Little Steps

Sometimes in model railroading, progress is measured in little steps. Such is the case with the track bumpers seen at the right.The bumpers started as a four-part Walthers kit. After they were put together, I spray painted them with Tamiya brand yellow (a bright color). Next, in a learning process, I worked for the first time with Pan Pastels, a makeup-like powder product highly recommended by well-known modeler Tony Koester. Using Burnt Sienna Extra Dark (nearly black) and Burnt Sienna (rust) from their Rust & Earth palette, I experimented with using first one and then the other first, with "wiping" and "dabbing" the colors on with makeup sponges, and finally, decided the best result -- for me, at least -- was wiping on the rust color and then dabbing on the dark color. I finished by lightly spraying with Dullcoat. Sharing the experience with Tony, he assured me that I really didn't need to use the dulling spray at the end. The thing I especially  like about the powders is the ease in wiping them off and starting over, plus the fact that I do not airbrush. These little detail items add a lot to the P&LE. It should be noted I have not yet done anything about ground cover, so this scene is far from finished.

Paducah Yard Gains Structures

I just realized it's been more than three months since my last post, but rest assured I haven't been idle during all that time. A lot of the work has been track work and wiring and not leant itself to photos, but some has been around the Paducah shop area (above). The warehouse in the foreground is an addition to the P&LE, as is the car shop farther back. The warehouse came from the late Bob Buschart's railroad; the car shop was a purchase several years ago in Ohio. The two box cars at the warehouse are models I finished in the past week, and yet to be weathered. The two tracks to the immediate right of the warehouse have to be moved, along with the warehouse, to the right about two inches to allow for more space for the tractor trailers on the other side. A corner of the Dean Freytag-built engine shop can be seen at the far right.