Hints & Tips  No.1109
Making and Using Staging Yards Pt  2
By  Stein Rypern(Norway)

The key to figuring out your staging needs is  to figure out how many trains you want to run during a session, in what order  you want to run those trains, and how long those trains will be.

How does staging interact with car routing  such as waybills and car cards? It allows you to define more sources and  destinations for cars than what you have room for on your layout. For example,  if you have an ethanol plant on your layout, you may decide that you will have  covered hopper cars loaded with grain coming from Iowa and Nebraska (to pick two  random examples), tank cars of chemical additives coming from Galveston, Texas,  empty ethanol cars coming from California, New Mexico and Utah to be loaded at  your ethanol plant, and occasionally a flatcar or gondola of machinery coming  from Chicago.

So you create waybills for loaded covered  hoppers from Iowa to your ethanol plant, with the empty hoppers destined to be  returned to Iowa after they are unloaded.

And then you decide which train cars from Iowa  will arrive on, and make sure you put some covered hoppers in the train waiting  (in the staging area that represents "to the east") pretending to be "the  freight train from the midwest".

Hints & Tips  No.1110
 Making and Using Staging Yards Pt  3
 By  Stein  Rypern (Norway)
 

 The third train will arrive from the east  (from staging) to drop off a block of inbound cars for the warehouse district,  picking up outbound cars left in the yard by the local switcher, run around the  cars and depart eastbound again (back into staging, now facing in the other  direction on the staging track). The fourth train will arrive from the east  (from staging), pick up any cars bound for the barge terminal from the local  yard and work down to the barge terminal, picking up outbounds and setting out  inbounds at the barge terminal, before heading back past the local yard towards  the east.
 The second train will depart southwards with  the outbound trains from the milling district, and end the session on the layout  near the barge terminal, about to leave the area. Finally the first train will  end up at the local yard, about to depart for wherever it came from originally.  
 What staging do I need to support that scheme?  Two tracks, capacity one engine and 7 40-foot cars each.
 Am I planning to "operate staging" ? No. I am  planning to run trains. Staging is just a mechanism that allows me to  model that some of those trains will come from somewhere beyond the modeled  layout, and that some of those trains will depart for somewhere beyond the  modeled layout.

Hints & Tips  No.1111
 Being Cheap with Scenery Pt  1
 By  Lewis  Samarian (North  Carolina)
  
I have been asked a few times and recently a  bunch about how I could afford to build big layouts so I figured now is the time  to let the cat out of the bag so to speak. Here are some "How to's" on how to  save money.

Foliage - (ground  covers, tree foliage)

I quit  buying a lot of Woodland Scenics and other brands of foliage because it was  sending me broke and the wife suggested that I use pillow stuffing (stuff is  some type of spongey foam) and dye. Using the clump stuffing from  an old pillow I pour 1 bag of Rit dye in forest green and lots of water. (I use  an old kitty litter bucket so not to dye the wifes cleaning buckets). This will  make a rather dark green and will add either a table spoon of black for darker  or a table spoon of yellow for lighter.

I suggest using warm water but  cold will work. I then start pouring the clump filling into the dye till the  bucket is full and not over flowing. (Push the filling down into the dye with an  old paint stir, when it get saturated it will sort of sink) Stir once daily till  it is the color you want. When stirring, I try to squeeze the clumps to have  them soak in more dye. Remove the foam and put on lots of newspaper  to obsorb the left over fluid. Let dry.

While dyeing and drying I hit  alll the flea markets or yard sales I can find and buy all the blenders I can  find that are under $5. When clumps are dry set up your blender(s) and put a  handful into the blender and let er rip! (Cover and do not use your fingers to  push the clumps in!!!!!!!!!) When it gets the right size and consistancy remove  and repeat with a new batch. I leave some the same consistancy of WS medium  foliage but will blend a bunch till rather fine then sift through a tea sieve to  get a bunch that is really fine.

Hints    & Tips No.1112    Being    Cheap with Scenery Pt 2 - Coal loads or cover
    By    Lewis    Samarian    (North    Carolina)
    Using a $5 blender, I will chop up    charcoal brickets till the consistency I like. For ground cover or    coal piles I will use this and make foam hills to glue the coal    chunks to it. (DO NOT use water to glue. the brickets have ash in    them which will turn acidic when wet. Straight PVA works well.)    Spray with hair spray to hold it down.

Any super fine    charcoal coal dust left over in the blender I use for oil marks or    wheel marks on roads. This is alot cheaper than chalk.

Hints & Tips No.1113

Being Cheap with Scenery Pt 3 - Mulch, tilled soil

By Lewis Samarian (North Carolina)

I stop in all the local flooring stores and ask them if they have old cork flooring samples or if I can talk to their installers and ask them. (Most, if you tell them why your asking, show em pictures of your layout! will give these to you, unless they are building layouts too.)
I break these up and use the good ole $5 blender to grind them to a fine consistancy and form tilled soil for farms and gardens.
I also soak them in a black wash till super dark, dry then use as mulch around gardens on the layout. Really brings out your plants.
You can also use old cork roadbed if you or a friend is disassembling their layouts.

Hints & Tips No.1114
Being Cheap with Scenery Pt 4 - Wood product left overs

By Lewis Samarian (North Carolina)

A man I met here used to work of a lumber company and when I told him I was doing a bunch of lumber thingies on my layout he asked if I was going to include ash. Apparently the woodchips when not used for paper products were burnt and turned to ash which was then turned to lye (locally or shipped in tankers). To include this on my layout I used the ash left over from grilling to simulate making a Lye making company. (Little disclaimer here: Ash is acidic and when mixed with water will really mess things up so DO NOT use water near this ash!!!!!!)
When using ash, use Hairspay or spray glue to affix it.

Hints & Tips No.1115
Being Cheap with Scenery Pt 5 - Weathering with Coal
By Mike Aston (Canada)
 I have taken a few lumps of coal that I took off the track at work, ground it into dust, and used it for weathering cars.

Hints & Tips No.1116
Saving Model Paint
By Stu Roche (Connecticut)
 I wasted a lot of paint for the tiny amount I used so now I recycle the empty strips that held my medicine tablets, the bubble type with a metal film back. The bubbles are about 1/2" dia. I strip the broken film off the back then push the bubble back into shape with my thumb, when I have stirred my 'humbrol' with a cocktail strip I let it drain into a bubble and no more gunge around the top of the can.

Hints & Tips No.1117
 Using Stockings as Mesh
 By Stu Roche (Connecticut)
 

 Old Stockings can be used as very fine mesh for use in grills in buildings and locomotives and the like. As they have some elasticity to them, it is easiest to pin the material down across the area you wish to stick the material too. In the pictures I just used a scrap piece of plasticard and some plastic-weld (the liquid type of plastic glue). If you are using card or metal, superglue or epoxy should deliver the same results.
 

Hints & Tips No.1118
 Using Stockings as Ballast Retrievers
 By Stu Roche (Connecticut)
  I have for these is to easily collect the loose ballast and flock after a applying a scenic session for re-use. All you need is a stocking or pair of tights, a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment and an elastic band.
  Simply slide one leg of said garment over the end of the hose. I find it easiest if you do not push the hose all the way to the foot, but bring the foot part back so that it lays flat against the side of the hose. Wrap up any loose bits at the side of the hose also and then secure with an elastic band.
 When you turn the vacuum cleaner on it will suck the stocking or tights leg up very slightly depending on how much loose stocking or tights leg you have left at the end. Simply hold the top of the vacuum hose 1-2cm above the track or scenic area and let the hose suck up the loose material. You should be able to get 1-2 table spoons of material collected before the vacuum looses suction, when it looses suction, hold the hose over a suitable collection receptacle and switch the vacuum off. As the vacuum winds down and looses suction, the loose material will simply drop in to your collection receptacle.

Hints & Tips No.1122
 â€œBallasting” around Points
 By Tom Fasset (Arizona)
 

 I stop the ballast right before the moving sections and paint fake ballast around these sections.
 

Hints & Tips No.1119

Making Marsh Grass

By Bob Montgomery (Arkansas)




I was trying to come up with a way to make some grass tufts and maybe some marsh grass for my layout , I bought some woodland scenics tall field grass, but I couldn't get it right on the layout to save myself. So I finaly came up with this method that's easy and works great.

What you will need is some tall field grass, heat shrink tubing and white glue. I used the assorted heat shrink tubing from Radio Shack.

First I sort out some grass and cut some small heat shrink tubing in short lengths. Then I gather a bundle of grass, put a dab of white glue on my finger and gently twist the ends together. After the glue sets for a minute or two I trim thends of the grass bundles. Slide the heat srink tubing on the grass bundle to the desired finished length. Then carefully shrink the tubing. A small match or close soldering iron can do this. Then trim the tubing to length.

You can make different size grass tufts by using larger tubing. Then just simply drill a small hole where you want them and "plant" them,
just like a potted plant from the nursery , just use a little glue instead of potting soil.

Hints & Tips No.1120

Painting Figurines

By M Levin (Leeds)




When painting model people glue them down to an old ruler using PVA which can be dissolved later just using water or a small dab of Blu-Tack. This gives you something to hold on to.

Hints & Tips No.1121
Wire Wool for Bushes
By M Levin (Leeds)


I use wire wool for bushes and trees. It is cheap and looks good. Tease out the wire wool, paint with a green spray paint, glue and cover with scatter.

A Note from Trevor - used "raw", steel wool can break off and foul your motors and mechanisms   being attracted by the magnetic field of the motors  etc. I have been buying a nylon green scourer from my local supermarket and I am wondering if that is what the author intended… 
 

Hints & Tips No.1123
 â€œBallasting” around Points
 By Tom Fasset (Arizona)
 

 I stop the ballast right before the moving sections and paint fake ballast around these sections.

Hints & Tips No.1124
Making “Tar Paper” or “Felt” Roofing
By Tim McMahon (London)
Use single-ply white toilet paper (Tesco Value or Sainsbury's Basics are ideal!), cut it into strips and glue it to your model's roof. Then paint it in place to represent rolled felt roofing.

By Ryan Shiell (Ohio)Use a small amount of white glue with a good brush and glue tissue paper to a roof. Then simply paint a nice thin coat of black and fade appropriately to your weathering of choice. When you are all done it looks like a canvas and tar roof, just like on a flat roof.

Hints & Tips No.1125
 Flexible Track for Beginners Pt 1
 By Richard Whitmore (Australia)

I would always suggest using a cutter rather than a grinder. It is safer than having metal dust drifting everywhere. For that reason, a cutter also allows you to work indoors on site, which is naturally a great advantage. A Xuron tool, advertised in the modelling magazines, is purpose built for the job, is inexpensive and easy to use. However, whatever cutting tool you use, always remember that rail, when cut, can become a projectile, so please wear safety glasses and don't have anyone else in the room while cutting.

Hints & Tips No.1126
 Flexible Track for Beginners Pt 2
 By Richard Whitmore (Australia)
  Sometimes it is best to look at incorporating sectional track with your flexible track. For instance, if you are going to employ curves of a similar radius to those available in sectional track, then the sectional pieces will be more accurate, quicker to install and permanently hold their shape. Another use for sectional track is small make up sections to easily fill gaps where two tracks just do not quite join.  
 It is also best to locate platforms and other lineside buildings, allowing for clearances, before fixing the track.

Hints & Tips No.1127
 Scratchbuilding tips 101 Pt 1
 By Ryan Anderssen (Illinois)
 

 Here are a few tips from someone that does a LOT of scratchbuilds. I do not care whether it is a locomotive, rolling stock or a building, it all applies as it is…

1. Books are not really that helpful. They really will not give you much as most of it you will learn in your first 2-3 builds. As far as plans, yes, some people use them, others do not.

2. Start with kitbashing, not scratchbuilding. Take a kit car or building, or even something ready-to-run. Cut, hack, saw, glue and more glue till your little heart is content. You will learn more for tearing down and rebuilding then just building.

3. It is all about the tools!!! I cannot stress this enough! This is something I had trouble with because my local hobby shop carried crummy tools. I spent more $$$ replacing tools then I did on trains, why, because they only worked well when they were new.

Hints & Tips No.1128
Scratchbuilding tips 101 Pt 2
By Ryan Anderssen (Illinois)
4. Start with a goal in mind, a prototype of a building or car you might have seen. Especially something familiar to you, that way you know the little bits and pieces about it. The more you know about what you are building, the better the build will be. Even if you do not put all the details into the build, know what you want to build. 

5. This is one of the more important ones. Sometimes, no matter what you do, what you try, what you think of… the project just WILL NOT be feasible. Sometimes you will come up with all kinds of awesome ideas, and the still get foiled by the laws of Murphy…so be prepared, not all of them will turn out. 

6. This is THE most important one. Dare to dream it, challenge yourself everytime you turn to a new project. Whether you think you can or not, push yourself. Challenge is the best part about scratching and kitbashing. It forces you to become a better modeler and it expands your skills and crafts in the hobby. 

Hints & Tips No.1129 Scratchbuilding tips 101 Pt 3
 By Various Modellers
  Dave Leonard - About knife blades. Buy a box of 100 and change them often. It took me years to finally decide to discard a used blade when through with it. Would you believe that I used to keep "half sharp" blades in case I needed one. I NEVER DID!!!
  Bob Clarry - Basic kit bashing is a great way way to start. Change this,change that. It will help you build up your skills and confidence to handle any situation you run into when you actually start a scratch building project. Have a plan for your projects and test fit everything.
 One of my biggest faults is rushing. We are not on the clock and the only person we have to please is ourselves.But it does not hurt when you show your buddies your project and you get that "Oh wow" reaction.
 

 Dustin North - Find a good source of materials first. That will tell you what kind of projects you can do.