Module progress, 4/18

This morning I worked on details for the modules for the show in about 1 1/2 weeks. While it was cool outside (I have no heat in the large part of my shop) I stayed in and glued together fencing for a module. It's not shown this time, but it will be featured in a blog soon. There were a few other sundry items, such as track details, but I won't over-bore you with them. Besides, my memory's not that great.

After it had warmed up some, I spent this afternoon in the shop working on modules. That is, when Darrell wasn't over here. We did "invest" some time in good "discussions" which were "mostly" on rr stuff - ha! The module we are doing "together" is a story for another time.

The main efort today has been to finalize the structures and their placement on two modules, one HO and the other N, and get a start on the groung coverings.

The TTrak-HO module is single wide, and is club-owned. I had asked the club members to donate a few buildings for it. Several have provided more structures than I can use, a happy problem.

After a bit of trial fitting, I settled on the scene shown here. Clockwise, from the bottom center, first we have a switch tower. I know there are no turnouts on the module, but with a little imagination, ...

Then there is a small freight house. Across the track from the freight house is a converted boxcar serving as the local bar, serving, well, don't ask.

Next, the small green one is a set of his n' hers toilets. Behind that is an old general store.

Across the road is the local bank. Obviously, it's doing well in these difficult times.

The red barn has been refurbished into a diner. And finally, on the right front are a pair of oil tanks, for the oil patch here in West Texas. In it's final placement, it will be turned so the ladder is away from the tracks.

Once all this was settled, I started applying gravel, grass, weeds and grey paint (for a concrete road) to the module. Obviously, a bit more touch up will be needed, but good progress was made.

One of the things I wanted to have here is a road that is not square to the tracks, and I did achieve that.

The other module is a TTrak-N module, double length. All I got done there, after locating the pieces, was the gravel drive around the office/warehouse and through the elevator shed.

The return curve's a bit tight for semi's, but that's all the space available. One must assume that the entry drive is off-module to the viewer's right.

For size perspective, if the module were a football field, about half of each end zone would hang off the ends. It is a small space. Some grass around the office, and a some weeds and scrub bushes should finish it off okay.