Category: Gruesome Gulch

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Customize a Bachmann Rail Truck with TWO Different Car Bodies

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Here’s a build video that gives you two for the price of one! Follow along as I customize an On30 Bachmann RGS Rail Truck with not one, but two freight car bodies – One for use on the Thunder Mesa Layout, and the other for my spooky themed Gruesome Gulch project. I use two totally different techniques to create these two very different car bodies. Both are scratchbuilt, but one uses printed CG textures for high quality graphics, while the other relies on laser-cut precision to replicate Victorian era details. The Galumphing Goat lives!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Foam Rock Scenery for Gruesome Gulch – GGRR Part 5

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

It’s alive! Spooky rock formations sculpted from extruded polystyrene foam (XPF) help to set the scene on my On30 Gruesome Gulch mini-layout. In part 5 of this series, I demonstrate techniques for carving and finishing lightweight XPF foam to create realistic looking rock formations.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Foam Benchwork and Laying Track on Gruesome Gulch – GGRR Part 4

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

It’s time to finish the benchwork and get some trains running on my On30 Gruesome Gulch mini-layout! In this installment, I build both benchwork and roadbed from layers of lightweight extruded polystyrene foam (XPF), then lay down some On30 flextrack on the upper and lower loops. Some tips on soldering track connections with a butane torch too, and a little track cleaning to keep everything running smoothly. More to come!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

On30 Excursion Cars for Gruesome Gulch – GGRR Part 3

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

My Gruesome Gulch mini-layout will need a train of excursion cars for victims - er - guests to ride those haunted rails. In this episode, I build the first car for my ghost train: a 19' excursion coach that utilizes laser cut parts and bits and pieces from a classic HO Roundhouse kit. More to come!

Thanks for watching, amigos! Dave

A Newspaper Office for Gruesome Gulch – GGRR Part 2

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

I know that the structures for my haunted Gruesome Gulch project railroad will probably take longer than anything else, so in this build video, I get a head start on them with the Gruesome Gulch Epitaph newspaper office. Designing and building this small structure helped me get a handle on the esthetics and feel of the entire layout - even before any track was laid! I get to pull out all the stops on this one, really pushing the caricatured architecture and then weathering things to look right at home in a ghost town!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Welcome to Gruesome Gulch

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

New project! Join me as I kick off a new, small, portable On30 layout project with a haunted ghost town theme! The Gruesome Gulch Railroad is a pure flight of fancy, where ghost trains travel from an abandoned western mining town to the haunted underworld realm of Cadaver Caverns. I was inspired to build a small themed layout of my own after visiting some amazing mini-layouts built by friends. I’m a huge fan of spooky season, so I’ve set myself the goal of finishing most of this by Halloween this year! That means I’ll be dividing my time between this project and the Thunder Mesa layout over the next few months. Should be fun!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave