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. 

A Scene in Fifteen Steps -- Step 6, a Photo Backdrop

A photo backdrop has been under consideration all along

In my previous post, I noted my notion of trying Bob Frankrone's approach to completing a scene in fifteen steps. There, I listed fifteen steps to completing the Nooksack Valley produce complex spur scene. In that list, the sixth step was to add a photo backdrop a la Paul Dolkos. As I was preparing a clinic to present for my NMRA division, my focus for the last couple of weeks was on this step.

Early in my planning for this scene, I researched packing plant images, both for structures and entire scene images. In my Google image searches, I came across this site that included a photo that featured the section seen to the left. This scene is fairly modern and includes modern semi-trailers, but it was the best starting point I found.

After living with the original image leaning in place, I decided to make some changes. I took a fairly analog approach. I printed out the original image and resized it to what seemed appropriate on my inkjet printer/copier/scanner. Then I printed several copies to create a collaged version of what I thought I wanted. Using a sharp number 11 blade and glue stick I made several changes by covering the trailer, removing the large fruit boxes, and extending the building to the left in my final collaged image.

I photocopied the collaged image, and after printing it out went ahead and cut out the image I planned to use, again with a sharp hobby knife. As I was working down in the train room this time, I cut on the tempered glass on my workbench.  As inkjet printed images are subject to bleeding if they get wet, I sprayed the image with several layers of Testors Dullcoat. After that protective layer dried, I used a sepia Prismacolor marker to color the white paper along the cut edges. My recommendation would be to use a light gray or sepia colored Prismacolor rather than black or a Sharpie of any color.

For this experiment I used Scotch Super 77 as the adhesive. It is a very aggressive adhesive, so make sure to protect whatever surface you are working on. I used some old packing papers and a paper towel, but still managed to get one spot on the benchwork. I had to go back with lacquer thinner to remove it. The point of using this glue is to avoid the photo peeling off later. 

Before applying the spray adhesive, I marked the location of the where I wanted the photo on the benchwork and experimented with coving the bottom of the photo onto the benchwork. After I applied the spray adhesive and let it dry to tacky, I placed the top in place. After smoothing the top edge down, I carefully smoothed down the bottom on the benchwork leaving a coved or rounded gap between the top and bottom edges. The photo to the left shows the photo glued in place, hopefully hiding the right angle between the backdrop and the benchwork with a coved image. 

The most recent step I have taken was to do some painting on the brown plywood bench top. The goal is to further hide the joint between the photo and the bench top surface. I used grimy black and a slate gray acrylic paint to blend from the ground into the photo. I blended the two colors, wet on wet, as I applied them. I am not entirely happy with the results, but the paint is just the first layer. I will be adding sanded grout, which I may apply up into the photo. Although I don't always follow my own advice, in general it is best to stop before I go too far. I remember Gerry Leone saying in a video that he "tries to stop when he thinks to himself, 'just a little more'."

 

Updates and Goals

I have updates and goals for both the train room (aka the basement) and for the railroad. 

As I left off my last post with wet basement issues, I will start with that. My wife helped me last week on one of our continuing rainy days, and we made a good start on removing the scabbed-in bar. As you can see in the photo, I still have some framework to remove. The damp floor in what I was calling "the floodplain" can also be seen. Not labeled, but suggested is the approximately one inch wide "French Drain Canal" between the green concrete floor and the yellow wall. Judging from the existing rot, the floodplain has been an ongoing issue, exacerbated by our wettest May on record. A steady stream of water was flowing into the "canal" until about ten days ago. I will need to build a lip along the floor (a levee) to prevent the canal from overflowing here in the future. 

In addition to the wet basement abatement, another goal for this summer consists of more electrical work. The sump pump and water conditioner are currently powered through a gnarly extension cord draped across the ceiling. They need a direct line. Renee wants some general lighting in the basement with a switch. I want a line to outlets for the railroad lighting (current and future) also switched. Plus our three season room's outlets need to be reconnected and a few more receptacles added in the basement. This really should be done before any significant  additions to the railroad are contemplated! We need a firm plan and easy access before we call in the professional. 

I want to continue with this area around the fruit and produce spur. I am giving a clinic soon, and I would like to try using the photo that I have propped up against the backdrop in this image and share the results. It actually isn't a straight photo; I collaged parts of the photo to make changes. The other experiment is to cove or curve the photo from mounted to the backdrop to glued to the benchtop. I will need to remember to coat the photo (printed on my inkjet printer) with a fixative so that water based scenery doesn't make the colors bleed or otherwise destroy the image.  Then I can experiment with first layers of scenery and weathering to blend the road surface onto the benchwork. 

Several years ago I attended a clinic by Bob Frankrone about completing a scene in fifteen steps, and thought I might try that approach to the fruit and produce spur area. Here is a to do list of my fifteen:

1. Last steps on brick building
2. Warehouse a la Bill Schopf (multiple steps)
3. Sand the cork edge
4. Sand the painted sky 
5. White wash for atmospheric haze
6. Photo backdrop a la Paul Dolkos
7. Sculptamold for texture
8. Paint and first layer of scenery
9. More layers of scenery 
10. Fence
11. Tie pile 
    
12. 12 volt DC lighting bus
13. Connect lights
14. Ballast spur
15. Details

In this prototype photo of the Interbay Yard in Seattle, I really like the area between the tracks in the bottom right area: a little uneven terrain, some tall grass and shrubs, and a pile of ties. This photo is from the digital library at the Cornell University. 

U.S. President's Railroad Commission Photographs