Quiet earth (was: Exercise module for Plettenberg railroad in 1/22.5 scale)

[Hydrostat]

Thanks Guys,

there are some more pics of recent steps at the exercise module extension in carcasse state. Again I'm getting in trouble with greenery, at least if it's higher than 0.2' ...















Volker

[Ray Dunakin]

Looks good to me. I especially like the patches of lichen on the stone wall.

[finescalerr]

Two photos are virtually impossible to distinguish from 1:1 scale. Most satisfactory. -- Russ

[nk]

Volker, you have done an amazing job on the ground work. The different textures have worked out perfectly and so has all the weathering on the different surfaces. The only thing you can feel is pleased with your results. You are right the silicon carbide is not easy to work with, but I have not foung anything else that gives such a good representation of aggregate, especially at a crumbling edge. You capture this effect so well. And the lichen looks spot-on too.

[marc_reusser]

Very Cool. As usual, I like the attention to detail.......and of course the overall scene.

Marc

[Hydrostat]

Thanks Ray, Russ, Narayan and Marc,

seems to move in the right direction. There's not too much to come before the May exhibition in Schenklengsfeld so I'd like to show you some more pics.

The footpath area needed some more attention (I know I didn't show it before, guess why). I renewed the grass and added a little tree and some shrubbery.












Tree and shrubbery are made from roadside pepperweeed. I sprayed it green and colored the trunk and thicker branches with brown gouache, adding some flock with spray glue to the tree. The branches of the roadside pepperweed look too organized for convincing treework. I think there's room for improvement.

The natural stone wall and the plastered wall right beside it received some more lichen ...



... and a first wagon was pushed into the siding.





Indeed the little plants often didn't have any kind of buffer stops.

Now I' m going to walk into the evening sun.



Cheers,
Volker

[finescalerr]

That final photo, again, could pass for 1:1 scale. -- Russ

[mad gerald]

That final photo, again, could pass for 1:1 scale. -- Russ

... FULL ACK ... apart from the groove between the rails appearing to "shiny": no detritus/rotten organic material in it/visible ... (actually not nitpicking) ... 

Cheers

[artizen]

A work of A... R... T !!!!

[Ray Dunakin]

Beautiful!

[marc_reusser]

That final photo, again, could pass for 1:1 scale. -- Russ

... FULL ACK ... apart from the groove between the rails appearing to "shiny": no detritus/rotten organic material in it/visible ... (actually not nitpicking) ... 

Cheers

I would absolutely agree with you, but isnt there a guy in every town in Germany, wearing a bright yellow or orange work outfit with reflective stripes, whose sole job it is to clean these grooves?

[Hydrostat]

That final photo, again, could pass for 1:1 scale. -- Russ

I'm very happy to read that (again) for this is what I'm trying to achieve. For me often the 'random' pics work best like the one you mentioned.

Thank's Ian and Ray. As always I appreciate your feedback very much.

... FULL ACK ... apart from the groove between the rails appearing to "shiny": no detritus/rotten organic material in it/visible ... (actually not nitpicking) ...  Wink

Thanks for your post, Gerald! I don't agree with you. Have you ever tried to run a train on a steep gradient, braked by locomotive only as they did in Plettenberg ? Forget it if there's detritus on the tracks. The grooved rails had drainages all 50 meters or so. When the rails were worn the flanges ran on the bottom of the groove. I think you may find there some stains of working sanders - if it didn't rain in between. Detritus may have been found in feeder tracks, which were very seldom used, but the track on the module is going to be the main spur. It would anyways be very difficult to represent this on a working layout if you use rail supplied power.

I would absolutely agree with you, but isnt there a guy in every town in Germany, wearing a bright yellow or orange work outfit with reflective stripes, whose sole job it is to clean these grooves?

All Germans have to have a vest with reflective stripes in their car - in case there's a groove to be cleaned out . Back then they didn't wear bright yellow or orange outfits. Rather grey work coats. But you're right, there were people who had the job to keep the grooves clean. I would like to agree with you furthermore, but most German towns have lost/given up their streetcar systems. And nowadays they have trucks to do the job.

Cheers,
Volker

[mad gerald]

...

... FULL ACK ... apart from the groove between the rails appearing to "shiny": no detritus/rotten organic material in it/visible ... (actually not nitpicking) ...  Wink

Thanks for your post, Gerald! I don't agree with you. ...

... I don't want to belittle your work - but just in case you'd like to compare ...  

Switzerland ...  
http://www.lokifahrer.ch/images/Strecken/Rillenschiene.jpg

Versorgungsbahn in Lainz/Vienna ...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Narrow_gauge_railroad_-_Geriatriezentrum_Lainz_07.jpg/449px-Narrow_gauge_railroad_-_Geriatriezentrum_Lainz_07.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Narrow_gauge_railroad_-_Geriatriezentrum_Lainz_18.jpg

... or this one ...  

... but I must admit that's hardly fair - these rails have been out of service for a long time ...  

Cheers

[Hydrostat]

Gerald,

interesting pictures!

I don't feel my work to be belittled, but I'm afraid you missed the mark : The first link doesn't show grooved rail. There are two usual flat bottom rails applied to each other to create the groove. Same with the pictures of the Lainz feldbahn: Usual flat bottom rail and another additional rail or angle section, providing a groove as deep as the rails height. Doesn't matter if there's some dirt in because there's a lot more space for the flange than at a grooved rail (Having to clean this must be pain, but I think they do it, too). The last pic may be grooved rails - but as you've written: It's been out of service for a long time.

In Plettenberg they used a (streetcar-) rail profile called NP4a. This is grooved rail (hoping I've got the correct translation for 'Rillenschiene') : left side (below) for streetcars, right side (above) for railways. Please note the different shapes.
http://www.tkgftgleistechnik.de/oberbauhandbuch/oberbaustoffe/schienen/rillenschienen.html

Cheers,
Volker

[mad gerald]

... but I'm afraid you missed the mark : The first link doesn't show grooved rail. There are two usual flat bottom rails applied to each other to create the groove. Same with the pictures of the Lainz feldbahn:

... au contraire ... sorry I've to contradict, 'cause they had real grooved rails at Lainz, replaced in the late seventies/early eighties by parallel arranged flat bottom rails, but the grooved rails looked the same ...  

Just another example - mixed grooved rails and parallel arranged flat bottom rails ...


... and another example, similar scene comparable to your last pic ...
http://blog.wieduwilt.org/bilder/2013/130214-rillengleis-01.jpg
... and a link to an article published in a tramway blog:
http://blog.wieduwilt.org/2013/02/167-rillengleis-im-original/
... as the author wrote: "... the groove itself is rusty and dirty ... "

Only ment as IMHO helpful suggestions to enable you bringing your grooved rails/scene/pic to perfection ...

Cheers