What happened to the balloon?

Balloon Cut out with a replacement sky

I decided  the model balloon I was building was too big  for the layout. So I  had to make a smaller one. I quickly realized that with a small balloon, I really didn't need an actual model. A cut out against the backdrop would suffice. So I looked for a photo of the balloon that might work. I found a color photo of a replica balloon. I used it to create a small composite image. I printed it on card stock, cut out the sky, and then curved it across the corner of the layout.  This was a lot easier than building the balloon model.

Here is what it looks like without a replacement sky. I plan to add a few more trees in the foreground to help break up the view of the sky in the corner. The tents are not glued down and sceniced yet.

Next, I took a crack at making another lone pine for Falmouth. I was not happy with the first one I made a few weeks ago. I had ordered several batches of preserved caspia from a vendor in Utah. They finally arrived, so I made a new tree using a pine dowel, caspia twigs and static grass. It was much faster to make and looks a lot better. I plan to us this technique for more yellow pine trees in this section.

Finally, I rearranged the furniture in the room. I placed the couch alongside shelves under the bridge scene. This opens up the center of the room. The couch doesn't interfere with operations as there is no need to work the train as it comes out of the tunnel and across the bridge.

Terra-foaming

Eeet ees ba-loooon! The plywood bridge and flex track have to be replaced.

I finished laying track at Falmouth this morning. The next step is to remove the flex track and plywood that is currently standing in for the long trestle. Then I can start building the actual parts of the bridge. But before I do that I need to decide where the abutments will be and how they are made. I assume that the original abutments were built by the RF&P so they will be stone.

The terrain in this area is somewhat complex. The trestle cuts across a bend in the creek. The south end  of the bridge is especially hard to visualize. So I decided to add the basic terrain shapes there first. Once they are established that will determine where the abutments will be precisely located.

In the foreground I used pieces of foam. I used cardboard web for the hill in the rear.  That's too big of an area to try to use foam. 

I tacked the balloon on the wall to get a look at how it will appear. It is kind of a scene stealer.  The final vignette will show the ground crew getting the balloon ready for a flight.

Floating Coves and Backdrops

I finished constructing and painting the sky and clouds on the backdrops for the Falmouth extension. A few friends requested that I do a video of how I paint my backdrops. So I put one together and uploaded it to YouTube. 

 

In the video I explain the concept of the floating cove to improve the appearance of the corners. This technique has worked well for me. I have not had any cracks develop in my backdrops over the 13 years the layout has been up.

The video was getting a little long, so I edited out the discussion of why I did not cove the corner by the planned balloon camp.  There is a window adjacent to that corner. This window is a possible fire escape for the room. So I did not want to block it with a section of masonite I would use for a cove. Solutions that involved a partial cove just didn't look right. So I plan to rely on the Lowe's observation balloon to help hide the uncoved corner.

I have not yet painted the ground portion of the backdrop as that will depend on how I install the 3D terrain. 

150th Anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run

I visited the city of Manassas today to see some of the events they had ongoing for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run. I did not go to the battlefield site, but instead went to the General Officers' encampment downtown near the City Museum. I also went to Camp Manassas at Jennie Dean Park, where some artillery units were camped as well as a balloonist,  sutlers and a African-American couple depicting an typical farm.   

The weather was hot, but not as humid as the previous days. It was fun seeing so many people in period dress.  Here are some pictures and a video depicting a small cavalry charge.

Brian Kammerer and Glenn LaBoeuf,  one of the guest speakers, in front of Brian's art display and sales tent.

Some of the CSA General Officers and their wives at the Lee's Lieutenant's camp near the Manassas Museum. There were lots of women in period dress at the event.

Some of the CSA tents

Some of the mounted officers demonstrated a cavalry charge. The leader sure looks like Stuart.

Part of an artillery battery at Camp Manassas.

The balloon was not flying when I was there. 

A railroad related display in the Manassas City Museum

There were several ambulances on display

Some of the tents at the Union Officers' encampment

The general officers had some elaborate tents.

Dinner and a Movie

We had a good work session tonight. Jeff and Christian Peck arrived first. Jeff went to work spiking track at Stoneman's Station. I fired up the Xbox 360 and Christian got busy with Modern Warfare 2.

Mark Anderson arrived and proceeded to fix the door to the garage, which I didn't even realize needed repairs. Then he teamed up with Marco to trim the bottom of the door to the work shop. Mark finished the door reversal, while Marco continued to work on the Aquia Harbor benchwork.

JD arrived and we took a break for "show and tell." I had ordered two prints from Brian Kammerer at CW Battle Art and we admired them. Everyone liked them though Alicia and the others really liked the Manassas scene. I think I like the Marshall House one better, so everyone is happy.

After that break JD worked on installing feeders. I went around with a drill and made the holes for the feeders. I marked them with toothpicks. JD prepared a set of wires and began installing them, with solder connections on the bottom of the rails. Red wire to the rear.

I worked on roadbed and gluing ties between Potomac Creek and Brook. It is ready for rail and spikes.

At 10PM we stopped work. We popped Brian Kammerer's DVD, "The Other Great Locomotive Chase" in the player and watched it. One idea inspired by the film that we agreed on was that I should add a balloon camp at Falmouth. The photos below show the balloon Intrepid at Yorktown and in the photo to the right the balloon camp at Falmouth in 1863. The balloon corps was disbanded later in 1863, but it was present in my time frame. That should be a fun and diverting project.