I am in the process of building my new layout --a 6.5 x 9.5 around the walls with a duckunder
As of now I have the base as painted homosote
I also have several rolls of Woodland Scenic summer grass
Any thoughts on leaving the base as painted homosote ( Green) or using the grass
Bob, it really depends on the look you’d like to achieve…and where. If all you want is a green spring prairie look across the whole, then have at it with those mats. It will look very flat and very homogeneous.
Unfortunately, nature offers no such homogeneity. We see it on planted acreages, but not in nature. Even planted acreages have unwanted this’s and that’s growing here and there…usually. At least, my garden needs weeding now and then.
I would say use the mats as small pieces laid here and there. But you’ll want some variety, so you’ll want some added ground foam bushes, some higher tuft grass here and there…something to break up the sod-farm look.
I get the impression that many/most of the respondants to this question over the years that the mats have been available generally do not accept or favour the all-grass look. Something is missing they say, and I have to agree with them.
That’s a very nice bench you have erected, by the way! [8D]
-Crandell
Oh I intend to add bushes trees shrubs etc etc but I was wondering whether to use grass or the homosote as the base
Were you planning on using the 1/2" homosote as roadlbed also? Are there any track elevations? If so the trackage will already have some elevation above the base. You could add additional layered sections/ pieces here and there to gain some landforms. I don’t know if you still want that golf course “green” look. As selector mentions, areas of the mat could be used, even placing it over the hump and bumps. Others doing the more traditional type scenery will use plastercloth/ sculpamold/ ground goop over screen, extruded foam, cardboard strips etc. You could add thin extruded foam to areas or build up any mounds etc then continue the scenery by any of the methods descibed.
I’ll use Woodland Scenics road bed material under the track and spike through it into the homosote
If your looking to model a railroad running through a golf course that fine but in the real world nothing is ever that flat. Any grass ground cover etc. should not go down until after your track work is laid and running flawlessly. You will need to glue down the roadbed and the track as well. Just spikes alone will not hold things in place well at least not for very long anyway. It’s generally accepted to paint the surface of the layout a brown or a beige color to simulate dirt. Green is ok in an area like a park or a field lawn etc. where your primary ground cover is grass
I would do neither. I would do something to get a little variation in the landscape. Few places in the real world are pool table flat. There are dozens or hundreds of ways to introduce some height changes in the landscape.
If you start from a flat surface, you basically have to vary how much you build up from that surface to get dips and rises. Built your track up to some level you are comfortable with (say 1" tall), and then you can have some terrain lower than the track (up to 1" lower - when you are back at table level) and some terrain higher than the track (as high as you like for your landscape).
The undulations of the landscape can come from insulation foam from a spray can, wadded up newspapers covered by strips of cloth dipped in plaster of paris, pieces of styrofoam glued to the surface and shaped with a surform tool, cardboard strips hot glued or stapled together and covered with something, chicken wire covered with something, ceiling tiles stacked up and sanded to give gentle contours - lots of ways to do it.
Or you can slap a 2" thick pieces of foam on top of your table, and then cut with a knife and sand down into the foam to create small depressions or rivers or whatever, and glue stuff on top to create rises.
What you do for the surface look on top of that terrain is up to you - e.g. terrain painted in some dirt color with green “grass” sprinkled over, diluted glue and dirt followed by diluted glue and grass and then shrubbery glued on top of that, pieces of green grass “carpets” glued down over the terrain or whatever.
Lots of ways to do things here. What is easiest depends on what techniques you like and what kind of terrain you are trying to create.
If you want to, you certainly can just paint the homasote fla
Hi Bob,
you seem to the first on this forum who wants to build a layout without tracks.
May be this could fill your bill:
Paul
Use the homosote as a base, but then sprinkle something like Woodland Scenics Turf over the base. Woodland Scenics offers three different shades of turf (Light, Medium and Dark Green). I apply dark first then, sprinkle medium green over it, and finally light green on the top. After you do that, coinsider adding some bushes. Once again, Woodland Scenics offers the same three shades of green.
Homosote alone will look too flat, but the green cover provides a very nice base for other landscaping materials such as turf, bushes,under brush and trees.
In my case, I started with a plywood surface, then painted it green, then applied the landscaping materials.
…and don’t worry about the surface being so flat. Once you apply some turf and bushes for texture, and then lay your track and ballast it, then add a few structures, it will be look positively wonderful. Besides, you don’t have the space to screw around with trying to create elevation changes, so why bother.
Thanks for the plan
I am not decided what to do on 3 of the sides but will have double mainline oval ( 22/24 radius)with a crossover and turnout to a service track area with engine house coaling.sanding/water towers switch tower and some other small sheds etc on the right side ( 18.5 " width)
Your plan can give me ideas for the other 3 sides
That was my intent but I wasn’t sure whether to use the green painted homasote as the surface or cover it with the grass mat
I will probably do as you suggest and give my nephew the grass mat . He is getting my old 4x9.5 and can use it as cover as it has some wear on it
Bob,
Whatever you decide to do, keep us posted. More photos. You are off to a great start with the bench work and your plan to proceed with a double mainline is exciting. I, too, have a double mainline and it is a smart use of space and provides for a lot of action. The engine servicing facility will look great and add even fun from an operational point of view. Maybe you can squeeze in a turntable as well. Lots of possibiltities here.
Rich
I think that depends on what you mean by “create elevation changes”.
Not always much point in trying to take the track up an incline and down again on a small layout. But even if your tracks stay at a fixed level, the landscape the tracks runs through does not need to be pancake flat.
Just have a look at this picture from a diorama built by the excellent Danish model railroader Pelle Soeborg: http://www.soeeborg.dk/Images/Dior_A001.jpg (I didn’t want to deep link to pictures on his web site without permission).
Tracks are flat and level. Landscape has gentle undulations. Looks a lot more realistic than a perfectly flat landscape, doesn’t it?
Btw - that Iowa grain elevator siding diorama pictured above is in Pelle’s new Kalmbach book “Essential Model Railroad Scenery Techniques”.
Smile,
Stein
I have to add some small molding over the blue sky portion and the get some clouds on the blue
By then the rest of the track should arrive via UPS and I can test fit it
Why not extend the blue paint to the ceiling. In reality, the sky goes pretty high.
Do you plan to keep that curtain in the rear?
The blue is masonite the walls are paneled in a white material I plan on hanging RR type poster prints etc over the blue
That curtain will stay and my wife is sewing up the rest of the curtains for the long sides
I like that. More attractive IMO than the usual flat black.
I don’t know if you can tell from the pic but those are engine outlines on the curtain
The outer 24" radius is finished and I test ran from the old time 4-4-0 with 50 ft Overland Passenger Cars to the 2-8-4 and 40 ft boxs
First time I have used code 83
