Progress does not always equal Accomplishment

I should be frustrated about yesterday's work session, but I'm not. Roman & Pieter came over for the afternoon and I had a long punch list of to-do items we could go through. I still have it. Nothing's crossed off.

Having a variety of to-do items is nice since then, hopefully, there's always something that folks are interested in doing. Unfortunately, other than some super-simple items which really didn't merit our combined effort (like "snip coupler pins off engine #3304" "change bell ring rate"), the remaining items all seemed to require something that I didn't have ready - either in terms of supplies or thought.

Lack of supplies is the more frustrating. I should have enough on-hand in order to accomplish the listed task. Like paint. I need to pre-paint some structure parts before assembly, and I didn't have the right paint in stock. So one of the things Pieter and I did was go to the store and get some paint. But we didn't paint anything.

Lack of thought - well, that's a little frustrating. It's frustrating to realize you didn't think through the implications of a certain approach and as a result you're stymied. But trying to avoid "lack of thought" all too often leads most of us - me, certainly - into Analysis Paralysis. You end up going to the basement and spending all your time staring at the layout. Thinking, but not doing.

But I've found one of the antidotes to this: Having somebody else over to help you think through things. With another perspective, and another suitcase of experience to offer, having a friend or friends over to stare at the layout with you will - more often than not - aid your thinking, and keep you from falling into the Analysis Paralysis trap.

Roman worked on some photo backdrop ideas (another source of frustration, which I'll discuss - perhaps - in a future post), but he and Pieter helped most by helping me think through some things: structure choice & placement, road additions, industry siding modifications, and - yes - backdrop options.

The fact that we didn't "accomplish" anything during the time we were together is really beside the point. We were able to get together for a dedicated block of time to discuss the layout, its future, what we want to accomplish, different approaches. Those kinds of discussions are extremely valuable, and help move the ball further. Even decisions about what not to do are, in their own way, "progress."

So thank you Pieter and Roman for coming over yesterday. I know we didn't accomplish much, but as far as I'm concerned, we made a lot of progress. And that's always the result of a good work session.

(that all said - I promise to make up a bucket of Ground Goop for the next work session.... ;^)

Monday Motivation: More Doing, Less Screwing

Although I've resolved not to do any New Year's Resolutions, that doesn't mean that I don't have an overarching goal for this project in 2020. Sure, I'd like to get a bunch of specific things accomplished (click here for specifics), but it's finally getting through my thick skull that none of that will happen if I don't abide by one simple rule:

More Doing, Less Screwing

• Less screwing around wasting time on the internet
• Less brain screwing, over-analyzing Every Single Thing
• Less screwing up, without learning from it and realizing it's an inevitable part of acquiring experience & building skill
• More screwing up - if that means you've dived in and actually tried something new
• More relying on all the dozens (if not hundreds) of articles & videos you've seen already - rather than screwing your brain with more research (with little additional return)
• More time dedicated to accomplishing something - even if only in 5-15 minute increments

I'm realizing that I've wasted, literally, months - and in some cases, years - researching every possible way to do just about every thing that needs to be done on a model railroad thinking that somehow the Perfect Article which, of course, contains The Answer is just one more book/magazine/video away.

But The Answer never presents itself that way, because there is no "answer" - there is just Practice.

More Doing

I'm beginning to realize that most of the time I've spent doing so much research has resulted in little more than Analysis Paralysis. The antidote?

Less Screwing

Quick case in point - Scenery

I've become pretty adept at benchwork, trackwork, and wiring probably because (surprise!) I've done it so many times. Practice may not make perfect, but it certainly makes for some confidence. And comfort - I've seldom gotten any layout beyond the wiring stage. It's just easier to stay in the comfort zone or, worse, just start over.

Now that I'm at the scenery stage of this layout (and no way am I going to start over) I reverted to an old habit:

I loaded up on books, hoping against hope that SOMEthing in them would make it EASY to do scenery. That, somehow, I’d find the key to doing it “right.”

I even went so far as to distill all that information (which quickly became overwhelming and near impossible to manage) into an outline. Talk about being left-brained!

But here's the dirty little secret: No amount of information is going to make it easy - and, counter-intuitively, often the more information you have, the less able you are to actually do anything! Too much information can be confusing and even conflicting.

Once you educate yourself on the basics, you have to Just Do It (to coin a phrase), and do it again (and again, if necessary). Only by More Doing (and less brain screwing) do you develop skill and - eventually - proficiency.

For example, and by way of contrast to my scenery book collection, I only have one benchwork book, and a couple of books on DCC wiring (I highly recommend the one by Lionel Strang, btw). Trackwork research was just a few articles in MR back in the 80s. I learned those skills from actually doing them rather than reading about them.

Now, far be it from me to discourage you from research. For some folks (and perhaps all Armchair Modelers), that's a big and enjoyable part of the hobby. And when you're brand new to something, it's generally a good idea to learn at least a little about it before diving into the deep end. Treading water is fine for a little while, but you'll enjoy the water a lot more if you learn how to swim.

If you're new to the hobby (or have been "in" the hobby for years, but haven't built a layout yet), I highly recommend one of the beginner's how-to books - one that shows you how to build a small layout from start to finish. I still refer to Sassi's "A Realistic HO Layout for Beginners" since it's so straightforward (and includes New England related scenery and structures).

While such a book gives you a great overview - and is all you really need for your first layout (and may be ALL you should get if you're prone to Analysis Paralysis) - if you want to dig in just a little deeper, the "Basic" series of books produced by Kalmbach are a good choice. There are "Basics" books on benchwork, wiring, trackwork - and, my recent favorite (pictured above), "Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders" by my old "friend" Lou Sassi.

But for a complete treatment of all things scenery-related, you can't do better than getting a copy of the Bible:

Despite - or perhaps because - I have multiple editions of this book, I've only recently been doing any actual scenery. It's all too easy to get overwhelmed by all the information & never get started. And I'm not even getting into all the information available on the internet, in both written and video form. The Information Age can be a left-brain nightmare, if you let it.

The main point of this post is to encourage you to NOT let it. If you tend towards more (brain) screwing, you'll tend towards less doing. You've probably already done enough research. And if haven't done any research at all, search the internet (briefly!) for a basic article from a source you trust, or a You Tube video with lots of recommendations (TrainMasters TV & Model Railroad Academy are good places to start). 

And then go do it. Try out the technique. And if you mess up, trust me - you'll probably spend less time REdoing it than you spent researching it. Bonus: you'll have learned something and built skill you can use for more doing in the future.

The key is to find a balance between the screwing/research and the doing so that you don’t make obvious mistakes, but feel confident enough to start building experience and skill. 

Here's to More Doing in the New Year!

The Do Over (An Antidote to Analysis & Progress Paralysis)

One of the biggest reasons folks never get started on a project is that they're afraid of not doing it "right." Consequently, they seldom even try. This "analysis paralysis" can afflict model railroads at all sorts of stages of development - from before birth (when a layout never gets started) to any point during its life.  But when layout progress stops because you think you've gone too far down the wrong path, you may be suffering from a related affliction: "progress paralysis."

In either case, the remedy is the same: raising your comfort level with Doing It Over.  Yes, the "Do Over" is something with which experienced model railroaders are all too familiar. They've come to realize that the only thing worse than doing something over is never doing it at all - and the regular progress of their layouts is testimony to their approach. Even one step back is progress if you eventually wind up with two steps forward. And you'll often get three or more steps forward if you've learned something new as a result.

Now, I don't consider myself an "experienced model railroader," having for far too long been content with armchair daydreaming (and my recent RR library weeding/reorganizing hasn't helped), but this layout project is teaching me - sometimes harshly - that I've got to get really comfortable with doing things over (or at least considering that possibility more often) if I'm going to be happy with the outcome.

Case in point: the backdrop in Wethersfield.

If you were reading this blog back in early June, you'll recall that I've been very dissatisfied with the backdrop. Long story short, it's too high - there's anywhere from 2-4" difference between the bottom of the backdrop and the top of the subroadbed. Making up that difference with terrain requires a slope from the track to the bottom of the backdrop and while there is slight slope east to west on the prototype (as the topography moves west from the Connecticut River), it's not nearly as steep as I'd need. Consequently, I extended the backdrop at the north end of Wethersfield where the prototype is the flattest.

But the more I research Wethersfield, the flatter I realize that it is and the more problematic the backdrop becomes. This problem became a major affliction once I started adding mockup structures - things just didn't look right, so I didn't want to continue to add mockups, and I didn't know what else to do, so layout progress stopped dead.

So, not having the backdrop extend down far enough (or failing to install it low enough in the first place) has been a big mistake and an enduring frustration. BUT! At least I have a backdrop, and a layout to have a backdrop on. I've started down this layout-building path and to continue forward I have to get over this affliction.  So, I reach into the model railroad medicine cabinet and reach for a healthy dose of "Do Over."

Here's what I've done so far . . .

The easiest thing to do would be to unscrew the backdrop supports and drop it - but, as you can see, it's all nicely joined in to the wall.  I don't want to have to redo all that.

Wethersfield, looking south. Here's how things looked when I started - you can see the flat area to the right (north) and the previously extended portion of the backdrop.

Wethersfield, looking south. This shows the difference in elevation. Prototype photos show the area as pretty flat. What really drove this home to me was that Valley Coal needs to go in this spot - and that whole area's supposed to be flat. And to be anywhere near prototype size, Valley Coal will have to right to the backdrop.

Since I'd be removing the plastercloth, I figured there'd be a mess - so first order of business was to put down dropcloths.

I used hot glue to attach the cardboard strips to the backdrop and plywood, so a putty knife was all I needed. Attaching the strips to the back side of the backdrop made the strips more difficult to remove, but was necessary in my attempt to keep the slope as low as possible.

Here's the Church Street area where I used some foam board, which will stay. To get the slope here, I used a combination of cardboard strips and wadded up newspapers.

What have I done?!

Once everything was removed, I needed my backdrop extension and a backdrop, um, "backing."

The backdrop backing will give me something to glue the backdrop extension to, so the seam doesn't just "float." The backing needs to go behind the current backdrop in order to act as a "splice" between the original backdrop and the extension. One problem with this is the backdrop support - I can't tuck the backing in.

So I split the backing at this point and added some scrap wood for - heh - backing for the backing. I want to create a flush surface to attach the extension to.

And here's where things are as of now - first section of backing all glued and clamped. Next step will be to install the backing to the left of the support - then I'll be able to install a long one-piece extension across it all.

All of this took only a couple of hours, but I think I know it's going to be time very well spent in the long run. Pay attention when you have a problem nagging you. If that nagging persists, it could be a sign of a deep-seated affliction that won't leave. In extreme cases, it could evolve into full-blown progress paralysis. Be willing to do what it takes to address the problem, even if it means going back and doing it over again. Your layout will be much better off as a result.

Coloring Rocks & Roads

I think I may have mentioned before that I'm a little intimidated by doing scenery. And, like some (many? most?) model railroaders, there are typically two ways to confront such intimidation - well, other than Just Doing It: You either throw money at it (in extreme cases, hiring someone to do it for you), or you research it (to death). The first leaves you lighter of cash, and still bankrupt of skill. The second typically results in Analysis Paralysis.

Now, being the sort that actually WOULD like to develop some scenery skills (and having a wee bit o' the Scots in my blood), I tend heavily toward Option 2 - to wit:

Um, yeah. And this is just a fraction of my collection of "scenery research" (I won't bother posting all the dozens of YouTube videos I've collected...).

But thankfully, lately, I've come to the realization that I'm not getting any younger and if I want to develop any scenery skill, I have to (yikes!) dive right in . . .

So, starting at the end of 2019 and going (a bit) through 2020 (a rare "COVID consolation") and propelling into the new year, I've been getting some scenery done. Overall, I've been pleased with the results, no matter how glacially slow they've been to accomplish. But as I sometimes say: "Redoing scenery doesn't waste time, obsessing over trying to do it perfectly the first time - and thus never getting around to it - wastes time." So, dive right in? Why not?

Consequently, last week I dove right in to coloring rocks. I said then that I wasn't sure where I came up with such a simple technique - literally, simple as 1-2-3. But since then I remembered where I'd gotten the inspiration - so in the spirit of giving proper credit where due . ..

. . . thank you to Mr. Lou Sassi (and, yes, I have the first edition of this book too...)

Right there on page 42 he describes the technique of coloring rock using just 3 washes made from tube acrylic paints (raw sienna, raw umber, mars black) to color rocks made from foam putty. Well, I didn't have the right tube acrylics on-hand, and my rocks were made from plaster rock molds. So I adapted Sassi's technique using inexpensive craft paints. Click here for the step-by-step.

After practicing on extra rock castings last week, I decided to tackle the rock castings I "sprinkled" on the Sculptamold icing . . .

All I did was apply the same 3-wash technique to the rocks I'd put in place on the layout.

And this technique especially shines when you haven't used ground goop. You can just slap the washes on - you don't have to worry about "painting outside the lines" and getting the wash on the area around the rocks. You'll just paint your dirt-colored paint right up to them and cover the paint with ground foam. If all goes according to plan, the rocks will look property "planted."

You may or may not notice that the series of photos - while they may look the same - are actually views of the castings after I added each color.

The difference certainly isn't readily apparent, but the overall effect is undeniable. There's definitely an undeniable variety of color along and within the different textures. And the washes allow the different layers of color to come through.

And it's a versatile technique as well. The rock above for some reason came out too brown/orange compared to the other rocks - and the rocks closest by, were much darker . . .

So I simply added another layer (and then another) of the diluted black wash and got the result above.

Keep adding washes of color until you get the effect you're after. Having reference photos on-hand definitely helps.

Another "bonus" of coloring the rocks in place - and not being super neat about it - is that the rock coloring covers any white that the "earth paint" might otherwise miss.

Edited to add: Washes applied to unsealed plaster need to be sealed afterwards for two primary reasons - 1) if left unsealed, the washes will fade over time, and 2) since you'll likely be applying scenery materials afterwards (as well as spraying glues & other liquids around) you don't that affecting your coloring.

Once the rocks were done, I turned my attention to coloring the road. One thing I'm finding VERY helpful in reducing the anxiety and stress of doing scenery is to do littles tests and practices on scrap. That way, nothing at all is "at stake" and I'm free to make mistakes where it doesn't matter. That worked out REALLY well with practicing rock coloring on scrap castings, so I decided to do something similar with the road coloring.

I'm sure glad I did.

This road in East Berlin - one of the first I did - came out particularly well so it's become my model for all subsequent roads. Believe it or not, though, the base color of this road was Apple Barrel "Pewter Gray" (from a $.50 bottle of craft paint).

When I tested that color on a sample of my road material though, it came out looking really dark for some reason. See what I mean by doing tests ahead of time on a piece of scrap?

As a result of this test, I ended up using Apple Barrel's "Country Gray" for the concrete pad at Hartford Rayon - as well as Belamose Road itself.

I'm using foam core, with the paper removed, to make my concrete roads/parking lot here. It was easy enough to add expansion joints (20' scale squares), but for some reason, this particular foam came out with a very strange textured effect.

This is how it looked when the paint dried. Since it looked a bit rough for my taste - and since it was already hot-glued in place - I added another thick coat of paint to fill it in some.

That definitely toned down the texture, but you can still see it.

But I actually think it looks appropriate - one of those "happy accidents" that you sometime come across in the hobby. I think once I weather this lot with chalks and such, it's just going to look like a really worn, industrial lot. And that's the look I was hoping for - it just didn't happen the way I was expecting.

And maybe that's an important lesson I need to learn when doing scenery. Not only can you do it over, you sometimes end up with unanticipated results that end up turning out even better than what you planned. And that can be a pretty fun thing to experience - provided you don't let analysis paralysis keep you from even getting started.

I'm sure I'll hit additional - and different - roadblocks as I continue building my scenery skills. But at least I've started and can attest to the fact that the journey is almost - if not at least - as fun as the destination. That's a relatively foreign concept to a left-brained hobbyist like me, but I'm learning to use the other/artistic side of my brain more and more.

And getting into the "right mind" is probably Step 1 toward enjoying - and eventually getting better - at doing scenery. Hopefully, if you haven't already, you'll try it too.

Unfinished Business

(This past week, I heard of the passing of another fellow model railroader - Stewart Sterling. At only 54 years old, he was way, way too young. While I didn't know him personally, his constant presence on the A Modeler's Life podcast, whether in person or by reference, will be sorely missed. Thankfully, he'll continue to be present in our memories of him. I wrote the post below a couple of years ago, after the passing of another friend, but it's still a good reminder to live each day to its fullest.)

Bear with me - this post is intended to be motivational, not morbid. But it's no surprise that the older we get the more we hear of contemporaries passing. In the model railroad community, these hopefully-not-too-frequent announcements take on a unique poignancy - we wonder whether he (or she) accomplished everything they wanted with their layout, whether they built all the kits they had, or read all their books.

Unfortunately, the answer is usually "no" - there never seems to be enough time to do all we want to do and model railroaders tend to have especially long "to do" lists. Whether it's our "dream pike" plans or our ever-growing stash of kits that "I'll get around to, someday," our reach all too often exceeds our grasp. We eventually run out of time just like everybody else and leave our share of unfinished projects behind.

The Missus - wise woman that she is - told me a story once of how sad it is to hear of folks saving stuff "for special occasions" and somehow not finding occasions "special" enough to use the "good" stuff. Or waiting until "someday" to do something they've looked forward to. She'd say "wear the special dress, use the good dishes, bring out the fancy linens, take the trip. Why not have those experiences and enjoy those things as long as you can while you can?"

Why indeed.

The model railroader's equivalent isn't far off. Don't save the kits for when you think you have enough skills. The irony is that you won't get the skills until you start building. Don't wait to do a layout until you have the dream space or your dream plan - start small, but at least get started.

I did a post on this blog a couple years ago titled "Too Much" which described some of the anxiety I was feeling at the time for having taken on the Valley Line project. I, too, have been guilty of too much planning and buying and not enough doing and building. But as I hear of yet another model railroad estate sale, and confront all the structure and freight car kits I have on my shelves - not to mention the many unfinished projects in varying states of progress - I've made my mind up about something:

"Someday" is NOW.

NOW is the time to finish that Micro Engineering bridge kit for East Berlin that I started a couple years ago. It only needs a little more work...

NOW is the time to finally get past the roadblock with my tender modification for J-1 #3022. Once that's done, the Air Line Local will finally have accurate steam power...

NOW is the time to get going again on the Old Saybrook Tower kit I opened last July and quit obsessing over the proper paint scheme (I'm color blind anyway)...

And, yes, NOW is the time to (at least start to) get over my scenery phobia, despite said color-blindness...

Why not just finish these projects and develop these skills? What am I waiting for?

Now that NERPM 2016 and my layout open house is in the rear-view, it's time to get back to the modeling that has taken a back seat during the past 18 months of construction. I got a nice kick-start last Saturday when I attended my first-ever hands-on clinic - modifying an Accurail boxcar kit to a 1 1/2 door boxcar. Admittedly, I didn't finish it, yet, but I did start. And I got beyond my usual analysis paralysis and accomplished much more in a shorter period of time than I ever had before.

So I'm going to keep up that motivation momentum as long as possible, rejecting "someday" and embracing "today." There's not much left to do to finish that boxcar, so I'll finish it. If I hit a snag in the process, I'll either address it and move on (I ordered the necessary decals last night) or I'll set it aside for the moment and dive headlong into something else (maybe that ME bridge). The point is - continue moving forward.

Don't wait for "someday" to accomplish what your imagination inspires you to do. Progress breeds even more progress and skills only develop as you do as much (or at least as often) as you dream.

(originally posted 6/9/2016)

Wordless Wednesday #251 - Analysis Paralysis Decisiveness

Thoughtful Thursday: Community is Key

With many of us now staying home, by choice or necessity, and operating sessions, club functions, and events being cancelled far into the future, it seems just like that we're all "Lone Wolf" modelers now.

That self-isolation is typically a personal choice - not a mandated one. Internet memes that say something to the effect of: "Model Railroaders - Social Distancing Since the Dawn of Time" resonate because they ring true. But you never miss something more than when it's gone.

And now more than ever we need NOT to be Lone Wolf modelers. We need community. We need to leverage online social networks, get involved in virtual clubs, participate in internet RPMs and connect with others. Whether we want to admit it or not - and no matter how true those memes are - we humans are relational beings and need to connect with others.

But community is not only important for our mental health, it's also the key to learning new skills and gaining more experience in the hobby, whether you're self-quarantined or not.

Case in point:

I posted a quick poll for feedback on different types of ballast and received a variety of responses within a couple of hours, from folks from - literally - all around the world.

Back in the "old" days, whenever I was confronted with a problem - say with how to do a bit of scenery - I'd have to go through all my back issues of MR or spend time reviewing Frary. And I still might not get the answer I need - and certainly not very quickly.

But now, thanks to having started a Facebook group for my layout - not to mention having this here blog and a website going on over 6(!) years now (you do know there's a website, don't you?) - I can reach out to a model railroading community in the thousands almost as easily as yelling to them from the other side of the basement. It's been a great way of getting through some roadblocks, getting advice and another perspective, getting the benefit of another's experience, and just generally getting some quick feedback on the best approaches to solving a variety of problems.

All in all, connecting with and participating in a community can be a great antidote to analysis paralysis. Heh - just beware that you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. Everyone has an opinion and most are glad to share their views. YMMV, but I've found that the best approaches, advice, and information tend to percolate toward the top.

That risk though is, IMO, well worth the benefit of feeling like you're - and in fact being - part of a community. And I think that's especially important during these times of self-imposed, and sometimes mandated, isolation.

I'll close on another quick case in point:

After a particularly stressful day at work (I had no idea working from home could actually be even more stressful than being in the office. Go figure.), I went down to the basement and had only enough mental energy to pick the low-hanging fruit of removing masking tape from my track while listening to a model railroad podcast. It was so nice to have some welcome and familiar company in the room "with" me. But it was nicer still to be able to send a quick email to the producer to tell him how much I appreciated the show.

A few minutes later, he replied and we had a nice chat over IM. When that got to be too cumbersome, we just decided to chat over VoIP - and did so for a bit over an hour.

It was just like he was there in the basement with me, and we were just hanging out while working on the layout - except I'm in Connecticut and he's in Canada.

Same thing's happened with a cyclist friend who also happens to be a model railroader. And he's in Hawaii. Another guy I've met is a Mustang restoration expert, as well as a conductor for Amtrak. He's in Oregon. Met another guy IRL first when visiting his layout - but the visit was set up by that guy in Canada. The layout was in North Carolina. A New Haven RR fan contacted me through my blog and we've become regular correspondents as well. He's in Montana.

You get the idea.

I think one consolation of this time of crisis in our world is that it's given us time - not only to do more modeling, but to reassess a lot of things, review our priorities, maybe even rethink how we do the hobby and connect with others. Maybe even develop some new relationships & cultivate existing ones in new ways, despite being so isolated.

You may prefer to be a "Lone Wolf" modeler, but we're not only in this crisis together, we're all in this hobby together too. Hopefully, we'll come out of this with a better understanding of ourselves and each other. Participating in community is the key. I can't think of a better way to maintain mental health and develop modeling skills at the same time.

Scenery Base Progresses Northward, Despite Ground Goop Gotchas...And Mind the Mental!

I'm happy to report that the "flow" of scenery work I discussed in my last post is continuing northward from the Old Deep River Road area up to Deep River itself. Unfortunately though, while I'm in a scenery flow, my ground goop recipe seems to have ground to a halt . . .

Ground Goop Gotcha

As you can see in the pics above, the latest batches have come out VERY lumpy/bumpy. I'm using the same formula that's worked fine in the past (2 parts Sculptamold, 1 part brown latex paint, 1/2 part white glue, 1/2 part water - adding more if 1/2 part doesn't seem to be enough), but for some reason, while it looks smooth enough when I trowel it on, once it dries all the bits of paper stick out like a sore thumb.

I mixed up another batch this morning, adding more water to make the goop easier to smooth out, but so far it seems to be doing the same thing.

I'm beginning to wonder, as some folks pointed out on the Valley Local Facebook Group, if I'm using too much paint and the paint is shrinking as it dries - leaving lots of undissolved bits that are even more prominent since everything around them has shrunk.

So next time I need some "ground goop", I'm just going to mix up some Sculptamold according to the instructions, just adding water to it - no paint & no glue. I'll see if that ends up drying smoother and, if it does, I'll just get in the habit of painting it as a separate step rather than try to prepaint/color it.

Stay tuned! And if you're getting good results with my (previously used) formula, let me know what you're doing and/or what I'm doing wrong. . .

We're Rockin'!

I've had some pretty good luck with the few rocks I've cast and colored (see above), but - like with the goop - my latest efforts have been less satisfactory. Since I figured I could use some more practice - and knowing that modeling New England requires LOTS of rocks - I've been a rock casting fiend lately . . .

Thanks to those that have offered advice, as well as pointed me to videos and such, on different coloring techniques. As you can see in the pics above, I have plenty of castings to practice on - I just have to wait a week or so for them to fully cure before coloring . . .

Plaster Riverbed

While watching one of those videos, I learned that foamboard - even if painted - could offgas underneath resin water. Certainly not something you want! You need to seal the riverbed with a batch of thin plaster. Since I was already plastered in a plastering mood working on my rocks, I mixed up a batch, "dammed" the ends of the creek at Old Deep River Road with blue painters' tape, and poured it out, allowing it to find its level.  So far, I'm liking the results - and hopefully not only will this eliminate the offgassing possibility, but should also prevent any resin pour from leaking onto the floor . . .

Ballast Experiments

Yikes! It's been over FIVE years since I first solicited opinions about, and started researching, different ballast choices. If that's not the epitome of Analysis Paralysis, I don't know what is!

While I've been making scenery progress "up the line" in the Deep River area, the Saybrook station area continues to taunt me with its lack of ballast. An otherwise perfect prototype scene is marred by the "obviously a model" look of unballasted flextrack.

Thankfully, in addition to samples from KayleeZ and JimD, my buddy Randy dropped off a number of different grades of ballast - all sifted from local traprock (e.g. the exact same thing our prototype used for ballast). I won't admit to how long ago he did this, and I'm too embarrassed to try and remember anyway.

Since my main goals for the day (coloring rocks, doing base scenery, groundfoam, etc) were thwarted, I just pivoted to finally figuring out what ballast I should use on the Shore Line through Saybrook. So I took out my trusty test tracks and poured out three different grades, affixing them in the usual way. I'll be interested to see not only how the color ends up but, most importantly, which grade is going to look best - and most like the mainline ballast I'm used to seeing in the old prototype photos.

Foamcore Road - Rt. 82 in East Haddam

While all that was drying, I turned my attention even further up the line to East Haddam. Going full circle to the beginning of this post, I figured this would be the next best place to try some additional ground goop formulas - starting with plain ol' Sculptamold.

But first! I wanted to finish some terraforming in the area - specifically the roadway that crosses the tracks at the south end of the scene.

In the pic above, you can see my method for creating cutting templates so I don't waste any good foamboard.

This method comes in particularly handy when trying to fit odd spaces. The road itself is made up of pieces of foamcore board with the paper peeled off to reveal a nice textured surface.

Mental vs. Physical Health

So that's where I had to quit for the day - not bad for an afternoon's work! And I'm still chomping at the bit to make even more progress in the coming days. Unfortunately, weekends - and their big blocks of time - only come once a week (duh!) and it's tough to get to the basement after work during the week.

But The Missus gave me a great idea . . . while in this state of flow, why not spend the time in the morning before work, when I'd normally be hitting the treadmill or riding the bike, working on the layout instead? She reminded me that mental health is just as important as physical health and as long as working on the layout doesn't become a source of stress, it can be a great way to reduce stress (something sorely needed lately, given my day job). Mental and physical health are more closely related than many of us realize, and it's all too easy to neglect one or the other. Or both.

While I certainly wouldn't recommend giving up exercise to work on a model railroad (since you can't enjoy your layout - or anything else for that matter - if you're in poor health), she raises a good point. And as long as I'm in this flow - and the resulting immersion gives my dayjob brain a rest - I can just get some extra steps in during my lunch break :^)

And when this flow period inevitably ends, the treadmill will be right where I left it and the balance can swing back the other way until the next flow hits.  But for now, instead of riding my bike, I'm going to enjoy riding this wave . . .