Third update on the new module

This is the third general update on the progress of the new curved highway module.  Since the last update land forms were created with my usual method of foam insulation board glued down on the module and shaped by carving and sanding.  Then this was covered with plaster cloth and a coat of sheet rock joint compound smoothed out with a wet paint brush.

Before I got much further I wanted to provide the means to attach acrylic shields to the sides of the module like I had done on other modules.   Using the shields from the other curved module as a guide I drill holes and installed 8-32 Tee nuts.

The hills were given a coat of brown and green acrylic paints so none of the white would show through the scenery and some small rocks were added here and there.  Then the retaining walls were air brushed with Testors concrete.

A base coat of sanded grout was applied over the entire area and when that dried several different shades of Woodland Scenics ground foam was applied.  The steeper areas were left showing more of the sanded grout as bare soil.

I am trying some Testors black weathering washes on the retaining walls.  I like how it settles into the recesses on the tiles and in between the tiles.

Using Greenmax wall sets

On the Hot Springs Junction Ntrak module, I had made my own retaining walls using Styrene sheet and rod materials.  This came out great but was quite a bit of work so this time I found a ready made product by Greenmax.

Greenmax makes 3 different patterns of stone walls that come in a 3 pack with each of the 3 sections measuring 60mm in height and 200mm long.   I choose number 2107 which is an interlocking pattern of square tiles.

To get the height right all of the wall sections needed 2 or 3 rows cut from the bottom leaving the header row at the top.

The length of my retaining walls was long enough that I had to use two sections on each side.  The patterns will line up when the uncut ends are placed end to end.

As the highway crosses the module at an angle, the ends of the wall sections needed to be cut at an angle to match the edges of the module.

On one of the module edges I cut away several rows of tiles to simulate how a wall like this might get lower following the terrain.

I had placed the walls so that the header on top was just above the edge of the module base.  After the wall section was glued into place, the header was cut away in the area where the bridge would be so the bridge could sit on the edge of the module base.

Another curved railroad bridge part 1

It often seems that on a small layout or on a module the track must make curves and if you want to have a bridge scene of any length some of the curve may need to go over the bridge as well.

On the Hot Springs Junction Ntrak module I had this situation on the AsiaNrail connection to the Ntrak mountain division track.  On that one I started with the sides cut from an old Atlas bridge and built a straight bridge wide enough to accommodate the slight curve.  A couple of posts from November of 2012 cover how I built this bridge.

For the rail bridge over the highway I again started with sides cut from old Atlas through girder bridges.  These were glued to a base of tempered hard board which was the same thickness as the cork road bed.  This would be a ballasted deck curved bridge made from two straight sections.

Each of the Atlas bridge sides had to be shortened.  I put the cut off ends in the middle and added a section of .080 x .030 styrene strip between to match the other ribs on the sides.

As this is a two section bridge, it would need support columns where the sections join.  For this I used a pair of used Rix bridge columns salvaged from past projects.

After some cleaning up I spliced the two together into a single unit with 4 columns to match the width of the bridge.  Styrene strip was added to the beam on each side to strengthen the splice.

In this photo the darker line is the center line of the track and the lighter line is the center line of the highway.  Holes were drilled into the module base for the bridge columns along the highway center line.

Here the bridge is set loosely in place on the support column structure.  Everything seems to fit fine and is ready for paint and maybe some weathering.

Second update on the new module

With the plan to do the layout in Sacramento in September progress on this module has been jump started.  This is what has been accomplished within the past few days.

Masonite fascia boards have been added on both sides and all exposed surfaces have been re-sealed with a primer coat.   With both ends being held straight for 5 inches, the bent stick method was used to mark the track center line.

Then the outside of the module frame was given a coat of black enamel.   Cork road bed was installed along the track center line.  The base of the bridge over the highway made was from a scrap of Masonite.

The bridge will be a two section through girder type on a curve.  To double check the clearances I temporarily pinned down some track and I used an 89 ft American passenger car which is longer than any of the stock that would run over this bridge.

I also ordered and received some Green Max retaining wall sections which are are the gray pieces shown set loosely in place in this photo.  Both the bridge and retaining walls will be covered in more detail in future posts.

AsiaNrail returning to Sacramento

My wife and I were in Japan during the time of the Hiller Trains and Planes show in March so I missed that setup of the AsiaNrail layout.  Then the Los Altos History Museum notified us that they will not be able to have the Train Days event this year because of construction so it looked like I might not get my AsiaNrail modules out at all this year.

Then came an invite to set up our AsiaNrail layout at the 39th annual National Narrow Gauge being held in Sacramento in early September.  It seems that technically we are narrow gauge as Japanese standard gauge for example is 1067mm.

This is a return to Sacramento for us as we had the layout there at the convention center for the National Train show in 2011.

A link to the convention website is HERE


The Narrow Gauge convention will be held at the Hilton Double Tree Hotel, 2001 West Point Way, Sacramento, CA.  It will be September 4-7, 2019.  So I will have all summer to finish the new module I have been working on and have it ready by then.