Category Archives: Tips and Tricks

Some Thoughts on Backgrounds

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I’m no artist. But, this layout is going to require more than just blue sky-boards for backdrops, and I’ve never really liked the look of using photographs — a photo-realistic background seldom looks realistic to me. Yesterday, however, I stumbled on a neat Photoshop plug-in called Topaz Simplify (it also works with Photoshop Elements or, with an additional bit of free software, Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture).

The example images here show the general idea. For illustration purposes, I simply grabbed an image from my library (it was actually taken in Maine), and applied one of the presets supplied with the plugin. There are all sorts of controls to define the level of realism (or surrealism) of the final image. Anyway, my current thought is that I’ll use original photographs run through this process as my backdrop images where appropriate. Elsewhere, I’ll hide most of the background in trees and use blue sky-board. As long as I can get things sized and matched appropriately, the end result, I think, will be quite effective.

Fall Mid-Hudson Meet

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Alan Carroll - the master of the bash

Alan Carroll - the master of the bash

Kevin Hunter and I took a day trip up to the Mid-Hudson meet yesterday, and had a great time. I spent a couple of hours with Alan Carroll, who chopped a pair of 2-4-4′s down to 0-4-4′s for me (they’ll be nos. 4 and 5 on the roster).

I learned a huge amount from Alan yesterday (I do every time I talk with him), and got to see first-hand just how well S-scale standard gauge freight work as O-scale narrow gauge cars — 40′ double sheathed box cars are almost exactly the right dimension to represent a 30′ Maine 2-foot boxcar! I picked up a Showcase single-sheathed car from Alan for reference purposes. The length and width are dot-on, while the height is only off by about 3-scale inches.

The Showcase cars aren’t perfect in several areas, but only one really bothers me. The car ends are far too modern, being steel “dreadnaught” ends. While the details are all too small, they’re not that far off. And, they look right nice behind the Forneys.

Kevin Hunter - building a railroad light-n-easy

Kevin Hunter - building a railroad light-n-easy

Kevin Hunter demonstrated his methods for building model railroads and modules to an attentive group of almost a dozen onlookers. We also demonstrated our “gate legs” for modules, and sold several leg kits.

I missed the tree-making clinic, which was one of the things I specifically drove the five hours for. Hopefully, it will be repeated in the spring.

Les Davis - Mr. DCC

Les Davis - Mr. DCC

Les Davis, as well as being “the man” when it comes to weathering, has taken on the mantle of being the DCC programming expert. I’m glad someone knowledgeable has stepped up to do this, as well as offer the service of installing and setting up locos for people who can’t do it themselves. I really hope he never tires of doing it, because he does it so well.

On the ride up and back, Kevin and I talked extensively about the plans for my railroad (a conversation we continued late this afternoon). We’ve decided that my layout will have no legs. Instead, the parts around the walls will be cantilevered out on steel brackets, and the peninsula will be suspended from the ceiling joists. Track will be code 70, and will be mostly hand-laid. The exception to the hand-laid track will be Corinna, which will be Micro Engineering flex and turnouts. If all goes incredibly well, you’ll be able to see the town of Corinna in person at the 2011 National Narrow Gauge Convention in Hickory, NC. next September. After the convention, the Corinna sections will be permanently installed as part of my home layout.

Rust Revisited

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Floquil Track Pack Paint Pens

Floquil Track Pack Paint Pens

I previously wrote about using craft store paints for inexpensively simulating rusty rails. At usually under a dollar each, these paints are a bargain. However, I recently learned of an even easier way to rust your rails — Floquil makes “Weathering Colors” available in the form of a pen. The Track Pack includes Rail Brown, Tie Brown and Rust in a package of “magic markes” that makes quick and neat work of painting rails with little waste or mess.

Driftwood Stain

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Many people are trying to replicate Floquil’s Driftwood stain color. Here’s a recipe that is nearly a dead ringer for the original.

Start with 1 qt of Sherwin Williams “Pickled White” Interior Wood Oil Stain Wood Classic.” Have the following tint added:

W1-20

B1-16

Y3-11

Y1-2

The only requirement is that the Sherwin Williams outlet you get this from must have the computerized mixing setup.

[This information originally appeared on the On30Conspiracy on August 7, 2000.]

In use, the stain needs to be thinned with approximately 1 1/2 quarts of Diosol.

I’m also told that the mixture works equally well using the newer water-based variant of the Pickled White stain. Again, it will need to be thinned prior to use, using water and a little rubbing alcohol.

How to Program a DCC Decoder

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I’ve found the best way to program a DCC decoder, and it’s free (depending upon your DCC system)!

DecoderPro is a free application that runs on pretty much any Windows98, WindowsXP, MacOS or Linux computer. If you have an NCE Powerhouse Pro system of just about any vintage, you can simply plug your computer into the serial port and you’re ready to program just about any decoder currently on the market. Other systems will require some sort of computer interface (for Digitrax users, that’s the MS100).

Decoder settings, including those pesky custom speed curve tables, can be easily adjusted and sent to the loco, along with literally every other setting in the decoder, and all through easy to read and understand screens.

Once you’ve got all your settings for a particular loco set, you can save it off for future reference, or, if you’ve got a “fleet” of one particular loco type, simply change the address and download all the same parameters to each loco.

Did I mention this is free software? What more could you ask for?