Blue tape covers the track and holds castings in
place.
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In striving for the northern Colorado to southern
Oregon area, not all the landscape would be rock, so the casting were
spaced out.
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Rock peaks will show through the forest floor. The
back section lifts out for access.
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The start of the mountain behind the bed.
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The mountainside was carved to show the smooth face
left by blasting to clear a path for the tracks.
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The blue tape really saved on cleanup time.
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Closeup of the carved rock wall.
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The grooves show where the charges were. Once weathered,
the cuts will stand out very well.
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Closeup of the cuts for the rock wall.
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A timber retaining wall edges the tunnel entrance.
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The rocks had to be cast just right to allow the
lift out section to come out without damaging scenary.
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Stone retaining walls near another tunnel entrance.
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Overall picture of Pine Ridge, complete with fascia
boards. The two uprights on the curve form part of the bracing for the
bridge section..
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Colors were applied to simulate granite, slate,
and other rock colorations.
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Smoke streaks were added above the tunnel entrances.
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One rock mountain top, colored and ready for the
next step.
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The Fraser Logging camp lines.
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The weathered cuts show well.
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The switches were added and the spur line to reach
the new village of Addon, comprised of Kurt's
Industrial modules.
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The other half of the spur track.
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The next step was to apply the ballast to the track.
This is where Michelle takes over the scenary portion.
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Ballasting is tedious, but fun.
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The hard part is to not clean up the ballast so
much that it doesn't look real.
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Ballast gets everywhere and never sneeze over freshly
applied ballast - at least not until it is wet.
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The mainline ballast is a fine gray blend.
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The ballast extended as far into the tunnel as Michelle
could reach.
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Into the other tunnel at the other edge of the mountain.
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Basic buildings were placed so that the forest could
be planted.
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As any model railroader knows, really nice trees
are expensive, especially the tall pines that we needed. Our forest has
a mixture of trees, just like a real forest would.
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Push pins simulate where we will place the cut stumps.
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Fraser Logging is starting to take shape.
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The shelf below the camp holds the alarm clock.
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Before we could plant the trees for real, the forest
floor had to be created.
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Colored toothpicks stood in for the removed trees.
Bases were cut from the trees and the stems colored to match. A different
color was used for each type of tree.
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A very odd looking forest.
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This was a good project for a rainy Saturday afternoon.
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The forest floor, with logging path and debris piles.
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The view from the loggers point of view.
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The mountain top with several deadwood piles that
have slid down the steep slope.
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Logs and bushes were added to the rocks.
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Replanting the forest became a matter of remove
a toothpick, find the correct type of tree, add glue and press into the
foam board base.
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One forest ready for loggers to move in - well almost,
We decided it needed a few more trees.
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Tree stumps line the path the loggers are taking
into the forest.
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The loggers have moved in and are already busily
working to clear the trees.
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The moose shy away from the logging activity.
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An arial shot of part of the logging camp. The water
tower was made from an old steam tender, raised on stilts.
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The other half of the logging camp.
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Loggers busily working.
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Angry papa bear protects his family from the loggers.
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The foreman's cabin at Fraser Logging.
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The lone stag surveys the logging valley from on
high.
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A prospector is moving into the Fraser Mountain
area.
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