Takahachikawa

[railsquid]

I decided to make this end of the layout into bucolic, onsen-strewn countryside, so I can go on holiday without moving from my desk (this bit is just to the left of it).

 

Cue return of a bit of scenery which I made long ago and which has been in storage for a couple of layout iterations.

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-26_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-26_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[MeTheSwede]

On 9/17/2023 at 2:33 PM, railsquid said:

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.

 

I'm surprised to see that the mountain glaciers seems to be growing at this temperature.

 

[railsquid]

8 hours ago, MeTheSwede said:

I'm surprised to see that the mountain glaciers seems to be growing at this temperature.

 

It's an emergency measure to increase the albedo of the layout planet.

[railsquid]

Well, the emergency albedo doesn't seem to have had much effect, as today was record-breaking in terms of the warmest it's been this late in the year in Tokyo, so what better time to think about a nice hot bath or two, after digging out some other bits of pre-loved scenery which fits reasonably well together (execuse the leaning lamppost):z

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-28_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Couple more shots for good measure:

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-28_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-09-28_03 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

I feel like this is starting to come together, especially since I hit on something prototypical but slightly unusual which neatly solves an embankment underbridge issue which was in need of a reasonably plausible solution (not yet implemented).

[MeTheSwede]

It's probably the heat that makes the lamp post lean. It might straighten up as the temperature cools.

[railsquid]

8 hours ago, MeTheSwede said:

It's probably the heat that makes the lamp post lean. It might straighten up as the temperature cools.

 

On further investigation, it turns out that recent record-breaking rainfall events have resulted in aggregate being washed out from under the road surface, so structural repairs will be necessary.

[bill937ca]

Lamp post poles in Japan have been felled by dog pee.  😁

 

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/national-international/dog-pee-caused-a-traffic-pole-to-snap-in-japan-and-its-not-the-first-time/2564474/

 

 

[railsquid]

Found a spot for another piece of recycled scenery:

 

takahachikawa-2023-10-08_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Miscellaneous progress:

 

takahachikawa-2023-10-16_00 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-10-16_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-10-16_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Half the effort is thinking of reasonably plausible ways to arrange the scenery, and most of the rest is spent rummaging in my chaotic spread of bits and pieces to find something which fits.

[railsquid]

First photo has visible coffee stirrer; hints of chopstick visible in the others.

 

Meanwhile the other, lower end of the road is being extended:

 

takahachikawa-2023-10-16_03 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

A bit more work around the onsen hotel:

 

onsen-2023-11-03_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

onsen-2023-11-03_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

and work has commenced on re-greening the expanded hills:

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-10_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-10_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Creating an "indeterminate vaguely agricultural-looking business-or-something" on a small irregular plot:

 

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

 

(The building in the foreground should actually be set a bit further back so the pillar is not obstructing the entrance).

[railsquid]

Various minor uninteresting changes have been made, meanwhile another perspective:

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-12_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[MeTheSwede]

Looks brilliant!

With that photo you could trick people into believing you've got a finished layout.

[railsquid]

Added a (still bare) fieldlet, which is my first attempt at something like that:

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-16_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Fills an inconvenient space.

[railsquid]

Scenery removed for retaining wall installation:

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-19_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

On 11/13/2023 at 11:46 PM, MeTheSwede said:

With that photo you could trick people into believing you've got a finished layout.

 

Continuing my efforts to make the layout looked more finished than it is, a view down the road towards the station:

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-19_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Elsewhere I have finally a) added a shelf for the controllers, b) created a temporary loop so I can run some trains again, for the first time in the better part of a year.

 

takahachikawa-2023-11-25_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

(please excuse the mess)

[railsquid]

Before and after during:

 

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

 

tunnel-2023-12-23_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

I shall hopefully have a few days over the next week or so to make some useful progress.

[railsquid]

A bit of useful progress:

 

tunnel-2023-12-27_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

After a slow-motion frenzy of making things up as I go along, a small station to serve the small onsen town is emerging :

 

takahachikawa-2024-01-07_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

Scenery out for improvement:

 

takahachikawa-2024-01-10_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[railsquid]

On 1/7/2024 at 5:36 PM, railsquid said:

After a slow-motion frenzy of making things up as I go along, a small station to serve the small onsen town is emerging :

 

takahachikawa-2024-01-07_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Following some more slow-motion frenzy, the space to the left of the lower left platform is becoming a sort of small maintenance yard and place to deposit various vaguely railway-related paraphernalia (will add some more bits'n'pieces as and when I find them)

 

takahachikawa-2024-03-04_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

Round the back of the shed there is even a little smoking space for the workers:

 

takahachikawa-2024-03-04_02 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

 

[railsquid]

On 3/4/2024 at 11:18 PM, railsquid said:

 

takahachikawa-2024-03-04_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

 

To celebrate the completion of the tax return for last year, the platform has bee resurfaced:

 

takahachikawa-2024-03-10_01 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

and with a bit of judicious weathering the awful edging paint job carried out by a much younger Railsquid (8 years younger according to photo records documenting the original work) is neatly disguised.

Edited March 10 by railsquid