The bushes are changing colors

As mentioned last week, my layout is undergoing a scenery makeover. The ground had been stripped of all the dark green bushes and grass, and in its place was dirt, dying grass, and lighter green foliage. It was now time for some bushes. Unfortunately, based on what I observed outside I needed round, light-green bushes with splashes of red, orange, and yellow color. Now how could I model that?

Not knowing what to do, I hiked down to the nearest hobby shop to see what they had. The answer was not much. I noticed some bags of old Woodland Scenics lichen labeled in various shades of green, but quickly dismissed them because lichen was "old school" and they looked faded and dead. However, I quickly realized that the dying muted green lichen was EXACTLY what I needed for my bushes! The prices weren't great, despite having tags indicating that this was at least the third hobby store to have them in their inventory. But, I brought them home anyway.

Digging through my stash, I also found some small bags of fall colored ground foam that I had received as a gift during a model railroad event years ago and never knew what to do with. How fortuitous!

I have never worked with lichen before and expected it to come out of the bag in bunches or roundish blobs. Instead, it was large, stringy pieces that I had to cut apart and massage into bush-like shapes. I can't imagine building a layout 30 years ago with only this stuff. But... it did look like bushes. The light green stuff was nice and soft, but the dark green bag had much firmer plants.

As an experiment I tried painting some lightly with red paint in places, almost highlighting certain areas. It was okay but not vibrant enough. The three on the left in the picture below show what they looked like. Okay, but not great.

Then, I dipped parts into thinned down white glue and lightly dipped them into piles of red, orange, or yellow ground foam. I made all sorts of shapes and sizes, not really knowing what I would need. A James Bond movie was on in the background so it wasn't all that tedious, and in fact I had fun. That's good, because I will need to make a bunch.

After about a half-hour I had a pile of ready-to-plant bushes. I took them to the layout, along with some plain green lichen, and started to glue them in place. I attempted to go for natural positioning, and also not overdo it to start. I could always add more later. I quickly realized that I had made many of them too large to be bushes, and for my next batch I will aim for the size of an acorn. But, a pair of scissors quickly sorted it out. 

I also scattered some of the extra ground foam onto areas that already had green bushes, just to give them some color transformation.

Along the fence, more bushes were added. This was the place for the larger ones, which ended up looking like small trees.

At a craft store I also found these premade flowers by JTT, and I may use them eventually. But having seen how much nicer my lichen bushes are these may go into the stash for the future...

I am happy with my first results, and I may start working on other areas of the layout. I also need to experiment with static grass again. 

Autumn season is here

It was bound to happen eventually. As I was working on my layout a couple of weeks ago something was bothering me, and I realized it was the scenery. It was too lush, too green. And perhaps took uniform and "fake". It needed some static grass to help break everything up. This was especially true near the gully I had carved for my water area.

I started with some 4mm long "light green" static grass from Woodland Scenics. In reality, it is a blend of yellow (dead) grass and green grass and not light green at all. I thought it would capture the partially living, partially dead look of grass in the fall. But after I applied it, it looked terrible and just stood out like a sore thumb. 

I used some light green craft paint to add highlights to the static grass and that helped, but it still didn't look like what I envisioned in my mind. It didn't look like fall. It reminded me of what I had done on my previous layout, which was set in May.

Assuming I had just used the wrong color of grass, I added a different shade of green grass to the patch of land between some of the train tracks. To mask the track I used strips of posterboard.

The result at least had the right texture, but I had gotten sloppy along the edges and grass had landed where it wasn't supposed to. But it was also too vibrant for some ground surrounded by dirty train tracks and a lumber yard. In all reality, it should be filthy, probably polluted, and have bits of trash here and there. 

Eventually, I stopped working on my layout. It wasn't right. Part of it wasn't entirely my fault: I had never attempted to model autumn before and I didn't know how to do it. I was used to modeling spring. And autumn came late this year, so I was doing it from memory. (Not a good thing, I admit).

However, on a family drive the next day I saw what I was trying to achieve... and how my layout wasn't cutting it. All along the edges of the road were either piles of dead grass and leaves or bare earth. I needed light green grass as a base color, with patches of reddish/brown dirt and grass showing here and there. Accents would be some lighter grass in areas, with lots of collected leaves and brown dirt on the edges. 

Trees were still mostly green and only starting to turn yellow, orange or red. It was beautiful. And not like my layout. I had gone too far down the "green path", focusing on mid-green and dark green and then attempted to highlight it with straw and light yellow static grass. My work was hideous.

So, I came home and used my shop vacuum to forcibly strip all of the green clump foliage off, as well as any loose static grass and turf that was willing to go. It looked better already. I didn't do every area at once, though, because I wasn't sure how my next steps would turn out. I guess that is why scenery takes practice just like anything else. 

Then I started in one area and applied some brown stuff that came from Life-Like many years ago. It essentially looked like ground up leaves or grass, and I had never known what to use it for. I applied it along the edges of the scene I was working on. Next, I went over it with some real dirt to lighten and muddy it up, with some fine light green ground foam was sprinkled on. I could tell I was on the right path, so I glued it in place. No large bushes were added.

I redid the area with the bad yellow static grass, I applied more leaves, dirt, and light green ground foam. Instead of leaning into dark green, like I had originally, I completely left it off. Mid-green and a little brownish-green foam were also added. I wasn't going for the final look now, because I would try some static grass again later. Just an initial coat base layer for now.

Then, the rest of the right side of the layout was given the same treatment including the back lot by Northeast Chemical.

It isn't finished, but it is a start in the right direction. Now to add some bushes and larger foliage (and not those large green clumps of foam).

Roughing in a Gully

New England terrain is anything but flat, and I wanted to represent that on my layout. Even in the railroad town area, where most of the land would be level, I thought a little dip and bump along the front might be nice. Also, I wanted to add a little water feature along the edge such as a gully where trash collected and weeds grew.

I started out by using my hot wire tool to cut away a portion of the foam. I didn't really know exactly what I had in mind but I was sure I didn't want it near the edge of the benchwork. Like before, I struggled to find how to optimally use the knife. 

Then, a layer of ground goop was added.

I smoothed it with a chip paintbrush and water, and then sprinkled on a layer of real, fine dirt.

Finally, some ground foam and brush were added. I need to finish more of the scenery in the back and sides before I work on this further, as the water should be added last. I also need to add the fascia boards before the water, and that is likely several months away. But it is a start.

MRC Sound... a decent option

I like sound effects for a layout... in moderation. Sound equipped locomotives are fun for about 10 minutes and then start to get on my nerves. Most people have them turned up too loud anyway. Other sound effects like car horns, crossing gates, animal noise, etc. can also be enjoyable in the right setting but are easily overdone. I think they should be just barely heard, not in our face. 

On my old HO layout, I had purchased the MRC City and Country Sound Station and the MRC Sound Station 312. Both are now about 20 years old, and both are simple sound systems with a handheld controller that features about 18 buttons including a couple of on/off slide switches, a power switch, and a volume knob. They are hardwired into a pair of speakers, and my version of the Sound Station 312 has the power supply also hardwired in (the City and Country one has the power cord on a plug that disconnects from the back of the speaker).

They are pretty basic but I enjoy them. I actually own three of each, with the first being used on my N scale layout and the second used on my HO layout. The third pair are new in box from my local train store that I bought during a going out of business sale for $5 each. Not bad.

For my O scale layout I wanted an easy way to mount the speakers underneath. They have no mounting holes or brackets and are designed to just sit on something. So, I built some L-frames out of scrap lumber. Then, the speakers were cinch-tied in place to the wood. A pair of metal L-brackets from my stash were attached to each wooden frame and then they were screwed to the underside of the layout's plywood. 

Since the speakers are physically hard-wired together, I had to move it all as a unit and that made installation a bit awkward. But it worked. I could always cut the wires and then splice in longer ones in the future, but it isn't a problem now.

I mounted the Sound Station 312 under my left section of benchwork because it features railroad and automobile sounds. That is where my road crossing with flashers will go so it seemed to make sense. The City and Country system with animal sounds is being reserved for another portion of the layout that will feature a farm.

The sound isn't as crisp as modern sound systems and the sounds are just generic noises but that's okay. It makes Harrison and me happy, which is all that really matters. 

A new flatbed truck

With the dearth of 1:48 scale vehicles appropriate for the 1970s-1980s period on the market I tend to jump at anything I can find. Previously I purchased an Atlas F-100 pickup truck and I would buy as many more as I could. But, I accidently fogged up the windows when I got careless with the Dullcote and thus it doesn't look great. I want to move it from being so prominently visible in the lumberyard to somewhere else. Hopefully, with its cab facing away from the aisle my mistake won't be noticeable.

That meant I needed another vehicle for the lumberyard. I found some 1950s era box trucks from Menards which would work but they are a little too old for my liking. Then, I stumbled on a listing for a Menards Gold Line Green Mack Truck Limited Edition in 1:48 scale. It looked good, but I wasn't sure if it fit my era (I can barely distinguish between a pickup truck and a DeLorean). I asked on the O Gauge Railroading magazine forum and was informed that it was common during my time frame, so I bought one.

When it arrived I unscrewed the chassis from the body. I had hoped to remove the cab window glazing to avoid it getting obscured from Dullcote, but it was fused in place. There was no easy way to remove it without cracking it so I did a quick mask with blue tape and then gave everything a flat finish. 

I considered repainting the cab or at least changing the graphics from Menards to something else. They don't have any stores in New England so it doesn't quite fit my layout's theme. But, for the moment I can live with it. 

Burnt umber oil paint washes were applied all over to give it a dirty appearance. The deck bed received a bunch to highlight the planking. Then, I let it dry for a week.

I painted on some tail lights with red paint, and I added license plates front and back from the Microscale set (#48-509). I used Texas plates because I had come to the realization that from 6" away you can't read them, much less from two or three feet away. To hide a large visible gap in the chassis between the rear wheels I glued in place some styrene pieces painted black.

Then, I took some of the brown latex paint that I use for my scenery and watered it down and weathered the underframe and wheels of the truck. This helps to tie it in to the rest of the layout, as the color of the dirt matches.

A load of scale 2x12 lumber, cut 12' long, finished up the truck. I didn't add any strapping to secure it, but I am thinking of adding a figure that suggests the truck is currently being loaded. The lumber is glued together but not attached to the truck, nor is the truck glued down.  That way, I can change it up in the future if I want..

Finally, it went into the lumberyard and the pickup truck was driven to another location. I am still working on sourcing an appropriate forklift and found a 3D printed kit online, but that is another project. 

Correctly sized wooden pallets

When I was working on my lumberyard scene I built up some wooden pallets using HO scale ties. They looked great, but were about 25% oversize. That didn't bother me at the time, but the more I look at them the more I realize they are too large. But cutting lots and lots of stripwood to make scale ones didn't interest me. So I turned to Ebay.

I found some that were laser cut wood which needed to be assembled, and some cast resin pallets. While both involved work, the resin ones seemed easier because I only had to paint them. I bought mine from a seller named ThatTrainPlace, and the price for 20 pallets was just over a dollar each. Not great, but having tried the easy way first (HO ties) I was willing to pay a little bit more for something nicer.

I took ten and sprayed painted them Rustoleum camouflage tan. Then, based on picture I saw online, I painted ends and boards various colors. I don't really know what pallets were painted in the 1980s... do you? In any event, I tried to do everything random and kept pulling ones I did before to add coloring or weathering washes of brown acrylic paint. In the end, I had a motley bunch that look a bit odd as a group but when spread out over the layout will look fine.

 You can see in the picture below six of the new, scale size pallets and one of the older, larger ones I built from wood.

I won't get rid of the ones I already built though. I swapped them for resin ones on the layout, and took all the rest and set them aside for now. The next time I build a boxcar with a door open I can stick some in there, where their excess size won't be noticeable on a moving train.

M.O.W. boxcar scene (part 1)

One of my favorite things in real life is discovering old, abandoned track. While I would much prefer that it be operating track, there is something exciting about uncovering the remains of long-forgotten railroad infrastructure. I suppose it is industrial archaeology in a way. For the left side of my layout, I had built in two sidings. One would be in front of the layout and home to a small industry, and one would be in the back and lead to an Agway.

Having nearly finished the righthand side of the layout, I decided to start planning the left side. First, I had to clear everything off.

Then, I caulked some of the foamboard joints to give me a nice flat surface.

I had designed this front portion of the layout to include a Maintenance of Way boxcar shed that I built a couple of years ago. It's construction was featured in the October/November 2024 issue of O Gauge Railroading magaine. I also wanted to model a portion of track that was buried in grass and weeds and clearly abandoned. Since the overall length of the siding was only a couple of feet long total, this seemed like a good place to do that. If I stuck any meaningful industry here it would only encroach on the MOW scene, as well as whatever I built in the back.

I had one leftover piece of Gargraves flextrack that was the perfect length for this siding.

After cutting it to length, I removed every fourth tie and then respaced them. I don't know how visible they will be under the greenery but it seemed like a good idea.

Another important consideration was the location of the road crossing in this area. I wanted to incorporate blinking crossing lights onto the layout and the road into the lumberyard didn't seem appropriate. But I wanted a road leading to the Agway as well as Northeast Chemical, and I had to account for it now. I had two options (assuming it didn't come from the side of the layout, or from the back): through the switches or to the left of them. To the left would mean that the siding would never amount to anything, so through the switches it was.

Enough planning... time to get to work!