First section paved.

Thats alotta engraving.

I completed the first of many sections of paved areas for the terminal today.  Kept the laser going for about 4 hours to complete the pieces for this.

Each section I engraved was about 3″x6″ and had to be laminated onto a base, which I framed to simulate the way the pavers were installed in the terminal.  Once complete, I gave it a light coat of grey primer.

I am pretty happy with the results.  Shows up great in close up shots.

I put quite a bit of effort into the bitmaps used for engraving to ensure there were not noticeable patterns in the brickwork, as there was only a single images duplicated over and over to create the large section.

I was able to do this by carefully manipulating the brightness and contrast of sections of the image, as well as mirroring and flipping it so no two sections were next to each other.

The areas where sections were physically glued together are a bit noticeable, but I am pretty sure I can hide those with some weathering and other details.  Unfortunately I won’t be able to do any of that until it is all installed, otherwise I am concerned I will not be able to maintain consistency in the effect.

About the Author:

I'm your host, Tim Warris, a product developer in Port Dover, Ontario. Since March of 2007 I have been documenting the construction of the former CNJ Bronx Terminal in HO scale. For my day job, I design track building tools for Fast Tracks, a small company I own and operate. Fast Tracks makes it fast and easy to hand lay your own trackwork. Stop by our website to learn more!

Posted by: Tim | 04-08-2012 | 03:04 PM
Posted in: Latest Posts