Nearly done w/ the backdrop! Very happy to have waited until I got the latest edition of MR. There’s a great article about painting trees for the backdrop! Once done, ready for the track. What book should I get? Jeff Wilson’s “Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders,” the one about lineside detail, or something else?
Well, it sounds like you are just getting started. I am not familiar with Jeff Wilson’s book, but you don’t want the Line side Detail book, because it is just that, a guide on how to detail the right of way beside the tracks, and that comes after the track is down and scenery and building are going in.
So any of the basic “how to lay track” books should be OK. If you have a LHS that you go to, they should have a couple that you can look through to see if they have what you need. You should also do a search on this forum for track laying, or laying track.
I’m a beginner (again) and I’d recommend Jeff Wilson’s book. It’s a good primer with very clear photos.
If you know almost nothing about laying track, cutting roadbed around turnouts, ballasting, etc. it’ll be a big help. I just bought it.