The hardshell is nearly framed in the "Canyon" area, from the tunnel portal to the large rock cut. Today, I located a source of Hydrocal in Greensboro, and obtained a 100 pound bag, and enough aluminum screen to do the rest of the "crunchy" parts of the mountains in the as-yet-unnamed Canyon area. I have a roll of vinyl screen that will form the base of the somewhat gentler and more uniform hills from the cut through the woods to Midway, and around the corner to where the High Bridge will be (though approaching the bridge, we'll probably be back to metal screen again.) This week's objective was to have plaster cloth up on the canyon section, and I almost made it! At this point, I expect to at least have most of the screen up and maybe some plaster cloth; I may be able to make a larger dent in it next week. If anyone knows an army of tiny people who can reach the far corners of the benchwork, not step on the track in the process, and apply plaster, have them call me! Until then, this is primarily a solo act, and subject to interruption.
** Note: All place titles on the SCRY are just working titles -- once this is finished, I may give them real "Timetable" names. For now, I've got to call it SOMETHING so I'm trying to be consistent in how I refer to these places so as not to confuse anyone.
In other news, I've been working for several years with some good friends on a project to build some passenger equipment with a more modern feel than most commercially available cars or kits. The project was covered over on the Durango Dan site a week or so ago (see link to the left for One twenty point me) and can be seen in depth on Bruce Chandler's website, www.thejoat.com where you can read about the history of the project, and of parlor cars in general. I'll cover mine in detail after it arrives and becomes a project on my own bench -- for now, my car was the test assembly of the kits at Rio Grande Models UK (also see link at left...) and even in its unfinished form is just exciting! Here's a sneak peek...
(That's not the final color...) I have to commend my new friend David Gormley for his fantastic work, and flexibility on this project. When he asked if I'd MIND him assembling mine as a fit-test, I was all too ready to agree, and got him to paint it too ... I'll be doing the detail work, windows, underbody details, and interior once the car arrives here from the UK; Stan Cedarleaf is already putting the decals together for me. One major part of the work will involve scratchbuilding a railing for the observation platform, which should prove interesting. I'm hoping to be able to get most of the other 1:20.3 detail parts commercially (though I already have all of the underbody details.) I'll post updates here as the project progresses.
There's been some discussion lately about the Bachmann Forney. I've got one, and it went from the box to a couple of laps around the track to make sure everything worked, to the workbench. It now looks like this:
As you can see, this is going to be a "roots-up" project, and will entail lowering the cylinders, lowering the body of the locomotive, dealing with the horizontal and vertical seams in the lower part of the smokebox, reconstructing the cab detail, re-engineering the power and control system, and then changing around some of the details to give a family resemblance to another 2-4-4T that's near and dear to my heart in the 1:1 world. I will, of course, post photos and progress here as it happens.
And, there are a zillion other things to do. SCRY #10, a 45 ton diesel, is currently in the shop and will receive the first QSI system on the railroad, followed by Shay #5. There's an enginehouse being built by Randy at PCGRS in California (also in links, left) which will probably come to fruition late in the year, and other motive power and rolling stock projects on the horizon as well.
But first... I need to have a decent "stage" on which these models can perform, so the focus is the layout itself. Hopefully there'll be photographic proof of some progress in that department in the next week or so.
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