Finally, Mineral Springs Road is Done

Have a look . . . 

Mineral Springs Road.  I started with a base coat of dark gray acrylic craft pain, then heavily drybrushed light gray. The oil/exhaust streaks are dark gray pastels ground and applied with that fluffy brush.

Another view. Time to get some three-dimensional trees in front
of that backdrop!

Ken Lawrence's Westchester Northern: NYC Area Electrics in HO

Our latest 'Juice in the Wild' post takes us to Ken Lawrence's Westchester Northern. I really enjoy checking out the photos of this HO heavy electric layout--it's a shelf layout not unlike mine in size and it features a free-lance concept that draws together a couple of different prototypes from the New York City area and beyond.

The free-lance thing has kind of gone by the wayside in 21st century model railroading  (a loss, by my lights), but Ken pulls it off with aplomb. Many of us heavy electric fans got our early inspiration from a very famous--and freelanced--O scale traction layout, Bob Hegge's Crooked Mountain lines. Ken's work carries on a very proud tradition.

Of note, Ken used a home brew of scratch built and Sommerfeldt catenary products from Germany for his catenary.

Ken Lawrence's layout features heavy electric rolling stock from around the US, and makes great use of
European heavy electric components such as overhead wire and pantographs. This former Cleveland Union
Terminal motor appears to be equipped with German Sommerfeldt pantographs, and is running under
catenary that blends Sommerfeldt wire  components with scratch built US prototype poles.
Photo courtesy Ken Lawrence/ RAILROAD.NET 

Virginian Electrics in UK Model Railroad Magazine

Courtesy Continental Modeller/Exact Editions

If you're a Model Railroader reader, a '4'x8'+' Virginian Railway has been under construction for the past few months. But if you love you some catenary and pantographs, like me, all that Virginian goodness probable has you wondering: where are the models of Virginian's electric operations?

Look no further than the January and March 2012 edition of Continental Modeller for Peter North's Virginian electric layout. Unfortunately, to see the articles in detail, you'll need to be a Continental Modeller subscriber. Exact Editions makes that easy enough, but you'll still end up paying $15 USD or so for three months access (minimum available) to the digital edition of Continental Modeller. I took the plunge and do not regret it--Mr. North's treatment of the electrified Virginian in modest space is well worth the coin for inspiration and ideas.

Many thanks to loyal reader and fellow South Shore enthusiast Martin Tuohy for tipping me to this excellent find!

South Shore Catenary Span Bridges from Model Memories

One of the treats awaiting me upon return from my recent travels: Model Memories South Shore catenary span bridges.

Don Silberbauer of Model Memories worked very closely with me to produce these great-looking and well-constructed catenary bridges. He made a few for me, and he can produce more for your South Shore layout for $23.50 each--visit the Model Memories page and click through to 'Contact' to get yours!

Model Memories 5" South Shore catenary span bridge, next to the box in which they
arrived.

Even More Road Building Progress! Plus Trees

The excess dirt will be vaccuumed up and the resulting texture will get a couple of coats of gray.
And those are trees!

Here's some texture for Mineral Springs Road--that's baseball diamond dirt sprinkled into wet dark gray acrylic paint.

Coloration and then blending the shoulders into the surrounding scenery are the next steps.

Meanwhile--check out the trees! I became impatient with the gluing of the road and the paint, so I experimented with some tree planting.

The big view. After the road is done, the remaining trees will go in on the east and west sides of the road.

More Mineral Springs Road Progress

The past month or so has been quite busy with the tax man, work travel and projects, and visits to far-flung offspring, slowing progress at Dunes Junction. With the focus on major scenery in preparation for catenary construction, Mineral Springs Road work continues. The plan is to use another Frary & Hayden scenery technique: adding pavement texture and color to sheet styrene. Here  we are fitting the styrene to the terrain and Blair Line wood grade crossings. Look for a future post with texture and color.

Test-fitting the base of Mineral Springs Road. The long stretches are
.020"Evergreen styrene.  The short bits between the parallel crossings
are .060"styrene. That's a wet-or-dry coarse emery board from a
beauty supply store.

Additional .020" strips  lift the
.020" road base flush with the
Blair Line crossing.

Pushpins and various culinary doodads holding the road base down
while clear Liquid Nails for Projects sets. Salsa and hot sauce jars
were handy, so I used 'em. A bamboo skewer and pushpins hold
the backdrop end of road down while the Liquid Nails sets.