HINTS AND TIPS - THE FOLLOW ON
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Ballasting and Weeds Pt 1
By Barry Galway
When I am ballasting I first apply a layer that represents the surface of the roadbed, usually a different colour of rock, sometimes a different texture, then ballast as normal. In the OP's case this would leave a surface finished surface between the widely spaced tracks. I would then apply some random weeds, or a little static grass, not much, as it is growing in a fairly hostile environment.
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Stopping Your Steel Rule from Slipping
By Doug DIckson
To help you keep your straight-edge cutting ruler from slipping on the surface of the card or paper as you cut to a line, raise a burr on the chosen underside by running the back of a Stanley knife blade along its length. This micro raised edge will grip the surface of the paper. Be mindful when cutting finished plastic sheet that you don't damage the surface in question.
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Ballasting and Weeds Pt 2
By Rob Spangler
I use a lot of static material and grass tufts around secondary tracks, along with some fine foam here and there. Note the prototype will try to avoid anything that would constitute a tripping hazard, so vegetation more substantial than large weeds would typically be absent from an area where crews have to walk.
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Modelling Slag Dumps
By Several Modellers
I use CA gel with ballast to model the slag residue around cars and the one where the hot iron cars were emptied. I highlight some of the slag residue with wash of yellow and orange paint to simulate hot slag. (Marc Romaine)
If we are making the really fine stuff around tracks, I would be using chinchilla dust mixed with some coarse brown ballast. Make sure its well glued down before painting. (John Busby)
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Painting Black Locos
By David Starr
I paint my steamers with Dark Grey Auto primer from a rattle can. After a few hours on the road, even the newest shiniest steamer gets covered with coal soot and looks a flat grey.
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Maintaining Card Buildings
By Dennis McIntosh
I have found that routinely touching up my card buildings, particularly my Metcalf buildings with a felt tip pen to get rid of the white edges at folds etc. makes a big difference to the appearance of a building.
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How to Create Your Own Signage from Web Pages
By Trevor Gibbs
1. Have Paint open as well as your Word Processor or drawing package and the web page you want to copy the sign from.
2 Right click on the sheet and select "Copy Image"
3 If you only want a section of the image, click on "Paint" and paste the image to Paint using Control V. The image will copy over to Paint, otherwise Go To step 5.
4. Using the Select Tool in Paint, select the image/poster/sign you want. Press Control C.
5. Switch to the Word Processor or Drawing package you have and resize it!
Doing it this way, you can construct your own sheet using multiples of the same signs where appropriate and print off to your hearts content! Just remember to leave your margins!
Some images will not copy directly so press Alt and Print Screen keys together, then go to step 3.
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Dulling Ballast
By Several Modellers
Some brands of Ballast have a crystalline appearance and “sparkles†in the light in parts. I am currently ballasting my HO scale layout with Scenic Express #40 ballast, but I am using matte medium, not white glue. I do not see any shininess or sparkliness with that combination (Rich Alton)
I brush on a thin black wash to dull down ballast. (Greg Blades)
I mix a little India Ink with water and put it on the ballast with an eyedropper. Sparingly. (Steven Miller)
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Handy water in the railway room.
By Doug DIckson
Few of us have water laid on in the railway room, but how often do we need 'just a drop' to wet a brush, dilute paint etc.?
I have taken a plastic drink bottle, and using Epoxy Resin glued a piece of metal tube through a hole in the lid, having first bent the outer 9" into a 180 degree curve so as to look like a laboratory tap.
With a gentle squeeze, a controlled amount of water will flow up and out of the tube to be used as necessary.
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Modelling Hay Bales
By Several Modellers
I used square cut foam blocks close to the scale dimensions for the bales I have seen locally. I like the idea of cutting foam into strips, then to length. Rough slightly with a wire brush.
Foam for a stack or load of hay sounds like a good idea too.
Colour can run from near yellow for straw bales to a fairly rich green for top quality hay and alfalfa. I do not think I would go quite as dark as evergreen for my bales, at least around these parts. (Richard Cowman)
I use small blocks of foam, painted to shade, and static grass glued on (Kevin Beasley)
Driving across from Melbourne to Adelaide and back many times over 40 years, we have seen many different bale and stack shapes and sizes. So I suggest that the above methods are both valid but double check what was current in the time frame and approximate area that you model (Trevor Gibbs)
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Dulling and giving Depth to Ballast and Rocks
By Peter Hockley
I use thinned craft paint (1 pt paint to 8 parts water) randomly dabbed on with a brush to add some depth to ballast and rock crevices. This also helps me tone down the sparkle effect of some ballast combinations. Raw umber and burnt umber work well. Try on an obscure spot or test piece and wait until first application is dry before judging if more is needed and that the colour works well in YOUR lighting situation.
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Recycling Track from a Previous Layout Pt 1
By Dave Nelson
If the track is in otherwise good condition and did not get distorted or bent while it was being removed, it is certain worth experimenting.
Immersing and soaking the track in tubs of hot water might go a long way in loosening up scenic cement (if you used that) or PVA glue, so that attacking it with an old toothbrush or other tool might get results. This could be painstaking work of course.
A mild solvent might be needed for the tacky glue that some modellers use - perhaps soaking in some Pine Sol + hot water? These methods are easier with sectional track than with 3 ft lengths of flex track.
If there are pieces of glue and ballast coming off, do not rinse it off in a sink but throw it out somewhere on the yard maybe. And do not go too nuts trying to remove every grain of ballast if you intend to reballast the track in its next incarnation.
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Recycling Track from a Previous Layout Pt 2
By Richard Alton
If you have used PVA and/or Matte Medium to hold your track, first try water. If that doesn't work, try 70% isopropyl alcohol. If you don't damage the track when you remove it, then it is reusable although it came not come entirely clean. Give it a try and see what happens.
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Recycling Track from a Previous Layout Pt 3
By Butch Edwards
My track and points are on 3rd or 4th layout, not counting the times some of it was pulled up and moved while the layout was still up.
I use the white glue/water. for ballast. I lay the track on basement floor, near drain,
Hit it with hot (not boiling) water through a hose/sprayer.
As long as you get the bottom clean enough to lay somewhat flat do not worry about the rest.
The bigger concern is the ends. I solder my joints, then just cut the ends off. Lose about <1in> on every move.
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Finding Derailment Points
By Trevor Gibbs
Generally speaking, locos do not derail just like automobiles do not roll unless they are "tripped". I had a couple of locos that were more prone to derailing so I used those exclusvely with test train lengths and found areas like slight drops in the superelevation, very slight misalignment with rail height or face to face with the rail at the joiner, or very very slight burrs at the end of the rails on the heads and inner faces of the rail heads. I had all these issues in a few areas.
While your loco may be seeming to come off in a particular spot, have a look anything up to about 8 inches before the point where it seems to come off. It may well be (as it was with me) that the wheels are lifting off and riding the head of the rail prior to coming off. And the performance can be different with running a light loco as compared to pulling a string of freight cars given the effect of the locos own torque and the load so a full test is in order.
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Testing Locomotives for Minimum Radius Pt 1
By Kevin Stratton
I bought a few packs of Kato HO scale Unitrack from 28 inch radius down to about 18 inch radius. When you click this track together you now get an ACCURATE radius to test. This is the best way to confirm a locomotive's actual functional minimum radius for operation.
Run the engine on the Kato track, if it does not derail at the radius that your trackwork is at… the problem is your track. If it does derail… the problem is the locomotive.
I have seen quite a few people have problems with flex track curves that are supposedly 24 inch radius, but the loco will run fine on Kato 24 inch radius track. Their trackwork had slight spirals and kinks.
I use Atlas sectional 24" radius track for my minimum 24" radius curves on my layout, and avoid the problems.
(A Note from Trevor - You can use a semi circle of any set track provided it is free of burrs etc. I found I have had to treat minor flaws in Peco and Hornby set track pieces )
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Testing Locomotives for Minimum Radius Pt 2
By Crandall Overton
I always add a full 10% to my 'minimum radius', and for me, with one brass steamer claimed to need a minimum of 30", I only lay, and verify before I glue the ballast, 33" curves. Maybe the rule for those less experienced should be 15%, just to cover the standard errors of hand-laying curves.
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When I am Laying Track
By Randy Rinker
I always find it best to spend time now and get it right then find out after all the scenery is in that you need to rip something out. I am generally not satisifed until everything I intend to run (obviously I do not test every car and every loco over every section of track- that could take months with a bigger layout - I test the most likely to cause issues, which is not ALWAYS just the the biggest) can pass through a section of track forwards and backwards at speed way faster than they should ever be run without derailing.
(A note from Trevor - my own testing involved using 2 4 axle diesels and 2 0-8-0 tender engines rather than my bigger engines because those locos seemed to be the least forgiving of issues in my particular fleet. Thanks Randy!)
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Keeping glue bottle nozzles clear for longer
By Doug DIckson
Plastic superglue nozzles and the tips of micro-applicators amongst others eventually gather a drying residue just inside the tip held by capillary action. It can be a pain to clear when they finally 'bung up'.
If you discipline yourself always to give the bottles a significant squeeze to expel a little air prior to inverting them to express adhesive, on replacing them on the bench the container will 'suck back' effectively clearing the tip of the nozzle, lengthening the time before remedial action is needed!
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If Particular Locos derail on Point frogs Pt 1
By Trevor Gibbs
If your loco is derailing in one direction, particularly entering the curved exit, Check your loco going in the opposite direction facing both ways. If it is only facing one way and one direction that it derails then check the gauge.
I only have one 6 axle loco as well as a couple of 0-8-0's but heading into a curve, the leading edge of some of the guard rails on Peco turnouts can be a tripping point which can be fixed (in my case) by bending that leading guard rail inwards very slightly or trimming the plastic so that the lead wheel does not pick that corner.
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