Lee University

March, 2004

            In the three months since Christmas, I have managed to complete the track and wiring for the elevated center loop.  I split each of my old 33’ tables in half, separating the halves 12 inches, thereby widening my flat table area.  (Check the background in Picture #9 in past section.)  The elevated track was built over the open middle area on cantilevers.  More of the upper level has been “sceniked” and I continue to plaster and paint.

It’s nice to have track finished to the degree that I can run a train or two, even if it’s just a single circuit at this time Here a couple of Santa Fe GP-7’s pull a 12-car consist around the inside bend of the MINE peninsula. My engines are Mantua, Athearn, Lifelike, Proto, and one spunky little Con-Cor MP15 I bought at Long’s Drug Store in the early 90’s while I was conducting a concert in Loma Linda, California. I’ve been trying to collect some Burlington Route GP-20’s, but most of them are old Mantua/Tycos, and just don’t run very well, which is disappointing. . .

	Panning right, we come to the bottom of the J and can now see the straight-away toward the HIGHPORT section. . . .

I’ve never been a fan of “powderpuff” tree  technique when it comes to covering hills on a layout. I know it’s quicker and less expensive, but there’s just not enough varied texture for my liking. As the project continues you will see that I use a wide variety of tree kits and textured foliage and grass blends to make each of my forest areas appear totally random with variety. (Basically, I’ve been watching how God does it, and He seems to be quite effective at natural  randomness!) . . .

	Here you can see the beginnings of the underpinnings for my plastering. First, the chicken wire is covered by a layer of newspaper, in this case, editions of the Chattanooga Free Press from down the road a bit. To add bulges and bumps, ridges and cliffs, I wad up or twist newspaper portions and tape them helter-skelter to the sides of the inclines. The local community daily newspaper seems the most appropriate product for this task . . .
	At this point, I will use Bounty Paper Towels soaked in Plaster of Paris, muti-layered over the bulging papers. (Trust me, CHEAPER towels just won’t do the trick!!!!) Following that, as the excess plaster begins to solidify in my dipping pan, I hurriedly slather it on by hand, keeping it “roughed up” a bit as it begins to set.
	The hill behind HIGHPORT begins to take form as it slopes away from the cliff side of HIGHPORT Mountain. On this side of the layout, Track #2 descends on a 3% grade. I did “wimp out” on this layout and used Woodland Scenic Incline Kits. Boy, what a time saver!  Just their sheer flexibility is worth the cost of this marvelous product.
	Buildings are in place on HIGHPORT. The BN GP-50 is Athearn. The GP-38 heading up the work train with the crane is a defunct “Baroque-man” product. (Name disguised so as not to embarrass the company. In spite of the “lifetime guarantee”, I can never get any of them fixed and so the only good Baroque-mans on my layout are DEAD BAROQUE-MANS. Don’t get me started! . . .
	The flat sides of the mountain are a bit deceiving here. You’ll be surprised after the whole process is finished how much contour and “raggedness” there is to the terrain. (The first layer of newspaper is also a great deterrent to “dripping through” and losing valuable plaster.)

Trains:  Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Page 1 - Box Canyon Layout
Page 2 - Any Time, Any Spring Disclaimer
Page 3 - Starting Over, December 2003
Page 4 - March, 2004
Page 5 - June, 2004
Page 8 - Layout Design
Page 9 - August, 2004
Page 11 - January, 2005
Page 16 – January, 2005 Redux
Page 17 – First Day of Summer, 2005
Page 20 – August, 2005
Page 21 - In the Farmland, February 2006
Page 23 - Layout Potpourri, February 2006
Page 25 - In the Cornfields, 2006
Page 27 - July, 2006
Page 30 – November, 2006
Page 33 - MARCH, 2007 – A Break In The Action