USMRR Construction Corps

Seven new figures arrived on the layout today. These guys put the figure count for the layout at 246 painted and installed.

Three Perry Metal figures from their camp vignette. They are very well sculpted, though my wife remarked that they
don't look well proportioned with oversized heads, a trait that many wargaming figures share. Nonetheless, I like how
their expressions seem somewhat forlorn as they watch the regiment of 2-year men heading home.

An Arista flag man converted with an Old Glory Hardee Hat head and new paint. I had to modify the hat to remove
the military insignia. With those striped pants and a mauve vest, he is quite dapper for a flagman!

Other than adding some tree stumps in the background, this scene is complete. The sergeant is whooping it up,
while the private remains impassive at attention.

Stockaded Sibley Tent

I installed a Sibley tent from Empress Miniatures and an Old Glory 28mm Supply wagon to the Potomac Creek station scene.  The tent is not 100 percent accurate for a Sibley tent. I believe the model was based on a British 19th Century Colonial bell tent. But I like the way the furled flaps were represented, so I installed it with the opening facing the front. Eventually there will be two figures standing in the opening, so detailing the interior was limited to just straw on the floor.

To stockade the tent was quite simple. The Empress Miniatures tent is a thick plastic casting with a pronounced recessed edge at the base. I was able to glue small twigs split in half to this recessed edge. I test fit the logs against the uneven ground, trimming the logs to fit. Then I spread some tan static grass on the ground to represent the straw flooring for the tent. I glued the tent in place with carpenter's yellow glue. Then I applied some scenic material to blend the tent into the scene.

The wagon is an Old Glory 25mm war gaming model. It is built quite sturdy for rough handling during gaming. It would not make a good foreground model, but is acceptable in the background. The color reference came from the paint chips in Lindmier's book, "The Great Blue Army Wagon." I may add a canvas cover later, though I like the look for the red interior.

Installing the Carpenter's Shed

I installed the carpenter's shed and added a few other miscellaneous details to the Potomac Creek Station scene. It is almost done.

The table is completely laser cut with a pin for the vise handle.

Here are some close ups of the interior of the shed. The tools, work table, shelves and other details will soon be a new kit from Alkem Scale Models.

I plan to make a removable roof for the shed so the interior can be more easily seen.

  

Many soldiers died from disease while in camp. Reference photos and drawings show the grave sites surprisingly close to the camps. This Waud drawing of a graveyard near Stoneman's station was the inspiration.

Finally some trains in the pictures.  Here she is rounding the bend past the cemetery.

The figure on the left is an Artisa conversion. I changed his head and added the vest. The figure  on the right is an engine fireman by SMR. The background figure with the apron is a wild west shop keeper from Rabble UK.

It's getting there.

Aquia Line in the Micro-Mark Catalog

The Spring 2012 issue of the Micro-Mark catalog has a mention of the USMRR Aquia line with a couple pictures including one of me spiking track. I do use Micro-Mark spikes and their pliers, along with other tools and supplies too.

Just for the record, I don't hold the pliers the way I show in the photo. Tom, the proprietor for Micro-Mark, insisted I hold it like that for the photo, as that is the "official" way use the tool. However,  I tend to use an overhand grip when spiking.

Not visible are the Micro-Mark spikes. The batch I got from Micro-Mark have the smallest heads of all the ones I tried. I have not used any of the etched spikes though. I understand they are the closest to scale of any spike.

How many will notice the W&A loco with Union soldiers?

Track bumper, grain sacks and more trees

I added a few details to the Potomac Creek scene including an end of track bumper for the stub siding at Potomac Creek, some grain sacks and more trees.

The Waud drawing at the left was the inspiration for the track bumper seen below. I used 1/4 inch scale lumber and a few NBWs to simulate the bumper. I sized it so the horizontal beam is the same height as the couplers. It's a simple detail, but it really completes that section of the layout.

I tried an experiment using Sculpey polymer clay (Oven Hardening) to make some grain sacks. This clay is available at most craft stores and comes in a variety of colors. It can also be painted once it is hard.

I cut and modeled the clay to look like grain sacks
I have seen in some prototype photos such as this.

I used a piece of slate as a baking surface based on some reports I read where metal pans can cause the clay to burn while cooking. The slate worked well and 15 minutes at 275 degrees did not burn the clay and it set rock hard.

Once it cooled, I primed and painted the sacks. The clay is not as easy to sculpt as the two part epoxy, maybe because I am not as accustomed to using it as the two part epoxy. But it is cheap and easy to get started.

Watching the parade from the top of hard tack boxes

Grain sacks on the platform. The more I think about this, the more likely I am to show this roof under construction
with some workers involved in putting on the roof pieces.

I added a few more trees to the woods. I'll post more detail about these later.