Progress Report: 5/29/09
Here's a quick video I did of the layout, showing progress so far, but mainly to show everything's locations in relation to one another.
Progress Report: 5/24/09
I'm really starting to haul on this project! I don't think I'm stopping anytime soon! Last night I started installing colored gels for the night-time lighting:
The shot is a bit blurry, since the rocks are moving
Here is a pano shot of the current focused construction area, the geysers and paint pots. The geysers are plexiglas rod with some Halloween stretchy web stuff on them. The only problem is, unlike the real geysers. is that this stuff is green and glows in the dark! I might try and spray them with some white, to change the color and stiffen them up a bit.
I still might mechanize them in the future, but since I need to get a motor for them, they'll just be static for now.
The shot is a bit blurry, since the rocks are moving
Here is a pano shot of the current focused construction area, the geysers and paint pots. The geysers are plexiglas rod with some Halloween stretchy web stuff on them. The only problem is, unlike the real geysers. is that this stuff is green and glows in the dark! I might try and spray them with some white, to change the color and stiffen them up a bit.
I still might mechanize them in the future, but since I need to get a motor for them, they'll just be static for now.
Progress Report: 5/24/09
Despite saying there hasn't been much progress, in the last two days there HAS been progress! The gears in Balancing rock canyon have been sealed up, which looks neat seeing the rocks move in way without seeing the gears turning. The gray stuff is celluclay which should harden up in few days and will get some earth tones soon.
Ground cover is starting to go in and Devil's paint pots of sculpy were made.
The geysers were also made of sculpey, here they are awaiting paint. I had a little mishap with the oven (I had it set to 'toast' rather than 'bake') so two of the geysers were a little burnt. The geyser in the rear is bright orange because I switched to a cheaper clay when I ran out of the other stuff (the orange stuff glows in the dark!)
Ground cover is starting to go in and Devil's paint pots of sculpy were made.
The geysers were also made of sculpey, here they are awaiting paint. I had a little mishap with the oven (I had it set to 'toast' rather than 'bake') so two of the geysers were a little burnt. The geyser in the rear is bright orange because I switched to a cheaper clay when I ran out of the other stuff (the orange stuff glows in the dark!)
Progress Report: 5/20/09
Not too much progress, been busy working on my On30 Marsh and a 20,000 Leagues under the Sea project below Nature's Wonderland. But so far:
• Locomotive got a mechanical tune-up, though an appearance overhaul may be needed--the wheels are looking a little shabby.
• A prototype mechanism for jumping fish was created, though that little project quickly lost momentum once I realized how small 1/48 fish really are. ( basically they'll be a little chunk of styrene, very disappointing)
• The styrene rod drive shaft for the spinning rock finally snapped and a brass rod was installed; I guess a styrene rod flexing every second per revolution, multiplied by a quarter of million times, is bound to snap!
• Locomotive got a mechanical tune-up, though an appearance overhaul may be needed--the wheels are looking a little shabby.
• A prototype mechanism for jumping fish was created, though that little project quickly lost momentum once I realized how small 1/48 fish really are. ( basically they'll be a little chunk of styrene, very disappointing)
• The styrene rod drive shaft for the spinning rock finally snapped and a brass rod was installed; I guess a styrene rod flexing every second per revolution, multiplied by a quarter of million times, is bound to snap!
Progress Report: 3/5/09
Here it is, the time lapse construction of the Rainbow Caverns!
This is probably the last one I'll do, since having a camera in your way while you work is not helpful! Plus, I'm not sure what else I would document that would look good sped up. We'll see.
This is probably the last one I'll do, since having a camera in your way while you work is not helpful! Plus, I'm not sure what else I would document that would look good sped up. We'll see.
Progress Report: 3/4/09
Started installing some night-time lighting:
I'm using up leftover strands of white LED's that I was going to use for the Christmas tree base, but canned that at the last minute. I will put some red/orange gels in front of the lights, to give off a glow like how Big Thunder is lit today. Through some Photoshop, it might turn out like this when I'm done:
I'm using up leftover strands of white LED's that I was going to use for the Christmas tree base, but canned that at the last minute. I will put some red/orange gels in front of the lights, to give off a glow like how Big Thunder is lit today. Through some Photoshop, it might turn out like this when I'm done:
Progress Report: 2/28/09
Here's what the caverns look like outside. The caverns are housed in a large hill, with a window on the side looking into it, like a cut-away view.
The flat roof on the top is removable, and it will soon be covered with miniature AC's, piping and vents--to give a sense of reality that Rainbow Caverns was once in a large show building.
The flat roof on the top is removable, and it will soon be covered with miniature AC's, piping and vents--to give a sense of reality that Rainbow Caverns was once in a large show building.
Progress Report: 2/27/09
Rainbow Falls--
The train making its way through, with a long exposure
The Rainbow caverns is pretty much complete, the water of 'Mod Podge' will clear up and glow in a few weeks (I put on a thick layer). In the mean time, I'm cutting together the time lapse construction--over 10 hours of it; gotta make it so it's under 6-10 minutes!
The train making its way through, with a long exposure
The Rainbow caverns is pretty much complete, the water of 'Mod Podge' will clear up and glow in a few weeks (I put on a thick layer). In the mean time, I'm cutting together the time lapse construction--over 10 hours of it; gotta make it so it's under 6-10 minutes!
Progress Report: 2/17/09
Work is getting done in the caverns:
Everything painted black, ready for the next step:
(painting would have been a lot easier if I would have installed pre-painted foil, instead of having to paint already installed foil in a cramped, small area with spots that can be easily missed!)
The intent is to make this area look almost exactly like this photo:
The only difference is that the column shown in the pictures above is actually a support for the roof, so compromises will have to be made. But overall, it should look very similar to the photo above.
Progress is being documented with time lapse again, like my last video, so it'll be neat to see it get built in a couple of minutes from start to finish when I'm done.
Everything painted black, ready for the next step:
(painting would have been a lot easier if I would have installed pre-painted foil, instead of having to paint already installed foil in a cramped, small area with spots that can be easily missed!)
The intent is to make this area look almost exactly like this photo:
The only difference is that the column shown in the pictures above is actually a support for the roof, so compromises will have to be made. But overall, it should look very similar to the photo above.
Progress is being documented with time lapse again, like my last video, so it'll be neat to see it get built in a couple of minutes from start to finish when I'm done.
Progress Report: 2/8/09
I've got a time lapse video of the construction from the ground up of the tunnel entrance leading to the Rainbow Caverns!
(I wish I could actually work that fast; I could get the layout done next week!)
(I wish I could actually work that fast; I could get the layout done next week!)
Progress Report: 2/3/09
Nature's Wonderland is now in a different room! This is the second move for the layout, and through negotiations with other members of the house, I was able to obtain a larger room for the layout (and eventually, a larger table twice the size of the old will be underneath the layout and will house a new "crawl-through" attraction in the future). This will allow for extra expansion room around the layout, so that will give me plenty to do.
But in the meantime, the rocks have been painted:
The train heading through the canyon. "Now folks we gotta get through balancin' rock canyon, look out they're startin' to tumble!"
I'm planning to do a time-lapse video of the construction of the rocky portal tunnel show above, to show all the steps that go into these rocks. Also planned is an ambitious time-lapse video of the entire construction of the Rainbow Caverns from blank masonite to finished black-lit cave. So those will be neat if I get to them and actually do them. I'd do more video documentation, but that is almost twice the work for a project for one person. But we'll see.
But in the meantime, the rocks have been painted:
The train heading through the canyon. "Now folks we gotta get through balancin' rock canyon, look out they're startin' to tumble!"
I'm planning to do a time-lapse video of the construction of the rocky portal tunnel show above, to show all the steps that go into these rocks. Also planned is an ambitious time-lapse video of the entire construction of the Rainbow Caverns from blank masonite to finished black-lit cave. So those will be neat if I get to them and actually do them. I'd do more video documentation, but that is almost twice the work for a project for one person. But we'll see.
Progress Report: 1/20/09
Been doing some MAJOR work in the Balancing rock area. Got all the rocks made and installed, and they all move!! I pulled back some of the paper mache and installed some K'nex gears all powered by one Lego motor. All of these gears, 18 of them, power seven columns of rocks, each with a piece of flexible plastic tubing in them. In this plastic tubing, a metal rod bent at different angles is driven by the gear and the different bends in the rod as it turns moves the rocks. The plastic tubing basically protects the inside of the foam from the metal rod and it keeps the foam rocks from spinning with the rod
Here's a video of the rocks in action:
They are a little shaky, but that is because they haven't be permanently installed, they will run a little smoother when they are installed permanently and the "ground" is put back in.
Here's a video of the rocks in action:
They are a little shaky, but that is because they haven't be permanently installed, they will run a little smoother when they are installed permanently and the "ground" is put back in.
Progress Report: 1/18/09
Been working on the back corner of the layout yesterday. I still need to make some adjustments on it after reviewing some photos though.
Shot with the train making the curve.
The next step after this is to start on the balancing rock canyon. I'm probably going to start on a prototype today to see if my technique will work (Each teetering column will have a rotating vertical rod with bends in it; as the bends move through the rocks, the rocks will move in a sorta random way, resulting in more animation than more older ones with the string and the spring movement)
Shot with the train making the curve.
The next step after this is to start on the balancing rock canyon. I'm probably going to start on a prototype today to see if my technique will work (Each teetering column will have a rotating vertical rod with bends in it; as the bends move through the rocks, the rocks will move in a sorta random way, resulting in more animation than more older ones with the string and the spring movement)
Progress Report: 1/14/09
Rock formations are in place, temporarily, and the papier mache is patched up. They are sitting are specially cut platforms that follow the contours. Makes it easier for removal for painting.
Painting might be the next step, but I think I might want to go somewhere else on the layout this week.
Painting might be the next step, but I think I might want to go somewhere else on the layout this week.
Progress Report: 1/11/09
To show how these formation are created, I've documented the making of the Natural Arch.
First I stacked a bunch of thin blocks to get a very rough shape. I glued all the blocks together in the middle with hot glue. Then I drew a rough top view on the top of the block.
I cut the whole block on the band saw.
Next I carved and smoothed out corners and edges using the same kind of tool shown in the photo in the post above.
Then I carved out the indents and details, and later took a wire brush and carved some subtle horizontal lines. Also, I hit it with a real rock to give it a little bit of that rock texture.
After that, a layer of paint should seal it up.
First I stacked a bunch of thin blocks to get a very rough shape. I glued all the blocks together in the middle with hot glue. Then I drew a rough top view on the top of the block.
I cut the whole block on the band saw.
Next I carved and smoothed out corners and edges using the same kind of tool shown in the photo in the post above.
Then I carved out the indents and details, and later took a wire brush and carved some subtle horizontal lines. Also, I hit it with a real rock to give it a little bit of that rock texture.
After that, a layer of paint should seal it up.
Progress Report: 1/10/09
Did some carving today:
Much better than the original papier mache versions. Studied the heck out of those formation through old photos. The amazing thing is is that these rock formations are still at the park today.
The aluminum sheets have been covered with a layer of Papier Mache (Paper towels dipped in 50:50 ratio glue and water). Still need to do a bit more and patch some areas (where the structures for the mesas/buttes use to be, before I decided to do them out of foam).
Gonna work on the 2nd natural arch bridge tomorrow! (The one that the train doesn't go through nor the mules go over)
Much better than the original papier mache versions. Studied the heck out of those formation through old photos. The amazing thing is is that these rock formations are still at the park today.
The aluminum sheets have been covered with a layer of Papier Mache (Paper towels dipped in 50:50 ratio glue and water). Still need to do a bit more and patch some areas (where the structures for the mesas/buttes use to be, before I decided to do them out of foam).
Gonna work on the 2nd natural arch bridge tomorrow! (The one that the train doesn't go through nor the mules go over)
Progress Report: 1/08/09
Sorry for the blurry photo, but the frame work has been wrapped in aluminum foil. This will help support the paper mache layer, so that the material doesn't droop between slats and holes.
Feels like some weird low-budget sci-fi miniature movie set!
Here's an "artsy" shot, taken from the tunnel to Rainbow Caverns:
Feels like some weird low-budget sci-fi miniature movie set!
Here's an "artsy" shot, taken from the tunnel to Rainbow Caverns:
Progress Report: 1/6/09
I've got the basic, rough form of the land forms built up; the new desert is starting to take shape. I still need to add the two mesas and a few other things then I can add the aluminum foil to start blocking in more details. At this point, I feel like I'm working on a Frank Gehry project...
Approx. 600 popsicle sticks have been used for the frame work (No, I didn't eat every one of them from a box of popsicles! If that were the case, I'd eat three, then resort to the heat gun. I bought a box of 1000 from Michael's, which should be enough)
You can also see the "show building", which will house the new Rainbow Caverns, made from some old sentra signs. The roofs pop off so I can access the inside, and will eventually be dotted with some miniature air conditioners and piping.
Approx. 600 popsicle sticks have been used for the frame work (No, I didn't eat every one of them from a box of popsicles! If that were the case, I'd eat three, then resort to the heat gun. I bought a box of 1000 from Michael's, which should be enough)
You can also see the "show building", which will house the new Rainbow Caverns, made from some old sentra signs. The roofs pop off so I can access the inside, and will eventually be dotted with some miniature air conditioners and piping.
Progress Report: 1/4/09
With school starting back up in the next week (AHH!!) I though I'd get a big chunk of Nature's Wonderland worked on before the week is out. Before I know it, my free time won't be much soon.
The biggest part of the project for the week is the redo of the Living Desert and Rainbow Caverns. This started with a complete tear out of the areas last Thursday.
As I stared at the rubble after demolition, I felt like Tony Baxter tearing down the old Fantasyland in '83 and thinking "what have I done!?".
I soon pressed on, forgetting about the old desert, which wasn't much at all; just a bunch of painted yellowed newpaper paper mache (this is original stuff; from 4 years ago) and some mediocre balancing rocks.
I didn't miss the caverns either; A bunch of over-painted stalagmites and water features that can be significantly updated and done better. Also, the non-removable roof was a major design flaw, something that is a requirement in the future. I also want to change the layout of the water features, making it look more like the real thing; more specifically, like this shot:
I cleaned up, and got ready for re-grading the track.
Now I no longer have that annoying 90 degree cross! This allows for a smoother ride (for the miniature people of course!), a possibility for a two train operation, and its more accurate to the real thing.
Most of the Desert track loop stayed, the only brand new sections are the grade from the trestle to the top of the new tunnel, and from the bottom of the Balancing Rock Canyon, and through Rainbow Caverns to Rainbow Ridge.
Just for kicks, here's the same angle, but from December of 2005:
Both of those shots were taken from the top of Cascade Peak (quite a good tripod if you ask me!)
Despite the new and steeper grades, the train chugs up the hills without a problem, which was a major concern for me. In addition to that, the train now runs a lot smoother, thanks to the extra electrical contacts in the trailing mine cars. (I only electrified two cars even though I was planning on 6 cars to pick up power; I changed that once the two worked well and discovering that installing pick up shoes is a lot of work!)
For the next week, I will be creating the new rock formations and land forms, but mainly starting on a foundation of popsicle sticks, aluminum foil, paper mache, and celuclay. I will soon be back to where I was before the tear-out.
Hey, if Walt can redo his desert in 1960, why can't I, right?
This time, I took more time in researching and figuring out where everything goes (something I didn't do when I first built the layout) It may not look like much, but here is my plan of action at this point.
(The yellow represents the new sections of track, the red represents the old/current track)
In other, more "constructive", news, the new fleet of mine cars are complete, and I am pleased by how they came out.
At the time these shots were taken, the coupler pockets on the cars were not painted, neither were the drawbars.
A close up of one of them:
Progress Report: 12/24/08
Here are the seven new mine cars, all assembled to a certain extent. The next step is to add a few details like the support bars and the seats. Then it's off to the paint shop for a few shiny coats of Boyd Smoothster Yellow. Then the cars will get their electrified wheel sets (except for the last car-shown in the tunnel-; that car is removable).
My goal for my winter break is to get the entire Rainbow Ridge area cleaned up and fully "sceneiked" which includes building a new load platform to accommodate the new cars, rebuild all the buildings to better scale, proportions, and details (I made those 4 years ago!), and the hill behind it should get some work to make it realistic.
Progress Report: 12/15/08
he new prototype car for the new fleet of "Mark IV" mine cars has been completed. The parts for the car have been molded in silicone, and I should start some castings pretty soon. Eventually I'll have a 6 car train where every car is identical! I use to scratch build every car, and that resulted in somewhat accurate cars that were slightly different from one another!
With the smaller car, I can fit more cars at the station, so I'll be able to have an accurate train of 6 cars (technically, that is somewhat accurate, since there were 6 cars on the mine train when it opened in 1956. However, there were seven cars for Nature's Wonderland, so I'll have to make an extra car that can be detached easily, even if the train doesn't entirely fit in the station; to make it totally accurate.)
This photo shows how off I was all these years scale-wise ( I built three generations of these cars at that size!)
.
With the smaller car, I can fit more cars at the station, so I'll be able to have an accurate train of 6 cars (technically, that is somewhat accurate, since there were 6 cars on the mine train when it opened in 1956. However, there were seven cars for Nature's Wonderland, so I'll have to make an extra car that can be detached easily, even if the train doesn't entirely fit in the station; to make it totally accurate.)
This photo shows how off I was all these years scale-wise ( I built three generations of these cars at that size!)
Progress Report: 12/17/08
I've started casting mine car parts. While it looks like a lot of unassembled cars, out of the 11 castings, only about 6 are satisfactory.
The hardest parts to cast are the "steel frames", because the brackets are so tiny and fragile, they'll either break or resin won't get in the mold at all.
For those of you unfamiliar with the anatomy of the mine car, the wheels are mounted onto a rigid steel frame. This frame has 6 brackets, 3 on each side that bolt onto the wooden part of the car, which the main body where the passengers sit. While the prototype has its wheels on the steel frame, mine are actually standard HO scale wheel truck that snap onto the bottom floor of the car; the steel frame is just for show, but it's an important detail.
The hardest parts to cast are the "steel frames", because the brackets are so tiny and fragile, they'll either break or resin won't get in the mold at all.
For those of you unfamiliar with the anatomy of the mine car, the wheels are mounted onto a rigid steel frame. This frame has 6 brackets, 3 on each side that bolt onto the wooden part of the car, which the main body where the passengers sit. While the prototype has its wheels on the steel frame, mine are actually standard HO scale wheel truck that snap onto the bottom floor of the car; the steel frame is just for show, but it's an important detail.
Progress Report: 11/28/08
It has now been a week since I applied the Mod Podge, and its starting to clear up. There are still some white areas which indicate thicker areas, which should be clear in probably less than another week.
I should be starting on the "Mark IV" mine cars pretty soon, so I could finally get a full train. Then I can determine if I need to re-do the desert.
I should be starting on the "Mark IV" mine cars pretty soon, so I could finally get a full train. Then I can determine if I need to re-do the desert.
Progress Report: 11/28/08
No, I'm not modeling Nature's Wonderland in the winter with a frozen river! For water, I'm using a material called Mod Podge, which you can get at just about any craft store. When applied, it is completely white. As it dries it becomes clear and glossy. When this shot was taken, it was a few days after it was poured, since you can see some clear areas. It'll probably take about a week for it to become completely clear.
Progress Report: 10/29/08
NWRR #1 is finally complete except for the whistle. This is the most accurate that anyone that I know of has gotten to modeling this difficult in such a small scale off a stock model. You can see the running boards that aren't suppose to be there, but there is a reason why they are. I think its a good "railroady" compromise. The goal for this rebuild is to make the top removable for what ever reason. So if I have a problem or need to oil the motor, the boiler and cab can come off with ease. Also for the first time, the train actually has a operator!
The wires you see sticking out the bottom (sorry for my bad show) will soon connect to ALL the cars that will supply extra pick-up power (thats a lot of pick-up points; 24! ) that will allow for a lot smoother operation, let alone the 90 degree cross.
Yellow is really hard to match. I printed about 20 versions of the tender graphic to get it to match well. Its all trial and error when it comes to doing decals this way. The sand dome graphic was easy since I still had the decal graphics files in the computer and the red paint for my G scale Kimball so I was to get it in one print (they use the same paint and the same color red in the graphics).
The wires you see sticking out the bottom (sorry for my bad show) will soon connect to ALL the cars that will supply extra pick-up power (thats a lot of pick-up points; 24! ) that will allow for a lot smoother operation, let alone the 90 degree cross.
Yellow is really hard to match. I printed about 20 versions of the tender graphic to get it to match well. Its all trial and error when it comes to doing decals this way. The sand dome graphic was easy since I still had the decal graphics files in the computer and the red paint for my G scale Kimball so I was to get it in one print (they use the same paint and the same color red in the graphics).
Progress Report: 10/27/08
Work has been going on on the locomotive and train. I can't do much on the rest of the layout until I get a full, completed train (That would be a new station platform, possibly redo of the desert, etc.)
A shot of the engine, under construction, you can see where the new scratchbuilt cab will be mounted.
Sides of the new cab, built from scratch. An idea for a new thread could be on model construction techniques, such as here the left cab piece is made of strip styrene, while the part on the right, is made from sheet styrene.
A course in computer graphics is paying off well, since I've been redoing the tender art in Photoshop (Adobe Illustrator would be better for this) from the ground up, since J. Keeline's photo of the tender is not quite suitable for printable (even though I've used it before on older tenders. It is good reference though). It still needs some more work.
A shot of the engine, under construction, you can see where the new scratchbuilt cab will be mounted.
Sides of the new cab, built from scratch. An idea for a new thread could be on model construction techniques, such as here the left cab piece is made of strip styrene, while the part on the right, is made from sheet styrene.
A course in computer graphics is paying off well, since I've been redoing the tender art in Photoshop (Adobe Illustrator would be better for this) from the ground up, since J. Keeline's photo of the tender is not quite suitable for printable (even though I've used it before on older tenders. It is good reference though). It still needs some more work.
Progress Report: 9/4/08
As mentioned before, these are the metal strips in question:
They will become the running boards on the engine. Here is what I have devised; a piece of thin metal (yes, cut from a soda can!) wraps around the boiler and has two styrene running boards on each side. Pins slide through the running board and through the metal strips on the engine. This allows a structure that is thin and can hold its shape, stay in place and be easy to remove for what ever mechanical problems.
They will become the running boards on the engine. Here is what I have devised; a piece of thin metal (yes, cut from a soda can!) wraps around the boiler and has two styrene running boards on each side. Pins slide through the running board and through the metal strips on the engine. This allows a structure that is thin and can hold its shape, stay in place and be easy to remove for what ever mechanical problems.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
