New Layout Takes Shape (Lg. Pics)

I've begun carving the countryside. I've got two lines, one above the other, on a 2ft by 5ft foam board base. The beer train feeds the yet unnamed city on the upper line, while the UP F7 and the Mikado take turns running freight on the lower line.


Here's my scratchbuilt bridge over Gopher Gulch (the wife named the Gulch)


And here is the Beer Train, ready to quench the thirst of the countless tens of people, patiently waiting for refreshment... :-D

 

What a great start! Is this layout part of another layout that I see in the background. (Do you also have pix of the other layout?) Also does the top piece lift off in order to get access to the trains on the lower level when they're in the tunnel? (in case there are track problems in the future or a train gets stuck in the tunnel.) You should have a lot of fun with the scenery especially with "Gopher Gulch".

 

Thanks! Actually, the layout in the background is my N-Scale layout that I is still in the planning stage, at least on the end that now supports the Z-Scale layout. I pulled the track up in order to make room to work on the Z layout. Once I get this one (near) finished (they're never finished, right?), I'll put this on a table and start work on the N-Scale layout.

As for lifting the mountains off, I didn't account for that, and what you see now is glewed down. It would be an easy task to cut the back wall away a bit behind the lower line to make an access hole, which is something I thought about doing.

Thanks for the kind words... :shade:

 

Very cool! I remember starting an N-scale layout before Christmas for a friend. It is about 75% complete (less the detailed scenery - always 25% of the layout but 75% of the time... lol). We're hoping to get back to working on it in Feb.

Keep up the great work.

 

Nice shots and welcome to trainboard if nobody has said it yet! I always enjoy seeing the developement of a layout from the begining like that!

 

Thanks! Here's some more recent shots...

 

Allydude,
Is that sculpt-a-mold you are using on your mountains to get texture on them? If so, I just purchased some, how do you like using it? (Pros & Cons)

 

Oh man... very cool! :shade: :thumbs_up:

And it'll just keep getting better from here!

 

:thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: ​

 

Yese, that's SculptaMold, and I've only used SculptaMold a couple times before. I like it a lot, and I'm sure those with real skills could make rocks look even more real. The last time I used it was on a Lionel layout, and the results were quite good. I also used it on a diarama and it worked well for me, but again, I am not the most maticulous modeler.

Here's how it turned out on my diarama:

 

Oh, as for Pros & Cons, I like it for it's ease of use, mixing is easy, application is as easy as glopping it on and smearing it around. The consistancy of the mixture makes realistic looking rock formation. It's tough to be delicate, as around the Gopher Gulch bridge, but as with anything patience and a find touch will get you through.

Clean-up isn't too bad, as long as you don't wait too long. I used a big mixing bowl, and soap and water will work just fine, just make sure you get as much out of your bowl as possible before you try to clean it.

I had one bad experiance with it, on a second diarama I did (one I really loved) that included a rocky pass made with foam and covered with SculptaMold. This was built in a 1:18 scale display case, using N-Scale track and equipement. Once done, I sealed it up, but after about a month on display, the SculptaMold actually started to, well, MOLD mg: ! I had to actually throw the whole thing away, it was ruined. :angry: I think this was due to closing off the diarama without the SculptaMold dried thoroughly. I've never had this problem on the Lionel layout, or the other diarama (above).

Hope this helps, good luck!

 

Allydude,
Thanks it helps a lot! Your layout is starting to take shape and looks really good. I also liked what you did on the Lionel pix. I'm also not the most maticulous modeler, but I enjoy building and getting things started. The scuptamold really adds texture to the landscape. I tested it out recently combining it with rock castings and I liked the result. They blend very well together.

 

I thought it was about time for an update. I've started painting and adding foliage. You can sure see all the spots I've missed with the paint. I wish I'd picked a lighter brown, more of a tan I guess. I've dubbed the mountain, Mudd Hill. Also shown is Sandy Lake, and the rail yard will be called Thunder Valley.

 

Sometimes I forget to, but you can add cheap craft store paints (water based) to the SculptaMold when you mix in the water. It ends up lighter than when it's wet though.

I like the stuff it is easy to work with and ends up pretty light (lighter than plaster)

 

The Foam Putty (woodland Scenics) is also an excellent choice... very mold-able and you can carve it to make some awesome rock formations!

 

I've heard of folks having problems with mold on layout scenery, and have heard several ways to deal with it. You can mix a bit of woodland scenics liquid landscape glue in with your paint to help seal the layout. I like to use two to three washes of different colored paint mixed with glue to buils up and color the plaster. I start with the lightest color (usualy a light tan), then wash over two more coats of slightly darker paints to add releaf color and more interest.

Washes (for those that don't know) are diluted paint to a consistancy of colored water. Mix carefully, and keep trying the mix till you get a watery wash, while still having enough paint pigment to color the plaster. And "yes" i prefer water based paints over enamels for landscape. My prefered brand is as cheep as can be, and found at WalMart, i use "folk art" craft paints. They have great pigment content, and will dilute very well without seperating.


Tony B..
Wasatch Z Club....

 

The layout is really coming a long. I didn't realize you were going to have a pond. What did you use for water?

 

That's Woodland Scenics Realistic Water. As shown, it was still a bit soft, and a bit "milky" looking. As it hardens it clears up. To say it hardens is a relative term. I've found that if left on a ledge, like on the edge of a layout, it continues to flow over time. I had a diarama in a display case with a river running along the edge, and after about a year I decided to open it up and repair some trees, and found the "river" had flowed down into the crack of the lid, effectively gluing it down. In trying to remove the lid, it lifted the river up a bit, and I was sure it would be ruined, but after a couple days it "flowed" back into place.

I like Woodland Scenics because it looks very real (in my opinion) and doesn't require mixing.