Gettysburg Visitor Center and Cyclorama

I had a chance to visit the new Gettysburg Battlefield Visitor Center today. This is a completely new facility built about a mile east of the old center on Cemetery Ridge. The new center is really great. The museum is very well done, taking the visitor from the origins of the war through details of the battle and the aftermath. The movie theater played a circa 10 minute film narrated by Morgan Freeman called, "A New Birth of Freedom." The film frames the civil war around the issue of slavery, especially the problem of whether to incorporate the new western states as "slave" or "free."

These photos show some of the displays at the museum. The uniforms and equipment are great references for painting and detailing miniatures.

But the real gem of the center is the restored cyclorama. Originally painted by Paul Philippoteaux and a crew of 5 to 20 men, it has been thoroughly restored and expanded. The $16 million project results in a larger, spectacular image, has a better 3D diorama incorporated into it and has special lighting and sound effects that are quite stunning.

This has got to be the best backdrop ever painted! Check out the close up photo and look for where the 3D scenery transitions into the 2D painting. Click on the upper wide angle photo and examine the water well - half of the well is 3D while the back half is 2D. Seamless integration.

I was able to get these amazingly clear photos using my Canon 5D at ISO 1600 using the safety railing as a temporary "tripod." I panned the camera and combined the images in Photoshop using Photomerge. The images I posed here have are 1,200 to 2,000 pixels. The base images from the photomerge are 8,000 pixels across.

Making a 1860's Era Train Crew

Before I get back to track laying, I wanted to finish up some figure painting and modification projects I had going on. This time I wanted to build a head end crew for one of my trains. I planned for an engineer, conductor and brakeman.

The engineer started off as a Woodland Scenics figure. He was seated with his left arm raised. This pose works for a more modern steam engine with a transverse seat and an elevated Johnson Bar. But my locomotives have longitudinal seats and lower Johnson bars.

Dave Schnieder and I corresponded about this. He convinced me that engineers in this period operated their engines while standing. To hang out the window like the engineer is doing in the prototype picture at the left, he had to kneel with at least one knee on the seat.


Armed with that information, I began converting the Woodland Scenics engineer. First I cut him at the waist and drilled holes in torso and hips for a piece of wire. Then I cut his right leg at the knee. I sanded the pieces so that he could be kneeling on this leg.

Next I cut the left leg at the hip and knee. Drilling holes for small bits of wire and pinning the pieces together allowed me to adjust this leg so that the figure could fit in the cab.

The head on the Woodland Scenics figure is not well molded and has a hat that I didn't like, so I cut it off. I also removed the bandana.

I used a bearded head with a square slouch hat from Sash and Saber. I made a sack coat from a piece of Magic Sculpt putty that I rolled out to a thin sheet. I also used the Magic Sculpt to fill in gaps. If you haven't worked with two part molding epoxy, I recommend you try it. It is a bit tricky to learn how to use, but is great for sculpting of figures. This engineer is named Schaefer, in memory of a good friend.

The conductor is a wild west figure from an forgotten UK manufacturer (either HLBS, Rabble or Stadden). I filed his hat to look more like a slouch hat instead of the ten gallon, wide brimmed Stetson he was hearing.

The seated figure is a 1/43rd scale engine crew figure from Trackpass, unmodified.

Here they are working their engine at Falmouth. The engineer is glued into the cab.

I eventually plan to name all the figures on the layout. If you paint a figure, it or another will bear your name. So if you want to be included let me know. The recruitment office tells me that Captain Drye has a company of men ready to join the Army, plus several sutlers, surgeons and other assorted folk.

Here is a video showing the B&O Mason #25, a 4-4-0 being operated. This is the oldest running steam engine in the USA. Note how the engineer stands. Thanks to James for the link to the video.

Two New Sentries On Duty

Privates Clarson and Peck report to duty to relieve Private McGuirk at Potomac Creek bridge while Corporal Emery supervises.

Now, another quiz. See if you can spot the mistake in these photos. I have since corrected it, so you'll have to look closely.

Hint:It may help if you take a break in between looking at the two pictures.

Sentries Posted

Corporal Agarn's squad has drawn sentry duty at Potomac Creek Bridge. He placed his guards at each end of the bridge and in the valley below.

During his rounds he found Private McGuirk goofing off. Applying some on the spot discipline, he has McGuirk's attention.

All the fuss attracts Brigadier General Haupt and his distinguished visitor, G. Stevenson. Haupt makes sure that this is a day McGuirk won't forget.

Back at his post, Pvt McGuirk paces up and down the bridge. "Things sure would be easier if they added some dang planks to this blame bridge, " he muttered as he gingerly trod across the open bridge beams.

Our chastised private was so focused on not falling off that he failed to notice the locomotive and train drifting slowing across the span. Startled, he nearly lost his balance. "I dint make it off Mayre's Heights just to die on this cussed pile o' sticks," he muttered as the train lumbered by.

These photos illustrate one of the advantages of modeling the ACW RRs in O Scale. The figures can be much more realistic than in the smaller scales.

General Haupt and Private McGuirk are Sash and Saber Figures. Corporal Agarn is a 40mm figure from a manufacturer that I can no longer remember. It is very well sculpted. I bought it many years ago. As I remember, it was the only figure they offered in 40mm. G. Stevenson was painted by Dave Emery.

Bonus, see if you can spot the thing that is out of place or could be considered an anomaly in these photos.

Hint: It's not the W&A Locomotive General running on the USMRR.

Hint 2: It's in the first two pictures.

Potomac Creek Bridge Construction Steps

Here are some step by step photos showing how I made the piers and installed the bridge at Potomac Creek.

I made the base layer for the piers from laser cut 1/8th inch plywood. This kept the taper constant and ensured that both piers are the same size.

I covered the piers with embossed sheet plastic. To fill in the seams I used CAA glue and baking soda. The baking soda makes a slightly gritty texture when it cures that works well with the stone surface. I used Zip Kicker to accelerate the glue set.

The wood beams on the top of the pier are necessary because the truss is wider than the piers. Since the USMRR built the truss around the existing trestle bridge, it ended up wider than the original truss. Thus they needed these wood beams to support the new wider truss on the original piers.

To blend the terrain around the abutments with the precast rocks below them, I hand carved Durhams Water Putty.

Once it was cured, I painted the rocks with the base scenery colors to blend everything together and then added some basic texture with ground foam and static grass.