Takahachikawa

[railsquid]

At this point the scenery is starting to consist mainly of chopped-up bits of earlier scenic attempts, reassembled into a different shape:

 

takahachikawa-2023-08-30_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[MeTheSwede]

Takahachikawa must be a top destination for geologists!

 

I'm glad to see the gradual rebirth of the layout.  Your layout has been a big inspiration of mine.

[Martijn Meerts]

19 hours ago, railsquid said:

At this point the scenery is starting to consist mainly of chopped-up bits of earlier scenic attempts, reassembled into a different shape:

 

 

 

Could just leave it like that, call it modern art, get it in some exposition, sell it, and become filthy rich 😄

 

[cteno4]

I think he needs a little team of archeologists up there on that strata excavating the various styrofoam eras. Who knows what fossils they might find! 
 

jeff

[MeTheSwede]

I think we all know what kind of multi armed ocean dwelling creatures they would find.

[cteno4]

Yes one of his missing links in his family lineages maybe…

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belemnitida#/media/File:Passaloteuthis_bisulcata.JPG

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Oh, that's Uncle Bob, we always did wonder what became of him.

[cteno4]

Well then, Bob’s your uncle! Explains a lot.

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Slight progress:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-09_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-09_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Slight progress continues:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-11_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

And a bit more:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-13_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

From the other day:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-15_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-15_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Slower progress than I would like, over two months of temperatures ranging between ca. 25 (night low) and ca. 35 degrees with hardly a break is slowly sapping my energy.

[railsquid]

And from today, some careful adjustment of the landscape so the various tunnel portals do not foul the largest vehicles:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-17_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Meanwhile over at the other end, we have run out of plaster cloth (only took about 7 years to get through an entire roll of the Kato stuff), but need to wait until the "new" tunnel portal is mounted anyway.

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-17_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

Edited September 17, 2023 by railsquid

[cteno4]

Wow surprised it lasted 7 years. Folks always complained about the plaster cloth sucking in moisture with time and then the plaster would not activate properly and never set well. Did you keep it well sealed in a plastic bag?

 

jeff

[railsquid]

5 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Wow surprised it lasted 7 years. Folks always complained about the plaster cloth sucking in moisture with time and then the plaster would not activate properly and never set well. Did you keep it well sealed in a plastic bag?

 

Huh, it for the past few years it's been in a simple, not-particularly-airtight-plastic case from a 100 yen shop together with a pair of 100 yen scissors I use for cutting. Haven't noticed any particular degradation.

[cteno4]

Hugh that’s good. I think the Kato plaster cloth is woodland scenics, just repackaged. 
 

we had a club member use some new rolls that had been sitting around for a long time and it never set up right. He had some a lot of plaster cloth in the past. I had noticed folks mentioning it now and then on lists over the years along with plain plaster as well. Ive never used plaster cloth a large amount, just here and there. Used plaster or PVA and paper towel more or just straight shaped foam and painted with heavy gesso coats. I did like the new fiberglass cast fabric, no plaster powered and really tough. But I think it does not live that long once package opened up even if resealed, but I’ve not investigated that. Gavin fount it great to make his shinkansen tunnels.

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Yup, I've just acquired a new pack, it's branded "Woodland Scenics & Kato". Took me a while to find it in the store as I still had the old green Kato packaging design in my head.

 

FWIW I store all my stuff in my office/layout room which is at relatively constant temperature throughout the year; I imagine it might fare worse if stored in a shed or garage or attic with a more varialbe microclimate.

 

Anyway we shall see how long this roll lasts before all the things fall apart altogether.

[cteno4]

If it sets up well when it dries you’re good?

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Casting my mind 7 years into the future, I must question whether it will be feasible to maintain it in the same climatic conditions as in the preceding 7 years.

 

But anyway, in the spirit of Recycle! Reuse! Reduce! to minimize resource extraction, surplus chopstick-based extension work on the rear corner scenic section has commenced:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-18_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

As it happens, the Railsquid Recycling Repertoire contains not only chopsticks, but lollipop sticks (as mentioned it's been a loooooong hot 418ppm summer) and coffee stirrers (fliched from the now defunct Freshness Burger branch near Yurakucho back when Tenshodo Ginza had its delightfully junky but now also defunct second-hand section) which are handy for keeping track in place without going to the trouble of gluing or nailing it down.

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-19_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Some triangles of foamy blue cheese were also located which will form the basis of a gap filler.

Edited September 19, 2023 by railsquid

[cteno4]

I have a little stash of wooden coffee stirrers from like 25 years ago. It was the best thin wood I had ever seen stripped like that, super straight, tight grain and very stiff, tougher than the usual basswood. I asked the owner if I could buy a box from him and he just gave me a small box saying they were cheap and I got coffee and a danish there every morning! 
 

jeff

[bill937ca]

I just bought Birchwood spoons today at the dollar store for spreading scenic scatter material. There were several other types of wood utensils available. Lots of good stuff.

Edited September 19, 2023 by bill937ca

[railsquid]

Mounting of the last of the tunnel portals in progress.

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-24_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Found the box with the rest of the bits of detachable ballast'n'lineside landscape.

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-25_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr