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Those stones look really good!

Thought I'd show what I have been up to lately. 

There are a couple locations on my gas station diorama where rock retaining walls are needed.  I experimented with a couple of methods, such as real rock pieces, molding the rocks from paper mache pulp, and making plaster castings but the one that I finally landed on was to use high-density foam. 

I laid out my rock pattern on a piece of illustration board cut to the size of the retaining wall area.  I transferred the pattern to the piece of high-density foam, cut each individual rock piece out using a jeweler's scroll saw, whittled away at the piece of foam with my utility knife until I created a rough rock form then using some actual pieces of rock, pressed the rock surface into the foam to create the texture I wanted.  Using inexpensive acrylic craft paints of various shades of gray, browns and yellows I paint and spatter the surfaces to represent granite rock.  It's a bit of a chore working this way but I'm getting the results I want.

The photo shows one section of retaining wall in progress.  Some rocks in their whittled-out state, others with the rock texture pressed into their surfaces and then some in their final painted condition.



Stuart

Very cool!

Nice to see it earning its keep.

I wanted to build one to drag logs on my property. I ended up using the winch on my utility (Kabota RTV) lifting it and dragging it.

MJINTN

Here's a MDC Roundhouse shorty combine that will do double duty. Sometimes it will be a combine at the head of a short mixed local freight and other times it will serve as a caboose at the end of a milk train.

Details include: wider endsteps at both ends, seats and passengers  inside, a smokejack Will get a potbelly stove inside when I can find where I put it), brake details and the little detail that started it all, a screened vent replacing a clerestory window on each side.
(I just discovered this side has the vent with the crooked frame. Well it's an older car that's seen a lot of miles and will get some weathering to reflect that.)

It is quite satisfying when, after years of research, an idea can finally be turned into reality. But who am I telling that to? ;-) As I have written before, I have now spent more than forty years intensively researching and looking for documentation on various objects from that period. What is perhaps even more satisfying for me, however, is being able to pass on all this work and knowledge to a small group of enthusiasts, either in the form of model kits (in the broadest sense) or through publications, before it is eventually forgotten.

Unfortunately, that is also why I currently have hardly any time for active modelling – but the dark winter days are still to come!

Very well done, and incredibly realistic.

Bernhard

That looks really interesting. It's lovely to be able to reap the rewards of one's hard work.

 Bernhard

A unique model. Really well made.

Bernhard

An educational tutorial and an excellent model. I hope it inspires other modelers. Thanks, Rick. -- Russ

As promised the last pictures of the project, the arch being pulled by the Cat 60 Logging Cruiser.













 Here is some more information about the use of arches provided in this quote from the VanNatta Logging History website.

"Many styles and shapes of arches have been used to assist in moving logs. The tracked arch shown here is a classic, though arches with rubber tires were often used with smaller dozers. The winch line was threaded through the the arch. It provided two distinct benefits. First by pulling 'up' on the logs a little you could help free them from hang ups and obstacles that might be in the way (stumps for example). Secondly, logs drag a lot easier if they are partially lifted off the ground. This means that with an arch you can pull a lot more wood than if you are dragging the logs on the ground.

The downside of the arch is that you are pulling a trailer around and you can never forget that. Also a trailer that wants to upset on the corners. If for example you turn a short corner while pulling a turn of logs, the arch will tip over. While it is easier to 'right' one than you might think it is still a nuisance. What you do to turn one right side up is to disconnect the turn of logs, and reconnect the winch line (which is still through the fair lead) to the arch frame somewhere. Then you wind up the winch. Because the winch is above the hitch winching on the fairlead will pull the fair lead up, and with the tracks being the heavy part—they will drop down, and presto the arch is rightside up."

That winds it up, thanks for following along.
Rick