Scenes develop

Progress is slow, but steady. Most of the recent work isn’t very photogenic: figuring out DCC and getting the various locos to operate, adding street overlays, adding a program track and fixing the ‘two-ness’ of the track plan, beginning to add the wild grass areas, and many other odds-ands-ends associated with just building. Things are also slow because I don’t have a master plan for the scenery and operations. I spend a lot of time just looking at things and trying out ideas. Fun, but slow.

The Saga of the Magic Time Watch

The paragraph that accompanies this excellent video at YouTube says that it was created by Element X Creative as the sponsor reel for The Association of Independent Commercial Producers Southwest 2011 show. While you're watching this I'm going out for Cracker Jack. And while I'm gone keep a look out for the DeLorean time machine.

The teahouse and the saloon

I came across this video while browsing at Micro / Small Layouts. In some ways it's an almost perfect layout. The second video was one I found browsing YouTube recommendations associated with the first video - I rather like the railcar.

Music inspired by the Gorre & Daphetid

I recently stumbled across this musical composition by Joseph Sowa inspired by John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid model railroad.

Three palms and four cars

[No, palm trees can’t grow outside in Ontario – not unless they were some sort of genetic hybrid that lets them survive a January -40C night! But I thought Grilles should have palm trees, so in they went. The parking lot planters are leftover tire halves from the Gran Turismo project – they seemed appropriate for a converted gas station. Also, while searching through my stash of model tires and wheels I came across some broken Hot Wheels wheels which I think should be useful in restoring some of the broken specimens I was taking pictures of last summer.]

I added a few details to Grilles as preparation for siting it on the new layout. First though the parking lot was cut back from its odd shape to a square so that it fit properly in its new location. The B/A sign is a reference to Grilles’ gas station roots (my father worked at B/A for many years so it’s also got nostalgic value to me). A Walther’s telephone booth was added to the parking lot in case Clarke Kent finds himself in town on vacation. The cars are all fairly modern and were all given license plates and a little black wash for highlighting details before being rubber cemented into place. When placed on the layout, the upper deck dining area will have a great view of the ocean, and being right next to a street car station and book store, this place should be a big money maker 