very nice Mike

 very nice, just enough  but not too simple and very nostalgic in appearance great job Mike , i have been in a lull as well lately...been distracted from just about everything. i hope to get a break soon though .btw did you ever receive  the items i sent you?

@Robin

Thanks my friend, yes I got the parts and I'm very appreciative! I kept meaning to let you know they came but things were crazy around here and then with all the problem now, it just fell by the wayside. Sorry about that. Hopefully I'm getting out of my creative doldrums now and I can't start putting stuff to use.

Very nice

Great job, I like the weathering of the big tank.

Very nice

Great job, I like the weathering of the big tank.

Thanks Marc

I modeled in N -scale for many years until finally making the switch to HO about six years ago. I admire your work very much.

totally awesome

 Don't sweat it Mike ,  the creative bug will bite you eventually .. like for me , i will go to work and then while at work ... boom !! something happens and i cannot wait to get home to try some sort of detailing or build...  or i'll wake up on a saturday .. and BAM!!! all i want to do is work on my layout ...  R

Nice

Nice job!

Joe

The bigger scene

Richland Oil is part of a small cluster of buildings meant to represent "Blackwater", the namesake town/territory that is at the center point of my little short line. Been doing a lot of work around the area since I got going again so thought I'd update this part of the blog a bit...Before and after...

There is now a space begging for a building. I knew I needed something else and I hadn't decided till recently what I was going to put there. A several hour long internet outage gave me a perfect opportunity to build the kit I had in mind but I quickly figured out I would need to do some "blasting" to fit it in. Got to love the versatility of scenery...

The surgery was successful

The surgery was successful but I think we're going to have to leave it in cast a bit... Just a follow up post to the earlier revision work. I used a soupy mix of plaster, retarded with a splash of white vinegar and applied it over the plaster cloth with a brush. It fills most of the mesh holes and gives a little bit of texture as well as adding strength. I won't do much detail scenery work here as it will be blocked by the hotel.

Then I leveled up the area below  using lightweight spackling compound worked and prodded with a damp brush. I gained about 22 scale feet of rear clearance which the hotel needed and I'm still having to leave off a small shed structure but  it would not have been visible anyway and will be used elsewhere.

Getting a feel for the scene...

A little more working the building in today and getting some paint on the bare plaster. Starting to really get a feel for where I want this to go...

Nice modeling Michael.

I love that scene.

Thanks

I see a couple of obvious places for some small rock faces and such and I can't wait to get some signage on the Hotel but I like where the scene is going. Since Blackwater is at the center point of my short line between "Furlow" and the resort town of "Fugate" (both represented by staging) I envision the Hotel to be a welcome respite for weary travelers.

Wide shot

This is more of the entire area that I've been working on. The Hobo Camp and "Bob's Bog" is just to the left front out of the shot. The mock up of the "Olroy Transfer Co." is visible in this shot. I looked at a dog food box and saw a building.