Construction Update #41 - Bridge 45A, Dallas Milling, the Ridgway Depot and a Change of Plans

 

Bridge 45A

March 14, 2025

All the basic ground cover is now in place around Bridge 45A.  My original plan was to install all of the scenery behind the bridge before installing the rail.  Now I think I want to get trains running again and put off doing the scenery until over the summer.

One of the issues I am facing in March is the amount of time it is taking the matte medium mix to set up.  Due to the cold weather, it is taking about 3 days.  As a result, I am working on three other projects at the same time.

 

The House at the End of the Trestle

 

Just to the south of Bridge 45A (to the right in the above photo) was a small house.  This is another neat little structure I got from Bruce Hanley.

 

 

 

After comparing the model to pictures of the prototype, the model should really have a shingled roof and a lean-to addition on the back side.  It also appears, in most pictures, to be relatively well maintained during the period I model.

 

I made a minor repair to eliminate some warping and then sealed the roof with a clear coat.  Delta Ceramcoat Light Ivory was used to repaint the walls with a very"dry brush".  This allowed some of the existing weathering to bleed through the new paint.  The roof was also redone with a wet blend of Folk Art Coffee and Apple Barrel Pavement.  While I'm not going to redo the roof with shingles, I am going to add the lean-to addition on the back side

 

Dallas Mill Works

March 15, 2024

The Dallas Mill Works was introduced in Construction Update #36.  Originally, the structure was a canned and frozen fish company on Paul Scholes Pelican Bay Railway and Navigation.  Later, as shown below, it found a home on my now dismantled Sn3 Alaska Pacific.  Turns out that the fish company, a coastal freighter, the fishing boat and the jib cranes are the only structures I kept off the old layout.

Last August I installed the backdrop mural and planned out the scene.

 

The structure is made up from the three sub-assemblies shown below on my desk getting a few minor repairs including a fresh coat of paint on two of the roofs.

The platform was made from individual boards glued to a piece of Woodland Scenics sheet foam.  It was glued in place before the application of basic ground cover.  That hole in the backdrop leads to Old Placerville which is about 6" away.

 

The ground cover is paving sand spread over a 60/40 mix a earth colored exterior latex paint  and white glue followed by a misting of "wet" water and diluted matte medium.   The Dallas depot/section house, seen on left, was eventually moved a few inches further to the left.

The hole in the backdrop will partially be hid by the milling company.  The trees shown below will do the rest.

 March 16, 2025

Here is a up to date photo of the Dallas mill.  It still needs some shrubs, static grass and some additional details.  The lighting also has to be adjusted due to the shadow being cast on the backdrop.  LED strip lighting was added which helped but did not eliminate the problem

 

 

And here is a close up of the little Dallas depot/section house.

Ridgway Depot

March 16, 2025 

I started on the Ridgway Depot kit last June (Construction Update #30).  Its back on my desk for some additional work.  Basically, the structure is built around a plywood core.  The laser cut siding is then applied over the core.  Since the siding material (basswood) is prone to warping, I use close pins to hold it in place until the Aleen's tacky glue sets up.  At the current pace, I should be able to get the depot finished in a year or two.

Plan Update

The original plan had the tracks looping around Trout Lake south of Matterhorn, crossing the entry door with Lizard Head and Rico located on a shelf above Ridgway.  A reverse loop  was planned for the dispatcher's office.  Not wanting to block the doorway during construction, a temporary return loop was and is installed, shown in red, at Trout Lake.  The Trout Lake reverse loop, was covered in Construction Update #16.

 

The updated plan eliminates Trout Lake, the Trout Lake reverse loop, the lift out across the entry door, the shelf above Ridgway and the reverse loop inside the dispatcher's offic.  The Lizard Head wye will now occupy the Trout Lake scene and the hidden Rico staging is tucked in between Ophir and Vance Junction.  Rico staging has three tracks; they are at least 10 feet long.  This works out to a maximum train length of about 12-13 cars plus a locomotive and caboose.

While the reverse loop is nice for just "running trains", I think eliminating it in favor of the wye at Lizard Head adds more to operations.  The wye can be used to realistically turn helpers for their return to Ridgway and the stock pens, that were located on the tail of the wye, will add another switching opportunity.  

 

 

As always, your comments, questions a suggestions are welcome

sdepolo@outlook.com