Allegheny Mountains taking shape

The Allegheny Mountain range as a backdrop for the P&LE is starting to take shape as seen here behind the coal loading facility. First, I cut two sheets of 3/4" pink insulation board freehand and glued them together. A two-inch piece was too thick to allow clearance on the outside track.

Next (below) came covering the insulation boards with plaster cloth, using the Woodland Scenics product.

(Below) Testing the look ... so far, so good. The next step, from a suggestion by professional model builder Tom McKenzie (a member of our Thursday night group, the Gandy Dancers) is to cover the entire surface with dry wall mud. That will be followed by paint, the addition of rock outcroppings, and finally trees, hundreds of trees.

I've got a long way to go, but I'm enjoying finally starting on scenery, and since the reason for the P&LE to exist is primarily hauling coal, the coal facility seems to be the logical place to start.

Signature photo

This photo, which will become the signature photo of the P & LE on the NMRA Gateway Division website, is the result of experimenting with camera settings and some long range help from expert Richard Schumacher, the developer of the website. With the Dean Freytag-built engine house as a backdrop, the photo shows the P&LE engines, engines painted to represent the James Creek Railway (named for fellow modeler David James), and a Buckeye Western engine, from the railroad of the late Dave White. The website is undergoing an extensive renovation by Richard, and while not complete, there is enough finished for him to put it up on the web, and it's outstanding.  The site includes a number of St. Louis-area layouts--complete with descriptions and photos, a long list of "how to" articles by a number of fine St. Louis modelers, listings of events, the division's newsletter, and much more. With its new platform, the website is much more flexible, and becomes more evolutionary. You can access it at www.gatewaynmra.org. Take a look!