Mark, Thanks very much. The lift gate, the layout and the back drops are looking great !!!! I haven't been following your layout thread, so thanks for sharing that here. You have come a long way in a short period of time.
Strap Hanger: Thanks, but the Lightweight Spackling Putty isn't my original idea, I am pretty sure I read about it here, as well as seeing it on the Black Diamond Railway videos. I did the white/gray latex paint brick mortar for years. The spackling is much easier to control, not nearly as messy... I can remember going through tons of rags and paper towels trying to get the paint off the face of the bricks, but leave enough in the mortar lines. Note: Don't skip the step of sealing the brick with flat clear coat before doing the mortar... Don't ask how I know how important that step is !!
I took out my notes on how I weathered my Atlas H21a PRR Red Oxide Hoppers. Boy am I glad I finally started writing detailed notes for weathering cars/buildings wiring diagrams for relays etc. . I was dying to see if I could duplicate the weathering effect, or at least get close, I am pretty pleased so far. So just did 6 more hoppers, the hoppers in the photos below with the wood blocks are from the original batch done 2 to 3 years ago.
I would have been totally starting from scratch if I hadn't documented the colors, the amount of acrylic paint to water in the wash.
