This gallery shows Chuck Whitlock creating a MOW consist [Double click on any pic to see gallery/photos full size]:

After we had installed a 200 scale foot (seven foot in real life) on the inside north wall of the layout we stood back and admired our genius.

After the installation of the 200 (scale) foot tree

We were trying to TOTALLY obscure the pillar which supports the roof. 100% failure. You can still see the pillar behind the lolie and the small tree.

The new 200 (scale) footer to the left and the gap at the bottom of the pillar

Back to the tree factory. President Chuck Whitlock scrambled up and “planted” four new trees.

New trees installed and the pillar hidden

Look at that. Pillar obscured and room for the new logging trucks Chuck is working on.

The Homestead Diorama sits at the bottom of Three Chop Ridge in the north-west corner of our layout. The original diorama was deemed inferior and Chuck Whitlock set to and rebuilt it. These photos were all taken either in the workshop or just outside it.

The Barn

The Homestead

The outdoor biffy

The Skunk Train whistle stop

The Swing and Veggie Garden

Great detail work Chuck.

From the pictures we have Federal Trucks were widely used in logging operations “back then.” They were built tough and simple. Chain driven with solid tyres.

Our club bought a whole bunch of them to “decorate” the layout. Just like our rolling stock what it looks like when it “hits” the layout is a far cry from what it looks like when it arrives. In these three  pictures you can see how Chuck Whitlock has converted the truck to carry a VERY large log.

Kitbashing under way

Out of the box on the right and kitbashed on the left

Here you can see how the truck has been extended so that it can handle giant logs

The mark of truly great model train layout is the detail. If you can get the visitor to say to his/her partner, “Did you see that?” then you know that you are on the track. Detailing takes LOTS of patience, time and most important a vision of what the final diorame might look like. We have two master detailers, Chuck Whitlock and Frank Davis.

Here’s some pics of Chuck at work. Chuck took a small corner of the turntable and saw in his mind’s eye a scene where a broken. non-running railbus the club owned could be used to portray a busy repair scene.

Look at all the detail it takes to fill the eye…….

Looks real doesn’t it?

The beginning of the mini diorama

The scene taking shape

Basil is a retired scenic painter for the movies. Basil has had no trouble diving into layout, hill and rock painting –  a subject that many model railroad builders are hesitant to try, so he’s offering these tips for taking up a brush.

• If you don’t like what you did – no problem you can just paint over it.
• Do a test example before you start on the project
• Allow yourself to get sloppy with your material; try things like: using more than one color on a surface at a time, letting paint flow and mix, use your fingers and crunched up newspaper to move paint around.
• Last, never call something a mistake until you really look at it.

Armed with this knowledge, you can relax and have some fun. For ideas, techniques and how-to videos just do a web search for ‘painting model railroad scenery’.

Some things to remember:

• Nature uses water and wind and gravity to do its work.  Being “loose”as you work helps the look.
• Paint and washes take time to settle and dry. And they always change in the process. Be patient.
• Start with a light overall color and then work with darker washes ( these will naturally hang up in the cracks and nooks ).
• Then use a dry brush and light colors to highlight if needed.
• When using washes, gravity is your friend.

Again, relax; don’t force a result; have fun………. it’s a hobby!

Rock face created by Basil

The rock face you see in the picture started out life as a two-inch thick piece of pink foam which Basil cut to fit in place. He then took a kitchen knife and “butchered” it. Next a base coat went on concocted from innumerable left-over “bits” of paint. Next came the washes. Each was let dry before another was applied. Each wash was applied from the top and Basil let nature take over letting them “run” down the cliff face and Voila!! The black Basil added to simulate the smoke from the steam engines as they leave the tunnel.

The President of our model train club, Chuck Whitlock, is a real dab hand at taking a toy and turning it into a model. These pics show how Chuck transformed a flat car into a highly detailed, realistic MOW car.

Great work Chuck.