Working on the diorama

[PHPaul]

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Last Winter, I completely redid the base/table the diorama lives on and added some new real estate down two sides. The wider/longer part I had plans for right from the start. The shorter, narrower side shown above was added to take advantage of available room without any definite plan for it.

My usual approach when I don't have a definite plan is to let things percolate, considering various possibilities until something bubbles to the top. It's been several months and nothing was really calling to me. Over the years, several people have mentioned doing something railroad related, but I wasn't loving the idea for a few reasons: It didn't really fit in with the overall theme of the diorama, it would draw the eye away from the rest of it, it would take up a lot of real estate and unless I was VERY careful, would look out of scale.

Then it occurred to me that I could model a section of abandoned rail line in the "rails to trails" vein. As much or as little as seemed appropriate, lots of opportunities for detailing without taking up a lot of real estate or creating visual/scale issues.

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So I whipped out the saw and knives and hacked a corner off the two layers of 2 inch foamboard I used for the base of the diorama and slopped a quick coat of plaster-of-paris over the raw foam board.

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Then I added rock faces and abutments that the trestle bents will sit on and carved some stonework.

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While waiting on materials to build the trestles, I started detailing the gorge with color washes and some vegetation. It'll get more vegetation, some railroad debris and a water feature at the bottom after the trestles are built, weathered and installed. A short section of curved track will be added with the rails removed and old, rotted ties.

[Jim @ Jawa]

Looking good. Keep the progress photos, coming.

[PHPaul]

Got the lumber for the trestle today - early!

Got the main framework of the first bent (support pier) laid out, stained, glued and drying. Tomorrow I'll add all the cross bracing. Once I get it finished and installed I'll post a picture.

[PHPaul]

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First trestle bent installed. About 20 scale feet tall.

[Sid]

Looks good

[GeneMO]

Might need an old wrecked locomotive at the bottom. Casey Jones style.


Gene

[PHPaul]

Might need an old wrecked locomotive at the bottom. Casey Jones style.


Gene

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Don't think I'll go quite THAT far, but perhaps a broken coupler or a wheelset/truck - stuff like that. Also need to put a fire barrel or two on the trestle, finish laying ties to the right of the trestle, put down ballast, add weeds and broken/rotted ties etc.

[PHPaul]

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Pretty much done detailing the abandoned track scene. Do need to find a couple of pieces of HO rail, gave all my train stuff away years ago.

[PHPaul]

Got some flickering LED's to simulate a fire in the barrel.

[Bkeepr]

It is amazing, Paul. I love it all, but the flickering fire is particularly impressive.