Shift Change, Truck Driver, and Backdrop Phase I

During a trip to Raleigh, I looked up a local model train shop, Nick's Model Trains, and stopped by.  It's another one of those small shops with stuff EVERYwhere and "groupies" hanging around.  A groupie helped me find an ACL style caboose kit that is undecorated.  We were hoping it might work for The Bay Line caboose, but I'm afraid it's too recent.

Oh well, picked up a Woodland Scenics package of factory workers.  They are a little too construction looking to fit well with the layout, but with a few modifications, they will work out.  For example, remove the hardhat from one of the guy's hand and he would suffice for a textile worker; before and after:

This may require a little cleanup so his leg doesn't have a metallic spot.  Maybe what's left in his hand is his wallet. . . .

















So, this dude plus two others from the package and a "supervisor" from another collection and we have some guys waiting for second shift.  Mostly chewing the fat, but one is too hungry to wait until break for his sandwich.

Hardhats might be more likely at the pulpwood yard, so here's a guy who just came out of the pulpwood shack to check out what's happening, and a guy just getting ready to get back in his pulpwood truck and go for another load of pulpwood.

OK, never claimed to be very artsy, but here's a stab at clouds on a backdrop.  Started with medium light blue spray paint over a 2X6'4" piece of hardboard.  Cut out a notch about 3 1/4" deep to go over the DC control panel, just in case it's ever needed again.  This took a couple of coats to cover fairly well.  A few light sprays with a little darker blue kept it from being monochromatic.

Had seen a guy tear lightweight cardboard and then spray a little bit of an angle from above with the "template" held an inch or so off the backdrop.  That seemed to work pretty well with some satin white spray paint.  Templates can be seen on the picnic table.

Used the darker blue again before the last white was sprayed trying to get a bit of a threatening rain look.  Not bad.

Drilled a few holes in the hardboard for attachment and added to the layout with some panhead screws.  I'm pleased with the results.  The clouds seem to be a good suggestion of real clouds.  As cautioned by write-ups on backdrops, the backdrop does look a bit funky if you start getting shadows on it from trees, smokestacks, and buildings.
Before:

 After:

We have a friend who is a real artist.  I think I'll get her to help me add some scenery on the backdrop to extend the layout.