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Contents

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The Rock Ridge and Train City


A Phoenix arises from Hogwarts


There came a point when I had to admit that neither of my kids was even remotely interested in model trains. At the same time I recognized that I wasn't interested in modeling Hogwarts. I wanted to model small steam in the redwoods. So naturally I started modeling the Old West in that part of the country where striated iron deposits coexist with a deciduous forest.

Tater Mountain


Naturally the first thing you want on a layout is a big old Tater Mountain. This one was made with stacked up 2" foam covered with drywall mud in different layers so the town could do a San Francisco up the side.

The striations were made by cutting the drywall mud with a utility knife horizontally and tapping it with a hammer to break it up. The next step is to spray it with black paint to get down in the crevices. You can't get them all. No matter what, a camera will find the blue. The colors are variations of Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna.
Train City


Okay, I admit it. The original Train City is was made up of the dregs of Hogwart's and the mishmash or junky structures I scored on eBay during my "auction addiction" phase. Luckily, I was either able to salvage the junk with paint and ingenuity or sell it back on eBay for a profit. You'll see examples of that later.

I also admit that I named Rock Ridge from the movie, Blazing Saddles. I give one nod to the movie--well I'm getting ahead of myself. We're talking about Train City. The way Train City got it's name was I asked my son to name it. At time I had a train or cars on every track.

He took one quick look and said, "It looks like Train City."

I asked. And he had a point.


Rock Ridge


The layout really started to come together with the development of Rock Ridge. It didn't take long to see a problem.

Look at the two pictures to the left. EZ track is tall.

Now's a good time to take break and get on my soap box. When I first started Hogwart's layout I needed 17 turnouts. I had EZ Track from the Hogwart's set my son got and I got a lot more off eBay. I ordered the turnouts from my LHS and got a good deal because he ordered the wrong one's. But I figured out the EZ Track was not a good idea from the on-line forums even before I started construction. But I decided since I had it and had bought the turnouts, I might as well use them. This decision was the ultimate downfall of the layout.

I spent an average 45 minutes per turnout filing them down to make the engines and rolling stock get through them. But the biggest problem at least in my eyes was that the track was so high that the rolling stock towered over all the loading docks. After scientific investigation, notice the two pieces of cardboard to the left, I found that if I covered the layout in 3/16" foam board, it would solve the problem.
Relandscaping the layout


So once again the layout was stripped, this time to add 3/16" to the entire layout so the freight cars looked right pulling into the industries and stations. I also figured that while the layout was dismantled, I would use the opportunity to do some terraforming. I also added a three track staging yard.

The layout was dismantled for 6 months. Click the thumbnails below to see the progression.


Once the foam board was added and Tater Mountain replaced, the track was covered and terraforming began.

This would consist of completing the hills around Tater, ballasting the tracks, making the transition between levels and filling in between Train City and the grades.


Using borrowed molds, I cast and painted a retaining wall.


I wanted to try new kinds of scenery techniques. The transition between tracks was hardshell. The transition between levels was foam.


I cast the rocks from Woodland Scenic's molds.


Painting the rocks took several steps. I seem to remember it taking several weeks of TV watching to complete. First came the black to fill the crevices, then dark grey, and then various colors of highlights.


The hardshell was painted and the rocks glued in place with drywall mud tinted with grey acryllic paint. The vegetation was never added so the effect was never realized. Still just the rocks made a huge difference in that you could no longer see the risers supporting the grade.


You won't get to see it, but the effect I was after was that of a switchback back way into town--you know, the one Tonto always shows the Lone Ranger. Look below for "finished" views of these last three sections.


This corner gets striated rock to form Red Rock Canyon.


The trail into town from the west.


Not the best shot of the never "finished" product.


A mogul in Red Rock Canyon.


This little space became one of my favorite parts of the layout. Perhaps it's Red bringing in the supply wagon.

Design Concepts


In my opinion, the key to an asthetically successful layout is to have visual separation. This is difficult on a 4 x 8 without a physical barrier such as a backdrop. I think I was able to achieve it without one. I used two techniques.

The first techniques was to employ visual separation. From Train City, Rock Ridge looks like a forested mountain. (See pictures to left.) From Rock Ridge, Train City looks like a city down in the valley far below.

The second technique, color, adds to this illusion. Notice that all the rocks and walls in Train City are variations of grey. In contrast, the colors in Rock Ridge are red. Even the ballast color reflects this.

The result is that when you are working either of the two towns, the other is out of sight, out of mind.
The Demise


As the scenery got more and more complete, the track-work declined. EZ Track turnouts are easy to service, but you do it from below--meaning you have to pull the turnout. On my layout the turnout is buried below a 1/4" of plaster. Eventually, the turnouts were failing with a frequency I could not longer take.


Last look.


Strip it down.


Goodbye EZ Track


Goodbye Rock Ridge


Rock Ridge is set aside.


RIP
Will the Phoenix Rise Again?


Only the town of Rock Ridge may rise again. Two versions of plans of an expanded Rock Ridge and Train City II were created and discarded. The room was even prepared with a backdrop and track lighting. Eventually, plans for my dream layout--Small Steam in Redwoods--returned and now the basement plans leaning towards the Redwood Empire. The current plans are to transform Rock Ridge into a 3.5 x 4.5 display layout. The track-work will be hand-laid. Hopefully a small staging/service area will be incorporated so I can run both a small freight train and SP Daylight service. Because the mine takes so much space, it will be removed. I have several Campbell's and Muir Models that were never built which will take up the foreground of the new display layout--along with anything else I decide needs to be scratch-bashed. The plan is to gain new skills to be used in the Redwood Empire.




(Use Customer Discount Code 757 for a 10% Discount of Fast Tracks Products when you click this Link.)
(Use Customer Discount Code 757 for a 10% Discount of Fast Tracks Products
when you click this Link.)