Finding kits that fit micro layouts is probably the hardest part of building micro layouts. Most kits are far too large even when "selectively compressed" from prototypes. Part of the reason why Crooked Crick is dragging on longer than expected is because most of everything has to be scratchbuilt, so drawing plans, and finding parts takes a bit of time. After the 2015 Finescale Model Railroad Expo I picked up this kit from Railroad Kits.  At 30 bucks it was a pretty good deal, the only thing I didn't like about it were the printed paper corrugated metal roofing panels. I wanted something with more texture, so I found some laser cut paper shingles I had on the shelf, and used them instead. I don't know where I got them from, at a show somewhere...Kimberton maybe?  

I wasn't sure I really wanted a stone station, but it's named after Carl Fallberg, and so is the line of Minitrains American HOn30 locomotives and cars...so it would be wrong of me NOT to use it. Right? Now that I have it mostly together, I'm liking the idea of using it simply to add some different textures to the layout, as most of the structures will be wood, it will be a nice change to have a stone station to break things up a bit and add some visual interest. 

Tomorrow is back to the cube farm after a long holiday weekend. I'm not looking forward to it any more than the next guy. It was good to get to the bench and work on something different, an easy kit where I didn't have to think too much about anything other than the repetition of laying strips of shingles, and making a mess of the bench with paints. It's therapeutic. Sometimes designing my own stuff can be just as stressful as work, so taking a break over a holiday after stuffing my face with food, and decorating the house for Christmas by throwing together a little station kit was a very nice change of pace. 

​Go Build Something Awesome! 

This weekend was rather productive on Crooked Crick, I was able to get a backdrop installed and painted to a moderate level of detail. It's a 1/4" sheet of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) painted with a base coat of sky blue flat latex house paint. The mountains in the background are painted with craft and artist acrylics, as are the generic "trees". Color matching was done on the mountains by using the same paint as I used on the landforms, a cheap craft tan colored paint. Some highlights and shadows were added by mixing the tan in with white, and raw umber paints. 

If you can remember, this area looked like this before:

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Along with the backdrop, I painted the track with a blast of railroad tie brown, and ballasted. Track detailing will probably be last on my to do list, as I want to get the scenes completely laid out, and the mock up structures constructed and in place. The little cabin on the hill looks too large for my liking, so I will reduce it in size to either 1:100 or 1:120 for forced perspective. I want it to look farther away from the tracks than the 5" it is.

The next major hurdle is getting the bridge installed so I can get back to running trains. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I had to carve out some plaster cloth, sculptamold, and even sand the roadbed a bit in order to get the bridge deck to fit, making a mess everywhere. It cleaned up well though. 

More sculptamold to get the "abutments" blended in.  No, this probably wouldn't support a bridge, but I'm not here to pick nits...I'm here to build stuff that looks good. 

This is where I'm at so far. The bridge deck is just sitting in place, I doubt I'll glue it to the abutments, just in case I ever decide to destroy the layout, or build a different bridge. The rails will be soldered to the ties, keeping everything locked into place. 

You can see some rocks toward the back that are a bit out of place color wise...they're glued in place with silicone sealant, and will be stained and painted to match the other rocks. They're going to be "dam" rocks to create pools for waterfalls coming down the crick. Water seems to be everywhere on YouTube right now. Check out this video by Kathy Millatt (it's a long one) on the technique I'll be using to do these little falls. Hers are quite a bit more "rapids" where Crooked Crick will be more of a lazy trickle. 

Some of the more observant might be wondering where the crick originates, as it doesn't go through the entire shelf. I'll be taking a cue from Laurie Green's Grizzly Flats layout, and hiding the beginning of the crick under a foot/horse bridge, and some bushes. 

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When I look at photos of the layout, I have to remind myself that it's a work in progress. I also have to tell myself that I'm not trying to replicate any particular prototype of anything. The last bit is critical to maintain sanity for me. I have a lot of respect for prototype modelers who actually build anything. Trying to replicate a particular item in a particular place, at a particular time is a daunting proposition, and it would literally freeze me from making progress. That's why I like HOn30, because I can do what I want, without the crushing responsibility of getting details exactly right.  If that's your thing, good for you, and I'll pray for you.  I just want to go build something awesome.