To start this out:

Craft Acrylic Paint - Can be found at any craft shop ie: Micheals, Hobby Lobby etc. Main paints are Ceramcoat and Craft Smart, they come in 2oz bottles. You can use full strength or even dilute it, and of course can be mixed. Bottles usually run around $1 which makes it a lot more cheaper than model paints. There hundreds of colors and you can mix any to get what color you want.

Spray Coatings - Krylon makes a plastic safe acrylic spray in Gloss <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.krylon.com/products/acrylic_crystal_clear/">http://www.krylon.com/products/acrylic_crystal_clear/</a><!-- m -->

Hobby Lobby also has Gloss and a Matte finish as well, under their Tree House Studio name brand, These cans go for the same price as the testors model master 1oz. Acryl about $5.50/ea

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It all started when I saw some DPM packets real cheap, I figured I'd buy them... well the pile got bigger and bigger. I figured I could start up on an idea I had for making a modernized steel making company. The modern aspect of steel making is made of Mini Mills, which heavily use scrap steel and the Electric Arc Furnace system for melting, ladle furnace for control, the continuous caster for semi finished shaping, reheating, and finally the rolling mill. Which the major chunk of the older style of steel making has been greatly reduced so has the production process.

I wanted to build a Mini Mill as part of the "master plan" for my layout (in the distant future) and since I model more of a modern age I could take advantage of this industry.

So far I planned out the center structure, a 44"X12"X10" building, this building would be re-used from a previous steel mill that stood in the same place, hence the brick building. It will house the continuous caster, which it'll butt up against another building holding the EAF and ladle furnace. The other end of the building will be the rolling mill and finished product staging/warehouse.

This project will take a while since I plan to work on it from time to time.

Some progress pics so far of the center building (continuous caster section)



Semi complete building



Frames for the roof



Putting the windows in the sashes



The whole building at an angle



Size difference

What follows is my first attempt at posting photo images here from a brand new Photo bucket account. This is a "try-it-and-see-what-happens" deal!
I have resurrected a project intitially embarked upon in 1989. Everything has been packed away in boxes until unpacking from a recent move.
The project is to convert seven $1.97 "Sale Table" AHM RTR toy four-wheel bobber cabooses into detailed scale models for my currently cabooseless Lehigh Susquehanna & Western. The first photo (if I can get it to post) is an essentially "out of the box" RTR caboose, with curved side rails shaved off and board grooves scribed through.


The next photo shows the end rails shaved off, the cupola lamp removed and the platform railing mounting holes plugged.

A few days ago, Peggy and I went up to Sedona for the day. We normally drive up Oak Creek Canyon and spend some time in Flagstaff. Here's a few pictures I took of some of the sights around there.

We don't get to see snow often in the Phoenix area, but here's a shot of Humphry's Peak, just north of Flagstaff:
   
Here are a few shots of the Flagstaff station located along the infamous Route 66
           
Here's an engine that sits besides the station:
   
They get about four trains through here every hour, here's a typical one:
       
A shot of downtown looking across Route 66 from the station. I'd have fun modeling these:
   
Heading up towards the Snow bowl is this:
   
Here's a sign on a restaurant, it's hard to read from this distance, but it says, "Late for the Train"
   
Oh, here's a shot of the red rocks around Sedona:
   

This is a short tutorial on how I use and apply Heki's wildgrass.

I should begin by saying that I was made aware of this product by fellow modeler and good friend, Kurt (cnw1961), who uses it on his layout. He also gave me a heads up on what he found worked for him. Having said that.... you will see that it's pretty straight forward.

First the product.......
I used grasses #1840, 1841 & 1861. All of these can be found on the link below, just scroll down the page:

http://www.eurorailhobbies.com/erh_list....&offset=50

Here is how they look side by side:


The sheets are 18" X 6-5/8".


On the backside is a thin rubbery membrane which makes gluing them easy as pie. I LIKE EASY!
Both #1840 & 41 have the same solid membrane. You will notice that #1861 has a less solid membrane, this makes it easy to use it for small tufts and to help hide some of the edges of the other grasses (not necessary the majority of the time):



Let's get to work!

I tore off three pieces of grass (one of each kind) to fill in a small spot on the front of my layout. I will take advantage of the straight side of the biggest piece to go along the front edge of the layout:



The small section up front is where we will be working:




It is a good idea to do a "dry fit" before gluing (at least in the very beginning) to see how to best arrange the grass to get the look you want. In this case we only have three pieces and we already know where one of them is going.
I used Tacky glue (plain old white glue would work just as well) to adhere the grass to the layout. As you can see I apply it liberally:




Pressed firmly in place:




Next piece.......it will be placed above the first one with some separation:




Looks good:




Last piece....actually it will be pulled apart to make smaller "tufts":






These tufts were scattered about to help blend both the new, and, the preexisting grass in the area. You can see the glue in this picture, but it will disappear as it dries like the other small tufts in this shot:




Let's take a look at the finished product:



As you can see, the hardest part of this process is deciding where to put the pieces, and that becomes pretty easy after working with it a while and experimenting. The grass blends together beautifully with dirt and bushes to makes for a realistic ground cover:



It will work for a variety of locales as well. Here it is on Kurt's Miami layout. As you can see, it looks perfectly at home there as well. It helps make a beautiful scene, even better!......WOW!!!! That is a beautiful scene!


This whole tutorial could be summed up in one phrase: "tear and glue!"

Now I have to call Heki and see if they will pay me for doing their PR work

When the subject of ground cover comes up, we have all probably heard the phrase, “nothing looks more like dirt, than real dirt!”. In the past, I have used commercial ground foam products (with good results) to model dirt, grass, weeds, etc. :



The overall effect can be pleasing, but the three main problems with this method are:
Texture (close up; ground foam’s short comings become more apparent).
Color (modeling different locals can call for particular soil colors that just won’t be available in ground foam).
Expense (dirt is free, or at least “dirt cheap” if you buy in bulk).
I should also point out however, that I have seen spectacular layouts that used ground foam exclusively. To each his own.

There are a few companies that package dirt for model railroading purposes, but because of the high cost, I would advise against going this route unless you need a relatively rare color such as “red desert” or something of that type. Augmenting your local dirt with colored grout could also solve that problem for you.
Getting your own dirt can be as easy as digging a hole in your back yard or bringing a shovel and pail on a walk through the woods. I found a great source for my dirt by chance.  While driving home from work, I noticed a fairly steep grassy hill with a sidewalk at the base. Rains had caused some of the dirt to wash down the slope and onto the sidewalk in a very large area. The dirt had long since dried and I came back with my shovel and bucket and proceeded to do the town a “favor” and clean off the sidewalk. This dirt was of a sandy texture and very easy to scoop up (and easy to sift as well).  Many people advise baking your dirt on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 200 degrees for an hour or so to kill any critters that my be living in there. I, on the other hand, just left mine in the bucket a few weeks out in the garage and had no problems. Running a magnet through the sifted dirt is always a good idea as well.
Now that you have your dirt………let’s get started!

Items needed:
Strainers- I use two strainers that I found in the cooking section of my grocery store (the finest strainer I could find, and one with slightly larger holes).
Nylon stocking- don’t tell my wife!



Containers- 5 or more containers with at least one of them small enough for the stocking to fit over.
Grout- (optional but recommended) color should be close to your dirt color.
Sand- (may be needed for texture variety depending on the make up of the dirt you are using).
Glue- this method uses “wet-water” (water with a few drops of dish detergent or rubbing alcohol by itself) and a 60-40 mix of water and white glue.

Sifting the dirt
Begin the sifting process by using your strainers in succession (large hole, small hole, stocking). Pour dirt into the large holed strainer and sift over an empty container. This first sifting is essentially to clean the dirt and rid it of twigs, rocks, leave particles etc.). The dirt that didn’t fit through the strainer can be kept in a separate container and used as scale “boulders” or pulverized by the method of your choice, and put through the sifting process at a later date.



Note: As you sift your dirt into various scale sizes, save some of each grade to sprinkle here and there on your layout for a more natural look.
Take your cleaned dirt and sift it through the second (smaller holed) strainer. The dirt that was left in the strainer will be put into a container labeled “coarse dirt” and the dirt that passed through the strainer will be labeled as “medium/fine blend”. I found the “medium/fine” dirt to be the grade I used the most (I model in HO scale), so remember to keep the majority of it “as is” and do not sift it further.  
After setting the bulk of the M/F blend aside, sift the remaining dirt using the stocking. The dirt that didn’t pass through the stocking can be labeled as “medium dirt” and the dirt that did pass through as “fine dirt”.



Here are all the grades of dirt side by side:









Now would be a great time to do some tests. Sprinkle the different grades of dirt on a piece of plywood or foam and use the traditional wet-water and diluted- white glue method to glue it down. After it dries, you will be able to determine the grade, or grades of dirt, that suit the scale and look you are trying to achieve.
Depending on the clay content and other factors in your dirt, you may notice that it has darkened after the glue dried. If you would like a lighter result, you can add a lighter colored grout to the dirt, which will keep its color even after the glue dries. How much grout that needs to be added will require experimentation.



Just add  grout a little at a time until your dirt is a few shades lighter, glue it and see how it looks after it dries. The grout also has a side benefit of being even finer than the “fine dirt” that was sifted through the stocking.



On the layout
Here is a picture of the dirt on my layout after the glue had dried:


Notice that the dirt contains dark, medium, and light shaded granules. The naked eye sees it as a blend but the camera really makes the different variations “pop”!
If you would like to add some lighter “dry patches” to your dirt areas, try dry brushing on some of the “fine dirt” (no glue necessary).  It will hold up to any amount of vacuuming and is an easy way to add interest and variety.


The not so finished scene:



Using real dirt requires more work than using ground foam, but the results can be well worth the extra effort……….and let’s face it, we all like to get dirty once in a while…………don’t we?

Last year I purchased a portion of the slide collection of John Uckley of Monroe, Michigan. Most of the slides are original 35mm Kodachromes but there are also a number of 6x6 Ektachromes as well. Unfortunately I have not been able to track down Mr. Uckley in the intervening months. The appearance of his original slides for sale would seem to signal his untimely passing, but I have not been able to find evidence of his death either.

While the search continues I have begun cataloging the collection and scanning the best photos for preservation with the help of a friend. I have have posted some of them to my flickr account to share with other railroad enthusiasts. As of today there are currently 182 photos online and I hope to add more later this month.

Enjoy!

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I've had a Lindberg "North Atlantic Fishing Trawler" kit, waiting to be converted into something, and decided, the shipyard could use a collier, to bring in coal for the narrow gauge locos.
So !
in this shot, the two tugs, the coastal freighter (also a trawler kitbash), and the new collier.
   
Here, the fore deck has been lowered, the main deck has been leveled out (the original had a step down 'midships), a new superstructure built, and all the joints puttied with "Apoxiesculp". Once the putty has set, it gets sanded, and the two cargo hatches get built.
   
This is a "bow on" shot that shows the Revell "harbor tug" pilot house, and the superstructure. It's hard to see, but on the foredeck, is a reinforcing plate, where the anchor chains pass from the hawsepipes to where the anchor windlass will be. The anchors are already fixed in the hawsepipes.
   

This one will make an occasional appearance on the new module set, and can also show up on the old one. I probably will not cut out the deck, for the cargo hatches, as they will most like remain covered........have to think about that one.
Anyway, here we go again!........" underway, shift colors ! "

I saw this at the CAboose in Denver today, inside the HO layout disoklay care:

A gold-colored UFO with a clear canopy, under which were seated five green aliens.

On the bow of the alien craft was a cowcatcher.
On the stern was a coupler.
On the top surface of the right wing was a handbrake vertically mounted.
On the top surface of the left wing was an airbrake system, and
On the rear fuselage was a sand dome.

Hello Everyone---I finally took some time to do some railfanning and I'm glad I did.My first stop was Stuart St. in Hamilton and I was in for a surprise.





Next stop---Bayview Juction.In the span of an hour,a few trains passed by including the elusive "Turd"---here's a few photos showing the action