Back at Work 
As I mentioned last week, I had a lot of work to do to get ready for some Orchard Studios shows. Saturday, we had our first show of the season, and Sunday, I played!
(click on the pix for full-sized versions)
First, the area in and around the marsh was re-sceniced. I decided that the thing to do was to simply go over the bad. So, I scuffed up the surface of the old “water� and painted it a yucky brownish color. I then re-applied the bottom texture.
I then turned my attention to the area a little further east of the marsh.
One thing I remember growing up was that there were huge, huge piles of oyster shells all around near the waterfront. I chose to model this near the end of the switchback spur, and I’ll add a portable conveyer for loading oyster shells into gons when I come through and detail the area.
There also needed to be a way to access the area by car or truck, for the folks working the docks, so this grade crossing and gravel roadway was started. The road will be taking a sharp turn to the left, to avoid another wetlands area, and to connect with the town.
The grade crossing itself is made from Kappler S-scale contour ties, as I have a large quantity of them on hand. Campbell HO switch ties would work equally well. The coloring here is simply a stain of Woodland Scenics Raw Umber.
This morning, I got “brave� and poured the new water. I was going to wait until tonight, but everything seemed plenty dry this morning. I did not use the Woodland Scenics Realistic Water again. This time, I used a product that is identical to Envirotex Lite, but is a little less expensive. I’ve used the product before, with great success. I found it at Wal-Mart in the flower-arranging section, and it’s called “Le Silk Shoppe Acrylic Water Kit.� Each box contains a total of 8oz. of material, which looks like it will be just the right amount to complete this area. Although the material takes 24-48 hours to completely hardem, I’ve found that subsequent pours can be made much sooner, and I’ll likely make the second layer either this evening, or tomorrow morning.
The final results of my previous use of this material can be found here. The page was made while I was still modeling in HO, and a member of the FCSME.
Once the water has completely hardened, I’ll make ripples in the surface using a stiff brush, and gloss medium from Mod Podge (available at the local craft store).
Here’s a parting shot for the day. Shay #8 has just brought a gon in to take away some of those oyster shells, and a flat is ready to be shoved onto the pier for unloading. The conductor’s waiting in the caboose on the siding — no reason for him to set down his coffee cup!
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