I’d like like to have Mt. Rushmore in my HO layout. Does anyone know if there is a mold somewhere out there in retail land? If not, anyone have an idea on putting it in plaster?
Smaller version:
Smile,
Stein
I’d imagine the ones in Stein’s links are plastic, but painting them would probably get you close to what you want. If you really want plaster, you could get one of those models and a jar of liquid latex rubber. Use that to create a mold from the model, and then you can pour Hydrocal to create a plaster replica.
You probably wouldn’t want to do it full-size in HO scale (the heads alone are 60’ tall) but using something smaller as a smaller background item should work well. I’m sure there have been many busts and such made as souveniers over the years, shouldn’t be too hard to track one down on ebay etc.
If this is on a scenic divider dont forget to model the backside of Mt Rushmore
A number of years back, Model Railroader had an article on a layout that had a Mount Rushmore feature. I can’t find it but it may be in the trains.com online index.
Isn’t this the view our neighbors in Canada see??
Mount Tushmore 
Grin,
Stein
Yeah, if I was going to do this particular scenic feature, I’d have some fun with it, maybe put the Three Stooges there instead.
[:o)]
March 1975, page 108, The Whole Blasted Railroad
Somewhere Ive seen another article about a layout with a modified Mount Rushmore. The builder added another great American - Alfred E Neuman of MAD Magazine.
I’ve been laughing all the way through this thread! What a hoot!! Thanks for the fun, guys!!!
Second the motion!
And now, a word from about the prototype. The National Monument is a couple of ridgelines away from, and invisible from, anyplace that ever had rails. To see both the mountain and a train at the same time you need to be in a helicopter.
To model that appropriately, the faces on the mountain need to be hidden behind a ridge, up against the bottom of the backdrop. A little (!!!) selective compression might also be in order.
I wonder why no one ever thinks of the Crazy Horse memorial…
Chuck (Former Rapid City resident modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I was under the impression that Crazy Horse is still under construction.
This isn’t entirely true- in Rick Mills’ book “The High Dry and Dusty” he has a shot of a southbound CNW freight near Hermosa- in the distance he notes (and shows in the photo with an arrow) Mount Rushmore in the distance. It’s not immediately close- but the monument is visible.
As for the Crazy Horse monument- that is even father west than Mount Rushmore and is definitely nowhere near any railroad tracks- it is off Highway 16 north of Custer.
Mike, that is a great idea, and it would work since the Three Stooges were actually four - - - Moe, Larry, Shemp, and Curly.
With a hobby knife and a little extra labor, the faces could be recarved to represent the Four Stooges.
[(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D]
Rich
And use Alfred E. Newman for the 4th