Scenery Question?

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hi everyone.

I am going to the LHS this coming weekend to get some scenery materials. I was wondering what kind of turf and foilage to get? They carry Woodland Scenics. W.S. has blended, fine, and course turf. They have clump foilage, lichen, and others types. I have a little bit of lichen and a container blended green turf. I will be making trees and ground cover on HO layout. What colors do you prefer or is it personal prefernce? Also what do i use for gravel roads and what type of ballast should I use(course, fine, etc)?

Thanks,

John

2

Hi John,

My short answer is all of the above. A mix of colors and textures works best IMHO.

As a start I would use the blended turf and two shades of clump foliage. Lichen is fine if you preserve it first in glycerin and then dust it with fine foam over matte medium. Use a lighter color. By itself it looks too much like lichen and too little like a bush or tree.

I use z scale Arizona rock and mineral ballast for gravel roads but have also used just paint for good blacktop. HO ballast tends to run a bit large in some brands. Use your eye to see what looks right and if in doubt, err on the side of smaller. Real ballasat is not as large as manufactueres seem to think. For my main lines I used sifted sand. (Free and looks fine).

The shades that work best for any scenery will depend on your lighting type and intensity too.

Karl

3

Colors will depend on your planned season. Lighter greens for spring. darkening and on to foliage colors for fall.

You should get a mix of fine, coarse, clump, etc, nature is not all one size. I started with a coat of tan paint (only do a sq foot or two), then sprinkled on some fine and coarse ground foam in a couple of different shades of green (I’m doing early fall). Moved on to the next section and did the same. Don’t sprinkle the foam on so that it looks like a lawn, have it thinner in some spots. You can get quite a lot done in a little time, just make sure to do a smaller area at a time so that the foam sticks well to the wet paint.

Once the paint is dried, follow the instructions in a good scenery book, putting down a glue solution, more variety of foam and a wetting agent. It will take several times over the same area to complete the job. You can add larger clumps of foliage to represent bushes. I usually do it with full strength white glue, some folks use tacky glue.

To answer your question on what to buy, the way I would do it, would be to have a large container of your basic ground foam color, with smaller packages of other colors and textures. If you are planning a large layout you may want larger packages.

For trees I wet whatever I have chosen for an armature, spray or soak it with an adhesive (see your scenery book) and sprinkle on fine ground foam. Some times I use a coarser foam. Don’t use all the same color on all of them, but use close colors.

For some trees I have used poly fiber stretched over an armature. Spray the fiber with adhesive and sprinkle on foam.

Background trees, I make puff ball trees. If your book doesn’t tell you how to do them, there is an article under “how to” (I think) above that will show you. After making a bunch of balls from poly fiber, I soak them in a 50:50 matte medium and water solution, then&n

4

For gravel roads I use water putty with some sand and crushed rock worked into it along the edges and down the middle before it sets.

5

Correction. The article on puff ball trees is under Videos, then Expert Tips. I have made many of them watching ball games on the boob tube. The BT also comes in handy for watching videos and DVD’ on scenery and other model rr topics. (Or movies, whatever. She has her TV, I have mine.)

Scenic works looks like a big job, but once started, I found it fun and it made a big difference in a hurry. Of course you can take as long as you want adding more and more detail.

Have fun,

Richard

6

Scenery is a big task, but it can be done in small patches. I generally work in 2’ squares.

You really do need a mix of materials, even to model spring or summer. Right now, looking out my window, I can see 4 distinct shades of green in my yard, and countless shades in the woods. To simulate this, I paint an area with straight, undiluted matte medium, then sprinkle on WS blended turf and a little earth. This gives the area a good base covering. When this is dry, I mist it with 35% rubbing alcohol, then sprinkle more blended turf (unevenly), and 2-3 different shades of green. Only perfectly manicured areas, like parks and the occasional suburban lawn, don’t get this treatment. For a more rugged look, I drop on some coarse turf in a couple different colors. Then, using a pipette, I dribble diluted matte medium (4:1) on top to lock everything down. For bushes, I use clump foliage pressed in while the matte medium is still wet.

7

Thanks for the responses. I am a little confused on how get the turf to stay. I have done the wet paint technique in one area. Do I use a white glue solution mix? I have a can of Elmers spray adhesive, a bottle of rubber cement both are craft bond and white glue. I used the rubber cement to make a few starter trees. Will the spray adhesive work if I am careful where I spray it. I have foam hills that I have painted with wash and I like the way if came out. I am trying to avoid painting that area again.

Thanks,

John B.

8

As with everything else in this hobby, your answer is: “It depends”.

There are lots of ways to do it, and most of them work pretty well. If you use reasonable care not to over-apply, your hills should come through just fine.

So, for gluing on turf (on the ground), you want an adhesive that is going to dry clear and thin. Rubber cement is probably too thick, and the spray adhesives tend to dry tacky, so any little bit of gunk that comes along will stick.

My personal method (and certainly not the only way) is described in my previous post. Fundamentally, though, put down an adhesive (paint, matte medium, white glue, spray adhesive, etc.) and sprinkle turf in it while it is still wet. Most of the turf will stick, but the goal at this point is to give your terrain some tooth so that other stuff will stick to it. Then, when that layer is dry, wet it again with a wetting agent (“wet” water, which has dishwashing liquid in it, or dilute rubbing alcohol), add more turf (which should soak up the wetting agent), and add more adhesive to lock it down. My preferred adhesive is acrylic matte medium, widely available at art supply and big box store craft departments. Spraying, even with a very fine mister, usually blows turf all over the place, so most of us prefer just using a pi

9

Thanks again. I will try a method and see how it works.

John B.

10

Hi John, You did not state the size of your layout. I happen to have a 24’x24’ around the room layout, so needed plenty trees. Before painting the forest floor area, I drilled many,many holes. I suggest that you get a $25 box of Scenic Express Super trees. These make, about 60 of the most realistic foreground trees. I also use “Sage” to make larger trunks on the trees. Tip the box over and spray with Matte Medium. It makes the trees less brittle and is an adhesive. As others have said, “Get a mix of foliage colors and coarseness”. I happen to have purchased a $98 crate of Super Trees,and have completed over 350 trees, for foreground trees. I am not a fan of puffball trees. They look too much like green eggs in a crate! After dunking these in Matte Medium, I use spray adhesive, and hold three Super Tree stems to form one tree. Spray adhesive onto these (within the box, so as not to be messy and not waste adhesive). I then hold these over the bag of varied green turf foliage, and use my fingers to sprinkle on the foliage turf. Click on photo to enlarge it. Then, click on “Next” to view other photos of my layout. Bob Hahn

11

It is a 4x8 HO layout. I have a bag of woodland scenics trees to make up. Should I paint hte trees and if so what color and kind of paint /wash?

12

Hi

I have used woodland scenics trees the first thing is to wash them with warm soapy water to remove any grease or mold release agent.

What colors you need is Dependant on what tree it is. Try and avoid a mono tone brown if you must use that, then give it a wash then a dry brush to bring out any bark pattern in the molding.

Your favorite brand of hobby paint will be fine but use a flat paint I prefer the acrylic paints for the easy clean up. including house paint sample pots when that gives the color I want.

The best tool you have for scenery is your eyes look around your home town this will give you the best idea for colors scenes to try to create, and what will generally look right. Also when you go out of town observe what is around you.

You don’t need to be a genius to create good scenery just a good observer and then copy what you see around you with practice you will become very good at it.

Don’t be afraid to experiment to find out what works for you.

regards John

13

John’s right. Sure, we can tell you what color to paint tree trunks – Dark Gull Gray with a little light green mixed in. I arrived at this color by looking at the tress in my back yard.

So get a photo (or use your own surroundings) and take your best guess. Adjust the color a bit if it doesn’t look like you want it to. Just don’t use BROWN (unless you’re modeling some varieties of pine).