Does anyone know where to purchase preformed and painted styroform mountains, preferably n scale but can adapt
In my short model train life I have never seen one already built. They’re not hard to make and creating your own is half the fun.
Do you mean those ones like Lionel used to hawk to the toy train market? I think I saw some like that in a Walthers catalog from a manufacturer in Germany.
Just make your own it would be fun. I plan to do a large HO mountain range any tips? Oh and dandz1258 i cant belive this is your only post![}:)]
I’d agree with trainbuff - making your own mountains is a very enjoyable (and messy) process! I use polystyrene foam - can be had from old electrical packaging, cut it, glue with PVA wood glue, and use polyfilla (not sure if it’s called this in the US - it’s used to patch small holes in plaster) to blend the joints between sections and smooth contours a little. Have fun!
You can try Toys “R” Us or KB Toys. I think they may still have train stuff. Or you can try Walthers catalog. I guess you may not want to make you own. If you do decide to venture into making your own mountains there are many easy ways you can do it. Since it is a mountain it does not have to be even. Good Luck.
To make your own Mountains is quite easy, either use “Chicken wire” laid over pre-cut plywood formers or interlaced card covered with a plaster impregnated bandage. Afterwards use plaster (Thin mix) over it all and add green/brown/soil etc over it then add some trees/weeds/leaves etc…
there are some really cheesy looking life-like ones at Hobby Lobby.
In order to be realsitic it is going to have to be bigger than is currently offered. The problem with that is where do you put the tunnel entrances and exits? Making your own really is a lot easier and cheaper.
Just get an idea in your head and go with it, mountains arent perfect!
I found making my own let me fit exactly what I wanted in any particular space. I use the form and plaster cloth method and find it to be a lot of fun. I have never seen any manufactured mountains that looked anyway realistic.
How do I make the mountains look realistic?
I would like to know if anyone has a reply on how to make rocks on mountains look real?
for making a montain realistic, just cover it with trees[:)] you may want to paint it green or black first. many people when paintig rocks a cliffs use a mixture of paints. my advice for the colors would be to take a picture of the rocks and cliffs near where you are modeling and paint them the same way. If you are using the styrofoam metod (this is what i recomend) DO NOT USE SPRAY PAINT this will melt the styrofoam.
Here are some pictures of what I have done (In N-scale) (assuming you think they look real):
I used plaster of Paris soaked paper towels over crumbled newspaper paper (or whatever other material for filler) secured by tape.
I formed rock walls by creating a plaster mold from crumbled up heavy duty Aluminum foil:
I formed this Aluminum foil mold from a tree trunk with deep bark patterns:
The colors are painted on by several layers of 'Washes" - diluted paints (acrylic paints work fine).
I actually started with the wrong colors (tans instead of grays), so mine turned out a little strange for an east coast location. A lesson for me to carry into my next layout…
Thank you mabruce although mine is in ho scale yours looks very realistic , thank you
I use ho scale, what is the recomended size of ballast that I should use around the track?