Question for modelers

[Tami1]

Been so rapped up in Trainz and Railworks that I'm letting my 2 N Scale layouts collect dust. LOTS of dust. I need advise or links on how to clean these up without ripping up ballast and grass and other scenery. Any recommended low power vaccum cleaners? I'm able to remove the structures ok, but its the scenery I'm afraid to mess with without damaging it. Time to take a break from the computer chair and get back to some real modeling.

 

[butter]

ballast; I personally would glue everything down where you can then go back over with a vaccum. You can easily fix your scenery unless you didnt glue anything down and just dry placed it.

 

[cascaderailroad]

A model RR layout could be covered with a bedsheet, plastic drop cloth, vinyl tarp ... etc ...

A wet dry vac with a 4" soft brush attachment, and possibly a small 1/2 hole drilled in the vvaaccuumm cleaner hose would reduce high powered suction (an could be pluged with duct tape for high powered suction). A leaf blower on low speed could blow dust off (and all over creation) ... and 2-3 portable fans would blow the airborne dust out the winder' :hehe: or back door.

And yes ... all scenery should be spayed with a windex bottle filled with water (with a couple drops of added liquid dishsoap, for making water wetter and not bead up) ... then drizzle diluted elmers white glue overall, and re-spray lightly untill the glue soaks in. This process of re-wetting, re-gluing, re-wetting the glue, sometimes takes several applications spread out over a weeks time ... to achive a rigid ballast/sawdust shell that won't vvaaccuumm up into the wet dry vac.

 

[JIb228]

Using a airbrush, one that is low powered is a good way to moving dust off a layout.

My old 4x8 HO layout was covered with a few trash bags that I opened up and cut to make one as big as possible. Then, using double sided tape, I attached three unfolded trash bags to make one large, light weight cover.

 

[Tami1]

A model RR layout could be covered with a bedsheet, plastic drop cloth, vinyl tarp ... etc ...

A wet dry vac with a 4" soft brush attachment, and possibly a small 1/2 hole drilled in the vvaaccuumm cleaner hose would reduce high powered suction (an could be pluged with duct tape for high powered suction). A leaf blower on low speed could blow dust off (and all over creation) ... and 2-3 portable fans would blow the airborne dust out the winder' :hehe: or back door.

And yes ... all scenery should be spayed with a windex bottle filled with water (with a couple drops of added liquid dishsoap, for making water wetter and not bead up) ... then drizzle diluted elmers white glue overall, and re-spray lightly untill the glue soaks in. This process of re-wetting, re-gluing, re-wetting the glue, sometimes takes several applications spread out over a weeks time ... to achive a rigid ballast/sawdust shell that won't vvaaccuumm up into the wet dry vac.

Thus the problem. The origional glue mixture was way too diluted. Luckily most of it stayed put leaving me with a half a coffee can full of fine ballast to reapply. Im glad its only a 30"x120" layout. The wet vac idea worked. The dust collected on the filter and the ballast stayed at the bottom of the vaccum canister. I'm also happy I thought to CLEAN the vaccum before I used it for the layout. Very important.:hehe: Now its just a matter of cleaning the track so an engine actually makes electrical contact and runs on it.