Scenery - Structures
Weather/Water-proofing XPS Diorama
Hoping to hear from those with experience carving XPS foam forms/dioramas intended to withstand the elements, or even better, forms/dioramas specifically designed to support a working water feature. This is my first project using these materials so I have a lot to learn.
The project: A mountain-side diorama / planter for 2 of my bonsai specimens including an angled cascade ending in a small pond in the foreground. I have included a concept drawing for reference (PS - I'm no illustrator!).
Diamond Scale turntable & Korber roundhouse repairs
I have a turntable & roundhouse scene I purchased use from an estate sale long ago.
Turntable:
The turntable is a Diamond Scale 134 footer that may need a new pit built for it as the old one is very slightly warped, and the pit wall is cracked in a few places. I believe the pit wall is constructed of Hydrocal. How might someone go about filling in (bonding?) those cracks in the pit walls?
The Carwash Kitbash Part 1
IN this series I'll be taking another Atlas Carwash and turning it into a Service Station for the club layout.
What's on your workbench? March 2020
It might not look like much, in fact it may look a little odd, but this will be the first locomotive I've installed ditch lights on. Here the SMD LED's are fished through the shell, and they've been wired to the DecoderBuddy (one of the very early ones).
The ditch light mounts are Details West DL-229 parts, currently having the canopy glue holding the lenses in drying. 
That feeling when...
...you're about to take a razor saw to a piece of a kit, not just random stock styrene.
It came out okay. Goal is the kitbash below. The Walthers papermill isn't really big enough to be convincing, so I'm re-purposing the back wall, which would be invisible anyway:
Just another modeling tip
As part of the ADM project I need some grain trailers with the tarps open. Therefore, I needed something to represent corn kernels that was near scale size. Now your significant other probably won't appreciate this but I appropriated a jar of ground mustard to represent the corn as it has that bright yellow color and is the right size.
I just used diluted white glue to adhere it to the surface. once this dries out I will go back and touch up areas where the mustard didn't stick.
fixing Diamond Scale Turntable?
I have a 134 foot Diamond Scale turntable I purchased a number of years ago from an estate sale being sold off at the Timonium train show. It was all in a big box and upon cursory inspection everything looked in good order. I left it in that original box for a number of years until it be brought out for installation on my new layout.
Matchbox models
I had a discussion with Damon at The Credit Valley Railroad Company, our local Railroad shop in the suburbs in the Toronto, Canada area and the dwindling amount of shops here, about Matchbox cars. Damon, btw works at the 'LIttle Canada' exhibit..a saving grace in the amount of the fallen flags of the Bricks and Mortar shops in Toronto.
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