to the inventory of my tools in the shed. The UPS woman brought a computer today and I was bummed.

Saturday, November 08, 2003

Fine Scale Discovery

I'm just jumping in. I havn't built anything in a numbers of years and then nothing as complex as the craftsman kits. Now, in my lurking, you have inspired me and I am going to build SierraWest RailRoad Camp.

While I am reassembling tools and buying supplies I want to read a Finescale construction book. I have Frary's stuff (Realistic, 303 etc) but to me it is to modeling what landscaping and painting is to constuction. I'm looking for the carpentry manual to remind me of the basics and guide me in the way of more advanced stuff with an eye eventually to scratch building not plastic kits.

Off to the tool shed to find my rusting tools. By the way nice job on the shed guys it doesn't even leak. Bet you made sure of that, didn't cut anybody any slack. The shed is by that empty field of dreams where one day the sawmill will be. Right? :)

I really enjoyed the discussion of the building of the camp! Mine should arrive Monday."