A little bit closer...

I have added Mr. Drinkwater to the roof and his son out front bringing him some more supplies. I also added some weeds, more junk and even a "project" in the garage. I have also worked to get the lighting done in the house and some basic interior details. Before I can move on to the next building or part of the module I have a few more items to complete. The items I plan to finish before moving on are as follows:

• Complete roof structure and detailing
• Finish house interior; window glass, window dressing, other details
• Add some more exterior details, firewood pile, detail around fallen tree, also more junk
• Figure out how to blend the backdrop and scene together, possibly a fence and maybe a tree

 With this basic plan in place here is where I am at now.

Natural Lighting

The Drinkwater place seems to have had a little problem with the garage recently. It looks Mr Drinkwater has been attempting to make some repairs using some reclaimed corrugated metal siding. From the looks of it the material has been sitting around for awhile, probably in the backyard, but it most likely was the right price, free! I was thinking about adding some LED lighting to the building, but with the current condition of the roof I figured the electricity probably was not working. Also with the large skylight it appears there would be enough natural lighting to be able to see the details inside without adding the LEDs.

More photos of the available on the Projects in Progress Page (CLICK HERE)

Look at all this junk!!

I have been making progress on the garage, and also the exterior details that will really set the mood for this part of the layout. I also decided to call this the Drinkwater place, no particular reason, just sounds like a good idea. Next will be to continue to add the details then I can move on to getting the roof taken care of. I also have decided that I will model Mr. Drinkwater and his eldest son working to make repairs to the garage door.

More pictures in the Projects in Progress page.

Working up Hill (Street)

There is a gentlemen named Andy Kramer that posts on the Big Blue Trains forum regarding his progress of his 1950's Milwaukee Road Layout. (Click Here for Link) He is  a good modeler and does a good job detailing each scene, but what really impresses me is his approach to his modeling. He essentially completes one whole area before moving on. He will build benchwork, get his backdrop done, lay track and then start working on the scene. He will work from the back of the layout towards the front and from one side to another, not moving along until that section is completed. I have tried a number of times to get projects only to get them somewhere between started and almost finished, but never done. I have decided to try Andy's approach with my Hill Street module. The plan is to start from the back to front and I will be working from left to right. Since I have already started a number of these structures it will not be in the full Andy Method, but it will be better then just building more stuff to put in a box.

 Here is my first structure that I will be completing and it is a bit of a run down house on the edge. It will feature a garage that is falling apart being held together by the junk inside of it. The house will also be run down needing at least a coat of paint, probably also a new roof and of course a good cleaning of the yard. I have more pictures in the Projects In Progress page of the buildings.