Fall Update: The Value of Being a "Local"

Once again, I have been away from the model railroad for a bit this fall. It is not the easiest reality to deal with. For sure there are worse scenarios, but as a firm believer in the ever-popular "hour a day" approach, the modeling withdrawals are significant and weathering projects can only do so much to ease the pain. 

A SB manifest rolls past the Eugene Depot on a sunny August afternoon.

However, there is a silver-lining. My academic pursuits have brought me to Eugene, OR, which, besides being quite a quirky town to live in, also is the base of operations for Union Pacific's Cascade Subdivision. (Technically speaking, Eugene is part of the Brooklyn Sub, but for the sake of Cascade Sub discussion, I happily throw Eugene into the pile.) That being said, I now have unique access to the rail line that I model and a daily supply of inspiration and motivation. 

A NB manifest speeds along Lookout Point Reservoir. 

In seeing the railroad I model every day I have noticed and become familiar with nuances that I otherwise would not have encountered through photographs or short railfanning trips alone. For example, sometime in mid-late October, the "snow-fighters," retro-fitted GP38-2's arrived in Eugene and were moved to Oakridge for service in early November. Additionally, I have kept note of what locomotives are pulling road freights and which locomotives are in helper service. These details are helping to form a more realistic locomotive fleet and operating scheme that captures the essence of the line. 

A 4-unit helper set idles on hazy afternoon in Oakridge during wildfire season.

Furthermore, extended time in a place allows for longer, "slow" observation. This reminds me of a practice once described by an art student of observing a piece of art for hours on end to soak in all its detail. This practice has helped me soak in the character of the Cascade Sub and has started to form a better understanding of the essential elements, those most relevant to create the proper look and feel.   Not every bush, tree, track, and industry can be modeled, and so in studying how these elements interact with each other over an extended period of time, I hope to be able to better capture (or draw up a plan of attack on how to capture) the prototype in model form. High-level modeling theory, but there is not other way to describe it! Modeling is an art form.

So what does this mean for my modeling efforts now and in the future? 

1. Fleet Building - As I continue the process of growing my fleet of locomotives and cars, my approach has become much more focused and specific. In considering what locomotives and cars to obtain for the railroad I ask myself if it is seen regularly, how is it used in the general operating scheme, and does it add realism and value to the railroad. Additionally, I have become much more motivated to appropriately weather every piece of rolling stock and each locomotive. I have come to realize I am in desperate need of 60' boxcars, woodchip gondolas, centerbeam flatcars, and AC4400's (looking forward to Athearn's foreshadowed release).

A NB manifest eases through downtown Eugene. I hope to model this scene on Cascade Sub 2.0. 

2. Modeling Generally - With more time to experience the area, I have acquired a better appreciation of structures, infrastructure (roads, bridges, trails), and natural elements that I want to model and how to model them. "Being around" has given me time to take a look at things from different angles and at different times of the year. For example, I try to swing through Oakridge a few times a month. This routine has instilled in my mind certain elements that scream OAKRIDGE! and accordingly, are elements that if were missing from a model of the yard would make that model less authentic. Time and building "research" into my  routine has helped me grow familiar with the character of the area and accordingly a better understanding of how to capture that character in modeled form. 

A different, clearer afternoon in Oakridge. Sharp eyes will note the differences from the very similar looking photo above. 

3. Operations - This one might be self-evident, but I have had the opportunity to observe the day to day operations of the railroad. I won't go into too much detail on this element because I think it is clear how this translates to the model railroad, namely developing an operating scheme that represents the prototype faithfully. 

A SB manifest makes its way towards Oakridge, crossing the Middle Fork of the Willamette River near Hampton. This scene begs to be modeled!

4. Cascade Sub 2.0 - Finally, I have started drafting plans for the next version of the Cascade Sub. Admittedly this is a very exciting prospect and I have to keep my desires to start anew in check for now. That being said, the Cascade Sub 2.0 will hopefully incorporate as much of Eugene yard and Springfield as possible to add some switching and classification to the operating scheme. Also, I would like to incorporate some interchange with local short lines. My plan is to build the next version of the railroad using the TOMA approach so that the layout is only semi-permanent and various modules can be relocated when necessary. I have already drafted plans for the first few modules. That, of course, is for another day, but it doesn't hurt to dream!

A NB manifest blasts through the crossing near Hampton.

So if you ever find yourself away from your model railroad for an extended period of time or are looking for a prototype to model, just look around in your own neck of the woods. There is value in  recreating what is experienced daily and modeling what is ordinary. In my short time in Eugene, my routine of observation has allowed me to connect with the place around me in a meaningful way. When I can't head down to the basement and bring my own Cascade Sub to life, I can hop in the truck with camera and notepad in hand and head to the tracks knowing the real thing will do just fine, and is ultimately still the railroad I love. 

2021 Update: Summer Progress Report

 It has been quite some time since I have posted on this blog, however progress has been occurring in the background. As expected for a younger man, life is busy and ever-changing. In the past year I have had very little time to work on the railroad consistently for long stretches of time, only getting a few days or weeks to tackle projects. Nevertheless, time away from the railroad and experiences railfanning the Cascade Sub have strengthened by desire to make progress on the layout and enjoy the unique experience of layout-building. 

With that, let's look at some of the projects I have tackled over the course of the past few months!

Operations:

"Behind the scenes" I have been developing an operating scheme for the railroad. My goal is to design sessions that best replicate what a chunk of the day on the Cascade Sub actually looks like for train crews. Time on the ground railfanning has been extremely valuable in guiding this process. That being said, I have, in many ways, pushed aside some traditional operating norms found in many model railroad operating sessions to best represent the modern experience of moving trains up and over "the hill."  I hope to write more about the fruits of this labor in subsequent posts where I can better explain some of the concepts I have developed. 

Above: Developing the operating scheme has included adding appropriate operating infrastructure like the location name plate in Oakridge. 

Terrain:

This summer I continued to push on forming the terrain specifically on the lower deck. My approach is relatively simple and cheap! I start with cardboard webbing or insulation foam to form the basic landforms. I follow this with a layer of contractor's paper. Everything is held together with hot glue. I continue with layers of glue, plaster, and fillers to finalize the terrain forms before adding scenery. 

Above: Initial terrain forms in the Salmon Creek/Pope & Talbot area.

Above: Terrain forms between Oakridge and  Pope & Talbot.

Above: Initial terrain forms at Salmon Creek and the entrance to the helix. 

Above: Exit of the helix. These landforms transition seamlessly from the scenery on the lower deck (see previous photo).

Above: Terrain forms at Fields. This area was completed by Cam Nealy, a fellow model railroader and good friend who I trusted with a hot glue gun!

Above: The Oakridge helper set rolls down grade through newly completed landforms in Fields. 

Scenery:

For anyone who has traveled to the Cascades, you will know that is is very lush! This provides quite the challenge when trying to capture the dense and varied vegetation found along the mainline, especially in spring when the colors are equally unique and varied. I made a second pass of scenery through Westfir which has now become the unofficial scenery test ground for the rest of the layout. Using a plethora of reference photos from trips to the line in April and May, I added an additional layer of dirt and ballast, weathered the ties and rails, thickened previous added vegetation, and began adding trees. This area is looking much better, but still has a long way to go. Many more trees must be constructed and added and much of the dirt and rock work still needs touching up. Nevertheless I am pleased with how this area and others are progressing. 

Above: Scenery progress around Tunnel 22. I began adding background trees along the backdrop as well as a layer of small trees/large bushes. The rock cut still needs to be repainted/weathered but this scene is looking more and more complete with each pass of scenery. 

Above: The first lawn! Now I need to finish the house. 

Above: Scenery has begun on the other side of Tunnel 20. This side has gone much faster as I have been able to apply techniques and lessons learned from the other side of the tunnel. This will be a great place to watch trains enter Oakridge. 

Above: Speaking of Oakridge, scenery has begun!  I started the initial dirt layers in Oakridge along the mainline and in the yard itself before running out of material. There is so much more complexity in the dirt, gravel, and ballast level of scenery that I want to try and capture. This is a time consuming process, but will be well worth it!

That is where things stand at the moment with the railroad. I still have some foundational projects like fascia work and lighting still to complete. Nevertheless, everything looks more and more as I once envisioned many years ago. Now when I step into the room, I am starting to feel that I am being transported to the forested hills of the Cascades! 

Westfir Scenery Revamp

 

This spring I spent a large portion of my modeling time transforming the Westfir, OR scene from bare foam and plaster terrain to something more representative of a forested right of way. However, my initial efforts fell short of both what I had envisioned and what I had documented in the actual Westfir. My grasses and vegetation were a little to thin, not conveying the lushness found in the rain-soaked Cascade Mountains. So this past weekend, armed with a freshly stocked arsenal of scenery supplies, I removed the trees and bushes I had installed in the spring, and gave Westfir a much needed scenic facelift. 

Removing previous work is always difficult, but often a necessary starting point. While I felt the trees I had planted in Westfir this spring were good, it was the vegetation and undergrowth on the forest floor beneath that was the true issue. So, to begin this project I stripped the scene of most of the trees and even removed a good number of the bushes that I had glued around the rock outcroppings and tunnel. 

Westfir before removing previously planted trees.

Trees removed.

I began by adding an additional layer of dirt texturing around the rock outcroppings. This step "pushed" the rocks a bit further into the hillside and provided a base on which to plant bushes and grasses. Once this dried, I began planting bushes and grasses around the rocks. For bushes I used Martin Welberg Scenic Studies Low Bushes in spring and light green as well as winter brown. Grass tufts were a combination of Silflor tufts and Martin Welberg layered spring tufts. These products were all held in place with white glue. 

Additional dirt layer to rock outcropping with the start of vegetation.

In addition to vegetation around the rocks, I wanted to thicken the grasses I had added throughout the scene. To better replicate the spring grasses I had documented on a research trip to Westfir, I came back over the top of the 4mm spring green grass I applied previously with a layer of 6mm autumn grass. This represents taller, dried and dead  grass from the previous year with fresh tuft growing beneath. I also made quick poly fiber bushes using a technique from Jason Klocke. Everything was fixed with hairspray. 

Modifications made to grassy areas include thickening layer of 6mm autumn grass and poly fiber bushes. 

I continued these techniques around the rest of the tunnel portal and throughout the whole scene. With this work complete, I feel more confident moving forward with planting larger bushes and trees. Certainly this scene is coming together with only a few major elements still to add. Next I will turn my attention to detailing and weathering the ties, rail, and ballast before finishing with trees. 

New vegetation around the portal at Tunnel 22. 

Overview of revamped scenery in Westfir.

Weathering RBOX 35255

 Often when the process of building a model railroad is in full swing, any time for weathering and detailing the fleet effectively disappears. The result (or potential consequence) can be a beautifully detailed and scenicked railroad with shiny out of the box models. I, for one, am guilty of this, with most of my equipment, specifically freight cars, still in their factory-fresh, glossy coats. To combat this, I have committed to weather any new piece of equipment for the Cascade Sub before putting it on the railroad. To make this possible, I have made weathering a part of my daily routine, starting with RBOX 35255, an Athearn RTR boxcar. 

In a recent post on the railroad's Facebook page I outlined my goal to model for at least 15 minutes a day. The idea of consistent effort is certainly not new in the hobby, although in the past month or so I have seen it mentioned by a plethora of modelers, myself included. And that is a very good thing! RBOX 35255 was the fruit of 15-30 minutes a day (and a longer session or two when time allowed), and went from shiny new boxcar to a model fit for any modern era layout in just over a month. Without this goal of consistent effort, this was a project that would have festered, been forgotten over the holidays and likely not touched again for weeks. 

I started with studying prototype photos for similar RBOX boxcars. The 35000 series cars tend to fade to a very pale yellow and most have some level of rust pitting and scrapes along the sides of the car concentrated along the door track. I worked mainly with acrylics and began by giving the car a general color fade and grime coat to serve as a base for further weathering. 

The majority of the detail weathering included rust spots and scrapes along the sides of the boxcar. Using a small, fine brush and burnt umber acrylic paint, I worked along each side of the car painting these areas of rust. Prototype photos are a must for this type of work and while the results are not photo-accurate, the level of realism is greatly enhanced by following real examples. 

I then detailed each of the rust spots with some weathering powders applied with a fine brush. I used a wide, soft brush and downward strokes to remove any excess material and create a very subtle streaking effect. 

Turning my attention to the roof, I began by applying a couple of general grime coats with burnt umber washes. Once these dried, I painted rust with burnt sienna along many of the ribs followed with a layer of burnt umber rust spots to simulate older, darker areas. The roof was completed with rust and dark brown colored weathering powders and a coat of Dullcote to seal everything. 

The wheels and trucks were next. I painted the faces of the wheels with a Vallejo light brown and the trucks with burnt umber acrylic. I then used additional washes of browns, tans, and gray along with weathering powders to complete the trucks and wheels. They were sealed with Dullcote upon reassembly.  

To complete the car and bring it into the modern era I hand painted graffiti along both sides of the car using prototype reference photos. A combination of older and newer tags helps to create the look of a car that has been around, and abused, for quite some time. Each tag was done with craft acrylics and weathered with a light tan wash and some powders.  

After a final coat of Dullcote, the car is ready for service! This became one of my favorite projects as I looked forward to making some progress on it each evening. While the short, daily weathering sessions often did not feel very productive by themselves, I am still amazed by the progress achieved over a few weeks.