I got bored and frustrated with my layout and got away from it for about 2 months but now Im back and I added some track but im pretty sure I got to do the land next (cuz we all know that the ground is never perfectly flat) and I wanted some suggestions on what to use and how to do it. what worked best for you?thanks for all the help! other than the minor flaws my layout is coming along perfectly[8D] oh and how do you get pics on here thanks
–jason
Track would usually be added after the terraforming (creating topography), but since yours is laid, get some cardboard and cut it into 15-20" strips about 1.5" wide, and create a woven “basket”, upside down, where you want a hill. Or, fill a shopping bag with crumpled newspaper, and use masing tape to shape it and hold it down. Then, cover it with plaster of paris, or hydrocal, or mix wall patch compound with fine vermiculite and lather it over the cardboard/plastic bag. When it begins to set up, you can use a butter knife to carve rock faces, cliffs, retaining walls, etc.
Is that what you were looking for?
Or you could use extruded foam stacked up to height and use an old steak knife to carve to shape. Fair warning: use water based or “foam safe” products on it, any sort of solvent based glue or paint will dissolve the foam.
Brad
Woodland scenics plaster cloth over bunched up newspaper is easy, fast, good looking and expensive. I use a lot of foam on top of plywood because it is less messy than plaster cloth and you can plant trees in it easily.
For pics.
Can’t be too hard, I figured it out in about three tries.
ok thanks for the ideas guys it sounds very easy and effective Ill try it do you have any other good tips? I really like the shopping bag one that sounds easy
You can use J-Cloth or generic replacement (on sale), old sheets or di***owels, paper towel…pick one. Spread them over the shopping bags filled with newspapers, wet them thoroughly (not dripping), and spread on your goop.
May I suggest Joe Fugate’s excellent realistic scenery clinic?
For large hills, I use a thin wood frame made with 1x1’s and large sheets of graph paper cut into 5" wide strips. The paper is attached to the 1x1’s in any manner you choose. Then I carefully place brown shop towels covered with plaster of paris over the graph paper. Do 2 to 3 layers. For small hills I use extruded polyfoam. It can be cut to any form you like and can be carved with an old knife, box cutter or whatever. have the shop vac handy, it’s messy. For rock faces I prefer beaded polyfoam. It can be trimmed with a knife or screwdriver, can be cut extremely easy (just score it and break along the score line) with any sharp object. Except a non-railroaders tongue, that is.