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I decided that now was the time to try my hand at sculpting some figures for the layout, as I needed to know what clearances were required when laying the track, and until my engine was done, and Pete (the engineer) was seated, I wouldn’t be able to start building. I did a little searching online and came across an outstanding article on myLargeScale.com, outlining how to create large scale figures using tinfoil armatures and polymer clay. I skimmed the article and decided that it was worth trying.

(I’m not going to bother detailing how I sculpted the figures, as myLargeScale.com thoroughly documents the process.)

Firstly, I used a wire armature for the body rather then tinfoil as it was more rigid and allowed my to pose the figure more easily. Using a proportional template ensured that the basic dimensions of the figure were correct. I systematically sculpted each detail starting at the feet, baking and re-baking the figure each time I added new details. The polymer clay tended to darken each time I baked it, so you can see how I started with the feet and worked upwards. Each time the figure was in the oven, I sculpted several heads in an attempt to come up with a suitable visage. By the time I had finished the body I had created about a dozen mediocre heads. I selected the best of the bunch, and attached it to the body with a bit of clay.

In the end, it took roughly three hours to come up with the figure, and I’m generally happy with it. The body is good, but the face is crude, large, and proportionally ‘off’. When I build my next figure, I’ll be sure to purchase harder clay, as the product I was using, Sculpy, seemed too soft and tended to melt in my fingers as I worked with it – which made modeling the facial features very difficult.

Oh, and I made some pumpkins!

(Please excuse the poor image quality)

Having established a rough trackplan for Pete’s Pumpkins, I next needed to decide what scale I would be modelling in. I knew that I was going to use N scale track and motive power for the railroad, so I decided to draft up some freelanced engine designs in various scales to better assess how plausible it would be to transform my old Bachmann Plymouth MDT Switcher into a narrow gage gnat.

The three scales I chose to explore were O Scale, #1 Scale and G Scale. I was able to come up with some fairly pleasing designs, but was most intrigued with the plans designed in #1 scale (1:32). The current trackplan features tracks Pete’s pit ‘ the tunnel beneath the ‘mainline’ track ‘ which will have limited clearances, so the G scale plans are a bit too big. Likewise, I’m considering modelling the figures for the railroad myself, so the O Scale plans ‘ while decent ‘ might prove to be too challenging when it comes time to model some O scale people.

Here are the possibilities I came up with. Enjoy.

The trackplan for Pete’s Pumpkins railroad is loosely based on Chuck Yungkurth’s Gum Stump & Snowshoe model railroad ‘ a small 1′x6′ switching layout published in Model Railroader in the 60′s. The hallmark feature of the Gum Stump & Snowshoe was the switchback arrangement that allowed for the mainline to cross over itself. I decided to reverse the elevations, eliminate the sidings, and join the original east and west tracks to create a continuous loop. The finished plan bears little resemblance to the original GS&S, however the essence is still there.

In an attempt to add some plausibility to the railroad’s design, I envisioned that Pete runs a roadside vegetable stand offering pumpkins to would-be halloweeners. In order to keep up with demand, Pete installed a make-shift narrow gave railway to transport pumpkins from the neighbouring fields to his barn. As demand is high, Pete is constantly transporting goods from the barn to the roadside stand via the ‘pumpkin pit’ ‘ the underground access to the barn’s cellar.

The overall plan size is 18″x24″ ‘ just 3 square feet ‘ which easily qualifies it as a micro layout (micro layouts categorically are those model railroads that are 4 square feet or less). The elevations will undoubtedly be steep, and the curves are tight, so creative scenicing will be paramount in order to create relative believability. Likewise, pumpkin season dictates that the layout be modeled in late fall, requiring autumn colours and withering vegetation.

Pete’s Pumpkins is a micro layout I’m attempting to build in lieu of working on my somewhat larger layout. My larger N scale layout is a freelanced design roughly set in South-western Ontario Canada. While I have enjoyed working on this pike, there is some tedium as there are always some details to research, prototype equipment to purchase/make, or some buildings to scratch-build. As such, I wanted to try my hand at something simpler, so I’ve decided to build a microlayout.

Pete’s Pumpkins is a fictional narrow-gage railway set in the rural countryside used to transport pumpkins from the surrounding fields to Pete’s Pumpkins storage facilities ‘ the barn!

I haven’t yet decided if Pete’s Pumpkins will be HOn30 or On18 scale, only that it will be constructed using leftover N scale track. The budget for the layout is $0.00, so the goal is to build the layout using little more then the cast-off rolling stock and common building that are laying around the house. Likewise, I’d like to see how quickly I can construct the layout, as working on my larger layout (which will never be ‘done’) makes if difficult to judge how quickly my skills have developed.

Thanks for visiting.