Construction Update #23 - Scenery

Wilson - "Milepost 32.6.  Elevation 7.723 feet - was primarily a passing siding of 27 car capacity."  (Page #305, RGS Story, Volume 1, Sundance Publishing)

April 8, 2023

 

While Wilson is still lacking some detail to include additional ground cover, static grass,  shrubs, figures and water, it now provides an acceptable background for a few photos.  Here RGS #455, a K-27, has stopped for water.  Most if not all of the RGS water tanks were painted oxide red.  But since I have yet to find a actual picture of "Wilson" who is to say that the tank, if one ever existed, escaped the RGS B&B gang and a coat of oxide red paint.  The K-27 is from P-B-L and the water tank was built from a V&T Models kit.

 

Northbound leaving Wilson for Placerville.  The east bank of the San Miguel River is in the foreground.
 

 

The stock car was built from a P-B-L kit and the drop bottom gondola is from a V&T kit.  I don't think I have ever seen a picture of a drop bottom gondola on the RGS but there are a couple running around my version of the railroad.

The box car storage shed attached to the section house.  This kit-bashed model is based upon a similar structure that stood at Pagosa Junction.

 

Leased D&RGW #346 southbound at Wilson.  #346 is a P-B-L brass import equipped with DCC and Tsunami2 sound.  This model has an interesting background as it was originally lettered for Brian Ellerby's Copper River Yukon, then my Alaska Pacific and now the D&RGW.

Initial Scenery around Placerville

I typically start with earth colored paint followed by a layer of basic ground cover (paving sand) around a key scenic element; in this case the depot.

Here, the same thing has been done with the hotel, coal bin and small warehouse to the south of the depot.  The Bar Mills "Idaho Hotel" is a stand in for the original hotel.  A Banta warehouse kit, built by my 11 year old grandson, is another stand in for the Gallaway Stage Stop Building (He still needs to paint the roof). 

And in this case, the "scenic element" is a drainage ditch that was west of the depot.  A partial view of this ditch shows up a picture on page 273, Volume 1, RGS Story, Sundance Publishing.

As always, your comments, questions & suggestions are welcome

sdepolo@outlook.com