I finshed painting the walls (except for one small part which won't be part of the layout) with Behr 560C-3 Holiday Mist. I got this at the local Home Depot for $20.00. It's a custom so they mixed it for me right then and there. It's a beautiful color though sometimes it can appear a bit purplish in the right light. It's still a nice paint and goes on easily with a roller.
I still have to paint the clouds and other scenery as the walls will be used as the backdrop and 3 sides of the layout. I am not quite sure as to whether there will any backdrop on the center portions of the layout or not since I have gotten around to drawing a track plan yet. I do have one in mind but I just haven't put it down on paper yet. I want to get the benchwork completed first as that will provide the basic framework for the layout. Obviously I am going to look at the lay of the land before deciding where the tracks will go.
As I've said on a number of previous installments, I am using Woodland Scenics' Mod-U-Rail system for my benchwork and basic scenery. The Mod-U-Rail system consists of various modules that one can use to produce any number of different configurations for the layout. The only thing missing is that one has to come up with their own fitter sections if your layout has runs of a length not evenly divisible by 3 feet. Mine fall into this category since I have a left wall that is 9' 7 inches long, a back wall that is 12' 3" long and a right wall that measure exactly 11' of useable space.
So how does one overcome this problem? Well, Woodland Scenics doesn't make their modules in custom lengths but one can easily construct a substitute using plywood cut to the right length and made into an appropriate sized box and attached to the stand with bolts, washers and wingnuts. This is the same method Woodland Scenics uses to attach their modules and one should easily be able to produce ones own custom made fiters. So this is what I am going to do since I need two 1' x 18" sections, 1 7"x18" section and 1 3" by 18" section. I don't anticipate any problems with this but stay tuned for further entries in the blog because that won't happen until I have painted the clouds on the three walls that will be part of the layout.
Painting clouds on the walls shouldn't be that difficult. At least it isn't dificult on the DVDs and books I've read. One of my resources is one the initial installment of Kalmbach's Dream-Plan-Build series. In this one it shows how to blend blue, white and several other colors to produce very believable clouds. The blue is a Dutch Boy paint that comes in a plastic container that has a pour spout. THat pour spout obviously is a very good idea. The rest of the paints are artists paints so that one can blend white with various other colors to produce shadings in the clouds. Interstingly enough, I had never thought about the fact that all clouds aren't just pure white in color. If you don't believe go out and look at the clouds on a nice sunny day and you'll see they have shadows and sometimes even very dark gray highlights. So how does a novice like me produce these effects? I'll let you know but I can tell you right now that it has a lot to do with the answer to the question of "How does one get to Carnegie Hall?"
Irv
