New scratch bridge building - ONWARD!

Music for today's post:


Well...I worked on this bridge a while back now. Popped the photos up and I'm finally making time to write about them. :)  Busy bee.  ((Really SHOULD be working on the bridge some more instead of writing, but...))

So...I had moved the bridge that was originally in this spot to the Kiwamura section - I'm super happy with that move.

I needed something for vehicles to get up to the Kiwamura residential area and thought that it was a perfect opportunity to do a little scratch building. The main part of the bridge is foam core. I've added supports under, but the main section will be strong enough to support the bridge section...as long as I don't lean on it. heh

From there, I added some styrene, which is the basis of most of my scratch builds. The white spots are the styrene areas.

Unlike the first bridge I made, this has a nice slope for the vehicles to roll up on. I just have the styrene set in place to make sure it's working in these next shots. The whole bridge was still free floating to make sure I had some wiggle room.

And, after a spray.....

I got more styrene and cut it down for a sidewalk section.

I was happy with the way things were shaping up, so I stuck it all down. 



I worked on the side areas and barriers - setting them in place knowing that scenery was going to come into play as well, so it didn't have to be spot on perfection. I'm not really a "spot on perfection guy". Not at all. hehehe   I have this slippery, painterly style when it comes to modeling and model railroading.



Relatively happy with the barriers and sidewalk progression.

Fired in some details like stairs that I'll go back in on and weather up later.

Safety first! :)  Need to have barrier rails in alongside the walking path!

Overall, I'm pleased with how things are turning out. I need to add more details and the like, but the main bridge section is looking like I wanted it to. And, it serves a real world function, so that's nice.

And...seeing some of the bridges in Japan, this looks perfectly viable! heh!

In other news, I got a base going for my Saneki building I just finished. It's coming along, but needs more weathering and another round of details as well.

I only have two weeks until our MODEL RAIL RADIO Australia visitors come for their tour! I have lights ordered, but I lost my usual FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND hobby day due to a camping trip. Looks like I'll be working some nights over the coming weeks! I want to get things tidy and running well for their visit. I need to drop some activities onto the calendar so I don't loose track of what needs to be done between now and then.

Mostly cleaning, really. Which is LONG overdue! The addition of "skirts" onto the layout will help a lot. I'll be able to have storage under without actually having to LOOK at said storage all the time!

Onward!

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New Kiwamura Section is GO!

Music for today's post.....

Work was finally started on the new Kiwamura section.  I think I'm liking how it's turning out. :::grin::: I've been rather..."meh" of late - starting things and working on them only to look at them later with regret. hehehe  It's the April Showers, I believe. I'll have to wait for those May Flowers® to arrise!

The section was in flux for a long while. I wasn't sure if it was going to be a large land section with tunnels set for the tram and high speed rail or if it was going to be a bridge. Well, in the process of taking the old bridge out, I thought, "Hey, I do like this bridge. Maybe I'll just use it there." And, it's working out. I dig it.



I did a lot of playing and exploration before making the final commitment on the area. I thought through what it would take to do the tunnels and big hillside, but I didn't want something that large in the front of the layout area. I believe it would really block some of the views I wanted to have there.

Going with the two sections with a bridge between was really going to work, so I blessed it and moved into some additional planning. This was going to be the residential area of the layout, so I plotted the houses out a bit.

 

Then I played with exactly how high I wanted to go....

Added and checked the bridge section....

 
I added a little more to the bottom of the bridge to make it look a bit more substantial.

Then I started in on the roadway section that the new bridge will lead up to. First step, path carving.

The art of zen brick carving :)

Detail check and carving in some details on the sides...

Hmmmph...spray paint eats pink foam. Go figure. hehehe  It worked out, however - it looked like stone or rock.



 A little paint....

And....STUFF! :) Some shops, a small workshop, and a viewing spot for tourists on a walk. :)

When I roll in a few more details and people, I think this section will really pop. The residential area, too. I want to have people walking, bike riding, and playing in the area. Should be a fun addition. More to follow on that.

I saw a little TOMYTEC heavy machinery rental kit and was just about to pull the trigger on it when I stopped myself. "I can just build that. It's mostly a large area of nothing." So, I set out to build it out of styrene.

I still need to go in and weather the vehicles, but I think it's a good addition for sure. And, it's mine - there won't be another one like it for the most part. I've really liked doing things like that. Having unique buildings and spaces on the layout that are just mine. Like my submarine viewing area and some of the buildings I've bashed together. Fun stuff. 

Thanks for reading!

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Naze hashi なぜ橋

While I think the bridges could use another small round of detailing, I'm pretty happy with the way they've turned out. I added some people, cars, lights, railings, a bench and other details that really pulled things together.

Comments welcome, as usual. :)


I painted up the trestle - I like it much better than the black.

The last round of bridge details really made a huge difference.

Seeing the bridges in place makes me happy as well. While more blending and the like needs to be done, this first round of building worked out well. Once I get the water and other scenic elements in place, it's really going to make the bridge area pop. 

 Things are coming along. There are areas and scenes that I'm enjoying immensely! :)