Basic Construction
Construction of the PSL scene started with adding an 1/8 inch hardboard backdrop to the L-shaped layout base formed by the hollow-core bifold doors, The backdrop was painted sky blue using rattle can spray paint, followed by addition of clouds again using white spray paint and acrylic paints were brushed on to add background hills. Two layers of 1 inch pink foam were glued to the hollow core doors with construction adhesive and the front edges carved with a hot-wire knife to form the scenic base. Additional foam was carved to form the background hills. All foam seams were filled with Sculptamold, which was also use to provide additional texture and scenic relief.
Microengineering Code 83 On30 flex track and #5 switches were glued directly to the foam using construction adhesive. Turnouts are controlled by Caboose Industries HO scale ground throws. Track feeders were soldered to every rail section and connected to power buses. Switch frog polarity is provided by Tam Valley Frog Juicers. Control is provided by a Digitrax base station and UT4hand held throttles.
The basic ground cover is tile grout supplemented by fine rock, sand, and various scenery products. The harbor and creek water were simulated by painting the base door with spray and acrylic paints sealed with coats of Gloss Medium, which was teased with a paint brush as it was drying to make ripples and waves, which were highlighted with dry brushed white acrylic paint after the Gloss Medium dried. Plaster rock wall castings were use for bridge abutments and sea walls. Broken plaster rock mold castings were colored with acrylic washes to form rip rap. The bridge over San Luis Obispo Creek at the right end of the modules was kit-bashed from an Atlas HO Scale Through Truss bridge.
Adding Structures
A scratch built timber A-frame superstructure was added to a manually operated Peco On30 turntable and the water tower was scratch built board by board using a Planters Cashews can as a base. The water column is a Tichy HO scale kit that was increased in height using brass tube to provide vertical clearance for O-scale locomotive tenders.
Initially, pink foam and foam core mock-ups of the pier, warehouse, and iconic Hotel Marre were fabricated using dimensions from the prototype plans and specifications in the Westcott book as a guide but selectively compressed to fit available space and used to test placement and overall effect. The necessary compression of the hotel was pretty drastic as I had to eliminate one of the three floors, cut the width by 40 %, and make the model a quasi-building flat. However, I was able to retain the widow's walk, second floor balcony, portico over the door, sign painted on the roofing, plus all of the railings and gingerbread that make it so iconic. The final models were scratch-built using dimensional strip wood, clapboard and board and batten siding, misc. Grandt Line castings, paint and tissue paper tar paper, and Ragg's to Riches? peel and stick shingles. For trackage, I hand-spiked Code 83 rails to the pier.
Considering that these modules are the first scenes I have carried to this level of scenic and operational completion and all of the structures in this scene were not only scratch-built, but my first ever efforts at scratch building, I feel pretty good about the overall effect.
