Christmas present

Garden Railroading
1

Hi all,

I was given a LGB stainz starter set by wife (bless her) . So I can start planing my garden layout. I have an area of about 12m by 5m or about 36’ by 15’,

Has anyone painted a back drop on an outside fence that I want to cover with fibre board.

thanks for your replys in advance.

Cheers Dennis.

2

Your wife has good tates If you are using fibre board you will need to seal it to stop rain and damp breaking it down. As I dont use board I surgest you ask your local DIY store or building merchant for advice on what sealant to use remember to use ECO friendly sealer as animals might lick it[:)] Enjoy your hobby my wife designs our layout and I do the hard work[^]

3

[#welcome]
Might want to consider a marine plywood sealed appropriatly instead, more work but at least it wont deteriorate in moisture exposure. There are also cement boards like Hardiboard that are designed for wet locations but I dont know how they would hold up exposed outside to the weather.

Good luck on the layout[:D]

4

I am not sure exact what you are trying to do-mount something directly on the fence or in front of it, but you could use aluminum sheet metal, a white .040 4’x10’ sheet goes for about $40 to $45-it would be easy to curve/bend (yet fairly stiff if supported say every two feet)and it’s ultimately weatherproof and ready to decorate-no sealing or priming. Check a metal supply company that deals with the gutter and siding companies.

5

Warren Stirling in Auckland, NZ, did a fine job of painting his whole fence.

More photos here:

http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/squirrel.valley.rail/hclp/index.html

6

Thanks two tone,

we have hardie sheets here in New Zealand which are made for out door use, i could also use ply as one of the others posts said, what ever is the cheapest.

It’s great that our wifes get involved also.Thanks again .

Cheers Dennis.

7

I am planning a very similar thing, i have seen a mural done of the area where i live, set millions of years ago, including some very odd looking ferns and prehistoric Kangaroos.This willbe a backdrop for my viaduct.

I also have a sister in law doing art at night school and i think she is going to come up and paint it for me.

For those who are challenged in this direction, as am i; you can get a scene you like and use and overhead projector and paint the scene on a bigger scale. i also have the idea as does Vic of putting it on marine ply and doing it all in my garage and attach it to the fence after it is all finished.

Rgds ian

8

Thanks Ian,

Great idea re back drop I might try that on my fence.

Ian you said you are the king of reversing loops what system do you use, is it LGB or is it your own design.

Cheers Dennis

P.S Happy New Year to you, and all in the forum.

9

That is what I did, build a wooden fence then paint it as a backdrop.

10

Dennis;

A few issues back (my copies are not handy at the moment) there was an article about a “cement mortar” mixture to sculpt a background. That technique allowed for trains to interact with the background, i.e. TUNNELS! Take a look at your back issues.

11

Personally i think you should grow plants along the fence and stack rocks to make it scenic along the tracks.

12

Hi ttrig,

Thanks for that what a great idea.

cheers Dennis.