Making Cisco Townsite, part 6

: Sep. 24, 2017. Thompson Springs, UT
: Sep. 24, 2017. Thompson Springs, UT
: Humid Wild Grass Sproul applied
: Straw applied

Finally, I applied vegetation using a Kato/Noch 24-406 Flourish Bottle. Static grasses used are 2mm Straw produced by Woodland Scenics for the dried-up grass since last year, and 1.5mm Humid Wild Grass Sproul produced by Kato/Noch for this year's sprouting. I also added several 2mm Grass Tufts produced by Green Stuff World as the grown-up tumbleweeds. I, again, referred to the photos I took at the Thompson Hill.

: trackside details added

After the terrain was finished, I added several trackside details. The line poles are the #520 40Ft. Power Pole produced by Showcase Miniatures, the relay box is the #506 US&S Style Single Door Relay Cabinet also produced by Showcase Miniatures, and the crossbucks are homemade referred to D&RGW Standard Plans using ink-jet printer and a stick of wood.
　
　

Japanese & Comments

Surfaces, Revisited

I have introduced a series of my dad’s photos taken in the United States in the early 70s as the “Surfaces” posts. Up next are the series of my photos taken during our recent trips to the United States. Our trips more or less trace the route my dad mapped half a century ago. Accordingly, I have decided to call this series of posts “Surfaces, Revisited”.


: Sep. 6, 2019. Bryan, OH

Making Cisco Townsite, part 5

: Sep. 24, 2017. Thompson Springs, UT

Each quarter section of the diorama will represent the four seasons. However, the surface of the ground is stable; the four seasons will be represented by the plants/grasses. I tried to make the Cisco ground by wash-painting method familiar to us as the weathering method.

As Cisco doesn’t have a lookout, I referred to the photos I took at Thompson Hill. I also put the piece of cinder block picked up at Cisco beside the diorama as a reference.

The first wash of thinned paint is of Liquitex Red Oxide, the second is of Raw Siena, and the third is of Raw Umber. This choice of colors is the same as the previous diorama I made, but I did it thinner to match the prototype. Finally, I added a wash of Ivory Black as a shadow.

Apart from the terrain, highway pavement is washed three times with thinned Unbleached Titanium and a little Ivory Black mixture.

: Red Oxide wash-painted
: Raw Siena wash-painted
: Raw Umber wash-painted
: Ivory Black wash-painted


From 1961 to 1991, D&RGW used slag extracted from the American Smelting & Refining Co. (ASRCO) smelter at Leadville, CO, and the United States Smelting Refining & Mining Co. smelter at Midvale, UT for the ballast. This was a dark purplish-black rock. So, I used the mixture of #24-331 Fine Ballast produced by Woodland Scenics (=Kato Fine Ballast) and #434 R-Stone produced by Morin for the ballast.

: highway painted and tracks ballast applied

After the ballast was secured, I airbrush painted Tamiya XF-68 NATO Brown acrylic paint to the rail as rust. I drew disappearing pavement markings using white and yellow colored pencils.
　
　

Japanese & Comments

Surfaces, Revisited

I have introduced a series of my dad’s photos taken in the United States in the early 70s as the “Surfaces” posts. Up next are the series of my photos taken during our recent trips to the United States. Our trips more or less trace the route my dad mapped half a century ago. Accordingly, I have decided to call this series of posts “Surfaces, Revisited”.


: Sep. 10, 2017. Thompson Springs, UT

Making Cisco Townsite, part 4

: crushed rocks applied

The filed and gesso-coated surface of the terrain needs some texture to represent the Cisco Desert. So, I applied crushed rocks on the shoulder of the highway and on the base of the railroad embankment. The material used for the crushed rocks is #24-330 Fine Ballast produced by Woodland Scenics (=Kato Fine Ballast). First, I sprayed the water with detergent, next, I sprinkled the thinned PVA bond(white bond), and finally, I added the crushed rocks like adding salt to your steak. I repeated it two times to revise and secure the texture.

Finally, I coated the diorama with acrylic gesso, modeling paste, and acrylic paint mixture to secure the surface of the diorama. This coat of paint becomes the basis of the terrain, So, I added Liquitex Unbleached Titanium and a little Ivory Black to the mixture to make it look accurate.

: applied crushed rocks
: finished basis of terrain
　
　

Japanese & Comments

Surfaces, Revisited

I have introduced a series of my dad’s photos taken in the United States in the early 70s as the “Surfaces” posts. Up next are the series of my photos taken during our recent trips to the United States. Our trips more or less trace the route my dad mapped half a century ago. Accordingly, I have decided to call this series of posts “Surfaces, Revisited”.


: Sep. 9, 2019. Fayetteville, WV