Ah, Scenery!

I have been completing the scenery at Park Head as quickly as I can because it is the area directly over Owen Sound. This will facilitate being able to start laying the track and building Owen Sound.

It has been a busy year for me.  My duties as secretary for the NASG and being the Clinic Chair for the 2022 NASG Convention did take up a bit of time (someone’s gotta do that stuff) but now I can do other things like continue the layout and perhaps do a few more posts.

Grass is growing everywhere from Hwy 6 crossover before Wiarton to the entrance to the helix.  It is actually long Noch grass which I applied using the Noch static grass tool.  I hear that there are better devices out there but I bought this quite a number of years ago and don’t want to change it out.  I found that it worked well and now the layout has a nicer look to it.  I will be adding weeds and shrubs once the trees are all in.

I also built two stock pens from ‘Boxes of Sticks’ kits, one for Park Head and the other for Wiarton.  This picture shows the static grass and manure pile around the Park Head stock pen.

You might notice that the buildings are coloured now.  I used a can of spray primer by Dupli-color that can be purchased from the Canadian Tire Retail store in the automotive department.  They have these behind the counter now.  The colour is red sandable and when it is wet, it is very close to CNR Red number 11 (Mineral Brown) which is the common colour for just about everything which is rolling stock and buildings.

After using the spray paint, I decided roofs were in order.  I checked the Internet to see how to model canvas roofs.  I tried a couple of methods that did not work for me but they do work for other people.  Jim Martin suggested cutting masking tape into the necessary widths, laying it on and then painting over with inexpensive acrylic paint.  I used the various photos I had that showed where the canvas/tape should overlap. It worked well.  Here are the pictures that show the steps.  I am happy with the results.  The freight shed and tool shed used the same method.  The outhouse roof did not need covering.

I mixed up some black and white acrylic paint to create a warm black and hand brushed it on.  I am happy with the results.

The tracks coming in and out of Park Head ran through corridors of trees that separated the lines from the farmer’s fields. I have started to build trees using the Scenic Express Super Sage Tree kits. I had purchased a set quite a few years back and Trevor Marshall kindly gifted me a starter set just before he moved to Saskatoon.  As per usual, I read and reread the instructions.  They had some links to check out which I did. The tree branches are quite curly, very dry and brittle.  I tried two methods to straighten the tree branches. The soldering iron method worked well but the glycerine bath made them more pliable.

Here are some pics of the first line of birch trees just before Hwy 6 crossover.  Many more trees will be added as well as shrubs and other natural wild plants.  This stand is on the removable piece of Styrofoam which is in front of the removable backdrop which is in front of the circuit breaker panel.  I will have to train my wife, Terry as to how to remove these if I am not around and there is an emergency.  Or, I can just stay at home forever and play trains.

The trees have even started growing at Park Head!

I find building trees quite enjoyable and I have started building more.

I guess you noticed that ballast is creeping in.  It is not a task I enjoy; therefore, I will not cover it as it covers the cork roadbed.  Until next time, hopefully sooner than later.