Progress Report 11.30.12 - Scenery Continues

This morning before work, I continued work on the layout.  I worked on the stone retainer wall between West Bureau and Peoria.

Painted the scenery brown and applied the grass mixture.  I ran out of the grass mixture (I blend a couple different colors together).

This evening, I mixed up another batch of grass, painted the scenery and applied.  The area between Peru and LaSalle is looking nice.

Trimmed the excess from the stone retainer wall.

Progress Report 11.29.12 - Preparation for Operating

Worked on the layout this evening.  Sanded and painted the highway between Peru and LaSalle.

Cleaned up the workbench.  It was a hot mess.  Gathered up the variations of paperwork for the next op session.  Put away a bunch of locomotive projects and such that were laid out all across the layout.  Gathered up most of the tools in the layout room.

Fixed the temporary wiring connecting the upper level LED lights to the power supplies.  I had it connected with alligator clips.

Started to install a flexible rock retaining wall between Bureau and Peoria.  I have two sections completed, but will need to add the third section and then trim the excess.

Progress Report 11.28.12 - Piddling around

This morning, I returned to the layout room.  Either I have been sick with sinus crud, or busy due to all the events going around this time of year.

I added a few freight cars to a late arriving freight train to be classified by the new yardmaster.

I sanded (again) the highway between Peru and LaSalle.  I had a few more places to patch up.  Hopefully, I can get this completed so I can paint the highway and apply ground cover in the region.

It just dawned on me, I only have two weeks from this Saturday to get the layout ready for the next op session.

So, let's go back to the list created on 10/21 to see how we're doing?

1) Complete base scenery between Peru and LaSalle, IL (nearly done, but a slow process)
2) Complete base scenery in West Bureau, IL (doubtful this will happen)
3) Complete base scenery between Utica and Ottawa, IL (doubtful this will happen)
4) Complete base scenery between Ottawa and Joliet Grain Co. (doubtful this will happen)
      * This should complete all base scenery on the layout.
5) Ballast the section between LaSalle and Utica, IL (postponed, waiting for some expert help from friends)
6) Figure out an appropriate color for the pond by Franklin Farms so that it doesn't look like a nuclear waste dump!  Pour Mod Podge to create lake scene. (might try giving this a whirl), but my colorblind self has issues with colors.  
7) Plant all trees in my possession (highly unlikely)
8) Continue ballasting where I can (well, I did a little)
9) Work on large Westclox building (not going to happen before the op session).

Wow!  I have been highly unproductive since the last op session.  I'm usually better than that.  I'll see what I can complete in the next week before preparing for the op session.

More on Ballasting...

Well, today I went back to look at my ballasting work from the other day.  I just don't get it why my ballast is lumpy.  It looks ok from a distance, but just uneven and such.  I tried this time saturating the ballast with glue from within the rails and along the bottom (letting the glue soak down and up) trying to avoid creating the lumpiness by dropping glue directly on the ballast side profile.  It just doesn't work well for me.  I need to get one of the local guys to give me a ballasting class.