Wanted to share my latest structure. Only 5 more to go for the NMRA AP Structures certificate.

This is a DPM kit building. It was assembled to model a saloon (probably with “upstairs rooms”) that has gone out of business. The building is empty and for rent. The building is closed and blinds drawn everywhere but the front street level windows, allowing interested folks to look in and see the emptiness. One shade (upper right front window) is even drawn crookedly.

If you look at a stand of evergreens at the edge of a cutblock, you see a lot of grey(ish) more or less bare trunks, and some branches and foliage at the top.  If the clear area was logged off a while ago there'll be all sorts of small bushes and deciduous trees growing up.  I decided to see if I could reproduce this effect at a distance with a minimum of detailed tree construction.  Here's the result of a couple of evenings work.  Each "tree"&nbs

  I have heard of folks making building flats, backdrops and structure mockups using foam core board.  Where do you get yours and what is it faced with?  I somehow got my self on the mailing list of U.S. Plastics, and they offer this product called Fome-Cor (item #44121) http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=31148&catid=715

I accepted the MRH challenge and plan on completing the mountain area on the Richlawn Railroad.  Here's what the area looks like today:  I do have some work completed on the foam base - the hillside, tunnel & the retention pond has been dug.

Here's what the area looks like with the section removed.