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Post by texrail on Aug 6, 2020 16:26:06 GMT -5
  The semaphore was made with parts from the Showcase Miniatures kit. The upper blade is movable with a thin wire inside the mast. It will be connected to a switch machine. The lower blade is fixed as nearly every train has to stop in Valentine, a sub-division point in the 60th. Both blades can be lighted with SMD-LEDs. |
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Post by cwrr on Aug 6, 2020 19:42:57 GMT -5
That is cool!!
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Post by jhrailroading on Aug 6, 2020 20:16:29 GMT -5
Beautiful work.
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Post by neverland on Aug 7, 2020 6:21:04 GMT -5
Wow! The detail you achieved is remarkable! Well done.
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Post by markm on Aug 8, 2020 10:19:58 GMT -5
The work is impressive. I particularly like the appropriate color variation for the base lighting.
The roads and streets look good, but may I suggest a couple of ideas to improve the realism. Many rural roads will have a gravel shoulder, which protects the edge of the pavement. I'm aware of this because I'm currently working with local government to get such a shoulder added to my prototype street. It can be as narrow as 6" or as wide to park a car.
Consider adding a couple of oil stains to the pavement where vehicles might frequently park. The cracks in some of the pavement seem a bit large, even for west Texas. May I suggest a technique for fine lines that I learned from the old "Furniture Guys" program: use the edge of a feather. Drag the edge through the least amount of paint then across the area to be detailed. Depending of the stiffness of it's quills you can draw everything from very fine lines to random cracks. With a little practice it's a useful technique.
Mark
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Post by texrail on Aug 8, 2020 15:31:10 GMT -5
Thank you Mark, for your recommendations! I went through all my pictures with paved roads on this board and I have to admitt that there is room for improvement.  . I will think about a gravel shoulder now. That will keep me busy for the next days.  The cracks are indeed too wide in some cases. The reason therefore is, that I used a water-based fineliner. Over the years, the lines got broader in the paper/cardboard. I guess I have to live with that, but I have to use another technique for the future. Especially when I think of future Marfa/Tx. with all its streets and parkinglots. I will try your method on a sparepart. Comments like this are allways welcome! The eyes of an independent peron see often more than the proud builder.  |
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Post by texrail on Aug 9, 2020 4:51:54 GMT -5
Mark, this night I can´t sleep very well  . In the morning I jumped out of my bed to test your remarks concernig gravel shoulders on rural roads.  before  after Now I would say, some roads looked more as a toy in the past. Lookin´better now!  Have a nice sunday! Best, Texrail |
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Post by cwrr on Aug 10, 2020 9:04:55 GMT -5
That made a big difference, more realistic!
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Post by jhrailroading on Aug 11, 2020 8:55:07 GMT -5
The new details next to the abandoned house are a nice touch.
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Post by markm on Aug 11, 2020 11:40:49 GMT -5
The shoulder gravel turned out real nice. I like how you "ghosted" the gravel on to the abandoned house property suggesting vehicles frequently crossing the shoulder. One thought: the curves near the tracks seem to be a natural place for wind blown leaves and seeds to collect as well as places where rain water might settle. You might want to consider coloring some of the gravel there to indicate debris or weeds attempting to grow.
In an earlier post you mentioned that some of your road cracks seemed a bit large. Well I have a possible solution for you: hot tar. Hot tar is a common roadway crack filer and it's application always leaves a black feature in the road that's much larger than the actual crack. Perhaps a bit of black paint would make some of you cracks more interesting. I wish I could take credit for this idea, but road crews are currently filling cracks in the highway near my house.
It would be interesting to see a couple of images of you layout at track level.
Mark
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Post by texrail on Aug 12, 2020 8:05:24 GMT -5
The new details next to the abandoned house are a nice touch. Thank you! Normally I work my way from Ft. Hancock ( most West) to Paisano Pass ( most East) on my layout. But in times of empty pockets or waiting for new material I try to enhance some already build scenery. In Sierra Blanca was the "wrong side" of the tracks in real life occupied by mexican workers. According to old pictures, their homes have been less comfortable than the on the other side. So, I tryed to give them a home on my layout too.  |
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Post by texrail on Aug 12, 2020 8:33:17 GMT -5
It would be interesting to see a couple of images of you layout at track level. Mark You mean, like this....  or this  ? |
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Post by markm on Aug 12, 2020 13:24:00 GMT -5
Much more interesting . The details really pop out at train level. It seems to me that the intersection in the second image is crying out for a stop sign.
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Post by texrail on Aug 13, 2020 1:07:09 GMT -5
It seems to me that the intersection in the second image is crying out for a stop sign. Rooftops of cabooses nearby need no stop sign  But maybe I can enjoy you with some views from the Ft. Hancock area:   |
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Post by markm on Aug 13, 2020 1:25:24 GMT -5
I have to back away from my stop sign comment, I can’t find anyone that still makes them.
Your barrack brings back memories from my college days. They had four “temporary” buildings that were built for ROTC and the like at the start of WW2 . They lasted for over 50 years. They looked exactly like your structure.
Mark
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. I will think about a gravel shoulder now. That will keep me busy for the next days. 
. In the morning I jumped out of my bed to test your remarks concernig gravel shoulders on rural roads. 
