A. Louis Ertz's West Tennessee Central OST Interviews Reed Artim ...

ick yard - black, brown,
red, etc.). Buff gives a
good clay look on cuts
and hills where bushes,
trees, and grass was
applied. Lichen gathered
from the hills of Tennessee
in large pieces (
about one foot square)
was cleaned and soaked in
a mixture of glycerine and
water with some color
(acrylic artist paint in tube
“Hunter Green”) was
added. This was spread
out on newspaper and allowed to dry. The lichen today, after 20 years, is still soft to the touch. Trees were built from sage brush
and foliage was added using Woodland Scenic material. Grass was sprinkled over a brushing of Elmer’s White Glue using
Woodland Scenic Grass. Over the years I have added
trees from both local plants and shrubs to give some
variance to the type of trees. Only God can make a
tree. A good tree on your layout is not easy to make.
Structures
As an architect, drawing plans to 1 ⁄4" scale was a
help so I drew up buildings, made copies and built the
building on the plans. The coal tipple at Dead Wood
was the last structure built. The deep shaft mine on the
hillside and the conveyor bridge with operating mine
cart over to the 2 track tipple was built right off copies
of the blueprint. Many buildings were purchased at
train meets and some were built by other model railroaders.
Ken Anz and Joe Anz have built several
buildings with interiors. Johnnie Reid built the station from C & O plans of the prototype with all interiors, people, and lights.
The location and site planning of all structures has been an important element on the layout. Foundation elevations vary as the
topography varies, that is
some buildings are located
at different levels even
if on the same street. The
streetcar runs around the
town of LaGrange and
the tracks are set in brick
and the street is asphalt
with concrete curbs and
sidewalks. The Ritz Picture
Show (theater) is on
the first floor of a four
story building. The marquee
was built from brass
6 • O Scale Trains