I've Gone Down a Rabbit Hole

 

Family vacation to Rockport, MA this fall

I have gone down a rabbit hole while construction of the 4th Subdivision remains on hiatus. Why it is on hiatus is a different topic. So, what is this rabbit hole of which I speak? Mainly it all revolves around my new fascination with HOn30. Over the past year, I started watching Thunder Mesa Studio, a YouTube channel; family vacations over the last decade have been to mid-coast Maine and coastal Massachusetts; and a recent Susquehanna Division membership meeting sucked me further down the rabbit hole.

Richard's modules

One member, Richard Clouser, brought some N-scale mini dioramas to the "member's showcase" portion of the November Susquehanna Division membership meeting. Some were official Mini-Dioramas, while others were built on scrap foam that still interlocked with the Kato Unitrack used in the mini dioramas. The link above will take you to a guidebook that explains the concept of using the mini dioramas to actively engage children in model railroading. I ordered some Kato 124mm straights and 183mm curves in narrow gauge, N gauge rail width but larger ties (52-120 and 52-220), thinking that I could play around with the format. I also discovered a Facebook Group -- N Scale Pocket Sized Modules. The key to all of these formats is to use 25mm thick (1 inch) insulation foam with a 1mm overhang of the Unitrack, so they all can interconnect. At our meeting's raffle, I won a pile of older Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazettes further enabling my descent.

Again, I have followed Dave Meek's Thunder Mesa Studio on YouTube for a while now. His focus is on mini-layouts, many set in the southwest, often narrow gauge and based on the imagineering of early Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm railroads. His more recent project is a more realistic HOn3 railroad. While his style is not really my cup of tea, his videos are entertaining, informative, and his modeling is top notch. He has created some On18 locos based on the Kato 11-109 mechanism that are kind of cool and affordable. One of the issues that I am discovering with HOn30 is that not much is made in that scale, at least in ready to run format. Another interesting aspect of his work is his art studio or gallery approach. When our electrician and I finally get together on finishing the work in the basement/train room, I am wondering about having several smaller railroads rather than growing my 4th Subdivision into phase four or five of TOMA development. I am definitely planning on revitalizing the Ingleton plank. We'll see what develops. . .

No. 9 at Alna on the W, W. & FR

In researching HOn30, again not a very popular scale, I came across a four-part article in an early seventies RMC: Thatcher's Inlet written by Bob Hayden and posted online. He developed the plans for this build after visiting the sea coasts of Maine and Massachusetts. Having visited similar spots on family vacations I found this article fascinating. HOn30 doesn't exactly match Maine two-foot narrow gauge, but it is close enough to interest me. When we visited the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway a few years ago, I picked up a book and took a lot of photos. A fair amount of information is available online as well. Fooling around with some simple narrow gauge mini-modules and/or sketching some ideas for a New England/Maine HOn30 harbor scene may scratch my itch enough that I can climb out of this rabbit hole.

Or, am I just digging myself deeper?

Research, Hiatus, and Next Steps

 

Sisal and static grass foundation

In my last post, I left off with the notion of researching apple orchards, and I found that a fair amount of information and images can be found on the internet. A good first overview can be found here. First of all, while it is not the center of the Washington state apple industry, the area I am modeling (Whatcom county around Ferndale), had apple orchards in the 1950s and continues to have apple orchards.  The scratchbuilt sisal foundations make a reasonable model of apple trees with the proper leaf color and the addition of apples themselves. Looking at a number of photos through different time periods, the addition of ladders, baskets, and boxes would add to the suggestion or appearance of apple orchard. I was not as successful finding appropriate apple picking figures in HO scale. Preiser has a set with figures, baskets, and a ladder. However, the clothing is not correct at all. Before I go too far with this, I should remember that I don't really have a plan for a location for an orchard, This is something to keep in mind for detailed planning in the future. An orchard scene fits the story I am trying to tell, and I should plan on including such a scene as I move into additional phases following my TOMA plans. 

As mentioned in the last post, I learned this sisal technique of scratchbuilding shrubs from a Boomer Diorama video. One of his thoughts on modeling vegetation such as trees and shrubs is to model a specific example. One that I might use is Pacific ninebark or Physocarpus capitatus. These sisal trunk and branch structures are appropriate. The ninebark grows to 12 -18 feet high which is just about what these first examples work out to. I would need to highlight the trunk with several colors and use lighter color leaves than my first samples. Also, the trunk, with its twisting strands appearing somewhat correct, should be fairly hidden by other shorter vegetation. As I plan to model August or September, the white flower clusters of the ninebark would be diminished and transitioning into smaller red/brown seed clusters. Pacific ninebark is native to the area and would be found along stream beds, so it would be a reasonable choice for the trestle scene outside of Nooksack. 

While I have successfully done some research, my plans to form the "at least a few minutes every day" habit has not been that successful. In fact, actual work has been on hiatus. After having a problematic echocardiogram stress test, I was scheduled for a heart catheterization procedure. That procedure, which revealed a blocked artery, transitioned into angioplasty and stent placement. TMI, but the scheduled electrical work has been delayed until I am able to assist with that project. I will soon be able to work with the electrician, and after those projects are complete I can return to prepping more train room space and modeling. 

Restart building a habit: on the workbench and a return to Nooksack:

• Make some Pacific ninebark
• Wooden warehouse
• Nooksack packing house, 15 steps continued
• Rolling stock projects
• Touch toggle cups install on Nooksack

Other next steps:

• Make some real headway on Nooksack
• Phase two of TOMA plans; a new module expanding scenery to the west
• Return to Ingleton as part of train room revitalization

Big Shrubs or Start of an Orchard?

 

Unintended result: apple trees!

While not everyday, but most days I have been working in the basement. One of the "habit forming" projects at the workbench that I mentioned in my last post was making shrubs with sisal rope. The process is outlined below. You can click on the photos to enlarge them and see details more clearly.

I rewatched a Boomer Diorama video on modeling shrubs, taking notes on his process. Once I had the notes and the materials on hand, I started the process thinking that I would explore making inexpensive shrubs and forming the habit of regularly spending time in the basement/trainroom. I had some sisal on hand from a well-used cat tower, several Noch leaf packets and a jar of matte medium from my tub of tree making supplies, and a packet of 12 mm static grass from a recent trip to Trains and Lanes hobby shop. 

The first step was to cut the sisal into two inch lengths before dipping one end into a 50/50 mixture of matte medium and water. The recommended dip into the mixture was one quarter of an inch. In hindsight, I probably went deeper than that, and I believe the thinned matte medium wicks a bit into the sisal fiber. The result needs to dry overnight (or at least for several hours). The next step is to untwist the unglued end and splay out the individual fibers.

Once the sisal fibers are fanned out, the next step is to turn them upside down, dipping them into more of the 50/50 mixture of matte medium, and sprinkling/dabbing on the 12mm static grass. A couple of notes here from the video and my experience: Lay the wet pieces out on wax paper to dry. Use old yogurt cups for mixing and dipping. Save the 50/50 mixture in capped medicine bottles. Wash goopy hands before the matte medium starts to dry, as it dries almost as tightly and hard to remove as super glue. 

After letting my sample shrubs dry overnight, the next step was to "massage" the branches allowing the loose static fibers to fall off. Then the dipping and sprinkling was repeated a second time. After drying, the branches were again "massaged" to remove any lose fibers. One recommended step that I omitted was a third application with 7mm static grass. In this photo, the trunks and branches have been painted with two camouflage rattle can colors, a dark grey/brown from underneath and a much lighter tan from above. 

The final step is to add leaves. In my case, I used Noch medium green leaves. I also have some light green, but I wanted to see what these would look like. For applying the leaves, full strength matte medium is used. Instead of dipping the branches, I followed the recommended process of dabbing full strength matte medium onto sections of the branch structure with a stiff brush. Then, I sprinkled on the leaves. The goal is to apply leaves to the smaller branches without clumping them onto thicker branches or the trunk. 

As seen in this photo, these sisal models make nicely detailed foliage when they are positioned horizontally or with the trunk hidden. They could represent large shrubs or a small tree. While they take some time and effort, their expense is minimal (compared to some commercial shrubs). The few that I have completed could have some drybrushing done to the trunks and some trimming done of an occasional stray fiber as a final step. After researching what large shrubs that I might model, I could fine tune the paint color and airbrush instead of using rattle cans. I could also attempt to adapt my technique to avoid the large groups of sisal fiber reforming and creating thicker branches than I would prefer. 

Looking at the opening photo, the sisal treees as modeled could easily represent apple or other fruit trees with both their size and appearance. This unintended result is making me think that an orchard scene would be an interesting addition to my plans for the model railroad. Afterall, a fruit and produce packing house is one of my current structure projects, and having an orchard represented in the vicinity would reinforce the story. In cursery online research I found a contemporary orchard in Lynden that also has an orchard in Ferndale. With more research I could identify orchard details to represent in such a scene. 

A Restart and Building a Habit

Having returned from a family vacation and seeing the arrival of fall, I am trying to get a fresh start on model railroading. Throughout 2025, the state of the basement has been a gumption trap, and as one of my Susquehanna Division buddies said the other day, "the key to progress starts by just getting down to the basement." We are meeting with our electrician again this week to finalize the plan which includes a switched circuit for lighting for the railroad, a switched circuit and light fixtures for general basement lighting, and updating several other circuits in the basement. This has motivated (i.e. forced) me to begin the process of cleaning out clutter in the basement and to move rolling stock and structures off the existing benchwork to prepare for work to be done directly overhead.

A recent Jason Jensen video also mentioned a technique for making progress. He points to forming a habit of spending time in the train room or at the modeling bench every day. In his view forming the habit is more important than accomplishing specific tasks. I have been trying to do just that, spend some time every day.  

For the most part, I have focused on work on the "basement to train room" transition. However, I have several workbench projects I can also consider in my habit forming quest. One is to continue with the wooden warehouse project that I started months ago. The other is to make some shrubs using a technique from a Boomer Diorama video that I watched. I have the basic materials on hand, and it is a project that breaks down into a series of short steps with drying time in-between. It would be a good project for my attempts to build the daily habit!  

Moving backwards?

 

The TOMA phase one, Nooksack, is moving backwards rather than forwards. Here in this snapshot from earlier this year, one can see the control panel that operated the turnouts. In real life, the spur and passing tracks would not have been part of an interlocking. The switches would be thrown by the train crew. I feel the need to make a change to better model the railroading/operating process. 

Also, we are planning to have some more electrical work done in the basement. To facilitate that I have started packing up rolling stock, locomotives, and structures for safety while work is to be done above the layout.  We are hoping to add or replace several circuits. One is specifically for the model railroad's lighting, and others are for the infrastructure of our home. In either case, some existing wiring and fixtures will be removed and/or added over the model railroad. I am hopeful that prepping for and improving the electrical work will inspire additional upgrades of the basement ambiance. 

As mentioned above, I recently went down the rabbit hole of questioning why I was using a control panel for Nooksack. I like the touch toggles in the control panel, but it appears to represent the model board of an interlocking. In my operations scheme and limited experience operating on other railroads, using a control panel like this does not realistically duplicate the actions taken by the train crew of a local switching crew. I explored how to use the existing touch toggles to craft homemade individual turnout controls, going so far as collecting water bottles to follow a procedure suggested by Gerry Leone for using the top of the water bottles to create a cup for each location. I realized this method would not work on my thicker fascia, so I turned to Berritt Hill, the makers of touch toggles for their Mini-Cup Toggles. In my rabbit hole exploration enthusiasm I ordered the parts, but I will need to hold off for now to focus on clearing out all clutter and finalizing the details of our upcoming electrical work.  

Not only has work slowed down, it is being undone. The turnout controls will need to be redone to better align with my operations scheme. Not only did I make a mistake with that choice, but the larger mistake (not finishing the layout space prep, before starting the railroad) continues to haunt me.

Basement versus Train Room

After returning from the convention in Novi, I have taken a slightly different approach on the railroad. Rather than immediately resuming the work on the packing complex scene, I tried to gather some momentum on prepping more of the basement as semi-finished train room. In a post from the beginning of the year, I discussed how the state of the basement functioned as a major gumption trap. I can't decide if our record wet May and sump pump failure added more to the gumption trap or more motivation to overcome the gumption trap. Seeing some complete model railroads, visiting my friend Brad's railroad, and purchasing a Power Cab system to reactivate the Ingleton switching shelf from its current junk drawer status inspired me to attempt to revisit the transition from basement to train room.

The previous "bar" has been taken down, and I have started removing the worst of the immediate debris. Having watched a few YouTube videos on open French drains, I am still unsure of how to create a berm so the drain doesn't overflow at the one area here where it is not quite deep enough. The slope of the drain does appear to be good, allowing flow to the opposite corner with a floor drain to the dry well. A lot of wood from dismantling the "bar" still needs to be cleaned and moved to the wood shop in the garage. Phase two of my TOMA plan calls for two modules, one based on one brought from Meadville and one totally new one to extend from Nooksack along this wall. Before I get too involved with that, I need to follow through with completing the basement to train room transition, not only here, but throughout the basement. 

Months ago, I purchased a rolling cart from Harbor Freight, and having uncovered the sawhorses covered with junk, finally put it together to use in scenery or other projects on the railroad. I have to say that I was somewhat inspired by seeing Brad's use of his as a workstation as construction continues on his railroad. Putting the cart together was fairly straight forward, although not quick. Beyond the standard socket and screwdriver, the one tool seen here that I really appreciated was the telescoping magnetic pick up tool. An occasional washer or nut slipped from my shakey hands to the floor, but my pick up tool made for quick recovery. When I do return to the packing house scene scenery, the cart will be ready to use as a workstation!

A Scene in Fifteen Steps -- More Updates

 

I got on a roll last week and started on the wooden warehouse. I am using a wooden block as the core, a technique that Bill Schopf from my old division taught us about. In the photo, one can see the strip of plastic stone that I trimmed and folded to suggest the foundation. I cut the side walls from clapboard sheet wood. Delving into my collection of doors and windows, I cut the ones I chose from the sprue and sanded the edges to prep them for spraying with primer. 

Step one, in my list, was to wrap up the brick kitbashed portion of the produce packing complex. In an earlier post, I explained making a shadow box and the lighting in this building. Here in a more recent photo, the wiring of the two LEDs is finished and the shadow box is glued in place. I did paint the interior wall black in front of the open side of the shadowbox before mounting it. Yes, it would have been easier to paint the interior wall before mounting the exterior roof. For the other windows and doors I fashioned black construction paper barriers, so it does not appear as obvious that this building is a flat. 

Unlike working on the structures, several of the steps in my original list of fifteen were relatively quick and easy. I sanded a couple of sections of the cork roadbed where, examining photos, I noticed an overhang or lip where the two halves of the roadbed originally split apart. In looking closely at this photo, I see another one, but it is an easy fix. My friend, Dick Bradley, noted some dramatic brush marks and embedded specks in the sky on this portion of the backdrop quite a while ago. Carefully sanding the backdrop ameliorated the worst of the irregularities. It is tempered hardboard, so it should appear smoother than plywood. Just yesterday, I mixed up some Sculptamold to apply some texture to the terrain between the spur and the mainline. Due to the high humidity, the sculptamold is not fully dry yet today; I plan to wait until it is dry before painting.   

I probably won't get much more done beyond painting the bright white plaster before I start getting ready to travel to Novi, Michigan for the 2025 NMRA convention. Since I am taking our car for the week, I need to make sure my wife is stocked up on everything she will need while I am gone. 

It will be my first national convention and I am looking forward to learning a lot. Today I started getting my tool kit ready as I am signed up for two Modeling With the Masters events. I hope to attend one of the Operations Road Show training sessions.  Once that is scheduled, I can plan my other activities. I want to be sure to visit at least one of the layout tours, a Great Northern railroad depicting a part of the Cascade Division, and I see a variety of interesting clinics from which to choose.