I just got back from Kingman, AZ and I was totally amazed by these huge boulders piled up all over old town. Trains were winding through town at least every ½ hour and the sight of the all those trains and boulders were such a sight. Regrettably, my camera wasn’t working and I didn’t get any photos to illustrate it. [banghead]
Anyway, I lowered my river on my layout by cutting it out and it creating a waterfall. I thought the boulders might be exactly what I needed in my high desert layout, so I grabbed some very small pebbles and laid them around my waterfall. The problem is that I just can’t decide if it looks right. I want to save some room for structures that I haven’t built yet.
Do I need more or less rocks?
I also thought they were too big when I first laid them down, but then my wife reminded me that most of the real boulders in Kingman were as big as a bus. I looked at some photos from a map of Kingman and they are pretty big. I should have placed some vehicles near the rocks for a better perspective. I did break some of the rocks up on the lower falls further down the river.
The boulders probably aren’t too big. As you said, the real ones were huge.
I think the problem is that the boulders look out of place, as if a big hand came down from the sky and dropped them where they lay. Now I know that’s what really happened on your layout, but it didn’t happen that way in Kingman (at least I HOPE it didn’t! LOL). Once you add more scenery to the area to blend the boulders into the scenery, they will look more natural and less out-of-place.
You need your boulders to look like thay are in the terrain rather than sitting lightly on top of it. I imagine some riprap around the large boulders would make the appearance more natural as well.
Funny, I have been there twice to see the 4-8-4, but can’t recall the boulders. Shows where my attention wasn’t. Anyway, I would agree with Craig that they will need something more than just being placed…although you were probably aware of that? Just to address your question, if your wife feels they look right, they probably are right. The colour looks great, BTW.
Thanks guys, I was planning on mixing a little red and brown paint into some tan colored caulking to set the rocks, but as I look at this I believe you are right about how the rocks are laid. Maybe that’s the reason it doesn’t look right to me. I wonder if making a pile of rocks by busting up some smaller rocks to add to the bigger rocks if that will help. I ordered some Spring Green Buffalo Grass from sceneryexpress.com a couple of days ago and I hope that will help blend things in better. [sigh]
The boulders are on the southeast side of town just south of the interstate. The time of day also makes a big difference.
I can vouch for the boulder’s location in Kingman. The time of day can change the appearence of their sizes…and your boulder placement looks good in those layout photos.
The park with the 4-8-4 is on the west end of town…that is the park where we stop to eat lunch before we head home after shopping at the super Wally World up there.
Tou might rry fileing large talus (Woodland Scenics) so they will set in the water. Perhaps you know of someone interested in rock and gem cutting to get a couple of detailed rocks (suitable to the area) for the river.
The pictur of mine isnt that greatbut want to show what you can do with the water beond the rapids. Keep up tha good work ande let us have a look as you progress[^]…John
If you add a few above the falls then the boulders below the falls would look more natural. As you stated the boulders where put there by the hand of GOD. Pun intended, [swg](ha ha) But that’s why they look out of place. Where did they come from? I know you put them there but in terms of where did they come from on your layout? Did they fall from the sky or did they get washed down from up stream? BTW I love the idea.
One thought, the color of the boulders should match the surrounding rock faces… afterall, that’s probably where they came from…
To do my Potomac River scene, I took a field trip to the area, filled a couple of bags with loose stones, and used them to make both the river rocks and the surrounding terrain. It does help to have lots of reference photos…
I been thinking about the terrain idea and possibly cutting in a ravine or maybe adding some foam to build up around the rocks. If I cut in a ravine, it would be lower than the river. I’ll probably have to build up some how.
I don’t know what kinds of minerals are in these rocks, but they are kind of rusty looking until I smash them. Then they look more like pewter with gold specks.
The thing about the Mojave Desert is that there are so many different kinds of rocks scattered around that look so out-of place, it’s like they fell right out of the sky. Some of these rocks were actually blown up from the centers of the earth and landing wherever. Others were meteorites falling from space. You can drive across the desert and run into a single giant boulder from nowhere, it’s as if someone just dropped it off there. Desert people already know this, but the problem is finding a medium that looks real to everybody.
Just as an example and not a very good one, here are some photos I took a couple of years ago near my house.
