George,

 Glad you are posting again, looking forward to more updates.

Tom 

Updated 5/26/2016:

The artist visited and she made some more progress on Backdrop #4.

One more session should do it for this backdrop.

George

I always enjoy your posts.

Ron H posted:

I always enjoy your posts.

Thank you so much!

George

Updated 5/30/2016:

Managed to get a bit done today:

• Foam supports for the first backdrop to use them (#2) have been glued and cut.  The foam is 5" thick.

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• Also applied two coats of Gesso to the final backdrop section to get it ready for the artist.

George

Update 6/2/2016:

Backdrop #4 is done.  Plan is to install Backdrops 2, 3, and 4.

George

Updated 6/5/2016:

The artist visited again yesterday and painted the remaining backdrop which is designed to go on top of Backdrop #3.  It's just sky.  It will get another coat of paint and some darkening to match the others.



I got to Home Depot and picked up some more pink foam (1" thick) that will be used to create more support blocks for the backdrops.



We are moving along.  In the next session, I hope to hang Backdrops 2 & 3.

George

Updated 6/10/2016:

Just finished hanging Backdrop #2 and prepping for Backdrop #3.

Here is Backdrop #2 installed.  Note the hole for the passing siding.

All "white space", i.e. not painted, will be hidden by a styrofoam mountain.

Here's a close-up of the hole for the passing siding.

Backdrop #3 has been moved to the floor near to where it will be installed.  Note the pink styrofoam with the velcro at the left of the photo.  It will support both Backdrop 2 & 3.

Here's a better look at the brackets that will hold the backdrop away from the wall.

We would have hung Backdrop #3 but we ran out of velcro.

George

Updated 6/11/2016:

There were a number of things (activities, decisions) that I forgot to mention last night. 

First, earlier in the week I did some test-fitting of Backdrop #4.  I removed a part of a support for a track in the hopes that the stand-in for the backdrop would fit into the available height between the support and the ceiling.  As you can see in the photo, it does not.  It will need to be trimmed.  I will re-install the support and then measure and cut the backdrop at the bottom.

Second, because of fit and placement issues with Backdrop #3, I've decided to modify the Hidden Passing Siding, closing off the eastern entrance, and transforming it into a trailing point spur behind the backdrop.  This was done because it would have been difficult to provide enough clearance for locomotives entering the siding.  It is also the expedient thing to do; in a year, retirement is going to change everything.  The larger goal is to get the backdrops installed, the bridge placed, and run some trains.

Clearance behind Backdrop #3 was checked for both the lead to the Hidden Staging Yard and Hidden Passing Siding (which was identified above as a problem).  This photo shows the mounting cleat (just to the right of the backdrop where the ground meets the sky) installed last night.  This cleat, along with another piece in front of it, will form an anchor point for the rightmost lower corner of the backdrop.

More when I know it.

George

Updated 6/12/2016:

Everything ground to a halt as we watched, waited, and enjoyed...

The Pittsburgh Penguins - 2016 Stanley Cup Champions!!!!!

George

Excellent reason to stop work on the layout!!  I'm glad our team won!!

Updated 6/15/2016:

With the help of the artist, I managed to install Backdrop #3 in its permanent position.

The white color you see below is wet paint reflecting the light, not a snow cap.

After installation, the artist applied some touch-up paint to bring the ridges into line.  When Backdrop 3.5 is installed, she will blend all the sky portions so that they match appropriately.

We are getting there!!!!

George

George,

  Glad the backdrops are getting into position. Congrats on the Penguins, too.

Tom 

Thank you!

George

George,

The backdrop looks great!

Mark Boyce posted:

George,

The backdrop looks great!

Thanks!  The artist hasn't even started making them all look blended yet. 

George

Some random thoughts:

I was in Weirton, WV over the weekend for the family reunion. The town looks pretty ragged, to be honest. It's hot and the cicadas are out in full force. Visited the folks' grave. I guess it's true: they say you can't go home again.

I spent some time at the Weirton Museum, scouting the new area reserved for the model train layout. It's a big improvement over the prior site in both space (25'x13') and as accessibility. There's a lot of potential there. Yeah, it's much better and I think the exhibit will turn out pretty well.

Learned a little about the GM buses used by the P & W Bus Company (Pittsburgh and Weirton). They were 1951 GM "old look" buses, TDH3612. Here's what they look like. Wish someone made them in 1:50 or 1:43.  Here's a photo of downtown Steubenville, OH in the mid-1950s.  There are 5 GM "old style" buses in the livery of the P & W (Pittsburgh and Weirton) Bus Line.  The line was owned by Mike Starvaggi (sp?).

That's the Market Street Bridge (over the Ohio River) in the center with the West Virginia hillside beyond.  If you turn left off the bridge onto WV Route 2 North, my favorite railroad bridge is about a half mile upstream.  Turn right and you'll pass through Follansbee, WV and past the Koppers coke plants.  Red and yellow smoke would billow across the road there periodically, making driving pretty hazardous.  At one point in the 1960s, that area was considered (for particulates) the most polluted spot on the planet.  Wheeling, WV is about 45 minutes away in that direction (south).

By the way, I love this photo.  For me, it's the definition of "prosperity".

George

Hi George,

  Yes, that was prosperity. I grew up just north of New York City and a few areas would have looked identical in the 1950-60's, too. In those days you could leave your car door and the front door of your house unlocked without needing to worry. Time marches on...

  Thanks for sharing it.

 Tom

Updated 6/23/2016:

Foam, foam, and more foam!  It's good stuff for scenery and padding backdrops, but don't have a static cling issue or you'll never get rid of the stuff!  

Got to work early this morning (I'm between consulting assignments) cutting and gluing foam blocks to support the next backdrop (#4).

The first photo is of the cutting area (yeah, a good vacuum cleaner is a necessity!).



The next photo is of my wife's old nursing books.  No wait, I'm using them to weigh down the glued 5" thick foam sections (2 x 2" + 1 x 1")!  



Next step will be to trim the backdrop to the exact size to fit the available wall space.

George

You've done a great job.  What are you using as a canvass?  Is it plywood, masonite or artist canvass?  

there is a David Barnhart painting of that very scene. I remember taking the bus from Toronto with Mom to Steubenville to go shopping at the Hub. There was so much car and foot traffic, they had bells that would ring at the intersections to let the people cross. And when you went thru Follansbee, you held you breath because the coke mill stunk so bad. Downtown Steubenville is a shadow of it's former self, but Mingo Junction is a ghost town since the mill closed. Did you stop by Naples for pasta?

Steamer posted:

there is a David Barnhart painting of that very scene. I remember taking the bus from Toronto with Mom to Steubenville to go shopping at the Hub. There was so much car and foot traffic, they had bells that would ring at the intersections to let the people cross. And when you went thru Follansbee, you held you breath because the coke mill stunk so bad. Downtown Steubenville is a shadow of it's former self, but Mingo Junction is a ghost town since the mill closed. Did you stop by Naples for pasta?

Are you sure you don't mean David Barnhouse?   I know David Barnhouse has painted many scenes of the area but I've never heard of David Barnhart.  

you're right! and he did a great one of C&O 2700

mrmuggs posted:

You've done a great job.  What are you using as a canvass?  Is it plywood, masonite or artist canvass?  

Thanks, but I can't take credit for it.  The artist is Janice Snapp of Marysville, PA.

The backdrops are 1/8" masonite, prepped with 2 coats of Gesso, and then painted with acrylic paints.

George

Updated 6/24/2016:

Had another visit from the artist. She and I installed backdrop #3.5 and she worked on blending the sky colors appropriately for the 3 backdrops. She also adjusted the sky color on backdrop #4.

Here's a 2 shot panorama.

Here's a close up of backdrops 3 & 3.5.

Finally, here's a look at Backdrop #4.  I hope to install it tomorrow.

George

Steamer posted:

There was so much car and foot traffic, they had bells that would ring at the intersections to let the people cross.

I think there is a pretty fair chance the bells were to alert BLIND people that the walk signal was on. They had the same thing in Butler, PA.

Simon

Simon Winter posted:

Steamer posted:

There was so much car and foot traffic, they had bells that would ring at the intersections to let the people cross.

I think there is a pretty fair chance the bells were to alert BLIND people that the walk signal was on. They had the same thing in Butler, PA.

Simon

 

They still do have the bells in Butler.

Updated 6/26/2016:

We have finally reached a milestone - all the backdrops are installed! 

There is still work to be done on the backdrops, specifically:

• Mating of hillsides and ridges between Backdrops 3 & 4
• Blending of sky colors across all four backdrops

Here's the whole set of backdrops installed on the back wall of the layout.



George

Update 7/4/2016:

With the help of my friend Price, I managed to re-assemble the western mainline and Coal Mine Spur.  The geometry is a bit different, but the tracks now line up correctly as they approach the bridge.  

Here's the area before the work.

And here is the area after re-assembly.  



The track has not been fastened down yet, nor have I added the super-elevation yet (you can see the blue wire for it).  This will be done after the bridge is fixed in place.  Track feeders pairs have been attached, but not connected.  Signalling wires are yet to be connected as well.

Both approaches are nearly ready for the bridge.  Before we do that, the artist has to come back and make a few adjustments to Backdrop #4.  And then it will be time to install the bridge!  Exciting!

George

Forgot to mention that the Hidden Passing Siding ultimately became a casualty of expediency. The rightmost (Weirton) end of the siding where it joined the turnout was too difficult a fit with the backdrop, so I cut the siding. It is now a trailing point spur accessed from the Steubenville side. I've justified this in view of the need to immediately get trains going and that the arrangement will be (relatively) short-lived.

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

It's not a big loss and furthers the greater goal - installing the bridge and running trains!

George

Updated 7/10/2016:

The artist just worked her magic and the backdrops are DONE!!!! 

Here's the whole panorama going west to east.

Now we start on the bridge supports and anchors in preparation for hanging the bridge!

We are getting there!

George

I've had second thoughts.  I'm going to ditch the backdrops and go with this...

George

Updated 7/21/2016:

Have been pretty busy with non-MRR activities (i.e. life), but I did get this done.

These are the cleats that the bridge will sit on. The screws and washers will be painted black.

George

Updated 7/25/2016:

Progress is happening!!!!!


Still working at connecting and wiring the approach tracks.

George

Updated 7/30/2016:

I think the video speaks for itself.

George

Very impressive! Massive!

Great video George!  By running the trains over the span, you can really appreciate the size of the model.  Thanks for letting me know about your post.  Backdrop looks great too!

George,

 Very nice. All the puzzle pieces are falling into place. The backdrop goes together well with the bridge. You should be quite happy with how it turned out.

 Glad to see there is enough commerce on your line to keep the B6 active! 

 Tom 

PRRMiddleDivision posted:

Great video George!  By running the trains over the span, you can really appreciate the size of the model.  Thanks for letting me know about your post.  Backdrop looks great too!

Thanks Neal!  It was your advice those many years ago that led to this moment.

George

Updated 8/3/2016:

After several days of sporadically running trains, I've discovered a few areas that need electrical attention.  There are a few dead spots, probably caused by feeder wire pairs that didn't get connected.  We're going to fix those in the near future.

But my wife came down and ran trains with me for 10 minutes.  She was impressed and likes the layout!   

George