Feb 27
Before adding scenery to your HO or O scale model trains toys, first determine the theme, location and layout.
Theme: Consider the theme or purpose for the setting you want to achieve. Is it a passenger train, a military base, or some other setting? The location should be considered, such as if you want the train to travel through towns to and from its destination. Think about the era; do you want your trains toys to be vintage or modern? Your setting and scenery should reflect the overall theme of your train set. Keeping the scenery consistent with the era and theme will keep your train realistic looking.
Location: Decide where you want to display your model trains toys. You might build it on a shelf or countertop for more permanent mounting. You could create an intricate design in which your train runs through the walls (near the ceiling) of your house, traveling from room to room. A different town or factory could be in each room. (Of course, the downside to this type of track is chasing down derailments, but it would be an interesting hobby.)
Layout: After you know the theme and location, plan the layout for the track, terrain, structures and finally, the scenery. The scenery must work within the constraints of the space available and it should compliment your scale model trains. To get some ideas on what you can do with scenery, there are books available from hobby shops. Another source which is faster and cheaper is a Google search for âtrain stationsâ or other related keyword phrases. When you find a real train station, then choose maps, then the Satellite tab and zoom in for a view of the scenery around a real station. You can model your station after that or use parts of it for your own design.
To get started with laying out the scenery, draw a rough sketch design on a piece of paper to get an idea of where you want to place different items. After you have a plan that you like, use a pencil to lightly draw directly on the surface of your layout, whether it is a plywood board or wherever the scenery will be positioned. Plan for height and depth based on the scale of your trains.
Use either construction foam (spray-on kind) or plaster to build hills. The spray Foam Insulation can be painted and cut to fit your style. Spray the foam on a working surface where you have room to work, away from your actual layout, shaping it to the bottom layer of the âhill.â Trim the edges until you are satisfied with its look. Add more layers, spraying and trimming each time, until your hill is the correct height. Be sure the layers fit together. Once you are satisfied with the hillâs height and shape, glue each layer together with a product like Liquid Nails. Hold the layers together with toothpicks until dry. Once dry, you can glue the hill to your board, making it part of your scenery. Let this sit aside while you continue adding scenery.
Begin adding ground cover materials around the track. Your hobby store should have several sizes and shades available; a mix of colors and sizes will provide realistic settings for a wide variety of trains toys. If you will be painting or trimming any scenery near the tracks, be sure to cover the tracks with masking tape.
Decide the placement of trees, grass, and other ground covers before moving to the next step. Be sure you have marked the board with the location of each item.
When you are ready to use ground cover, brush an earth-colored brown paint onto an area a few feet square. Your ground cover will stick to the paint as the paint dries. Add some broken branches or more ground cover to enhance your scenery. Continue this process around the board, being sure to protect the tracks as you work.
If you added water to your scenery, be sure to check that the water flows easily, but doesnât gush and therefore cause damage to your track. The complexity of your water scene determines how much containment you will need for the water. Simply adding a green paint with shimmers gives the illusion of a small pond.
Once the ground cover is all in place, itâs time to add your trees, animals, or other items to your scene. Be sure that purchased items are the same scale as your scale model trains. Your towns can include traffic lights, building, cars, people, and pets. Browse your local hobby shop or an online store for items that fit your theme, whether itâs early steam engine or modern supersonic trains.
Once youâve mastered these simple scenery-building basics, you can add intricate designs, holiday-themed elements, and trees and scenery that reflect the change of seasons. As your train set expands, you can add detailed cities, construction sites, and other scenic items as you choose. Have fun with your designs. Take pictures, keep them in a photo album so you can see your progress, and have a record of your changes.
Joe Kanooga
Feb 27
Winter is coming and in many places it is already here. If you are a homeowner then you are probably always looking for ways to help prevent heat loss in your home and cut down on utility bills. The more ways you find to do this, the more energy and money you will save.
There are many ways to reduce heat loss in your home and we are going to look at 7 ways that are not only pretty easy to do but also fairly inexpensive as well.
Windows Â
If you have lived in your home for a while or if you have purchased an older home with the original windows, there is bound to be some draftiness around the windows and this means a high likelihood of heat loss. Although replacing drafty windows with the newer energy efficient window is an option, for many the cost is too much, especially in todayâs budget minded economy.
For just a few dollars you can solve this problem in other ways. Here are two simple methods you can use. First, you can buy Window Insulation Kits which consist of plastic shrink film and double faced tape. Apply the tap around the outer edge of the window frame, stick the plastic file to the tape and then use a hair dryer to shrink the film so that it is tight. Simply cut away any excess plastic and youâre done. This can increase the R-Value up to 90%.
Also, concerning your windows, using quilted curtains to cover your drafty windows, will not only cut down on the heat loss and draftiness, they will also help the room to stay warmer. Many people who use shades on their window can install curtains over the windows while leaving the shades in place. In the summer, simply take down the curtains and leave the rod to make an easy transition during the seasons.
The Fireplace
There is nothing like sitting in front of a warm fire burning in the fireplace of your home on a cold winter night. Many people have a screen covering the opening and unless you wait until the fire burns completely out, the fireplace damper needs to stay open for safety purposes. This means if you go to bed before the fire burns out and the damper is left open all night, warm air from inside your home will be pulled up the chimney and escape outside your house.
Even with the damper completely closed some air can still escape because most dampers do not seal out the air entirely.
One of the best and easiest ways to save energy and reduce heat loss in this situation is to install a set of âAirtightâ fireplace doors to the opening. With these doors, the gaskets around the frame seal the door to the fireplace face and keep air from leaking in or out. Plus the doors look great and the glass still lets the heat from the fire come into the home. You will not have to worry if the fire is still burning when you go to bed because even after the fire burns out and the damper is left open, the doors seal off the opening so no heat loss occurs.
Electrical Outlets and Switches
Count up the number of electrical outlets and switches you have in your home and if you have air leaks around the majority of them then you are in for some heat loss problems. There are two simple solutions for this problem and you can easily take care of this yourself. First you can try the foam outlet sealers or gaskets that fit over your existing outlets and switches. They will cover up the gaps between the edge of the drywall and the outlet boxes and fit in nicely behind the outlet and switch covers. The result is a perfect airtight seal that reduces heat loss in one of the most common areas in your home.
Another option you can use either alone or in conjunction with the outlet sealers is insulated foam that comes in cans and can be sprayed into the gaps around the outlet boxes and then trimmed off with a utility knife. Spray Foam Insulation will come with a long tube adapter that will fit into the can that will make it easy for you to control the amount of foam you apply into the gaps.
Concrete Block Sill Plates and Rim Joist
Just go down into your basement or crawl space and run your hand along the wood sill plate the rests on top of the concrete block or poured foundation walls and also along the outside rim joists that rest on top of the sill plate and below the floor. There is a good chance you will feel air leaks in these areas and that means heat loss. The simple solution to solve this problem is to buy some good acrylic latex caulk and run a bead of caulk along all the edges where the plate meets the block and where the joists meet the plate and the floor and of course anywhere else that you might feel air infiltration.
Attic Insulation
This is a given. If you do not have enough insulation in your attic, not only is your home going to not heat as efficiently as it should you will also be prone to more heat loss. If your home is older and you did have insulation sprayed into the attic when it was built, then you need to check the depth of the insulation to see if it is still energy efficient. Go up into the attic and take a yard stick with you and then simply place the yard stick into the insulation between the trusses or ceiling joists, and measure the depth of the insulation. Â On the average around if your insulation is 12 to 18 inches deep then you have an R value of about R-30 to R-38 which is fine for most areas. However if you live in a cold climate and the insulation is below 10 inches deep, then it would be a good idea to add some more.
Here again, you can do the job yourself by renting a blower and buying the material and although it can be a pretty messy job, you will save about half the cost of what an insulation company will charge you to do the job. If you are going to hire someone to do it for you, make sure you get 3 bids and ask for references.
Check Cabinet Toekick Register Covers
You would not believe how much heat loss there is around the register covers that are attached to the toekicks of cabinets in your home. When the duct work is installed prior to the cabinets being installed it is of the utmost importance to make sure the metal boot that the register cover is going to fit into, comes out flush with the front of the toekick hole that is cut out for the register. If this does not happen, the air coming out of the boot will leak under the cabinets and the register cover will have no control over it.
If you have this problem, then you need to either have a heating person come out to your home and make up and extension that fits into the existing boot and also allows your register cover to fit inside of it while allowing it to open and close with ease. This will then give you back control of the amount of heat that comes into the room, stop the heat from getting trapped under your cabinets and will reduce the heat loss and save you money.
Detecting Leaks and Drafts and Consider an Energy Audit
Believe it or not, more and more companies that specialize in performing an energy audit are popping up all over the place. Are these legitimate companies that you want to hire? If is worth paying one of these companies up to $400.00 to perform and energy audit? Can and energy audit help detect leaks and drafts in places you would not have thought of thus helping you to reduce heat loss and save energy and money? Yes, yes and yes!
A certified company that specializes in energy audits uses sophisticated equipment and is trained to use that equipment to seek out all areas of your home where heat loss, leaks and drafts exist. You will then end up with a very detailed report showing you all of the areas of your home that are the prime energy loss areas and you can then either take care of making the upgrades yourself or hire someone to do some of the work for you.
Saving energy, cutting down on heat loss and doing whatever you can to reduce your heating bills, will not only keep you comfortable this winter, but will also save you money in our current budget minded economy.
Rick Maselli
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/7-ways-to-prevent-heat-loss-in-your-home-this-winter-678567.html
Feb 22
I have made a 30cm x 30cm hole in the concrete roof slab to get the AC pipes through it. The slab was already been finished.The slab thickness is 30cm and above it there were foam concrete, bitumen sheet, foam for heat insulation and at the top there are mosaic tiles. how can i make it as before , strong in waterproofing and heat proof. which cement should i use for this work ? and how to make ? seeking your best advice. Thanks.
I would fill the main void with some kind of expanding foam, then after that drys gently cut any access off with out damaging any pipes, and caulk the rest with polyurethane caulk it’s strong, and flexible. They have different colors also.
