xodar461

thanks for the comments. OC - the bricks I purchased on etsy. Just search for ho scale bricks and you will find them. I they were laid like full sized bricks, one at a time. White glue on the bottom and a small amount of joint compound on the side to simulate mortar. In between rows I used a thin strip cut from a 3x5 card for separation and some more joint compound when the wall was complete. Here is a sample of some loose bricks. Jeff

Greetings! Work continues with the shipyard. After all the RR ties are placed, the base was painted where the water will eventually go. There are wires poking through the MDF and insulation base. These will be spliced to the various buildings and light poles. Here are 2 photos of the underside of the base. MDF is perfect for gouging out small trenches for the wires which will then come out the back and eventually get spliced into 2 on/off switches. Each hole is marked to identify the structure associated with the wire. Next up was the brick wall that replaces the concrete one on Foss Landing. The wall below the Clam and Oyster building was made up of larger blocks, much like the wall near the RR tracks on the Shipyard kit. The RR track was next glued to the ties after they were weathered. The flex track I purchased came with plastic ties so, before the plastic ties were removed, the track was centered and marked on the weathered ties. One rail was glued first then spacers were used to keep the second track even with the first. When all was done it was tested with the RR car previously constructed - perfect fit. I wanted to add the rail spikes for extra security. However, what is commercially available looked out of scale. I ended up using standard paper staples - still a bit out of scale but closer, I think. He is a photo. It was a lot of drill holes and spikes! The rails were then weathered, and a sanding stick was run across the top. Next up is the sculptamold for the Foss Landing buildings, followed by the Shipyard pit. Jeff

Greetings ! A few weeks have passed since my last post but progress continues. Now that all the structures are complete, it's time to work on the foundation. 1/2 inch foam board home insulation is used for the various levels, glued to the MDF base measuring ~ 36 in x 18 in). Some sheet-rock compound was used along the sides and the seams and to cover the upper level of the Foss landing side (right). Pilings and mussels were added to the 2 docks of Foss landing and the one for the Shipyard after the support boards were added to the pilings . After a coat of spray paint, the RR ties were laid down on the left. Rather than tape them to a template and glue them all at once (nicely demonstrated in Grant's Shipyard log), they were laid by hand using a long piece of wood for the boundary on the left and wood spacers to keep the distance between ties the same distance. Here is the work in progress: Before proceeding with the ties on the right of the shipyard, a bit of compound was used to build up the base so the ties would fit snugly under the rails. The "ship in progress" was also completed. As in Grant's log, the wood was left unstained to simulate newer, non weathered wood. Other things to think about is how to run the wiring from each structure through the base to the batteries. More on that later. Here are some photos of progress so far. I've been taking it slow as I have to go between the 2 instruction manuals so I don't get too far ahead on on side or the other. One modification of the Foss landing kit - a cement wall is called for that starts behind the launch Co building and goes to the side of that building and then forms a cement wall under the Clam and Oyster building below the dock. The Shipyard kit has 2 walls, one of brick and one with larger stones. To tie the 2 kits together, I've decided to replace the cement wall with bricks at the back and side of the launch co and larger stones for the wall under the Oyster Co dock. Here's a sample of the bricks and one stone: Jeff

Fixed it = "metal roof". The material supplied was aluminum. jeff

Greetings: Having finally decided how I want to deal with the saw, here's what I came up with. A pendulum saw would be appropriate for the type of roller table featured in the saw shed. Here is an example: With this in mind, it was time to go to the scrap box to see what I could come up with: The wood plank sits nicely on the rollers with just a bare minimum of clearance of the 2 wooden beams on either side of the saw. The saw machine is double hinged allowing it to be pulled across the table to saw the plank. The remaining features of the saw shed (upper level, motor, drive shaft and belt) were next completed. These are all very well described in Grant's log so I won't repeat. There was no variation from the instructions. The final steps were construction of the cupola and the rusted metal roof. Here's a photo of some of the roof pieces after etching and some rust chalk applied. Roofing in progress with cupola installed: Prior to placing the roof supports and roof, I added 3 LED hanging lights. The wires are so small i just glued them to the overhead supports and vertical beams so the wires end up under the floor. These can be seen in some of the photos below of the completed saw shed. And here are some photos with the lights on (with a worker wiping his brow): Next up is the base which will begin the process of combining Foss landing and the Shipyard at Foss Landing. jeff

Greetings! Work continues on the saw shed. The floor was next. Instructions were a bit contradictory as the floor boards are to be the same length as the crossbeams however you are instructed to cut a notch in the boards to accommodate the vertical beams. This notch would not be needed if the boards are as long as the crossbeam so I did not do this. The 4 trusses were easy to construct using the template. The trusses were then glued to the upper crossbeams. That takes us to constructions of the saw table. Construction was straightforward using the supplied plans as a template. Some logs show 3 boards used to cover the table sides however I just used 2, similar to what is shown on the plans. 3 were used on the side where the end plate will be placed. Next up is the hardware. I have several questions I hope someone on the forum can answer. 1. There is motor that sits on a platform above the table that has a drive shaft that is connected to a pulley and belt. The belt connects with the drive shaft wheel on the end-plate of the saw table. Connected to this pulley there is another drive shaft (pink circle in photo below). What would this shaft be connected to? The exact layout is not described in the instructions as it is hidden under the table so no need to build it. However this leads to the problem of how exactly does the saw / roller system work (see Q2 below). I am assuming the motor runs the saw, but maybe not? If it is the saw, wouldn't it be more appropriate to line up the end-plate with the center hole of the saw (yellow circle)? I guess it could be offset with another set of pulleys and a belt to drive the saw. 2. Given the layout of the saw table rollers, I assume the path of the wood along the table would be the pink arrow in the photo below. The yellow line represent the saw blade. If this were the case, would there not be a mechanism to move the blade up and down to accommodate movement of the wood? Either the blade would have to move downward to allow the wood to roll past and cut the wood as it is moving back up, or the blade move up and cuts when moved down like the illustration below. My assumptions at this point are the drive shaft runs the blade and there is another set of pulleys and a belt under the table. As such, the blade would have to move downward to allow for the planks to roll past and be crosscut. It seems to be an unusual set up and when looking at other build logs of this kit, I've always wondered how this set up would work I am probably over thinking this but I would like to hear some opinions before i start to glue the gear on. If you want to see a detailed description of how the motor and drive shafts are set up, refer to the log by gdale thanks Jeff

Greetings! The derrick dock shed and the upper yard storage shed have been completed. Not much to add as the instructions and construction are both very straightforward. Here's the derrick dock shed... ...and the upper yard shed below (the first photo shows the "strip wood trap" where just a mm or 2 of the first plank is glued to the underlying template, thus creating a space where the side walls will be glued. The joint between the walls is barely visible in the photos below.)... note the crow resting on the roof. Onto the saw shed. The frame has been completed. It is quite delicate at this stage. Jeff

Greetings! Work continues on the main dock. The knots in the boards were randomly placed after the boards were glued to the beams. When all the boards are down, they will be given a wash with A/E to darken the knots. I decided to lay the planks to the red line (see photo, last post). I put together a scale 40-foot flat car and the trucks run quite smoothly over the tacks with the wood placed so. I also like the look of the track "buried" in the deck. Here are a few photos. And finally, the main building on the foundation beams and the deck. Some wood scraps were used beneath the foundation and the various platforms to get them all at the correct height. I need to straighten the rod at the top of the cupola as it seems to be off in one axis. Next up, 2 small sheds and the saw shed. jeff

Welfack and Ken, thanks for the advice. I did a test by placing a plank between the rails covering the base and there was no interference with the wheel as it rolled freely down the track, so I'll forgo any spacer for the inner planks (the white plank seen in photo above) and have the boards go right up to the rail. I will post some in progress photos when I get to that part. Jeff

These photos were taken from a log on the SW forum and shows how the rails go on the planks. On the outside of the rail, the boards cover part of the rail base almost up to the rail. On the inner part a plank is used as a spacer to allow for the wheel flanges. I'm building a flatcar that will be incorporated into the diorama, so I'll see if there is enough clearance for the wheel flange if boards cover the rail base on both sides. It seems to me that if only half of the base is covered, the rail would be unstable. And a dock / platform like this does not seem to be an optimal location for spikes. I'll see if I get any answers from the SW forum. jeff

Thanks for the replies. Welfack, when I copied and pasted the post from the Sierra West Forum, initially the URL was seen and not the photos. I think you got to the post before I edited it as now the photos are visible. As far as where the planking ends at the rail, if it stops at the edge of the rail, then I would assume that you would then need spikes to hold the track down like you would have with RR ties. None of the build logs on the SW forum mention this. Re: comment by Canute, I was not implying to remove any of the rail base, but rather should the wood planking cover the flange part of the base up to the rail itself. The multiple planks would server to keep the rail anchored and obviate the need for spikes. I am not sure the wheel flanges would go low enough the hit the wood. I have a rail flatcar that will be part of the diorama so I may test this out. Jeff

Greetings! Work continues with the docks. Template C has the right, left and derrick docks and the sales porch, all done simultaneously. Here is some early progress. The completed docks below. Instructions are very clear cut. Fine ballast was used to create the barnacles on the supports that will be underwater. One variation from the instructions - I decided to paint the skirting speckled white. I found that on many porches, this part was white. I'll probably make the railing white to match. This will be similar to the stairs and railing of Foss Landing. Note that on the derrick dock, I made the height of the "barnacles" less as the dock went inland as the water level would be lower. Now onto the main dock. Here is some preliminary work. I have a question for the any RR enthusiasts out there (not sure there are many here at MSW) - for the rails that are on the dock, where should I terminate the deck planking - at the blue line or red one? I can't seem to find many photos of this online and the pic in other build logs are too low resolution. As always, thanks for the kind comments and thanks in advance for any help on my questions. Jeff

Greetings! The office has been attached to the main building and the pitch and pine tar tank and platform were completed and glued to the warehouse roof. A small hole was drilled in the roof top accommodate the pipe. Here is the structure thus far. First, a few close ups of the tank and platform... ...and the main building. Several stacks are being prepared to glue onto the roofs. Then onward. Jeff

Greetings! Work continues on the main building. The attached warehouse is complete. Not much extra to add from the instructions though I did add some beams behind the metal doors for some support. See photo below, upper right. I had to salvage some scraps from the wood pile to complete the walls. Here is the competed wall and doors. The roof goes on much like the awnings on the main building. Here are some photos of the warehouse attached to the main structure. One LED was added to the interior of this section. Excuse the simulated bird poop on the warehouse roof! The Yardmaster office is next. The clapboard siding was fun to build and if you look closely, there are boards that are split, chipped and a few that have part of the board missing. Roof is almost complete in these photos. The office will have one gooseneck light on the gabled side and one LED inside. Once glued to the main structure, it's onto the items located on the roof. Jeff

Greetings! It's time for the roof and shingles. A long beam is first glued between the end walls to give the cardboard base some support. I decided to add some vertical beams for additional support. Once the roof is glued in place and some strips are added to roof ends, it time to begin with the shingles. But first, the dormers are glued in place. As the first 11 rows are broken up by the dormers, it was important to correctly place the shingles between the dormers so that when full length strips are placed beginning row 12, the offset from row to row will be consistent. I first placed 3 rows on the left, then placed a full length on row 5. Rows 1,3,5 will have full width shingles on the end. The pencil line (blue circle) marks the edge of a shingle that was used to line up row one. The same process was used to line up row one on right side of the roof. I may have been overthinking this but last thing I wanted was to get to full length strips and have the shingles misaligned. After row 3, the dormer roofs are added, then flashing added to dormer - roof interface and then more shingles. Grant's log has some nice photos of this process so I won't repeat here. Here are some photos of the progress. A small triangle has to be cut out of the shingle strip on row 12 to accommodate the peak of the dormer roof. This took a few tries to get it right (one loose strip can be seen in the photo above. After row 12, it was pretty straight forward up to the cupola. As 2 strips were a bit too short to cover the length of the roof, filler pieces had to be used. To keep the offset consistent, on occasion a very slight amount had to be removed from an end shingle here and there. Once up to the cupola, shingling was paused to construct the cupola. The walls are lined with strip-wood, window frames painted and placed, and the wall glued together. Trim is added to the base to accommodate the black paper flashing. The instructions called for the trim at the base to be a 0.02 in strip (0.5 mm). I felt this was a bit small to run the flashing onto the trim, so I doubled it to 1mm. The cupola is then glued to the roof and shingling completed. The cupola roof is completed in much the same way as the other roofs. The same process was used for the other side. Here is the completed roof of on the side with the dormers. Once the roof is complete, rafters are added - full length at the ends of the main and dormer roofs, extensions elsewhere. Here is the roof complete. I decided to paint and place the chimney at this stage as I was eager to see how it looked. I may do some weathering of the roof below the chimney to represent soot. Also, the capping shingles used were cut from the paper border of the shingle sheet, ~4.4 mm in width. Instructions called for using single shingles for this process but I though they looked too small. Here's a photo with both for comparison. And lastly, before the roof was placed, LEDs were placed, one each in the large dormers,, 2 in the main building and a swan neck over one of the freight doors. The dirty windows and shades limit views of the inside. On deck, the warehouse building. Jeff Home • HO Scale Builds Edit Save Draft