Track painting in DuBach

This weekend I was able to get the raw ceiling tile painted after trimming the cork.   Once dried I got after getting the track painted.

The first thing that I always do before applying paint is to protect the turnouts and points from getting covered in paint.  A lot of folks will lay a strip of tape over them, but I go at it via a different route.

I took a small piece of napkin, rolled it between my fingers until it was just big enough that I could pack it in between the point rail and the stock rail. This should keep the paint off both surfaces. This also held the opposite side tightly closed so that no paint could get on their surfaces either.

I also took a small drop of oil and placed it in the joints of the switch points where they hinge on the PECO turnouts, my thought was this would keep the paint from insulating the switch points which has worked very well in the past. Please forgive me, by the time I got the picture snapped the oil had puddled. You only need a small drop.

Once the prep work was done it was time to paint.  This time though, instead of using Krylon Camo Brown and two other Rattle cans of light colors that I had used before, I chose to give some acrylic paints a chance to shine this time.  The last time that I painted the tracks between Ruston and Winnfield, the fumes did get a little strong and I had no way to vent them outside.  It wasn't a fog, but the fumes were kind of strong, that was in Feb I do believe.

Now this time it was April and a bit warmer, but the look on the wife's face from the last painting episode I decided to invest in a new airbrush and give acrylics a try, and to save a marriage, although I must say that she is pretty supportive of me and my endeavors.

I chose to use Tamiya paints this time around as they seemed to work pretty good when I sprayed the Ouachita River a while back.  I chose three colors of brown for this.

XF-10 Flat Brown, XF-68 NATO Brown and Boomer's favorite color: XF-52 Flat Earth!

The XF-10 Flat Brown was a little too red when I first applied so I added some black, but it moved a little too much, so I added more of the flat brown to bring the brown back out a bit.  I also thinned it roughly 50/50 with 70% alcohol, this worked out good.

Then I got the mainline, passing siding and one of the spurs painted.  The other four spurs will get painted once I get the buildings built and see how they'll fit, at that point I can adjust the spurs to fit and they'll get painted.

Next I switched to the XF-68, thinned it then shot the tracks by sweeping the airbrush back and forth across the tracks, randomly painting only part of the ties.

For the final color I switched to the XF-52.  I was afraid it would be too light?  But it turned out quite well so I continued onward.  With this color I sprayed the tracks the same as I did with the intermediate color but did not spray as many ties, hoping to get a very random effect.  Now on the one spur for Cajun Hydraulics, I did cover that spur with more XF-52 to simulate a more dirty and unkept appearance, which is what I'll do when I paint the other spurs.

To be honest, while it looks OK now, by the time the ballast gets applied and I get it weathered with Pan Pastels and apply some burnt umber pigment, most of this will probably just blend into one basic track color.  If this was a larger scale, I'm sure it would stand out a bit more.

But hey, at least I didn't just leave it as a nasty-ass, factory plastic with bright shiny rails...  

Next up, everyone's favorite:  Ballasting!

DuBach track work complete.

All of the tracks are laid in DuBach, the only thing left to do is to drop the feeders and connect them to the bus.

The spur tracks are just tacked in place for now, this way I can easily adjust them as the industries get built and installed in case I need to move them to fit.  This will also allow me to work on the operations to make sure that things will work the way I'd like them to.  If not I can easily make adjustments.

North DuBach

South DuBach

 

Progress in DuBach

It's been a few weeks but I finally got around to the track work in DuBach.

While there isn't much difference on the location of the tracks, I did move them away from the backdrop to allow for the new industry: Cajun Hydraulics.  This created a subtle sway in the tracks just enough to  reduce the long tangent I had before.

As before, the main track will be closest to the backdrop, this allows for a larger radius track and it also keeps one from reaching over the train while uncoupling. 

Starting at South DuBach, the mains sway away from the backdrop enough to allow space for Cajun Hydraulics.  The spur in front with only cork will be for A&A Cement.

The tracks are not too far from where they were before.  The radius has been reduced down from 28" to 24" on the main line.

Still working on the North end.  Where the new turnouts are is where Piggly Wiggly will still be, but moved just a tad, the spurs in front will be for ARKLA Plastics and the new Bayou GenTech track with a transfer crane.

My long‑awaited DuBach re‑do has begun

The long‑awaited re‑do of DuBach is officially underway, and today marked the first real step into this next chapter. I focused on the stretch from the bog heading north, through the curve that leads into the south end of El Dorado. It’s a satisfying way to kick things off—if also a little destructive. There’s something about ripping out old track that feels like a true point of no return, the moment when the commitment becomes real.

Back on November 10th, 2025, I said it was time to completely rebuild DuBach. Now that the work has started, that decision feels even more justified. This will be the third—and hopefully final—time this section gets a full overhaul. After operating the layout many times over several years, you learn what works, what doesn’t, and what quietly drives you crazy every session. Things evolve. Ideas mature. Standards rise.

This redo will be my chance to get it right, third times a charms, right? With the old track now pulled up, there’s no turning back. And honestly, that feels pretty great.

Not more than a few hours after the last bit of track was ripped up, I got an email. Every year, the local train show rolls into town like clockwork - a weekend of diesel fumes, nostalgia, and more N‑scale temptation than my wallet can reasonably withstand. But this year, the show comes with a twist. When it arrives a small crowd of friends who’ve all said the same fateful words:

“Hey, while we’re in town, we’d love to operate your layout.”

And just like that, the sword was hung over my head.

A small change at El Dorado

I haven't been doing a lot to the layout since November, Several things have been in the works: the building of Cajun Hydraulics, planning an op session to see if I can have both locals working on the layout at the same time, playing with the 3D printer, planning the complete redo of Dubach and getting supplies for that.

About four years ago I tore up El Dorado completely and removed the small mid yard.  It's been working great with the change, however Quin had mentioned several times during recent sessions that adding a right handed crossover next the depot between the main and siding would make it a little easier for the SB local to work the Mill at El Dorado.

This weekend I decided to get those installed.  It took a few hours to get things gathered up, prep some used Peco C80 turnouts and then getting them installed.  Hardest of all was getting under the layout to get the wiring wrapped up.  

What this does for ops:

When the SB local arrives in El Dorado, it arrives on the main.  The first chore if needed is to work the house track, the second job is to the work the Mill.  In order to get to the mill, the crew needs to cut the cars from the consist and pull clear down to the south end of the El Dorado and make a reverse move clear up to the north of town.  Then it needs to make a couple of switchbacks to access the mill.

With the crossovers, the crew can just pull forward a bit, back through the crossover and they're pretty much right there by the mill.  It'll save a few minutes and distance.

Looking North towards the Mill:

Looking South:

 

  

Target: Dubach

I think I have pretty much ripped up every section of track on the layout at least once if not twice since I've started, with the exception of Malvern.

El Dorado: I removed the small yard when I changed the Ops.

Calion: It was realigned slightly when I changed the track alignment for the Ouachita river scene.

Fordyce: I removed the large Flappers complex and created the Whitewater creek scene to add some negative space.

The main yard: The track was left over from our Bend Track modules and there was just too much track on it since it was designed for mainly staging.  I did make a few adjustments so it could be used in conjunction with the current layout. Let's also say I learned how to lay track better and use better products.

Haskell: It was slightly realigned for better operations.  I also added the Gavilon complex.

Ruston and the ICG interchange: That was done to improve trackwork flow and make the interchange a bit more challenging.  The ICG was also relocated to the front for ease of operations.

Winnfield:  It's still a work in progress, but it's pretty much done, I just need to adjust the spurs to fit the buildings when they get built.    

So now it's time for DuBach.  This will be the third time I've worked on it.  I lengthened the siding once to get a bit more storage space.  I also added and then removed the A&A Cement spur due it being built back in the corner and was too hard to reach.  Also didn't like the way the scenery would have been done.

I've also re-laid the track to ARKLA plastics and added a spur for a mill that will not be used, at least I don't think so?  What I do want to add is an industry that will take Carbon Black hoppers and tanks cars.

As most know, I did not build this line so that it follows what the line did and what industries were proper for the line.  I started this a long time ago: 1982 or so.  Back then I didn't know how to really dig for information and the interwebs were not as full as it is today.  It also didn't help that I wasn't connected to the interweb as I am today.  But with what I have it will keep us busy and entertained for a few hours now and then. 

As of today the current iteration of DuBach looks like this.

Here's what I'm shooting for in DuBach.

This plan will make more use of the space I have in DuBach and will kind of spread things out.  It will also allow for a few roads to be laid in better than before.  

The curved road between A&A and ARKLA will cross the tracks via a bridge and then disappear behind trees in the corner and will make better use of that rear space without having to reach back there while switching.  Again, this is just a rough plan to go off of, but I'm feeling pretty confident that all things will fit.  

The first stage of this change will be starting a kitbash of some kits for the Carbon Black industry along the back drop.  This is going to be the key for the placement of the new alignment of the mainline and siding.  As you can see the main will swing towards the front after it passes the bog on the left.  The first large curve after A&A will be slightly reduced but will still be well over the 18" minimum. 

Wrapping up the ballast

As of tonight I have all the ballasting done from Ruston to Winnfield.  There's just a little left near the yard entrance and it will probably stay that way until I get the track and area around Union Scrap finalized.

A- Mainline heading South through the backdrop to Haskell.

B- Mainline heading North through Winnfield.

C- Is a cutoff I installed to bypass the yard, which I may remove from the crossing to the backdrop?

D- is the spur for Union Scrap

I think the Brown paint turned out nice and now with the ballast applied, it still shows up nicely.  

If you look closely you can see where I applied the black and gray Tamiya Panel liner to the look of sunbleached and fresh ties in this area.

It took very little work to clean the track after the ballasting was complete this time. I took care not to flood the track with glue and then I used a small square of #600 sandpaper and lightly wiped the top and inner head of the rails, then I came back with the Woodland Scenics track cleaner and polished it good.

The loco ran pretty good with the exception of a few spots and two of the points which I used the #600 paper again and inserted it between the point rail and stock rail and moved the paper back and forth a few times.

After wiping down the railheads, I quickly applied a couple swipes of my graphite stick and viola! the loco ran smooth as butter. The more I use graphite the more I like it.

Ballasting the points

I stepped away from the tree painting for a bit.  I need to figure out where I need to paint them and until I get some scenery added in the area, I don't want to paint them and then cover them up with other aspects.

So I decided to start working on the ballast from Ruston to Winnfield.  Last night I started with the points of the turnouts in this area.

I wanted the ICG to have a different color of ballast, so I play around and decided to use just the plain gray, but later I added a bit of Light Gray and a pinch of Black just for a slightly speckled appearance.  Just like the color I chose for The Rocks mainline, I do not like ballast that is a solid color, for The Rocks main line I chose to mix WS Light Gray, Gray, Gray Mix and some Buff. 

I tried using some Gamblin Raw Umber powder pigment to dress up the tracks a bit and give some age to them.  I found this idea after watching some of Boomer's videos: 

 https://youtu.be/w3u39QM4t0M?si=60_qElJMh5PZgLA1

You sure don't need much or it becomes over powering on lighter ballast.  I applied this to each side of just the rails with a small stiff brush, then sprayed it with water to set it in place.  

Backdrop prep and Track painting

With a couple of sessions in the books and the new ICG track working like I want, I felt it was time to move onto the next phase of the area:  Painting the backdrop and track.

I did to the backdrop what I have done with it elsewhere before painting it, I first had to remove the Panhead screws that I used to secure it with originally and replace them with Flathead screws after countersinking them.  Once done I used lightweight Spackling to fill in the holes and the seams.

I also filled all the seams between the ceiling tiles with more lightweight spackling and painted the surface with my generic brown latex paint after the spackling had dried overnight.

There are a couple areas that did not get painted yet.  The area in Winnfield where Union Scrap is located at will get painted once the final location for the tracks have been decided upon and the area between the tracks and the fascia, which may get some excavation in time? 

Next up, painting of the track.

In the past I just used Rustoleum dark brown camo for the tracks, but afterwards I always had reservations about it in the fact that it was too dark for older, less maintained track?

So this time I did a little more soul searching and came up with a new idea.  After seeing what Greg did on his FreeMo-N sections and using his airbrush to paint groups of ties in different colors, I thought I'd try that?

Well I just don't have that kind of patience I guess?  So I did the next best thing.  I picked up a couple more rattle cans of lighter browns and thought I'd try painting everything with the three shades of brown.

The sample section I did, didn't turnout horrible, so I pressed on.  The first coat was with the Dark Camo, I covered the tracks with roughly a 75% coverage. I followed that with the Rustoleum Brown and misted it on patchy then followed that coat with the lighter Krylon Bark Corteza, misting it on with an even less coverage.  It may not be perfect, but it gave me a nice variation in color. 

Even though none of the ties are individually colored as of now, I plan to go back and use Tamiya Panel Liner to add some individual colors to the ties.

The sample track looked ok to me and considering that this is N scale, I don't think it will stand out like it might if it was HO or larger, but it does give me a subtle difference.  In the image below towards the center you can see where I used the gray and went back over it with the black to make some look like they are sun-bleached.

My next step is to repaint the backdrop to cover the screw holes then start painting the hills and tree line.

Complete revamp of the ICG tracks at Ruston, LA

I had always planned to have the ICG tracks disappear between the backdrop and a tree line at Ruston.  The more I thought about it and talked with some friends, the more I thought about redoing the entire area.

I had always thought about putting a farm scene or Mobile home court between the ICG tracks and the Rock's mainline, but the trouble starting showing up when I wanted to install a small siding/run around on the ICG tracks to help improve operations.

With turnouts to throw and couplers that would need to be uncoupled, having a tree line that would semi conceal the tracks, I would have to reach over the tree line or scenery and have to reach to the backdrop, about 18", which wouldn't be bad.  But I could see a constant scenery repairs being needed.

A friend suggested that since I removed the short siding earlier on the Rock main near Tioga Jct. that I move the ICG track out away from the backdrop and "Hide it in plain sight" close to the Rock's trackage?  So I started doodling some plans and came up with this:

 

Once I found something I liked and thought could work I played around with some older turnouts that I had on hand.  When I decided it could work, I ordered some new turnouts and got after it.

Here's a quick video I made of how it'll work.

 

 

 

Re-alignment at Tioga Jct.

Since I reduced my Ops plan several years ago, the short siding at Tioga Jct. near Winnfield has no use any longer.

Back when I had two locals that worked North and South out of El Dorado, the South local would work Union Scrap in Winnfield, which it usually only needed a couple of gondolas.

Since there wasn't very much room there and only that short siding, the local would leave most of its cars sitting in Dubach and drag down only the few gons needed.  Once it worked Union Scrap, the power would run around the loaded gons and return to Dubach, grab the rest of its train and make its way back to El Dorado.

Now only the NB local works Union Scrap and it's a trailing point switch, so no run around is needed.  So the other night I called out the track gangs and I had them remove the siding and realign the tracks at the junction.

This is what I started with:

Here's a quick video of how I reworked it.

 

The New El Dorado.

After getting the backdrop painted, I started to work on the track plan and building footprints for El Dorado.  As I said in an earlier post I want to keep things to a minimum if possible.  No yard, just the main line, a siding and a few industries.

The siding was shortened on the south end (right) but it will still hold a train with three locos, 21 car and caboose, which will probably be more than I'll ever need.

This is what I came up after a few hours of doodling.

I drew it straight but I kept the swing in the tracks as I plan to keep the depot as part of the scene. I also flipped the house track, mainly to balance out the switching moves between the NB and SB local.  This plan gives the SB local two moves: The house track and the Mill.  The NB local can service the Oil Co, Dr Pepper Dist and the Maytag Dist. 

The feed mill might be a little awkward to switch and may not be prototypical?  The track that is below the mill is an old track that went to another defunct industry.  Originally it was the drill track for the old yard, but I plan to keep it in place, model it weeded over and I may keep some MOW equipment parked there to add to the look of the town.  

I still need to get the mill track and the old lead in place and secured temporarily.  Here is where I'm at as of this posting.

Looking South.

Looking North.

A clean slate in El Dorado

With my whirlwind of locomotives behind, I think I have had enough of the bench time for awhile?

It's time to get back to the layout.  My first target is El Dorado.

When I first started working on El Dorado I had planned it to be a busy location that had a small four track yard, two A/D tracks and the longest siding on the layout.  The plans were to have two locals work out of for the entire layout.  This worked well and we had a lot of fun with it and kept the sessions fun full of operations.

As I have mentioned before, time moves on things started to change.  The sessions slowed and the crews dwindled and I decided to reduce my operations.  With this a lot of changes have and are changing.  El Dorado  is on the list and I have decided to start here.  I am going to try to conform to and hold to the old motto "Less is More".

A few years ago, when El Dorado was in its prime it was hopping place.  Here's an image of what it use to be.

 

I decided that I want to go back to my original plans for the layout with it being nothing more than a backwoods branchline of sort.  This means a lot less traffic and nothing more than a string of small towns with only a few industries being served by a local.  So the yard had to go.

After doing a little doodling I came up with this new look for El Dorado.  Also as I have said in the past, I am not modeling the line exactly so I can make full use of my modelers license. It's not to scale, but it's close enough to get started with.

I'm hoping to get the feeling of a small town with a two lane blacktop running down the middle of town, with a few industries to work, and the tracks passing through the edge of town.

Over the last few days I've ripped up the majority of the tracks and have reduced it to the mainline, passing siding and the two A/D tracks, both of which will be removed in time.

I've got the industries pretty much decided on and their locations, but I need to get a feeling of their size before I can really get down to laying the tracks.  One of them; The Dr. Pepper Dist will be fairly large and will be made up of several building kits that have been added on to the original building over time.  The Depot will remain, but will be an actual kit this time.  For the Maytag warehouse, I'm thinking about using the DPM Wood Furniture kit and for the mill, well it's built and ready to install once I find a location for it.

Tonight I figured I'd better make sure the depot would fit the same location where the stand in has been sitting.  So I dug out the Walthers Clarkesville depot and set the foundation in place, and it fits.  So the tracks won't have to move now.

I started thinking about the Maytag building and where it would sit along the backdrop.  Well that got me thinking about the backdrop.  I should really get it done first?  That means I'll need to get it prepped and ready to paint so it look like this when I'm done.

So tonight I cleared things off and got a clean slate to work with.

The first task will be to remove the panhead screws I used to hold the backdrop in place and replace them with some #6 x 5/8" countersink screws, then patch them with spackling and repaint.  I'm also gonna have to do something with this seam?