Hello every one. i am going to start to add to my 4X8 layout. I’m going to get stuff here and there. Like in the photo. Since i have never did a layout. Would it be easier for me to cover most of the layout in a ready grass mat? Like this
http://www.hobbytown.com/Shop/50-x-100-Grass-Mat-Medium-Green/
pic
Grass mats are an easy way of covering large areas with greenery, but their uniform look is not very realistic, so don´t expect miracles.
Hi Wilson welcome aboard.[#welcome]
If you are only interested in getting the track down and running trains without much attention to scenery then go the grass mat route. Building a MRR is not a race to the finish. A layout can be detailed and worked on for years, or be considered finished once the track is on the plywood. It is all in what you expect out of the hobby.
This is only a suggestion as a course of action. Get your track down and have everything working well before moving on. Once you are satisfied paint exposed areas with a dark brown colour. $7.00 mistints of paint at the Home Depot or other stores are probably cheaper than the grass mat.
Start by searching “mountains”, “ground cover” “rocks” on this website in the search feature and ask lots of questions. There are many different ways to do all the things we would like to accomplish in this hobby. Take your time and don’t be afraid to rip things out a start over if you are not satisfied with the result. We all have learning curves.
Did you know many of us use real dirt on our layouts? This is just one alternative to expensive store bought solutions that we can use.
Below is an area of my layout I have been plugging away at for awhile. It uses a combination of foam and cardboard weave with sheets dipped in Plaster of Paris laid over the weave. It has real dirt and store bought ground foam on it. This is just one example of how landscaping can be made, there are many others. Just remember Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Before.
After, though still not finished.
Brent[C):-)]
I would only use a grass mat if that was the only scenery you were planning on - it’s better than plywood. But from your picture you already have some scenery supplies, so I would not get something that’s going to be mostly covered up anyway. I suggest you get one of Kalmbach’s scenery books or look through some back issues of Model Railroader at their project layouts which cover scenery.
Good luck
Paul
I know that there is a jury out on this, but if you use real dirt, real sand, etc make sure you sterilize it and pass a magnet over it BEFORE you apply it to your layout.
Welcome, Wilson, to the madhouse!
Here’s the only advice you ever really need: Your layout only has to please one person in the world – you! If you’re happy with it, then it doesn’t matter what the rest of us say.
Now, I’ll offer some more, which you are free to take or ignore as you wish. My first observation is that you appear to be using steel EZ Track instead of nickel silver. Steel does have the advantage of being cheap. It also corrodes and doesn’t conduct electricity very well, even when not corroded. You might want to spring for the nickel silver variety. You will have far fewer operating issues with your rolling stock.
Secondly, what you’ve got there is a great little layout for getting your feet wet in the hobby and experimenting with various techniques of scenery making. I suspect, however that you will rapidly become bored with the layout, since there’s not much to do on your layout other than watch a train go around and around. Since you call this your “first” layout, I’m hopeful that you are already dreaming of something bigger and better.
One alternative to the grass mat that is also a very inexpensive way to cover a lot of area, and maybe give you much more realistic results is to take a piece of brown or tan felt and rub one side with a wire brush so that it’s all scruffy. Then hit it with various shades of green spray paint or an airbrush. With a little practice, you’ll get the tops of the fibers painted green, with a hint of brown below. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle a couple of different shades of green ground foam on it, and you’ll have some realistic grass in no time.
Good luck and have fun!
Welcome to molel railroading.
I agree, a grass mat is not the best way to get good looking scenery. Get a book on basic scenery and I think you would find one on getting started in model railroading helpful also. You can get them from our host (SHOP on the line at the top of this page), your local hobby shop or library.
My layout base is extruded foam. After some shaping I used a tan (anything close to an earth color will do) paint. While it was still wet I sprinkled on the first layer of ground foam. Do not do it evenly, nature doesn’t (only grass mats). After it dried I used wet water (can use alchol) and diluted white glue to add additional layers of color and texture. It is amazing how easy it changes from nothing to something quite credible in a short time. Don’t try to do more than a square foot or two at a time, the paint will dry too fast. And you don’t need to cover right out to the edge of the paint. Leave yourself some to overlap when you do the next section.
Have fun,
Richard
Working on the tunnel portals. Got three from woodland scenic Making the side wall out of scratch for the side of the table
Nice!
Looks to be coming along; THNAKS! for sharing!!! [8D]
Started the hills. The hard part is going to be painting them since im not good at that.
You are making some nice progress. Covering your track with tape was very smart. Some other tips you might want to try are not making all of your scenery so vertical or horizontal. You can change those contours with some wadded up newspaper added to your webbing and covering it with your plaster material.
Enjoy your layout and don’t be offended if someone makes a harsh comment about your efforts, some folks forget we were all new once. That being said there is a lot of great info on this site and some others which will allow you to learn more about the hobby and your own particular interests with in it. For all we know you may become the next rivet counter.
As to doing something bone headed that you later think how did I do that I was building a couple of covered hopper kits the other day. I was in a lot of pain from my arthritis and also had taken a bit of medication to combat the pain. Building model railroad kits relaxes me and helps my dexterity. Things were going along quite well till I discovered the next day that after I had gotten the fussy little brake details in place I reversed the ends so that the brake wheel was on the wrong end of the car. I remember thinking those cars really look nice when I set them on a short piece of track and watched how easily they rolled on their semi scale metal wheels. The detail on the brake system really looked good until I looked up higher and discovered that the brake wheel was on the wrong end of the car, then I noticed I did it twice.
So there I was thinking what nice workmanship I was capable of then it hit me just like stepping on a rake.
More progress
just bought a bunch of more stuff. Now im broke. So this will have to last me until next year. LOL
I suck at painting. I tried to paint it gray then i didnt like the way it looked so i painted it back to brown.[:(]
Here i glued some rocks i made. waiting for it to dry so i can finish the edges
Check out this site. Free online model railroading. Be careful, it comes with a monthly subsription and you can cancel before your firsst monthly installment. You still get to keep the online resources.
http://modeltrainsforbeginners.com/members/
Watch out for trains
DiamonJim6