by mike | Jul 19, 2022 | Detailing Track
More Than Meets The EyeHow we think about a subject is as important as what we see. The typical advice for modeling ties is to impart wood grain by scraping the wood with a razor saw. Why do this? My hunch is because somebody decided it was a good idea, which...
by mike | Jun 29, 2020 | Detailing Track
Old Ties One of the things I truly enjoy about P48 is how much presence a simple vignette may have. As I continue to experiment with the coloring of weathered ties, I decided to create this scene near the decommissioned turnout east of the grade crossing. This pile of...
by mike | Apr 4, 2018 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The P48 Experience
Mud covered track like one might see next to a grade crossing is simple to do even long after the track is down. As with my post on oil soaked track, I rubbed some fine dirt into the area with my fingers and worked it in further with a short bristled brush, in this...
by mike | Nov 13, 2017 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
In this craft we accept a massive degree of compression and reduction without a second thought. According to my track charts, the siding I photographed in Part One is 1,893 feet long. Reduced to quarter-inch scale, that distance is 39.4375 feet. Take it down to HO and...
by mike | Sep 19, 2017 | Detailing Track, Modeling Techniques, The Art of The Craft, The Modeling Conversation, The P48 Experience
What color is track? The flippant answer is: it depends. More accurately, it depends on the locale, the volume and type of traffic; the age and a host of factors. The truth is that track isn’t a uniform single color but is comprised of multiple tones. I confess now...
