after many replies and posts i’ve decided to use kato unitrack and do a double oval on a 3x5 bench and put a siding going into the middle or an outer edge with maybe a couple of other branches parallel to the siding
Now the part i’ve never done. use foam. I’d really like the oval to go through a very small mountain in one corner using the foam and just add those prebuilt tunnel parts for the edges of it. anyone know of some good how to’s online or on video especially that could walk me through this. i’m also going to be a beginner to actually using shrubs, etc. before i used a grass matt and that’s it for a level layout.
Also at what point do you lay the track when you use foam. since part would have to go into a tunnel on the SAME level as the rest of the track. i don’t want to have to use and trusses on this layout to make it simple. lay the track first then work around it with the foam?
Get some foam and a steak knife. Draw where the edge of the mountain is on the layout. Then cut a piece of foam to fit that area. If there is a tunnel, cut that out. Trim it some. Then cut another piece to set on top. Too large is better than too small. Keep pileing them until it is the right shape. You can trim, shape, carve and add pieces as you go. I like to glue my layers with low temp hot glue. When it is up, you can carve all sorts of shapes in it. Be brave and aggresive.
If you do not glue the first level to the layout you can pick the whole thing up and carve and shape the tunnel and paint it.
You can see some of what I am talking about in my pics in my sig line. The secrete is to be brave. You can always fix things. Practice is more important than instruction.
Forget the on-line modeling sites and videos/DVDs and get yourself a good scenery modeling how-to book from Kalmbach. On-line and video venues tend to cover about 10-20% of the detailed info that the books do.