P&LE Model Railroad

This is a continuation of my two original blogs which document the design and building of a model railroad, the Paducah and Lake Erie. It's a free-lance bridge line set in modern times to replicate the coal-hauling railroads of southwestern Pennsylvania. Find the original blogs at www.blackdiamondsroute.blogspot.com, and at www.paducahandlakeerie.blogspot.com. Click on any photo to enlarge it. You can view some of my photos of prototype railroad action at http://billlinson.rrpicturearchives.net.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Continuing on covering the helix

Work continues on covering the helix and we're getting closer to completion. Just a bit more painting to do, and then we're ready for ground cover and foliage.

Below is a rock face, poured into molds, and then glued on to and blended into the pink foam material we're using for the scenery. All the other rock faces in both photos are carved directly into the pink foam and then painted. Carving and painting are by John Ellenbracht.

When this work is complete, in a couple of weeks, this end of the railroad will be pretty much finished. This will provide what I think will be "signature scenes" at each end of the P&LE, i.e., this cover of the helix on one end (forming Howard Mountain), and the Freytag Engine House at the opposite end in Paducah.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Covering the helix continues

We continue building up the cover for the helix. We have about one or two of the 1 1/2-inch layers of the pink foam to go followed by a cover. Then will come the landscaping (forest, rock faces, ground cover, etc.).

When this is finished, this end of the railroad's upper level will be pretty much complete. The coal tipple from previous scenes is just out of sight to the left on the upper level.