Can anyone out there tell me how a basic desert like area of the US would be modeled. I’m sure you would start out with a sand colored paint as your base, then scatter clumps of under brush material around here and there, and possibly cactus here and there as well. Otherwise, what might I be leaving out ?.
Thanks.
trainluver1
I think you are leaving out the sand.I do not know how to model a desert but i am sure some one here does.
Trainluver1…Greetings from the SW corner of New Mexico, and I’m building my HO rr to be right in the middle of the desert…imagine that. I have at my disposal all the desert sand that I want, tons of it, would you like me to ship you a ton or two.
The sand is all various colors, from light tan to black in places, it all depends on the geology of the region, here in Deming we have more sand that is light tan to almost gray.
Apply wood glue, acrylic paint ( sand colored) and water mixed together to make an almost batter with a 3-4" paint brush. Do this in about 1ft square areas and sprinkle on sand through a strainer. The sand will absorb the paint / glue mix and go on to cover about 1/8 of an inch. Most any scrub oak, brush, weeds and anything else can be found ready to use from tree lichen to store-bought foliage. Then go from there.
Go to the internet for some really good photos of the desert. Website for New Mexico magazine, the Verde Valley RR in Arizona and tons more site to find photos, but yes…sand is a must !!
Get back to me if you need help with more.
Yard -dog
Thanks johncpo. I spent a little time out in the Santa Fe area a number of years ago, but don’t really recall any of the details other than those beautiful sun sets. Like an idiot, it was a business trip and I didn’t think to take a camera with me…
trainluver1
TrainLuver1,
I live out here in Phoenix and understnd the desert too. if you like, take a look at my Webshots photos and look for the New Layout file. Look at the pictures there and if you like it, I can tell you exactly what I did. Good luck.
Best Regards,
John k
You’re in luck. Check out these pics for inspiration:
http://www.soeeborg.dk/hobby.htm
This guy’s layout has been featured in MR quite a bit the past few months. You need to get your hands on the March and April 2005 Model Railroader magazines. March featured his layout. April featured how he does his dessert scenery!
The guys is good.
[bow] to Soeborg…
I admit, his latest gave me alot of inspiration for mine
Desert terrain in the US can be very, very varied–they can be hilly and mountainous with lots of bizarre, almost alien-looking terrain, or wide expanses of relatively gentle hills, but they generally are not flat plains of sand. Most have a lot of vegetation well-suited to a dry climate–typically American deserts are very wet in winter and then dry up quickly for the rest of the year, so plants explode in growth very briefly and then set back for a long dry spell. Also, landforms show the signs of these quick inundations–lots of dried-up creek beds. Because of this seasonal flooding, a desert line would feature good drainage and elevation in the roadbed to prevent tracks being flooded out in the winter.
“sand-colored paint” is as much of a generalization as “dirt-colored paint”–terrain color varies widely. Take a photo of the terrain you like to a paint store and look for matching chips.
Lichen in a pale/light green color is good for modeling the dry, scrubby plant life found in deserts like the ones in Nevada–my memories of taking Amtrak across the Nevada and Utah deserts involve lots of mountains in the background and big flat expanses of scrubby plant life in the foreground, with the aforementioned washes and rivers–and a few isolated pockets of human settlement, mostly in very rusty tin shacks and the occasional trailer.
There have been some Model railroader articles specificall on this topic…probbaly in the 90’s i think…remember the desert is’ nt all sand…rock out croppings…dirt patches where vegetation is denser…dry washes and very evident water erosion is a major feature as well, because when it does rain, there is little to slow the surface water…vegetaion tends to collect in any sheletered area, that is behind and under rock out croppings…also it tends to grow sometimne in small gropus, as one plant shields the next …Check “Arizona Highways” (still in publication?). I believ e “Sunset” magazine features southwestern photography. Also John Olson built the “jerome and southwestern” railraod as aproject for MR in about 1980 ish…
man i gotta learn to type!