I have most of the one side (the main lines only) done, up to a point where I'm thinking I may put a grade crossing now. I have ideas for a suburban area there and it would make sense for the road to cross at some point. I have to figure out exactly where to place it and how to build it up to the rail level (probably with some cork). I shudder at the idea of working with more plaster however. On the other end, the ballasting has almost gotten around the curve at the end. I bought some black cinder ballast to use around the steel mill, it seemed an apt color to use, but I still have some thoughts about how to fill in the spaces in between.
Prior to ballasting the curves leading to and from the lift bridges, I thought it prudent to do some more work on the embankments there. I figured it would be easier to do this before there was ballast on it than after. I had some putty left over from a previous job that I used to build the sides of the embankment, and in some spots I was just able to cut the foam to an angle. I found last time that this kind of putty doesn't dry, even after I left it out there for a week, but that doesn't matter, it was just a space filler for the plaster cloth on top. I like how this went, the plaster cloth is very easy to work with. This morning I cut and puttied the other side, waiting to let that set a while before I finish it with the plaster cloth.
Lastly - so much of the time this hobby takes is consumed by thinking. Looking, pondering, then re-thinking. I'm starting to plan for the river/shipping channel. When you look at it by the bridges, it doesn't seem like much clearance over the "water" (the board). When you compare that difference from the rest of the homasote surface, it seems overly high. The challenge is, how to create an embankment from the layout level down to the river level. I can't cut back because some riser supports are right near the edge (poor foresight on my part). However, I should be able to use some cardboard strips and plaster cloth to create a (steep) embankment, at the bottom of which I can put some sheet piling. That would make sense - the sheet piling is there (as in Cleveland on the Cuyahoga) to keep back the embankment, so the channel can be continually dredged to the authorized depth. I already bought some Walthers abutments to place under the bridges, they fit pretty well. I need to find a couple boats - maybe a tugboat and a few kayakers - and they'll need to be ready when we're ready to pour whatever Woodland Scenics 'water' product is best (easiest) to use.
Lessons learned:
1. A bread knife does an excellent job of cutting foam.
2. A shop-vac is a good thing to have when cleaning up from cutting foam.
3. I -actually- needed to use the Pythagorean Theorem yesterday, so I could calculate the length of the embankment in the river. It's amazing how this was something I knew how to do as a kid but forgot, because I have no use for it in my daily life.
