Dave's corner

Frederic Testard · January 21, 2011, 09:41:51 AM

I've been working for quite a few months on this diorama, and those of you who follow RR-Line probably already know it. As Russ thought it might be interesting to show it here too, I start this topic.

I'm building this diorama for Troels Kirk's Coast Line RR On30 layout. Since he lives about 2500 km from where I live, the transfer could be difficult, but it should take place next june when the diorama will be exhibited at a French exhibition : "La Convention des Trains du Nouveau Monde" that Troels should attend too.

Dave's Corner owes its name to Dave Revelia, who built several years ago a scene which is the model of this one. This diorama was featured in the 2004 Logging, Mining & Industrial Annual of Finescale Railroader. It is still visible on Mario Rappinett's extensive web site at the following address :

http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_revelia-boat_repair.html

Fitting the scene on Troels' layout required a few small layout changes, that the drawing below, due to Troels himself, shows quite well.

Now that the work is close to completion, I can say that these changes lead to a very compact scene, probably a bit undersized, but with many focal points in a rather small area.

Here are a general plan of the scene, and elevations and end views for the main building. On these plans, the scale of the square grid is 1 cm (0.4").

Chuck Doan · January 21, 2011, 11:25:09 AM

I have been enjoying watching this come together. Mr. Kirk is a lucky guy!

finescalerr · January 21, 2011, 01:07:25 PM

Thank you for starting this thread, Frederic. -- Russ

TRAINS1941 · January 21, 2011, 02:27:44 PM

Frederic

I followed it on the RR-Line Forum. And it will be my pleasure to follow it all over again. It is just an outstanding diorama.

Jerry

Frederic Testard · January 22, 2011, 03:44:52 PM

Thank you for the interest. Soon after I started the diorama, I had to stop for about the two months I spent building the 'Sleepy Time down South diorama' featured in the last annual modeller. Before this I had assembled the platform upon which would be built the main building of the scene, on the right side.

The nails were suggested by dipping a thin needle point into oil paint (yellow oxyde), inserting the smallest amount of paint possible into a premade tiny hole, wiping the paint with a thin brush and still removing some with the finger.

madmike3434 · January 22, 2011, 05:13:29 PM

love the rust application method to the nail head impresions.....excellent.

mike

Frederic Testard · January 23, 2011, 01:47:48 PM

Thanks, Mike. What I love with this method is that is gives really delicate results.

So, after a few weeks devoted to the bayou diorama, I was able to really launch the building of Dave's Corner scene. The basis was cut out of some 0.4" thick plywood. The pictures show the very beginning of the build. I allways love this step, things look ugly and yet it's the moment when all the relief of the future model is really set.

Frederic Testard · January 23, 2011, 01:51:35 PM

The first sceniced places of the diorama. Since this would be a hard to reach part, I started with the small retaining wall on the right of the hoisting ramp (which by the way was later redone so as to provide a less tight grade, after I found a very interesting real place on Flickr). The little fillet of water flowing from one of the pipes is a piece of nylon fishing line. I was surprised by how pleasant it looked on the photo - better than in reality.

Junior · January 24, 2011, 07:28:50 AM

Great to see this excellent diorama here Frédéric. Will be even better to see it in France this summer.

Anders

jacq01 · January 24, 2011, 01:43:38 PM

Frederic,

looks good, one comment though.
The slipway is far too steep.
1. The boats will slide off the slipway car.
2. A boat will capsize due to the distribution of the bouyancy when the slipway car is hauled up.

Jacq.

Frederic Testard · January 24, 2011, 01:48:13 PM

You're right, Jacq, it's the reason why the grade was remodeled later, as I mentioned in the last post, after I found a nice prototype on Flickr.

The wall continued. The rocks were painted and varnished. Black is due to moisture, wet look too...

With a few algae (polyfiber material also used for tree foliage).

And it was time to start the main building foundation. I used a white material about 3 mm thick (~1/8"). In France we call it depron and it's used for wall insulation. Some modellers use it for its sound qualities as a roadbed. It's easy to carve (X-acto, the tip of a screwdriver or dontknowthename dentists use to make archaeological research in our mouths...)

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Then the bents that hold the right side wharf. They were assembled using a double jig. The first step was done in the left jig, then a power sander was used to adjust the length of the posts. Then the top beam was glued, the assembly was reverted and inserted in the second jig to make the other side. The sander must be used carefully, to stop removing material when there's only a hair thickness between the cardboard and the rotating sander...

Here is the whole crew, painted and assembled.

And finally glued in place, using a much simpler locating jig.

The next step consisted in adding the relief of the rear part of the diorama. An interesting, sometimes a bit tricky 3D jigsaw puzzle that took several evenings.

And eventually, the start of the scenery...

With, in particular, the dumb installation of this big pipe below the high tide level...

madmike3434 · January 24, 2011, 02:05:14 PM

great stuff this is really coming along nicely. I like the colouring of the posts that would be in the water, very real looking.

the stuff the dentists would use for teeth gum impresions would be hydrocal i believe. Carves easy , colours easy using inks /alcohol mixtures or water based craft paints.

mike

Frederic Testard · January 24, 2011, 02:09:40 PM

Thanks Mike.
I forgot to mention that the 'round' rocks that surround the pipe were made out of modelling clay.

Frederic Testard · January 25, 2011, 03:59:10 PM

Upset I was about this too low pipe. So I managed to reinstall it at a higher and dryer level.

Scenery in the neighboorhood (the earth left on the horizontal beams have been removed since...) :

The two posts just below the pipe receive more humidity so I made them darker :

Now dealing with the steep boat hoisting grade. Several people had commented about it and wondered how it could be made less steep. Their suggestions were not perfectly clear to me but I stumbled upon this picture on Flickr :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidrsmith/2156685402/sizes/l/

and everybody agreed that this was a good model. Two sketches were quickly drawn.

After removing the ties I had initially glued, I restarted the work.

Sometimes, avoiding a mess with the running matte medium requires some awkward installation :

but it worked well and finally I got that :

A few leftover pieces of plaster.

were painted with tube acrylic colors : Payne grey, burnt umber, raw Sienna and white.

And finally the green...

On Dave's original diorama, I wasn't very fond on the little shed in the center part. So I was looking for something else when I discovered this picture on the internet (this shed is located in Gloucester, Maine).

I asked Troels about changing the design and he agreed so I could proceed. Coincidentally, one of RR-Line members, Paul St-Martin, had some pictures of the other sides of the shed and he sent them to me and authorized me to show them.