Hi All,

Was this was the first stage of the construction of the base for our test module...

Here is the basic pine timber frame that forms the base for the module.  It is 90mm x 19mm.  It has changed from these photos as I have removed the 19mm plywood top and replaced it with a luan door skin piece & "Canite" baseboard.

Photo showing the trackwork installed and joiners soldered in...

Photo showing the installed track feeders...

Completed trackwork and feeders & missing ties reinstalled...

Photo showing the luan door skin and the "Canite" baseboard.  For those that have never heard of Canite, it is a product produced in Australia for walls, pin boards etc, and is made from compressed sugar cane husks left over after the sugar refining process

Here is a photo of the styrene concrete crossing being installed.

Another shot showing the completed concrete crossover and the future asphalt road.

More to come shortly,

Jason...

 All,

Well the second stage of construction on our test module concentrated in getting in the future asphalt road, concrete curbs, driveways, loading areas & concrete sidewalks.  I decided to use Evergreen Styrene sheet for this purpose.

This series of photo shows the installed styrene road, driveways & parking areas...

More road and driveways installed...

Close up shot showing the completed concrete crossover & scale comparison...

Next stage: Scenery contours and land forming...

Cheers,

Jason...

Hi again,

Well this stage of our module construction was centred around the forming of the land and contours on the module.  I used Joe Fugate's method of cardboard strips, masking tape and paint to form up the basic design and contours.  The area is simulating a urban area hence the relatively flat land with only slight elevations.

This method of developing land and contours goes very fast, and is extremely easy to master in a short time.

Basic forms of land & contour using the cardboard strip method.  Glued down and secured using hot glue...

Here is Evergreen styrene (HO scale 6x6) glued down to the roadway, to make the curbing. The road way is 30' scale in width with 5' being for the sidewalk.

Next installed the sidewalk (1.5mm Styrene Sheet) this being a individual sheet saves having to scribe the expansion/gaps between the curbing.

Next was the curbing for the entrances, carpark, and unloading/loading areas of the industry.  Started by forming the curves by using fingers and forming them in place.  Then glued down one end until set, and then glueing the remainder of the curbing.

This process was actually extremely easy and I had completed all of the curbing in about two hours.

Next stage is to finish off the remaining land forms & contours.

Cheers,

Jason...

Hi all, again...

Well in this fourth instalment of our module construction we created the ground surface by using masking tape over the cardboard base form.  This was then painted in a tan coloured paint.  After this dried overnight it was onto laying down the ballast for the main and siding and the vermiculite, plaster & cement mix from Joe's Siskiyou Line DVD's...

Masking taped laid down over the cardboard base form...

This stage is extremely quick & easy...

Masking tape painted with tan dirt colour mix, this was not watered down at all...

Ballasted main & siding (main - WS Fine Grey), (siding - WS Fine Buff)...  Track has also been weathered using Floquil "Rail Brown" pen.

Joe's magic "Vermiculite, Plaster & Cement" mix...

Couple of shots showing the finished ground surface...

Next update tomorrow:  Zip texturing, and re-ballasting...

Cheers,

Jason...

Great looking work Jason. I'm keeping a close eye on this as my city street scenes are the next thing I'm going to be working on. I may have to change a few things I was planning on doing. Your roadways and curbing look really nice! Keep the updates coming!

Your canite looks ver similar to our homosote.  Sounds like it is made the same way only homosote is compressed paper instead of suga cane husks.  It looks like you used square section styrene to form your curbs.  How big is it?

...top model building  (as with your woodwork, neat and clean).  By next week-end I bet you are going to do some switch moves on that modul... (oh, right...you already did, lol).

Kevin,

Thanks for the comments, I'm really happy with the way the roadways & curbing have worked.  The styrene is a perfect combination for all aspects.

Next step is to figure out my colour combinations and weathering that I will use for the roadway, curbs/sidewalks and concrete loading areas.

Cheers,

Jason...

Russ the curbing is Evergreen HO scale 6"x6" square strips.  I simply glued them in using CA glue, then rounded off the leading top edge with some 400 grit sandpaper and the added some gouge marks and chips using a hobby knife.

The sidewalk is styrene sheet with expansion marks scribed into the top with a hobby knife every 5 HO scale feet.

Cheers,

Jas...

Thanks again for the kind comments Jappe, have a few really wet days in Melbourne coming up this week so will hopefully get some more done on the module.

Wish I could do some switch moves! But alas no power, DCC or controller at this stage.  However I know someone who does have a nice little NCE system that may be itching to have a run on a layout once some track is laid?

Cheers,

Jas...