Gaining Weight and Blending In

I've been trying to uphold my rule of no un-weathered cars on the layout, so I put my SD40-2 on the bench, It's not quite there yet. Unfortunately, to get it where I want it, I'll have to take the airbrush out of it's cage, if it's nice I might even feed it...while my weathering has improved, I still have a long way to go. But what's interesting is that even a quick dusting of weathering powder goes a long way. Of course it instantly loses that plastic look, but it also, quite suddenly, gains a few tons - a weathered car, just like a structure blends into the landscape.

One of the most important pieces of advice I ever received from an architecture teacher was this; the best architecture is easy to recognize, it should look like it came out of the ground - like a tree or layers of rock and sediment. He didn't literally mean buildings should look like trees and rocks of course, but simply suggested there's no need to fight the landscape that's already there. If you're going to put anything on that landscape, respect it by using the same language. The best, well known example is Frank Lloyd Wright's house at Falling Water (above). Falling Water blends in; it looks like it was meant to be there - like it was always there. This is not to say that some things shouldn't stand out or be prominent and in the case of Falling Water it does both; blends in and clearly has a prominent place on the landscape.

I know comparing Frank Lloyd Wright to model railroading is a stretch, but it does make sense, to me anyway. I guess my point is, if you've been building detailed structures and scenery, but not rolling stock, why not? It takes less than ten minutes to apply some weathering powder to a freight car or locomotive. Keep it simple; just use a dark brown or dark gray. You can't mess it up. To me a new locomotive out of the box is messed up and needs to be fixed, so whatever you do will be better than when you started.

Back From Springfield

The 2009 Springfield Show has come and gone. It was great to see everyone who stopped by our table; thanks for stopping by. It was nice to hear feedback about our kits, even better to hear that many of you are building and enjoying them and getting them on your layout or entering them into contests. Keep up the great work! Both the Chinese Restaurant and Canavan's were well received; we'll post pics of these kits on the site soon after a much needed break( a day or two)...

Surprisingly, many of you are reading this blog; I thought I was the only one. Thanks for all the positive feedback regarding my building this present day layout. I've been very motivated about it recently, but the extra encouragement and inspiration really helps. So much so that I couldn't stop myself from acquiring some new locomotives and rolling stock while I was at the show. I also picked up some of my favorite scenic materials from Scenic Express; Heki Deco Grass (shown in the pic above and on most of our dioramas) & Silflor Grass Tufts. These materials make it so easy to achieve a realistic look instantly. I'll still use foam here and there, selectively or in the background, but I won't use it as an overall ground cover when there's such a superior alternative...

Across the aisle from Scenic Express was one of the most interesting items at the whole show - Hal Reynolds Turbo Tree. Picture a clear one half gallon plastic jar; hanging, inside, from the lid by alligator clip, a piece of Super Trees material. Below, a small 12 volt fan whirled a cloud of leaf material, like a cotton candy machine. Since the tree was sprayed with hairspray, the flying leaves attached themselves to the tree - brilliant! I didn't catch Hal's website, but I'll post it here when I get it. It's something you have to see to appreciate.