FORUM CLINIC: Building realistic scenery

[jfugate]

Okay, let's try a FORUM CLINIC on here about building realistic scenery. I have a specific philosophy I use when building model scenery so it is more realistic, and I'll share some of that here. Plus, I have lots of techniques I use for the scenery I do.

But let's start off with an example scene from my HO Siskiyou Line. I'm modeling the prototype SP in sourthern Oregon, so I am aiming for a specific look for that locale that's correct. Here's the scene:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/Photo_20.jpg

If you know southern Oregon, then this scene will ring true to you as looking "right". Plus, I'm using some tricks that are not used by many in the hobby to make the scene "pop" and seem more real than most model scenes. We'll start with some important philosophical points first, and then move into specific techniques with this clinic.

NEXT TOPIC: Philosophical point 1 - Proper scenery COLOR

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Philosophical point 1 - Proper scenery COLOR

A rather obvious key to realistic scenery is getting the proper color of the scenic elements.

For this, you need to do some careful observation. Grass is not always green, rocks are not always gray, dirt is not always brown, and water is not always blue.

Photographs of the region you are modeling can be a great help here. Take a close look at the kinds of scenic elements (rocks, trees, bushes, grass) and their color.

For example, conifer trees generally exhibit a much darker green vegetation color, so to make sure they stand out properly on the model, they should be several shades darker green than deciduous trees. Check out this photo, taken on the old SP Tillamook branch in May:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/TillamookTrip/DPP_0214.jpg
In May, decidious tree foliage is a shade lighter than it will become in June, so the difference in color between conifer and decidious tree foliage is dramatic this time of the year. By June, the decidious tree foliage will be darker, so the difference will be less distinct, but the difference will still be there, just the same. Learn to notice this sort of thing with regard to scenery color.

One common mistake on model scenery is to make the colors too intense. Muted colors, and subtle color variations go a long ways torward making your scenery look more realistic. Ironically, the best thing that can happen to some model scenery is a year's layer of dust! The dust will blend and subdue the colors, actually making the scenery look better!

One clever way to check the coloration on your scenery is to take some black and white photos of your scenery and also some color photos of your scenery. Then show the photos to your non-modeling friends and ask them which photos look more like the real thing to them.

If they pick the black and white photos, that's a strong clue your coloration may be off.

NEXT TOPIC: Philosophical point 2 - Proper scenery TEXTURE

[CBCNSfan]

Hi Joe, thank's for starting this section The modeled scene in the first photo, to me is as realistic as it can get. To my eye, it's as real looking as the scenery second photo. I for one wil be with you all the way. Looking forward to learning how to do much better than I do now.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[JeffShultz]

Hi Joe - welcome to one of my many online homes... hopefully the problems of the MR forums will result in a positive lift here.

[hminky]

I find scenery modeling from photos invaluable, like any modeling. I model California and live in Dover Delaware. I rely on photos for my modeling. I took this picture in central California south of Gilroy, CA.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/photos/california_grass.jpg

I found no commercial scenery material to duplicate this grass in quantity. Luckily I found a plush felt that sorta matches when colored.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/photos/engineer_bill.jpg

Initial scenery, the bushes are only temporary and will be improved. Modeling an area that is not typical requires new methods.

Just a thought
Harold

[jfugate]

Harold:

Great tips! Keep them coming.

[jfugate]

A few more comments on proper color ...

When we get into discussing the how-to side of doing model scenery, you will notice I use techniques that introduce subtle color variations into the scenery.

For example, indoor lighting is far dimmer than outdoor sunlight, so I use coloring tricks to make the indoor lighting look more like sunlight. When I do a decidous tree, once it is all done, I take a can of pale yellow spray paint and lightly mist the tree from above. This causes the parts of the tree that face UP to have a hint of yellow green as compared to a darker green on the parts of the tree that face DOWN.

This trick simulates sunlight and makes the model tree that's under dim indoor lighting look a lot more like it's outside under sunlight. It's subtle tricks like this that really make your scenery "pop" and look real.

[dthurman]

A few more comments on proper color ...

When we get into discussing the how-to side of doing model scenery, you will notice I use techniques that introduce subtle color variations into the scenery.

For example, indoor lighting is far dimmer than outdoor sunlight, so I use coloring tricks to make the indoor lighting look more like sunlight. When I do a decidous tree, once it is all done, I take a can of pale yellow spray paint and lightly mist the tree from above. This causes the parts of the tree that face UP to have a hint of yellow green as compared to a darker green on the parts of the tree that face DOWN.

This trick simulates sunlight and makes the model tree that's under dim indoor lighting look a lot more like it's outside under sunlight. It's subtle tricks like this that really make your scenery "pop" and look real.

Very interesting idea Joe. Do you have a preference of what type of paint you use? I am assuming you use an airbrush?

[jfugate]

Actually, David, I do it almost exclusively with cheap cans of spray paint. It's more convenient that way. I'll see if I can share some of the colors I use later on. If I can find the color in the 99 cents per can section, I'll do it! Otherwise, I'll usually spend like $2.99 per can. I also check out the craft spray paint because they often have some *great* colors you can't find any where else (like lots of handy colors of green).

In the summer, you can do all this paint spraying outside. In the winter, you need a spray booth so you don't asphyxiate yourself from the fumes. A repirator is a good idea, too. (Believe me I know ... I've gotten double vision a few times from the fumes, and it's not fun).

[grande man]

Great tips everyone! Since there's been some talk of scenery appearing as if it were illuminated naturally, I wanted to post a link to the incandescent bulbs we've been using (Sylvania Daylight). When the switch is flipped, it's high noon on the Grande! :D

New Sylvania Link (http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2c/b2c/z_login.do;jsessionid=ID4001DB0.30114277471525297E nd;sapj2ee_*=4001)

ETA- ya gotta dig with that link. Can't seem to find a better one. :(

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Philosophical point 2 - Proper scenery TEXTURE

Proper scenery texture is a concept that's not as obvious as proper scenery color -- yet if you get this concept down, you will understand where you can cut corners with your scenery detail and your scenery will look more real than ever.

Again, make careful observation of the area you are modeling, this time for the textures that are common. Photos can be a big help here since you can study them at your leisure.

Many modelers overlook proper texture and as a result you can look at a photograph of their layout scenery and it instantly screams "MODEL!"

The transition in the 1970s from lichen to ground foam was a big step in the right direction with regard to texture, because the lumpy TEXTURE of ground foam is more like leaves than the filament texture of lichen.

However, many modelers get one grind of ground foam and use it everywhere for everything ... grass, bushes, deciduous trees, conifer trees, dirt. If you pay attention to texture, of course this results in the wrong texture for some of these things. And some things, like grass, have a texture more akin to filaments rather than lumps, which means NO KIND OF GROUND FOAM will do for the texture of grass. Only a very short trimmed and manicured lawn can be simulated with ground foam, all other kinds of grass need to use something else if you want the proper texture.

The other thing with texture is to understand that you can take shortcuts in your scenery, especially in the back half of a scene toward the backdrop. As things recede into the distance, texture fades away and mostly color applies. You can use very simple low-texture methods in the back of your scene and as long as the color is good, the scene will look great.

Here is a scene from my HO Siskiyou Line that takes advantage of this front-to-back texture transition:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/Texture.jpg
In this photo you can see yellow fuzzy grass texture in the front of the scene, transitioning to simply yellow hills in the background against the backdrop.

As a further practical example of understanding texture, consider the difference between modeling a deciduous tree and modeling a conifer. Deciduous trees tend to have broad, flat leaves, while conifers tend to have small, pointy needles. In terms of texture and modeling at the typical modeling scales of O, HO, and N scale, this means we use a coarse ground foam for representing deciduous tree foliage, but use fine ground foam to represent conifer tree foliage.

As we get into the specifics of how to model various things in your scenery, keep in mind these two guiding philosophies of color and texture. If you can get your arms around these two concepts, your model scenery will imediately improve, and you'll be on the road to getting a layout that looks more realistic than ever.

NEXT TOPIC: Back to the beginning - Building terrain (Or, Filling the holes in the benchwork)

[dthurman]

Keep it going Joe, I just wanted to give this topic a 5 star rating. Were are those darn thumb up smilies when you need them.

[hminky]

Looks like somebodys cows have got out.

Harold

[modelbob]

Duplicate image for "featured discussions" promo...

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Back to the beginning - Building terrain (Or,Filling the holes in the benchwork)

First, the disclaimer:
This series is not intended to be an extensive survey of different ways to build model scenery, but is how I build scenery for the Siskiyou Line. I've been building model railroad scenery for nearly 40 years, and I've tried lots of different methods. The methods I'm going to cover work for me because I've found them to be both easy and fast, yet produce "great" looking scenery. These are not necessarily the best methods for everyone, but they work for me!

Okay, on to forming rough terrain.

I prefer to use cardboard strips and hot glue to form a basketweave of the terrain I'm building. (I am not a big fan of foam board for my scenery base -- I don't like the problem of holes for wiring, etc, and I am leery of the flamable nature of foam -- again, this is my opinion, and yours may differ, which is fine.)

I cut 3/4" wide strips from old corrugated cardboard boxes, and hot glue them to the layout in a crosshatch, basketweave sort of pattern, with 4-6" between strips.

The hot glue makes the work go fast, and I use sprung clothes pins to clamp the hot glued overlap joints between the strips so I can keep moving. You'll need 20 or 30 clothes pins to keep this process going. Once you run out of clothes pins, the hot glue on the first of the clothes pins will be cool enough you can remove the pins and reuse them.

Hot glue can give you some nasty burns if you are not careful, so I like to use a rubber dishwashing glove on one hand (I'm left handed, so I wear the glove on my left hand) to protect me from the hot glue.

Here's a quick snapshot I took of the under-construction cardboard strip terrain around the North Umpqua Bridge area on my Siskiyou Line:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/Scenery.jpg
Building basic terrain contours using basket-weave cardboard strips glued together with hot glue

Once I have the basketweave terrain with the cardboard strips done, I put 2" wide masking tape over the cardboard strips. This provides a solid scenery base upon which to paint the plaster mix (discussed in the next post).

The masking tape application goes fast, and you can immediately get an idea how your scenery is going to look from it. Now is the time to alter things if you don't like how they look. The farther along you go in the process, the harder it gets to change your mind.

That's the other thing I really like about this method of building scenery. It's easy for me to change my mind after I see how things look. In the best case, I can just cut and twist here and there, maybe using a bit more carboard and masking tape, to alter a terrain contour.

Or the worst case is I have to rip out some cardboard strips and masking tape, and try again. In either case, alterations are easy to do at this stage. (Try that with foam board.)

In a pinch, you can also paint this masking tape scenery with some light brown latex paint and have some quick stand-in scenery until such time as you have a chance to do the "plastering" step.

For comparison, here's the finished North Umpqua scene, detailed using the techniques we'll be covering later in this clinic:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/Scenery2.jpg
The same North Umpqua River bridge location as a finished scene

NEXT TOPIC: Applying the scenery "plaster" mixture

[emt49]

i am so happy you posted this here :D
it's so hard to keep track of this at trains.com . it gets coverd so fast and ends up 3 or 4 pages back in the matter of an hour. this web page is set up better for things like this i.m.o :D

thank you :D

[jfugate]

EMT:

Agreed ... I think this forum's approach demonstrates the usefulness of pulling the more meaty posts like online clinics into their own area.

With tools on here like Active Topics and New posts, you can get the equivalent of the MR forum general discussion if you want it.

But after trying this forum out for a few days, when I go back to the MR forum I feel like I'm in a crowded room, hollering across the din. Trying to carry on a meaningful conversation that way is very draining.

I like it here much better, and hope to keep posting more forum clinics and other goodies as I get time. I won't leave the MR forum entirely, but this place is quickly becoming my main home. :D

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Applying the scenery "plaster" mixture

The plaster step can be messy, which is why I like covering the cardboard strips with 2" masking tape. The tape application goes fast, and makes the plastering step really easy because you can literally "paint on" the plaster over the masking tape. There's no holes in the "pre-scenery" for drips to fall through!

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/Scenery3.jpg
Rough plastered scenery made using the vermiculite mix described in this segment. This scenery has been painted with brown latex paint as well, and the track has been ballasted (covered in future segments). That squared off area you see in the left background is going to be a freeway bridge abutment -- Interstate-5 crosses over the railroad in this location approaching Rice Hill.

In preparation for the plastering step, you also want to get some 1.5" masking tape (HO) and put it down over the track to protect it from plaster splaters. I don't ballast my track until after the plastering step is done, but it's still nice to keep the plaster mess off the track.

I use a special mix of patching plaster, portland cement, and vermiculite (powdered mica mineral). I like this mix because it's lightweight, has a natural gray color (as opposed to a bright white color) and it's kind of "rubbery" and a bit "fluffy", making it fairly easy to poke holes into with an awl. I like to use the awl for planting trees, because it's quicker than drilling holes, and it doesn't leave little plaster dust hills around the hole (more on tree planting later).

The mix also has a bit of a grain, which makes it nice for getting a "gritty rock" look if you're hand carving rock faces. I find the slight grit makes it easier to get convincing hand carved rocks in a pinch without using rock molds. More on this in a moment.

Here's the formula:
1 part portland cement
3 parts patching plaster
4 parts vemiculite (fine)

Make sure and use a fine gind of vermiculite (looks like coarse sand) or your scenery will be full of lumps and look more like "popcorn ceiling texture". Here's an internet link to fine vermiculite: http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en/product/m11988/1

Mix this to a consisency of thick cake batter and then paint it on. You should have a working time of about 20 minutes.

I prefer to use two coats. I paint one coat on mostly to cover the tape and to establish a solid base to work from. Usually the first coat has a lot of imperfections and unnatural brush marks, etc. I'm mainly trying to just cover the tape on the first coat (about 3/16" thick) so I don't worry much about how it looks.

After the first coat has set up (preferrably a couple of hours later) apply a second coat. The second coat varies from 1/8" to 1/4" thick and this coat I pay attention to how it looks, and I especially try to eliminate any unnatural brush strokes or globby inperfections in the first coat. I want the second coat to be fairly smooth and natural looking.

The second coat is where I do any rock work. I used to use lots of rock molds, but I only use them occassionally now. Western Oregon scenery doesn't need a lot of rock work, but when it does, I find I can hand carve something convincing just by mixing a slightly thicker batch and applying it over the undercoat, then globbing and shaping it with a common smooth kitchen butter knife. Make sure and allow for the thickness of the rock when you plan any rock cuts next to the track. Give yourself an extra half inch from the scenery base to your track clearance points to allow room for the rockwork and for any equipment to still have clearance to get past your nice rockwork.

This plaster mix does have one drawback you need to be aware of: it shrinks. Regular plaster doesn't shrink much, but this mix does, so it has a tendency to crack. But I so like the lightweight and soft properties of this mix, along with it's great natural color that I put up with the cracking. Just mix up a small thin batch and go fill the cracks. I find I get one crack about every two-three feet, I just patch them in a couple minutes and that's that.

Now that we've plastered the scenery, I like to work from the back to the front as to the final details. This means we start with the backdrop in the next installment of this clinic.

NEXT TOPIC: From blue painted board to sky backdrop

[RCH]

I've always been pretty happy with the scenery methods I learned from my scenery mentor, Dick Strobel back in 1990 when I was in high school. And I can make passable scenery for the dioramas I've built over the years. But this thread is like going to graduate school in scenery.

I am not a MR forum guy, but I had seen your thread there from a link. It was impressive there, but the format of MRF.com is much better suited to what you're demonstrating. In fact, I hesitate to respond, just so I don't interrupt the flow, but I am sufficiently wowed that I had to say something good. Bravo!

Incidentally, and this might be food for thought for our intrepid moderator, over on The Gauge (a similar forum with more of an eclectic and international flair), they have a section called "The Academy." It's where the best of the best threads go when they've run their course. The extranneous replies (like this one!) are taken out of the thread and the author's comments and posts are what's left. This approach ends up being very effective, especially when the thread gets lots of comments while it's live or if it spans weeks or months. Here's an example (my favorite example, in fact) of a post from "The Academy"

http://www.the-gauge.com/thread2906-backdrops-and-clouds.html

[dthurman]

Ryan

Thanks for the link, I am getting ready to re-do my backdrop, I used clouds wallpaper I had gotten at HomeDepot and have never been happy with them. Though I think I will wait a spell and see what the professor does first ;) I think I hear him walking down the hall now, better get rid of my gum, and open my notebook, and turn to page...

[RCH]

Right! Yes, I'm excited to see how Joe's backdrops come together and if they compare favorably with Gavin's backdrops (on The Gauge). I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.... :)

[NWR #200]

Wow! This sure is coming in handy. I'm modeling nearly the exact type of ground (Little bit greener for Washington) and I'm building my layout almost the same way as you. Now I have step by step instructions! :D

[CBCNSfan]

Hi joe, hi all!
Well I'm seeing something different here that I believe I'll try. The terrain around the walls on my layout is done with foam and plaster, but I'm seeing something here I like. My first use of cardboard and plaster soaked paper towels was a disaster. A real mess of plaster dripping on the rest of the bench work and floor, actualy window screen wasn't any better, so I went with the foam since it didn't leak. My method I use now might also be adapted to the cardboard strips. I spread drywall compound ( actully impregnate) 4x4 gauze patches and apply that to the supporting material. No leaks that way either. Your gritty mix might be better overall than the drywall compound for a top or finishing layer. This is interesting. I find the blue extruded foam rather difficult to cut to the terrain shape I want. OK! let's see a hollow mountain, over the center of my layout peninsula, I like it already, GOOD Stuff :D keep it coming.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

If you cover it all with masking tape first like I do, there are no holes to drip through!

Cheap, fast, and effective.

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: From blue painted board to sky backdrop

Before I build any scenery, I install and paint the sky backdrop a basic light sky blue. I don't want this blue too light, because one of the tricks that I describe in here really enhances a sky backdrop and adds "snap" to it -- and for that the blue needs to be what I would call a medium light blue.

There are several materials to use for a sky backdrop, from masonite hardboard, to the backside of vinyl linoleum, to sheet aluminum roof flashing, to large sheets of styrene. My purpose here is not to get into all the different materials and ways to install a backdrop.

I use the backside of vinyl linoleum along the walls (a stiff backing already present) and I use masonite hardboard in the middle of the room where the backdrop needs to be freestanding and stiff on it's own. Vinyl linoleum is not stiff, so it doesn't work for benchwork in the middle of the room where the backdrop needs to be freestanding.

I like the back of vinyl linoleum because you can get long runs of it and need fewer seams. I just went to a flooring store and asked them if they had any flooring scraps 2-3 feet wide they would sell me. First, they wanted to know why I needed such narrow stuff. Once I told them I was using it backwards for smooth sky backdrops on a model display, they grinned, and sold me all I wanted at $5 a roll.

I tacked the vinyl to the wall backside out with small roofing nails and painted it a light sky blue. For masonite, I mounted it, patched the seams with white painters caulk (I like it because it's flexible) and smoothed the caulk with a wet sponge, and painted it a light sky blue.

Somewhere around the time you're ready to do your rough scenery terrain, it's time to think about doing more to finish your sky backdrop.

I'll pencil in the terrain contour on the backdrop before I install the cardboard strips, and then get out my airbrush and fade the horizon area on the backdrop with flat white. I use ModelFlex flat white, because it's ready to airbrush right out of the bottle.

Imagine a flat horizontal horizon line on the lower part of your backdrop, as if you were looking at the ocean. Then all along that line where your penciled terrain contour drops down, fade the horizon from blue to almost white. Feather the white into the blue so that there's no stark white line on the backdrop. As you do this, follow your imaginary "ocean horizon", do not follow your penciled terrain contours. The white fading should be about the same distance down on your backdrop everywhere, not up and down with the terrain lines.

Here's a sample photo from my Siskiyou Line to show how effective the white fading can be. Notice how the white horizon fading creates a realistic sense of "vast outside sky" to the confines of my indoor layout.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/forum/phpBB2/images/trains/LocoHeadlights.jpg

I also mix some light blue gray and light blue green and paint basic mountains on my backdrop. Nothing fancy for the most part, because we want the layout scenery to get the attention, not the backdrop.

One trick to get good colors for backdrop mountains is to mix up a color that looks good to your for trees or rock mountains, then mix in some of your sky blue paint you used on your backdrop. This will fade the color of your backdrop mountains and make them look like they really belong. The more blue you add, the farther back your mountains will appear to be. Experiment with a scrap of blue painted board until it looks good to you.

Clouds
I tend *not* to paint clouds on my sky because I love the look of a cloudless, sunny August day in southern Oregon. But if you do want to try some clouds, it's best to do them *before* you paint the white fading on the lower part of the sky. Spending some time studying photos with clouds in them will really help you out ... I recommend that unless you have some experience painting landscapes you do your backdrop scenery painting with photo references at hand.

We could do a whole forum clinic just on painting clouds, but let me pass on a few tricks.

The closer to the horizon the cloud is, the smaller it should be. Clouds are objects too and just like you would expect with an airplane, so goes a cloud. An airplane directly overhead is larger than an airplane off at a distance near the horizon.

Take your white you intend to use for your clouds, and mix some of the sky blue color in first. This will make the cloud look more like it belongs in your sky and will make it look less like a stark white cotton ball. The closer the cloud is to be to the horizon, the more blue you add.

Clouds are objects, so they generally have a shadow on their underside unless they are high altitude clouds or thin and very wispy. To get a good cloud shadow color, mix just some gray and more of your sky color together with some of your white, and use that to shade the underside of your cloud. Ideally, add the shading while the white is still wet so you can blend the white and the gray to create a gradual shadow effect.

It's best to mix all of your cloud paint ahead of time, paint a few clouds with white, then go back and add the shading color while the white is still wet. If you plan to add more than a few clouds, paint your clouds in layers ... starting near the horizon with lots of sky blue color in your white and gray paint.

Move up to the next layer, and put less blue in the white and gray.

Finally do the uppermost clouds, and use just a smidgen of blue in the white and gray.

Next, we'll look at how to get realistic looking track.

NEXT TOPIC: Ballasting and weathering track

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Ballasting and weathering track

With the sky backdrop finished and the rough scenery plaster work done, I usually ballast and weather the track next. I use MicroEngineering flex track, codes 83, 70, and 55. I like this track because it has very tiny spike heads and a realistic randomness to the ties. Ballasted and weathered ME track looks better than handlaid, in my opinion.

(NOTE: Model Railroader editor Andy Sperandeo asked me to submit an article on these techniques, which I have done. My article should appear sometime next year, so watch for it. In the meantime, I'm going to be covering these techniques in the Siskiyou Line video series video volume 4 (http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains.php#vol4) on scenery, among other things.)

Here's a photo of some finished track done this way (from the MR article):

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/assets/trackDetail.jpg

I ballast the track using Woodland Scenics fine gray ballast, which is a color that matches the prototype Siskiyou Line. You'll need to pick a color that is right for the region you model. Keep in mind that when you bond the ballast using the techniques I outline here that the color darkens slightly.

I spread and shape the ballast using my fingers and a small stiff-bristled brush. I like to use my fingers because it gives me lots of control. I use the stiff-bristled brush to brush ballast away from the rail sides and off the tops of the ties after doing the shaping with my fingers. You want your ballast to be even with the tops of the ties, but not *on* the ties.

I use 70% isopropyl alcohol straight to wet the ballast prior to gluing. This pre-wetting step is essential because without it the glue will simply bead up all over the ballast and ruin all your careful shaping efforts. The alcohol is great because it goes right in without disturbing the ballast. I use an old white glue bottle, fill it with alcohol, set the tip to release just a drop at a time, and then dribble it all over the ballast until everything is soaked with alcohol.

Next, I bond the ballast with a white glue solution. I mix 1 part white glue to 3 parts water, and add several drops of dish detergent to the mix so it will soak in readily. Carefully dribble the white glue all over the ballast and let it dry overnight.

The white glue will displace a few ballast grains, but for the most part, things should stay put nicely if you follow these directions. For the few grains that always stray, after things have dried overnight, I take a small screwdriver and lightly scrape the stray grains off the rails and tie tops. Use light pressure on the rails so you don't strip any plastic spikeheads off the track (especially critical with ME track because of the tiny spikeheads).

Vaccum to remove any loose ballast grains.

I paint the sides of the rails with Pollyscale Roof Brown (mainline) or DRGW Depot Brown (sidings/spurs). I prefer waterbased paints, and Pollyscale sticks to the metal rails well. Use a size 00 brush, and don't fret if you get paint on the ties. If you look at real track, you'll see some of the weather color on the tie plates and ties under the rail -- so you're just making things more realistic if you get the rail weathering color on the ties around the base of the rail!

Next, I use an old phonebook as a paint palate and mix some craft acrylic paint (black, brown, white) to get some black-brown and gray-brown color that I paint randomly on a few ties using a size 0 brush. Hit maybe 20-30% of the ties to give them some realistic variation. Paint spur and siding ties more weathered brown and gray tints to reflect the greater weathering and less maintenance they typically get.

Let everything dry for about 30 minutes.

Next, we need to weather between the rails. Looking at prototype track, it tends to weather differently between the rails than it does elsewhere. To simulate this, I mix 1 part plaster with 1-part black powered tempera paint and brush this dry powdered mixture down the middle of the track (mainline).

I mix 1 part black, 1 part yellow, 2 parts brown, and 4 parts plaster and brush this dry powdered mixture down the middle of sidings and spurs.

I mist the track with wet water to fix the plaster-tempera mix in place (it will also fade somewhat). The secret is the plaster in this mix -- that will make between-the-track weathering more or less permanent once you mist it with water and it dries. For extra heavy weathering, brush some more weathering powder between the rails while the track is still damp.

Finally, I clean off the railheads with 600 grit sandpaper (polish the railheads, really) and then vacuum.

As you can see, if you treat the track like any other model and weather it appropriately, it will look great!

NEXT TOPIC: Finishing the rough scenery: applying dirt/background grass

[Ray Kunz]

Your treeslook great. How did you make them?

[uspscsx]

Joe, this is a great clinic. Keep it coming!

[emt49]

the tracks look verry good

[jfugate]

Your treeslook great. How did you make them?

Ray:

The answer to your question is coming up soon in a future post. Stay tuned ... !

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Finishing rough scenery - Applying dirt/background grass

Now that we've ballasted the track, it's time to deal with all that bare scenery.

After the plaster sets up, I typically paint the scenery a basic dirt brown color. I go to the paint store and find the cheapest indoor flat latex paint I can find and have them mix me a good dirt color. Find a photo that has a dirt color you want to match, take it to the paint store, and match to a color chip, then have them mix up a batch for you.

Once I get home, I mix the paint 50-50 with water, and then paint it on the plaster scenery to give it a nice dirt brown color. I often do this before I ballast the track.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/dirts.jpg
Progression from painted plaster (foreground), to plaster with dirt (middle foreground), and finally adding vegetation (in the distance). We cover painting the plaster and applying the dirt in this segment. We'll be covering the grass, bushes, and trees in later installments.

After the track has been ballasted, I start from the ground up adding scenery color and texture. For the background scenery, color maters most, and texture is not as important. You'll see what I mean in a moment.

I know lots of people who use fine ground foam or real dirt for their "dirt" in their layout scenery. Ground foam of any grind is generally too coarse for dirt, and a good range of dirt colors are hard to find. Real dirt has the problem that it's the right color outdoors under sunlight, but will be hopelessly too dark under indoor lighting of any kind. And real dirt will probably look the worst under common cool florescent lights, shifting color toward the blue-green end of the spectrum as well as looking too dark.

So I make my own "real dirt" by using powdered tempera paints and plain white plaster of paris. This is a variation on Linn Westcott's famous "zip texturing" idea popularized in the late 1960s. The nice thing is you can take a photo that has the dirt color you want to duplicate, and you can match it exactly by mixing your own colored "dirt" while you are looking at the photo under your layout lighting.

(Notice what you are doing here by matching the color in this fashion. You are getting a dirt color *under your indoor layout lighting* that looks the same as the dirt color outside in a photo taken under outdoor lighing. If you took some of that dirt from the photo area and brought it indoors and held it under your layout lighting next to the photo, it would look much too dark! So much for using real dirt.)

Be aware that the plaster - tempera paint mix darkens quite a bit when you wet it down, so mix up a batch that looks too light to you, then apply it to a scrap of scenery, wet it down and allow it to dry. Once it's dry, check the color. If it's too dark, add more plaster and try again. If it's too light, add more color and try again. Keep track of your formula so you can repeat it later.

Generally, you want somewhere between 2 - 8 parts plaster to color, or perhaps 10 parts plaster if you need a really light "dirt". Keep track of the total parts that are color. For example, the rich brown dirt color below has 3 parts that are color, so 9 parts plaster is really a ratio of 3 parts plaster to 1 part color (9 divided by 3 is 3). For reference, here's some simple formulas I use.

Rich brown dirt:
1 part black
2 parts brown
9 parts plaster (3:1 color to plaster)

Tan dirt:
1 part black
2 parts brown
1 part yellow
16 parts plaster (4:1 color to plaster)

Get yourself a tea strainer, spray wet water (water with a few drops of detergent in it) on the bare brown scenery, and sprinkle some of the plaster-tempera mix onto the scenery. Then mist the plaster mix from above lightly with more water from a pump spray bottle. In a couple of hours, the plaster should be dry and set up. If it's still loose, spray it again.

If I want something that looks muddy, I'll soak the plaster good. Or if I want a more dusty look, I'll take it easy with the water.

I also use this technique for background grassy slopes, since the color is more important than the texture for background grass. Mix up a color that matches the grass color I'm using in the foreground, then I'll add a pinch of blue tempera to it (and *just* a pinch) and add an extra part of plaster to lighten it. Here's an example for background yellow grass.

Background yellow grass:
2 parts yellow
1 part brown
pinch of blue
15 parts plaster (5:1 color to plaster)

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/Texture.jpg
Background yellow grass powder has been applied to the hillside against the backdrop in this photo.

Now that we've got some basic dirt color on things, it's time to move toward the foreground and look at adding some realistic grass.

NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic grass

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: From the ground up - Realistic grass

One scenery area where I am a real fanatic is modeling grass correctly. I've been on a crusade of sorts for years to find the best materials for modeling grass realistically, yet quickly enough that it doesn't take a lifetime to scenic your layout.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/Photo-20.jpg
Getting realistic looking tall grass on your layout does a lot to enhance it's realism.

I've tried sawdust, ground foam, twine, sisal rope, brush bristles, felt, yarn, sweatshirt fabric, static grass, fake fur, and silfor.

Twine, sisal rope, brush bristles, and yarn all require you plant them a clump at a time, and it can take several evenings of tedious work just to do a small field so that it has more grass than bare spots.

Sweatshirt fabric and static grass work pretty well, but you have to do a lot of fiddling with contact cement, equipment, and so on, and the results are sometimes inconsistent.

Fake fur and silfor work the best in my experience, with a couple of caveats.

Fake fur looks just a little too "fuzzy" on the edges and is hard to transition from grass to bare spots convincingly. Silflor is just about the perfect all around grass modeling material, looking great on the edges as well as in the middle, but it costs something like $20 a square foot, so it's not cheap. Compare that to 75 cents a square foot for fake fur and you can see which one ought to be used for the larger grass expanses.

So I model a large grass expanse with a combination of fake fur and silflor. I use silfor on the edges and fake fur in the middle of a larger grass expanse. I get fur with a similar nap length to the silfor, and I brush in acrylic paint both into the fur and the silfor to match their colors. Here's a couple of photos to show you the result:

First the finished scene, without distinguishing the fake fur and the silfor.

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/silflor/Silflor1.jpg

The the same scene, with the fake fur and silfor boundaries marked.

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/silflor/Silflor2.jpg

This approach economizes on the use of silfor, yet solves the fake fur edging issue. The boundary is nearly indestinguishable and can only be seen up close if you know what you are looking for. No one even notices unless you point it out, and even then most people can't see the boundary with certainty.

To attach the grass, I use hot glue. Get yourself some rubber dishwashing gloves and put one on your main hand you use to plant the grass to protect yourself from the hot glue -- it can cause nasty burns if you aren't careful. I'm left handed, so I wear a glove on my left hand.

I undercut the backing on the silfor then put a ring of hot glue around the edge and press it down to the scenery and hold it for a few seconds to allow the glue to set up. For larger expanses of fake fur, I cover the backing with zig zag trails of glue, then press it in place.

I like the hot glue because it makes the work go fast. I can press a piece of grass in place and move on a few moments later to do the next clump or spot of grass.

The one downside of hot glue is the fine web-like glue strings you get all over everything. Use a strong light and just grab them up like you do cobwebs and pull them off the scenery now and then as you work.

Next, bushes and other ground cover.

NOTE: I also discuss the pros and cons of silfor and fake fur on my Siskiyou Line web site at: http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/constructionNotes/silflor.html

NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic bushes and ground cover

[dthurman]

Joe

Who sells the silfor? Is this strickly a model railroad material, or would craft stores also carry this item. I have yet to see it at my LHS. Looks like a nice product, I have been using WS field grass but boy is it time consuming, and not the easiest to manage in large sections. I like how you got the fur and silfor blend. Nice work!

[hminky]

I color faux fur for grass using a product called Dye-na-flow. I have a web article at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/fur_grass/

The web article has a complete unedited version of my article printed in the March 2005 Railroad Model Craftsman.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/image/mule_mudhole.JPG

The faux fur in O scale

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/photos/fur_grass.jpg

The faux fur "mowed" for my move to OO scale

The article also covers green grass and making faux fur bushes

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/image/mogul_on_stream.JPG

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1879/cars/couplers/image/obj28geo28pg1p33.jpg

A close up of the grass

Thank you if you visit
Harold

[dthurman]

Harold

What is the material you used in that second to last picture with that green grass on the lower right? That looks very convincing.

[hminky]

Harold

What is the material you used in that second to last picture with that green grass on the lower right? That looks very convincing.

That is faux fur colored green. I found to make the tall green grass convincing it needs fine ground foam combed through it after spraying with cheap hair spray.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/image/horse_in_grass.jpg

I model central California so most of the grass is "golden"

Harold

[jfugate]

You can get silflor at: http://www.sceneryexpress.com/departments.asp?dept=1040

Contact Scenery Express and get their catalog. Absolutely hands down the best scenery materials catalog in the hobby! I keep a copy handy in the "reading room" for planning scenery projects. ;)

[jfugate]

Harold's excellent posts demonstrate how great fake fur is for modeling grass. Mix that with a bit of silflor as I describe and you have got yourself a *killer* combination!

[dthurman]

You can get silflor at: http://www.sceneryexpress.com/departments.asp?dept=1040

Contact Scenery Express and get their catalog. Absolutely hands down the best scenery materials catalog in the hobby! I keep a copy handy in the "reading room" for planning scenery projects. ;)

Thanks Joe! Wow is that stuff some $$$ but looks great, time to save up, hope for Xmas money I guess, though was hoping for subscription renewels ;)

For those on budgets, is there anything that is similar in the "real" world that might replicate the silflor? I understand the fur, was hoping maybe something else would fit that bill. I can see it might be a unique item though.

[dthurman]

That is faux fur colored green. I found to make the tall green grass convincing it needs fine ground foam combed through it after spraying with cheap hair spray.

Harold

Thanks Harold, that does look good. May have to look into that. Scratch that, I will be scouring the house for some fur, though if I cut any pieces from the GF's rabbit coat I may be posting from that great train set in the sky :eek:

[jfugate]

Thanks Joe! Wow is that stuff some $$$ but looks great, time to save up, hope for Xmas money I guess, though was hoping for subscription renewels ;)

For those on budgets, is there anything that is similar in the "real" world that might replicate the silflor? I understand the fur, was hoping maybe something else would fit that bill. I can see it might be a unique item though.

David:

That's why I recommend silflor only for small patches of grass or along the edges of a huge fake fur grass expanse. It economizes on the cost of Silflor and makes use of silflor where it looks the best.

Check out this link on my Siskiyou Line web site for an explanation/comparison of fake fur versus silflor: http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/constructionNotes/silflor.html

[hminky]

I found that cutting individual tufts off scrap pieces and gluing them at the edges allows a realistic transtion.

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/scenery/more_grass/image/obj35geo35pg1p33.jpg

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/scenery/more_grass/image/obj41geo37pg1p33.jpg

This method allows individual clumps extending from the main mass of grass

It even disguises the thick underlayment on the plush felt I use for depicting the low California grass

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/scenery/more_grass/image/obj18geo18pg1p33.jpg

Harold

[SpaceMouse]

I am responding to the texture post--behind aren't I? I see that you may have already answered my question. The area I am modeling will have green grass, however, the color is not a constant. I know I can cut the faux fir to different heights and add ground foam for texture, but how do you vary the color of the different species of grasses. I figured I'd do the air brush dusting with yellow like in the trees, but are there other techniques you would use?

[hminky]

With my method I found that going back and applying the Dye-na-flow color straight from the bottle on one's finger would vary the color of the grass

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/scenery/more_grass/image/obj108geo108pg1p33.jpg

That was originally all one light yellow color

I have not experimented with greens but I am sure a variance in color is possible. What you see in my article and posts is what I have done. All this has been developed since November 2004. It is an all new area. I add new things on my website as the layout develops. Since I am doing central California the "golden" grass look is my focus. My 4x8 layout is a testbed for ideas to be used on the larger layout so the scenery tends to hodge-podge.

Harold

[jfugate]

Chip:

Airbrushing a light misting of color is good for a general color accent like the light yellow accent to simulate sunlight on the vegetation.

However, for more deliberate coloring, I usually brush in the color. This lets me get variations either in small areas or even specific spots. I control the intensity of the color by using dry brushing, or loading the brush with color.

I also like to mix a base color that's the same color as the base color of the grass, then get some other colors I want to use as a variation. I load the brush first with the base color, then dip the brush in a different color, and then mix it a bit on a paper towel, and finally brush it in.

By using all these brushing techniques, I can get just the effect I want since it gives me lots of control of the color variations.

By having the base color handy, if I don't like a color variation effect, I can subdue its effect with the base color, or even paint completely over it.

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: From the ground up - Realistic bushes and ground cover

For bushes and other low ground cover I use four basic techniques. In all cases, I glue the bushes / ground cover in place with hot glue. The hot glue enables me to plant a bush and immediately move on. Do use some glove protection on the main hand you use to plant with because hot glue can cause very nasty burns if you don't protect yourself.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/KingCreek.jpg
Finished scene, using the bushes and ground cover techniques described in this segment.


1. Woodload Scenics Foliage

This is the stuff that comes as ground foam bonded to a mesh netting. You can tear off chuncks, roll it up into a ball-like shape, and plant it with hot glue as an instant bush. It comes in 4 colors: light green, medium green, dark green, and conifer green. I use mostly the first three colors for bushes, with a preference for lots of light green, because that's the color many real bushes are as compared to trees. I only use conifer green once in a blue moon as foliage on background conifers.


2. Lichens and ground foam

Lichens has a form of branch structure that looks good under ground foam foliage. I typically spray the lichens a light tan or brown-gray, then hit it with spray adhesive and sprinkle on green ground foam, and it's ready to plant with the hot glue gun.


3. Horsetail foliage from Scenic Express (see note below)

Scenic's Express horsetail foliage is great stuff ... I love using it to model vines, blackberry bushes and the like. It has a nice leafy look, with the underside of the leaves being noticeably lighter than the upper side. This looks great in the foreground for low, vine-like growth. It also looks great growing up buildings and tree trunks where approriate. The stuff's a bit pricey, but you don't need use a lot of it to be effective. I have one mat of horsetail foliage that has lasted me for nearly two years on various scenery projects. I use hot glue to plant the horsetail foliage.


4. Scraps from Deciduous trees (see next topic post for details)

These look the best, because they have a nice branch armature under all those leaves. And when you're making deciduous trees using the techniques I'll be describing in the next post, you'll end up with some ratty looking trees now and then that can better live their life as a collection of bushes instead of one big ugly tree. Again, I use hot glue to plant these tree-scrap bushes.

Here's some photos showing the kinds of bushes and ground cover discussed here, and how they look in a scene close-up:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/Texture3.jpg

And in case you can't figure out what is what, here's the same photo with everything labeled:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/Texture4.jpg


Next, realistic deciduous trees you can make quickly and that don't cost you an arm and a leg.


NOTE: Scenic express sells a plethoria of great scenery products. Go to their website, click "About Us" and call their 1-800 number, asking for a catalog.

Their web site is: http://www.scenicexpress.com

Their catalog is simply amazing -- I keep one in the "reading room" just to thumb through and use for planning scenery projects. Much of the catalog is full color and it's like the "who's who" of model scenery products. If you are serious about doing good looking model railroad scenery, the Scenic Express catalog is one resource you don't want to be without. (No affiliation with them ... I just love their catalog as a resource).


NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic deciduous trees F-A-S-T!

[JeffShultz]

Scenic Express now has a couple of other options to calling them up to order the catalog - for those on broadband connections you can download it:
http://www.scenicexpress.com/Cat_Download.htm

It comes in two resolutions - download overnight and download over dinner... <grin>

There is also a webform for ordering it:
http://www.sceneryexpress.com/Inforequest.asp

[CBCNSfan]

Thanks for the links Jeff. The catalog is not free to Canada,(Our Postal system) so the download links were great, I clicked on the over dinner one and it was there on my screen, so why not try the overnight.
Gee that didn't take a full minute for the (download overnight ) the full 196 pages at 10 Mbps, internet must be quiet tonight.

LOL I'm the only user on the cable node I'm connected too maybe that's why.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Bonus topic: Sweatshirt Grass
One thing I mentioned in the last post, but didn't cover was how I made the sweatshirt grass. I got the technique from Railmodel Journal, January 1995 page 44.

Start with DAP Weldwood contact cement in a 3 oz bottle.
http://www.thehardwarehut.com/images/caulks_sealants_adhesives/dap-00107.jpg

The stuff smells to high heaven, so be careful! Here's a link to an online source:
http://www.thehardwarehut.com/catalog-product.php?p_ref=2054

I applied the contact cement, let it sit for about 5 minutes, then pressed down the sweatshirt material into the cement, fuzzy side down. Don't press it down too hard, you want to glue down the fuzz, but not the material backing.

Then I waited overnight, returned and ripped up the sweatshirt material, leaving behind all the fuzz. A light dusting of tan plaster-tempera powder, mist with water and voila! You get what you see in the photos in the last post called "sweatshirt grass".

As to the material, I purchased white sweatshirt material at Walmart in the fabric department and dyed it a nice golden yellow using Rit fabric dye.

[jfugate]

NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic deciduous trees F-A-S-T!

My favorite method for building great looking deciduous trees quickly involves a natural delicate plant Scenic Express calls "SuperTrees" and that Noch calls "Seafoam".

You can buy an entire small "tumbleweed" sized bush that will make 50+ trees from Scenic Express for $20. Call 1-800-234-9995 and ask for their catalog. It's a gold mine of scenery materials!

Also FCSME member Bill Carl and I have some similar techniques for making these trees -- see the FCSME website for one way to do supertrees: http://www.fcsme.org/bcarl/how_to_make_scenic_express_supertrees.htm

I pull sprigs from the raw tumbleed and throw them into a large bowl. Next, I dip the sprigs in a 1:7 matte medium solution, then hang the sprigs upside down to dry. Some sprigs have an unnatural curve to them ... while they are drying upside down, I will clip a clothes pin onto the end of these sprigs to pull them straight while they dry.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-05.jpg
Hanging supertrees to dry after dipping them in a matte medium solution to toughen them up.

The matte medium treatement helps a lot to stiffen and toughen up these delicate sprigs so they're more durable on your layout.

I let the sprigs dry overnight. I ususally do at least 50 sprigs at a time.

The next day, I take these sprigs down and stick them upright into styrofoam blocks usually 5-10 trees at a time. The next steps you need to do outside where there's plenty of ventilation. Do the following steps one right after the other without waiting for the paint to dry.

First, I spray the sprigs a tan or grey color using cheap spray paint.

Next, I lightly mist the sprigs with a hint of flat black. You just want to create a kind of shadow effect on the ends of the branches and the tree trunk. Most of the tan/grey color should still be showing.

Next, spray the sprig branch bodies (but not the trunk) with spray adhesive (like Elmer's spray adhesive shown here: http://www.pearlpaint.com/shop~parentID~984~categoryID~975.htm ) and sprinkle on medium green coarse ground foam. I don't worry too much about the exact color, since I control the exact color with later steps. Any medium green color will work.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-10.jpg
Sprinkling coarse medium green ground foam onto the painted supertree sprigs.

You can control how dense you make the tree foliage by how much adhesive you spray on and how much ground foam you sprinkle on. I generally try for at least some amount of see-thru look to the trees, so I don't get too agressive with the spray adhesive and the ground foam sprinking.

After the trees have their foam applied, now it's time to give them the proper coloration. I use craft spray paint of various green shades. A favorite of mine is Design Master Basil green (see: http://www.afloral.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=535 ) -- this is a nice yellowish green that I think simulates the color of summer-time deciduous tree foliage for Maple, Ash, Alder, Elm and so on.

Oaks tend to have darker foliage, more like Design Master Hunter Green. Avoid painting the trunk part of the tree ... keep to the foliage area with the spray paint. If you do happen to get a bit of green onto the lower tree trunk, don't fret. Moss and green "mildew" are not uncommon on real tree trunks.

Then to finish, I'll take a pale yellow spray paint and mist it lightly onto the tree from above to simulate the effect of sunlight on the foliage.

And there you go -- your trees are ready to plant!

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-14.jpg
As you can see, these trees look absolutely great, and they take mere minutes to produce!

Once you've prepared the sprigs overnight with the matte medium solution, you can crank out finished trees 5-10 at a whack in just a few minutes time. And to top it off, they look *great*. I use this technique for most of the decidious trees on the Siskiyou Line and they look wonderful. Like this:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/silflor/Silflor1.jpg

To plant these trees, I use a small sharp awl to poke holes in my soft vermiculite plaster scenery, put a dab of hot glue on the end of the tree trunk and poke it down into the hole.

NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic conifer trees F-A-S-T!

[jfugate]

NEXT TOPIC: From the ground up - Realistic conifer trees F-A-S-T!

My favorite technique for making lots of good looking conifer trees fast is to use a variation on the bottle brush tree technique I got from Dennis Brown of Chico, CA. Dennis's techniques are described in great detail in the March 1997 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. I first learned these techniques directly from Dennis at a PCR convention in 1995.

Another favorite technique of mine for making highly detailed foreground fir trees is the methods used by Pete Vassler of Canyon Creek Scenics ( see http://www.canyoncreekscenics.com/frm_supplies.htm for a great tree kit with instructions ), however, these trees take more time to build and are best left to the onesy-twosey foreground trees ... not entire forests unless you have lots of time -- or money. I'm sure Pete would be glad to sell you a small fortune in trees if you're so inclined! ;)

Anyhow, back to the Dennis Brown conifer tree technique that I use for my general "conifer forest" tree construction.

Get yourself a variable speed drill, a couple of spring clamps. Take a finishing nail, bend it into a hook shape, and chuck one end of it into the variable speed drill so you can hook onto the central wire of these conifers and give them a good spin with the drill.

Okay, on to making the trees themselves.

Start with electric fence wire (it's soft galvanized steel wire about 16-18 guage or so), bend it into a hairpin U shape, the length of your tree you want to make, plus about 30%. When you twist the wire later, you will lose about 1/3rd of the length, so remember to account for that.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-16.jpg
Tree trunk wire shaped like a huge hairpin, with an L bend in the end.

Then take some sisal rope ( http://doityourself.com/store/6431225.htm ), cut it into chunks about 3" long, and separate the rope completely into its smallest hairlike individual strands.

Lay out some half-inch masking tape sticky side up the length of the tree, then distribute the minute sisal rope hair-like strands along the length of the tape. You can get different densities of tree by how many sisal strands you use and how much you clump the strands.

Lay the tape inside the hairpin-shaped wire U, clamp the open end of the U-wire to a table with the spring clamp, hook the loop end of the wire U with the finishing nail hook you chucked into the drill and spin away! In a few moments, this will spin the wire tight and make a real bottle-brush shape.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-21.jpg
Clamp the L end to a board and hook the wire hook bit into the other end and spin!

Unclamp the bottle-brush and trim it to a christmas tree like cone shape with scissors. The most natural looking conifers are not perfect, so trim the tree inevenly, snip out spots almost down to the trunk, and so on.

Plant your newly trimmed conifer bottle-brush upright into a strip of styrofoam. I keep making these raw bottle-brush trees until I have 5-10 of them planted into a strip of styrofoam.

From here on out, the steps are nearly identical to the steps used for the deciduous trees.

Spray paint the trunks gray or tan and highlight lightly with flat black.

In order to get the right foliage texture for conifers, when applying the foam, first spray adhesive on the bare bottle-brush tree and sprinkle on dark green coarse ground foam (similar to what is done for the decidious trees).

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/EasyTrees-29.jpg
Trees with their first coat of ground foam ... the coarse ground foam. Lightly sprinkle on fine ground foam next.

However, conifer needles generally are much finer that the broad leaves of decidious trees, so after applying the coarse ground foam, spray the tree again lightly with spray adhesive and sprinkle on fine dark green ground foam.

The coarse ground foam gives the tree body, but the fine ground foam gives it the proper texture contrast to decidious trees.

Spray with craft paint to establish the actual tree color ... for conifers I prefer Design Master Moss green (see: http://www.afloral.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=535 ).

Instead of using light yellow to highlight the conifers' darker foliage, highlight the conifers with Design Master Basil green (see: http://www.afloral.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=535 ).

As before, to plant these trees, I use a small sharp awl to poke holes in my soft vermiculite plaster scenery, put a dab of hot glue on the end of the tree trunk and poke it down into the hole.

Dennis actually would take these bottle brush trees and stick them into bare tree trunks so the bottle brush formed the top 1/2 to 1/3 of the tree and leave the bare trunk to form the lower part of the tree. However, I prefer the Canyon Creek Scenics' method for trees with trunks showing because they look much more natural. I use the bottle brush trees for conifers that have foliage going all the way to the ground -- mostly large stands of trees between the tracks and the background.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/SlaterCreek.jpg
A finished scene with bottle brush conifers. Notice the foreground conifers with trunks, as per Dennis Brown's technique described above.

NEXT TOPIC: Doing realistic rock faces

[jfugate]

Bonus Topic: More on powdered colors

Linn Westcott's ZIP texturing popularized by MR in the 1960s used dry powdered colors as opposed to powdered tempera paint. The dry powdered colors don't darken as much when you use them to color the plaster. However, tempera paint is much easier to find at craft stores or in the craft section of Walmart, Target, K-Mart, etc.

The tempera paint - plaster mix darkens considerably when you wet it, that's why its good to test it first. Ideally, you are comparing it to a photo you have under your layout lights. This way, you'll get a color that's dead on for what you are trying to model, and that's not too dark.

Because of the normal standing viewing distance to our models, it's like looking at the prototype from hundreds of feet away. The colors are slightly more muted at that distance. Add to that the far dimmer indoor lighting, and you need to definitely lighten your scenery colors for it to look like the real out-of-doors even though its inside.

That's one of the "secrets" of the realistic scenery on the Siskiyou Line. The colors are kept light, which makes the layout look larger and feel like it's in the "great outdoors".

Here's a photo that shows the light colors and the "open spaces" look of the Siskiyou Line. All on an HO layout where the deck here is perhaps 24" wide!

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/NorthUmpqua.jpg

[jfugate]

Bonus topic: Lighting a multideck layout

Getting good layout lighting will make your scenery look better, so let's disgress for a moment and discuss how to get good layout lighting.

The lower deck of a multideck layout can get mighty dark if you don't install extra lighting for that deck. Here's what I use to light the upper and lower decks on my Siskiyou Line:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/lights08.jpg
(the scenery in this photo is unnaturally dark so the light sockets show up with less lighting glare)

Leviton porcelain surface socket, they're called. Here's a link to them on the internet:
http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop/item/30540/icn/20-066092/leviton/001_9880.htm

And if you want to read more about them, I discuss them here on my web site:
http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/constructionNotes/lighting.html

I also discuss multideck layout lighting in volume 2 of my Siskiyou Line video series. Model-trains-video.com distributes the Siskiyou Line videos, see: http://model-trains-video.com

I use 15 watt and 25 watt incandescent bulbs on my layout, and these low wattage bulbs look great, can be dimmed, and don't generate much excess heat -- unlike higher wattage incandescent bulbs. In fact, after a 15 watt bulb has been on for several hours, I can grasp it with my hand and it's only warm to the touch. You try that with higher wattage incandescents and you'll give yourself a nasty burn!

Recently, I've also been experimenting with compact florescents lights (CFLs). I have found some Microbrite CFLs that use 2 watts(!) per bulb, put out the equivalent of what a 25 watt incandescent bulb puts out, and are dimmable!

Currently, my entire layout lighting takes about 2800 watts, but with these new bulbs, the total wattage of the lights would drop to a mere 200 watts! However, these bulbs also cost about 10 times the cost of a 25 watt incandescent bulb -- but they do last about 20 times longer. So they seem to be very cost effective, if you can afford the high initial cost. Here's the link if you'd like to know more: http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=9229

[CBCNSfan]

Hi Joe, wow have I some catching up to do. I came across some limbs of bushes on the back of a pickup while I was in town yesterday. They looked like they would make nice tree armatures. The lady explained her task for that day was to prune the bushes and said they were called "Honey Suckle". Did you ever hear of using that for trees? I asked her if it was ok to take some. she said yes, so I put a load in the trunk of my car. It's Kind of busy around here and theres a model rail show tommorow and I'll be at that. I can take a couple of photo's of the stuff tomorow and post them. I like this whole series but haven't had the time to try some of it yet. I was in our Wal-Mart today, finaly found the Faux Fur, there were two packs, amazing but they were black in color so I left them there. Loooks like I have some reading to do, catch you later.
Oh! I was looking at some of those bulbs today, I noticed they had them up to the equiv. of 60W incandecent, I'll buy a couple to try out, I didn't know they could be dimmed, that's a plus.
http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[JeffShultz]

I'm taking a different tack - since I'm not going multideck, I'm putting in six surface mount fixtures with 75w equivalent CFL "bulbs."

Powering them is a bit different - the garage that I'm turning into my trainroom is attached to the side of the manufactured home I live in. So the door from the house was originally designed as an outside door - complete with outside light.

So I'm going to screw one of those gadgets that includes two plugs and a light socket into that socket, and run wires from the plugs to the lights. The nicest part of it is that I'll be able to turn on the lights in the room before I even open the door...

I've already got two lower power fixtures that were installed by the previous occupants, and they provide quite a bit of lighting all on their own. The 6 75W fixtures will probably be partial overkill - and make photography easy.

[jfugate]

Oh! I was looking at some of those bulbs today, I noticed they had them up to the equiv. of 60W incandecent, I'll buy a couple to try out, I didn't know they could be dimmed, that's a plus.

Willis

Willis:

Not all CFL's can be dimmed. They need to say "dimmable", and they'll cost at least $10 each if they are dimmable. Anything cheaper will be either off or on -- no in-between.

[CBCNSfan]

Honestly this is getting ridiculous, this is my third try at posting a reply. 1 Post didn't post, 2 windows shut down so it wouldn't hurt my computer (just as ridiculous) OK! here goes again :mad: :mad: :mad:
They need to say "dimmable", and they'll cost at least $10 each Hi Joe, I didn't read the package info. They cost about $5,88 US each so I take it they are the on/off type. It rainned quite hard here today so when I returned from a rather dissapointing model train show I didn't get any photos of the Honeysuckle branches. If they look like they will make good armatures, I guess I'll have to visit the lady with my prunning shears. :D
other than two well done N scale displays, there wasn't alot to look at other than the trees so I set out to find out as much as I could about the materials for making them. I also learned some of the things I don't wan't to copy
I have to admit previously didn't know the difference between foilage material and ground foam so it wasn't a wasted day. One material I didn't get an answer on was, deciduous leaves, well it looked like parsley sprinkled on the foilage material. Is this another type of foilage material seperate from the real fine stuff? :confused:
Photo attached to show what I mean.
http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

I know Scenery Express carries Noch decidious foliage material that is small flakes to look more like leaves.

But as you can see from my scenery photos, coarse ground foam on Supertree sprigs looks pretty good, even up close.

The decidious trees in your photo look kind of dense, and the trunks look very rich chocolate brown. The brown of the trunks doesn't look real natural, since most tree trunks in nature tend to be gray brown, tan, or dark gray in color.

The foliage on the trees also needs to be more see-through. With supertrees and coarse ground foam, you can control how dense you make the foliage. I always try to make it at least somewhat see-through.

The conifers, however, look pretty interesting in the photo you took ...

[CBCNSfan]

The decidious trees in your photo look kind of dense, and the trunks look very rich chocolate brown. The brown of the trunks doesn't look real natural, since most tree trunks in nature tend to be gray brown, tan, or dark gray in color. Hi Joe, yes, for the past week, while walking our dog I've been studying the trees (other sides of the road) it's a wooded area and I'm seeing things I've never noticed before. For instance deciduous trees in the upper branches are angled from the trunk from 45 to 30 deg. The foliage in fact is quite sparse. It's only that they are surrounded by other trees that foliage appears to be thick. The lower branches on the oldest trees appears to angle from the trunk at much less than the 45 deg a sort of flattening out to 90 deg. The conifers are some what a different story, the angles are much greater on most to actually drooping on the older ones. pines have no resemblance to spruce and not all spruce are the same then there's the Tamarack which looks like an evergreen only it's not
Ok here are two experiments I had done a few years ago and I will re try them again using the ground foam which I have lots of now.
OK the first pic is three handmade pines from Graphic Studios (they look more like black spruce to me); on the left in the second pic is a weed I dipped in paint (most likely sprayed this one) and sprinkled with dyed sawdust since its at least 3 years old there is some promise for background scenery. The next pic on the left of the three conifers, is a tree made with skewer and fibre glass from a furnace filter. Not the whole filter thickness, but just the outer layer (netting) cut in circles, sprayed with paint and a bit of ground foam sprinkled on. This I'm looking seriously at, however with much more attention to the shape of a conifer tree. Considering the time to make these, they would be only used in the foreground. Also planned for this winter's work will be a mess of conifers made the way you describe in this clinic.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

Hey, I like the photos. Those are some pretty nice looking conifers.

One trick I've learned with texture on conifers is to apply a thin coat of fine ground foam on top of any coarser ground foam to get a better "conifer needles" look, and to distinguish them from the coarser leaves of decidious trees.

But your conifers in these photos look pretty good!

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Doing realistic rock faces

We'll start this post out with some prototype and model rock face photos ... of south Roseburg on the prototype SP Siskiyou Line in southern Oregon:

PROTOTYPE LOCATION
http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/RoseburgBluffs1.jpg

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/RoseburgBluffs2.jpg

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/RoseburgBluffs3.jpg

SAME LOCATION ON THE MODEL
Here's a couple photos of the same location on my HO Siskiyou Line:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/Photo-19.jpg

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/RoseburgBluffs/Photo-20.jpg

I prefer to hand carve my rocks most of the time and it's difficult to describe exactly how hand carving is done other than to say just practice. I use a kitchen butter knife (one with a smooth edge, not one with serations) to do the work.

For this rock wall, I mixed up my standard vermiculite plaster mix (see previous posts for details) and then globbed it on in little bumpy globs, shaping it to look similar to the prototype photos. If you're hand carving and are new at it, it's best to work from prototype photos. If you aren't sure you can do hand carving, try working on a throwaway scrap piece of scenery first.

To get the most successful hand carved rocks, make sure you use plenty of plaster ... ideally 1/2" to 1" thick. This means you will have to plan as you are installing your scenery base to allow for up to an inch of thickness for any planned hand carved rocks, so you still have clearance for the trains.

I did the final shaping while the plaster was still soft -- the vermiculite mix has a working time of about 10-15 minutes, which is just enough time to shape it but fast enough it will hold it's shape without you having to constantly check to make sure something didn't sag on you while you weren't looking.

Once the plaster sets up for a few hours (overnight is ideal), I paint it with my earth-tan 50-50 latex paint mix (again, see earlier posts).

Then, I mix a thin black-brown stain of water and raw umber brown acrylic paint, and paint it over the rock face, letting it settle into the cracks and crannies in order to give the rock face more texture. Plus as you can see from the prototype photos, these rocks are dark volcanic basalt, so tending toward the darker side is correct. However, I avoid making the rocks too dark (erring on the side of slightly too light) in order to compensate for the lower intensity of indoor layout lighting as compared to the sun.

I let the stain dry for a few hours then come back with some dirt brown plaster mix (see the ballasting post) and dust that on the rock faces, giving them a nice weathered, dusty look. Then I mist the face with water to set up the dirt plaster mix.

Finally, I dry brush some very light tan almost white on some of the protruding rock faces to give them a bit of extra highlight and snap. Then I let everything dry thoroughly for a day or so before proceeding on to plant vegetation in the area.

After that, for these rock faces, I planted some silflor grass using a hot glue gun. In comparing the model to the prototype, it's apparent to me I could probably stand to plant even more silflor grass.

NEXT TOPIC: Doing realistic paved roads

[hminky]

I have a "what I did" web article on making sedimentary rocks from ceiling tiles at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/more_rocks/

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/more_rocks/image/black_dye_middle.JPG

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/more_rocks/image/close_up.JPG

and have experimented with using cork sheeting for thin strata at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/thin_rocks/

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/image/thin_strata.jpg

Thank you if you visit
Harold

[jfugate]

Great stuff, Harold!

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Doing realistic paved roads

I've tried many different ways of creating paved HO scale model roads. None works as well, in my opinion, as sheet styrene. I made the paved highway shown here using .030 styrene sheet glued down with latex caulking.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/crossing2.jpg

To prepare the scenery area for the road, I cut a piece of thin cardboard in the shape of the road and taped it in place on the cardboard strip/masking tape scenery form with masking tape. I made sure this subroad was about 1/4" below the final level of the styrene road surface. I plastered over the subroad with a couple layers of plaster and let it set overnight. Using the plaster, you can smooth out any unrealistic dips and bumps in the subroad to ensure the styrene road will flow smoothly over its bed.

The next day, I cut a final pattern for the road from thin cardboard. Make sure to cut it slightly oversize so you have material along the edges to trim in order to get a precise pattern for final fit. I placed the pattern on the subroad and trimmed the edges to the exact shape I wanted for my final styrene road. Using this final cardboard pattern, I laid it on the .030 styrene and cut out the road, then glued it down with latex caulk.

When gluing down the styrene with latex caulking, I use weights to ensure the styrene conforms to the subroad while the caulking sets.

After the latex caulking sets up, remove the weights and do a little additional plaster work along the edges of the road to create a realistic shoulder.

I painted my road with a slight brownish (very slight) gray mix of acrylic paint. I did not try to get the paint on smooth but deliberately streaked it in the direction of traffic. It took two-three coats of paint to cover the white styrene sheet and get a realistic color for a weathered asphalt road. Next, I masked and sprayed the lines on the road. Finally, I "weathered" the road lightly with dark gray and light tan plaster powder.

To blend the road in with the rest of the surrounding scenery, put some of your track ballast along the road to form a gravel shoulder, and glue it down just as you do your track ballast.

As I said in the beginning, I find I prefer sheet styrene for modeling HO scale roads because I think the results are quite realistic.

It does not take much of an imperfection in the roadway before it no longer looks realistic. And it takes a careful steady hand along with a critical eye to get a model roadway smooth enough using plaster to look correct.

On the other hand, modeling a roadway using styrene is almost too easy. The .030 thickness is stiff enough to smooth out unrealistic imperfections in the subroad, but still thin enough to flow realisticially up and down over terrain level changes.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/crossing3.jpg

As you can see from these pictures, the smooth, flowing nature of styrene is hard to beat for a simple but realistic asphalt highway. Yet you can also easily distress the styrene where you need to for chuckholes, cracks, seams, or other details you might want to add to your roadway.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/scenery/crossing1.jpg


NEXT TOPIC: Doing realistic water

[jfugate]

Bonus post: Dirt and gravel roads
For dirt roads, you could just skip adding the stryrene and smooth the plaster out to look good. The trick to making a dirt road look good is to weather the tire ruts properly.

If the road is truly just dirt and not gravel, then you can paint the road with your basic ground color, then apply the plaster powder I have been speaking of so much to give the road a dusty look.

The dirt in the tire ruts tends to pack down hard from the passage of vehicles, so to simulate that, get yourself an ink eraser and rub the ruts hard remove the plaster powder and almost polish the ruts smooth. Then I'd wet the road with a mist of water and add another layer of plaster powder, and brush it smooth in the ruts with a damp brush.

Once it all sets up it should look nice and dusty, with pressed, weathered ruts that look realistic. It helps to consult photos to see where the weathered ruts are because it will vary depending on if the road is one or two lanes.

Gravel roads involve the first step of plastering, then using ballast (may be a different color than the track ballast, however) and bonding it with glue the same way you do track ballast.

Then weather the ruts using an ink eraser. You'll probably knock ballast lose in the ruts with this step ... that's okay as long as you don't remove *all the gravel* from the ruts. You'll need to use a lighter touch on this step with gravel roads for this reason.

Then do the final step by dampening the road with water and applying a heavy coat of plaster powder to the damp road, and brush the ruts with a damp brush. If you want more gravel to show through, spray the road heavily with a final mist of water to wash down the gravel somewhat.

If you want the road to look more freshly graveled, then lightly sprinkle some ballast on after the above has dried, then alcohol and glue this fresh gravel in place.

By using combinations of glue-bonded gravel and plaster powder, you can get just about any age of gravel or dirt road you want.

[jfugate]

TOPIC THIS POST: Doing realistic water

My favorite method for making water is to build a flat area for a pond, river, or slough, paint it the proper colors, and then brush on arcylic gloss medium.

Once the gloss medium dries, the transformation is amazing ... here's an example photo:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/cbsModel.jpg

Here's a photo of the same location on the prototype:
http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/cbsloughm.jpg

Or if you're brave, here's a really big version of this photo:
http://siskiyou.railfan.net/images/cbslough.jpg

This area is known as Coalbank Slough and is located in Coos Bay, Oregon.

I first installed 1/2" plaster wallboard (sheetrock as it's sometimes called) over 1/2" plywood to create this flat area. Then I painted the center of the slough a deep green color, and faded the edges to a tan yellow ocre to represent the shallows.

Next I painted on acrylic gloss medium (you can buy it at an art supply store, or online here: http://www.rexart.com/liquitex_acrylic_mediums.html ). Don't be too concerned if you get the gloss medium smooth. A rippled look as you see in the above photo is pretty convincing!

Give the acylic gloss medium a couple of days to dry completely. If necessary, add a second coat to make sure it's evenly shiny over the complete surface.

In some cases, however, you won't have a flat area to work with, but will have a "dry bed" that you want to fill with water. In this case, nothing works as slick as Envirotex, in my opinion.

You can get Envirotex as a decoupage medium at craft stores, or you can order it from Scenic Express ... go to: http://www.sceneryexpress.com/ and ask for their catalog. Scenic Express also sells dyes you can use to color the Envirotex, which makes a big difference in realism (remember my rule about proper coloration?).

However, Envirotex has a couple of problems you'll need to pay attention to: 1) it sets up glassy smooth, which is not especially realistic for most bodies of water, and 2) it tends to "crawl" up the edges of the bank or up any rocks or debris sticking out of the "water" which ruins the effect of scale water.

The first problem is easy to solve -- once the Envirotex has set up, apply a layer of acrylic gloss medium to the top to give it "ripples" and your water will be much more realistic. Here's a pond I did this way, and notice how the ripples really add to the effect.

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/large/water2.jpg

For this pond, I poured it in three layers. I added several drops of green and a touch of blue to the bottom layer to give the pond depth. On the second pour, I put in just a drop of green and a drop of blue to give it just a slight hint of color. And finally on the top layer I added a drop of green and a couple drops of yellow to give it just a hint of stirred up dirt look to the surface.

And of course, to finish it off, I painted on a layer of acrylic gloss medium to give it realistic ripples.

To solve the problem of the Envirotex edge crawl, I mixed up some colored plaster powder (see my previous posts in this clinic) with a bit of water to make a thin paste, and painted it along the shore and over any rocks or sticks poking up out of the water. I carefully painted down to the water line I wanted right over the top of the Envirotex crawl. It dried a nice dusty color and disguised the water edge, making it look like dry dusty river bank or rock.

In the background, I brushed acrylic gloss medium over the rocks to create a hint of running water out of the culvert (I model July, so this stream is all but dried up this time of year), and then dry brushed on some white acrylic paint to give a sense of water cascading down the rocks into the pond.

Of course, any time you model water, add lush greenery around it to enhance the sense that life-giving water flows here!

Here's a couple more shots of this scene ... first a more distance shot so you can kind of see the context for this scene:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/large/water3.jpg

And here's an even closer view of this scene:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/images/post_photos/large/water1.jpg

[jfugate]

Bonus post: Working with powdered tempera and plaster "dirt"

When working with the powdered tempera and plaster "dirt" mixtures, here are some additional hints and tips.

Several thin layers of dirt are better than one thick layer, since you can easily dampen the layer well and the plaster will set up nicely, fixing the dirt in place.

Wetting the powder darkens it and once it dries, it lightens again. If you don't get the tempera mixed in well with the plaster, you can get dark spots in the dirt. Not a biggie, I just apply another layer over the dark spot, mist it with some water, and let it set up.

I first mist the area I want to cover with the powder with water and apply the dirt with a tea strainer, dusting it on lightly by tapping the handle with my finger. Then I mist on some more water until it darkens up, which means I've dampened it thoroughly.

You can do other things, like totally soak the powder until it's sloppy wet (instead of merely damp), and when it dries it will tend to crack and look like mud that has been baked dry. On slopes, you can soak it with water such that little rivelets run down the slope, creating some natural erosion effect.

If you put it on too thick, it's hard to dampen it thoroughly and the middle will remain dusty and loose, causing the whole application to come off later in chunks and create a real mess. I try to put down just enough to cover things (think of white powdered sugar on donuts), but not have any thickness buildup. I'll often come back later and do a second application just to make sure I've gotten good coverage.

[CBCNSfan]

Just an excellent clinic Joe, it just keeps getting better by the day. I'm wondering about painting the river or lake bottoms. Although I used varnish in the past I'll be changing to the acrylic gloss medium because varnish settles to a flat shiny surface. In regards to painting I start in the center with a very dark green band, then on each side of that band a band of a lighter green, then alongside the bands of lighter green maybe a tan color or rock color. I then take a brush with water and brush over the paint, blending the colors so it is an even lightening from dark center to a tan/ rock colored beach ( Tan if it's sand, or I use gray colors if it is a rocky shore). For deep rivers this leaves streaks of lighter greens in the darker areas, obtaining the effect you will see when looking down from a bridge at a fast running water on a sunny day. I believe the effect will be enhanced using acrylic gloss medium.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

Sounds almost exactly like what I do. Should look great under some acrylic gloss medium!

[CBCNSfan]

Hi Joe, a question about Envirotex. Is this the product that gives off strong fumes while curing? I remember a writeup about some product for modeling water that did, so I've stayed clear of anything that might. Strong fumes would affect my wife, but I sort of recall the product I'm thinking of was a two part mix. A deep clear water lake would be a plus for the coal fired power plant, but I could settle for a painted one if necessary.
I'm impressed with the rockwork around and in the pond, are these individual pieces, or are they carved in place?

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

Envirotex has almost no odor, so it's great stuff for making water.

The rocks around the pond are actual rocks. I hot glued a few large rocks in place, then sprinkled a lot of small rocks in around them, shaped things a bit more with a small rock here and there -- then glued them in place with dilute white glue like you do ballast.

[CBCNSfan]

powdered tempera and plaster "dirt" mixtures Hi Joe, do you have a specific ratio of powder to plaster that you use? I have an old copy of Bill McClanahan's zip texturing, where he put the mixture on a creased paper and blew it on with his breath. I recall using the technique on a GG&N 5x9 layout in the 70's and it worked fine. Somewhere around then I dismantled the layout and that was it until about 98. I tried it on this layout, well the results were not too encouraging, but the tea strainer idea adds a new twist to it maybe I'll try again. The loco (GP9) is about finished so it's back to the scenery next week.
Hmm! seems I'm working back through this clinic :D

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[RexHea]

Sorry for the out-of-sync post, but just now got to try this.

Joe, I finally decided to try the 'masking tape on the cardboard lattice' idea instead of using plaster gauze. The only problem I had, was the tendency of the plaster wanting to slide around on the slick tape. Because of this, I had to apply an additional layer of plaster to cover the thinner/bare places. I use a patching plaster/vermiculite only mixture. I definitely like the economics of this method over the medical plaster gauze that I have been using. Do you have any comments or suggestions to this problem.

[B_Kosanda]

Joe,
I've read all the articles you've posted here and it really got me interested in improving the scenery on my layout. I've got a couple questions.

First off, I noticed that you paint your rails by hand AFTER laying ballast. I've always airbrushed my rails and ties prior to laying ballast. Do you see any advantage to painting the rails after ballasting? It surely must take quite a bit longer than painting them before ballasting.

Second question is on the sisal rope conifers. I attached an example photo of conifers I made with furnace filters and ground foam. I have the manufacturing process down to a science, I've made more than 700 of these things. The trouble I have with them is that they are not transperant enough. I note that yours have more of a see-through apperance. I think it might take about 1-2 minutes apiece to make mine. How long does it take to make one of yours? That's a huge consideration because trees just don't seem to go very far when trying to forest an entire layout.

thanks,
Bill Kosanda
P.S. A couple years ago you invited me over to see your layout when I was preparing to come out to Oregon to railfan the Cascade Subdivison near Oakridge. I can't believe I did not take you up on it!

[jfugate]

Hi Joe, do you have a specific ratio of powder to plaster that you use? I have an old copy of Bill McClanahan's zip texturing, where he put the mixture on a creased paper and blew it on with his breath.

Willis

Willis:

I tend to use less plaster than the zip texturing ratios: 3:1 or 4:1 plaster to color is typical -- it depends on how light you want to make it. Zip texturing formulas often have 8:1 or 10:1, so they use lots more plaster and less color. I sometimes go this high, but for things like weathering powders (see the track ballasting post), I tend to use much less plaster.

The folder paper trick is good for vertical surfaces, but you should always wet the surface well first, and then mist it afterwards as well. This will set the plaster in the mix and make it permanent.

[jfugate]

Sorry for the out-of-sync post, but just now got to try this.

Joe, I finally decided to try the 'masking tape on the cardboard lattice' idea instead of using plaster gauze. The only problem I had, was the tendency of the plaster wanting to slide around on the slick tape. Because of this, I had to apply an additional layer of plaster to cover the thinner/bare places. I use a patching plaster/vermiculite only mixture. I definitely like the economics of this method over the medical plaster gauze that I have been using. Do you have any comments or suggestions to this problem.

Rex:

Try painting the tape with some latex paint first, like a dirt brown color. This not only will make the taped scenery look nice very quickly (you can use this as a "quickie" technique when you are in a hurry), it will give the tape some tooth and make the plaster mix stay put better. Also add a few drops of dish detergent to your mix, which will break the surface tenshion of the plaster and make it penetrate better instead of just bead up on the tape.

I only do this if the scenery is more vertical in nature, since it helps the plaster stay put ... on flatter areas, I don't do anything special. Also with more vertical surfaces, I often mix the plaster pretty thin and put on a base coat first, almost like painting it on. Then the second less runny coat really has lots of "tooth" to hold it in place.

[jfugate]

Joe,
I noticed that you paint your rails by hand AFTER laying ballast. I've always airbrushed my rails and ties prior to laying ballast. Do you see any advantage to painting the rails after ballasting? It surely must take quite a bit longer than painting them before ballasting.

Second question is on the sisal rope conifers. I attached an example photo of conifers I made with furnace filters and ground foam. I have the manufacturing process down to a science, I've made more than 700 of these things. The trouble I have with them is that they are not transperant enough. I note that yours have more of a see-through apperance. I think it might take about 1-2 minutes apiece to make mine. How long does it take to make one of yours? That's a huge consideration because trees just don't seem to go very far when trying to forest an entire layout.

Bill Kosanda


Bill:

My main problem with painting the track first is removing stray grains of ballast from the railsides and tie tops. It usually scrapes the paint off, then I have to go back and repaint ties and the railsides. Hand painting the railsides goes pretty quick, as you will be able to see in my Siskiyou Line video volume 4 (due out next April) when I demo the ballasting. I can probably paint about a foot of rail per minute, so in two minutes, I'll have both rails painted.

At that rate, in an hour, I can paint about 30 feet of track ... so it's not that hard and the result visually is really worth it for me, and you can see in this photo:

http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/assets/trackDetail.jpg

As to the trees, I do furnace filter trees as well for foreground trees, using the techniques espoused by one of the masters in furnace filter tree making -- Pete Vassler of Canyon Creek Scenics. See:

http://www.canyoncreekscenics.com/gallery/bcsjforest/forest02.html

It's possible to make furnace filter trees more see through, if you know the tricks. Here's a photo of my friend Charlie Comstock's layout using Pete's trees ...

http://www.canyoncreekscenics.com/gallery/bcsjforest/pix/forest03m.jpg

Here's the tricks to making furnace filter trees more see through:

1. Prepaint the furnace filter a dark green-brown color.
2. Put a large piece of filter on the trunk, then a small spacer piece, then a larger piece ... and do that all the way up the tree. This gives the tree more of a natural conifer shape and makes it less dense. You get less of a "Christmas tree" look to your conifers when you do that.
3. Use super-hold cheap hair spray, then *lightly* sprinkle on *fine* ground foam, first a dark color from the bottom, then a lighter color from the top.

The results will look a lot more like the trees that Pete does, which look absolutely *stunning*.

However, I only use Pete's technique for a few foreground trees, I use the Dennis Brown bottle-brush trees for the mass of trees I need. Each tree takes me perhaps 2-3 minutes each to make once all the materials have been assembled. You'll be able to watch it done on video in my upcoming Siskiyou Line video volume 4 due out next April.

Hope that helps, Bill, and the offer's still open to come for a visit if you are ever in the Portland, OR area!

[Swissengineer]

David:

That's why I recommend silflor only for small patches of grass or along the edges of a huge fake fur grass expanse. It economizes on the cost of Silflor and makes use of silflor where it looks the best.

Check out this link on my Siskiyou Line web site for an explanation/comparison of fake fur versus silflor: http://siskiyou.railfan.net/model/constructionNotes/silflor.html

Hi Joe,

congratulations to your layout and this clinic. If you recommend Silflor for grass, did you ever use the companys material for fir trees. I tested it and with more experience, the result will be much better.

Stefan

My Gallery (http://www.modelrailroadphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=2456)

http://www.mypage.bluewin.ch/Railfan/hdsrr/pics/sd45_trees.jpg

[CBCNSfan]

Post 64 by Joe Fugate:
modeling a roadway using styrene is almost too easy. The .030 thickness is stiff enough to smooth out unrealistic imperfections in the subroad, but still thin enough to flow realisticially up and down over terrain level
(Talk about being out of sync :D) Hi Joe, what width do you use for your styrene roads? It looks almost too easy.
Now back on track again, thanks for the update on the Envirotex, I guess I'll be using it for the Power Plant water source lake. I find that's the one thing (water source) that seems to be missing on a lot of model steam power plant photos. Of course water could be piped in but usually that is not the case around here.

Hi Stefan, those are teriffic looking trees, I for one would like to see a "How To" thread with your procedure for making them.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Willis:

I use 12 foot lanes, plus another 2 feet for shoulder past the fog line. That makes a road 28 feet wide. Stripes are 6" wide.

I also use forced perspective as the road recedes into the distance, dropping the road width by perhaps 20-30%.

[CBCNSfan]

I also use forced perspective as the road recedes into the distance, dropping the road width by perhaps 20-30%. OK! that makes a lot of sense if it's going into the backdrop. Do you also reduce the size of objects, or leave objects of recognizable size out of that area of forced perspective and stay with terrain objects that have no reference for size?
Thank's for the clinic Joe , I see more of your work when visiting your site. I'm thankfull I didn't get too far with my scenery, because now I believe I can do a much better job of it.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[RexHea]

Rex:

Try painting the tape with some latex paint first, like a dirt brown color. This not only will make the taped scenery look nice very quickly (you can use this as a "quickie" technique when you are in a hurry), it will give the tape some tooth and make the plaster mix stay put better. Also add a few drops of dish detergent to your mix, which will break the surface tenshion of the plaster and make it penetrate better instead of just bead up on the tape.

I only do this if the scenery is more vertical in nature, since it helps the plaster stay put ... on flatter areas, I don't do anything special. Also with more vertical surfaces, I often mix the plaster pretty thin and put on a base coat first, almost like painting it on. Then the second less runny coat really has lots of "tooth" to hold it in place.

Thanks loads, Joe. I tried the latex paint first and it did give the plaster mix enough adhesion to stick in place. Your masking tape method will sure save me a bunch of money$$$. :)

[jfugate]

Bonus post: Spraying and gluing tips

I mention spraying water in some of this clinic ... so here's what I do to any spraying of water during scenery work. I get a plant mister spray bottle in the Walmart garden supply area. Something like this (although this one is from an office supply store online):

http://www.eway.com/catalog/1/ce04_121536_oe.jpg
http://www.discountofficesupplies.com/ce/shop/ui

Get the kind with the trigger pump and an adjustable spray tip. Works great for generating a fine water mist once you have it adjusted right.

I also mention using glue in this clinic. It's important to note, I never spray the stuff. I mix a thin 3:1 white glue mixture in an old Elmer's glue bottle, and I dribble it on after wetting an area with 70% rubbing alcohol when doing track ballasting -- or for general scenery work, I prewet and area with wet water (water with a few drops of dish soap in it to break the surface tension).

But I don't use white glue very much -- haven't found much of a need outside of ballasting or the occasional loose rock/talus slope. The plaster dirt sets up hard on it's own, and for most other things, like bushes, trees, and grass, I glue all that in place with hot glue.

I have also done sweatshirt grass, and used contact cement for that ... but oh boy, contact cement has strong fumes, so I'll let the layout room air out several hours after using it ... which isn't often.

But my glue mainstay for scenery work is hot glue. It goes on fast and sets up fast ... it cools completely within a minute or two. But be careful, hot glue is *very hot* and can cause nasty burns if you get it on you. When hot gluing, I put a dishwashing rubber glove on my right hand and use that hand to hold with while I'm gluing things with the hot glue.

[Swissengineer]

Hi Stefan, those are teriffic looking trees, I for one would like to see a "How To" thread with your procedure for making them.
http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

Hi Willis,
thank you for your compliment. I`ll try to explain how I made my trees. Please are indulgent with me. My native language is German and I speaks only a little English :confused: :(
I made the trunks from peg wood (dowels ??). For simulating the bark I scratched a saw blade from above downwards. Then you have to drill a lot of small holes into the trunk for the branches which are made with binding wire for flowers. After this I painted the trunk with Polly Scale Reefer Gray and gave the dried paint a wash of alcohol with a few drops of ink india.
Now comes the funny part. Siflor sells mats with material for fir trees. I cut pieces from this mats and clued they on the branches, starting from below and working up . When I`m finished, I cut this pieces into proper shapes with a very fine scissor. See illustration. Thats it. Now I can add more details like dead branches and so on.

Stefan

My Gallery (http://www.modelrailroadphotos.com/photos/showgallery.php?si=&limit=&thumbsonly=0&perpage=75&cat=500&ppuser=2456&thumbcheck=0&page=1&sortby=&sorttime=&way=&cat=500)

http://members.trainorders.com/ws/pics/anl_kiefer.jpg

[CBCNSfan]

My native language is German and I speaks only a little English
Hi Stefan, und danke for an excellent post. Your English is much better than some of the English I try to read on the internet :D
I'm very surprised at the simplicity of constructing those trees, however in viewing the finished product, it is the artistry of the model builder that makes the model real looking. Again very nice modeling, excellent trees.

http://bestsmileys.com/textinbubble1/13.gif Willis

[jfugate]

Bonus post: What Woodland Scenics products I use for vegetation

I've been asked what Woodland Scenics materials I use in my scenery vegetation. I use mainly their Foliage material, here's the precise numbers:

F51 - Foliage - Light Green (60 sq. in. bag)
F52 - Foliage - Medium Green (60 sq. in. bag)
F53 - Foliage - Dark Green (60 sq. in. bag)

I make heavy use of this foliage material, especially F51 and F52. I use the light green the most, followed closely by medium green. Then dark green usage follows as a distant third.

I also have some:
F54 - Foliage - Conifer Green (60 sq. in. bag)
F55 - Foliage - Early Fall Mix (60 sq. in. bag)
F56 - Foliage - Late Fall Mix (60 sq. in. bag)

... but I don't use it much since I model July/August on the layout ... maybe something here and there once in a blue moon. And I use other materials for conifers, so there's not much call to use the conifer foliage material.

[jfugate]

Bonus post: How lighting affects your scenery colors

Lighting is very important to how your scenery colors look. One good tip is that whatever lighting you use for your layout, you should also use at your workbench. You avoid nasty color shift surprises that way.

Colors can shift dramatically between outdoors, and indoor florescent lights, and indoor tungsten lights. Florescents are getting a lot tougher to select because there are now cool florescents, warm florescents, greenhouse florescents, fishtank florescents, daylight florescents, and full-spectrum florescents.

Cool florescents ("shop lights") have a limited spectrum and have been known to even affect behavior in office environments where people have to work under this lighting for long periods. They give the sick green color to photos that is well known by photographers. Since they have a significant green element to their spectrum, they cause certain greens to shift and look quite different than under other kinds of light.

Some people (Tony Koester comes to mind) prefer the "cool mountain" look of the cool florescents, but I find them depressing. I prefer the warm sunshine look of tungstens, and since I model July and August scenery on my layout, the warm yellow look of the tungsten light looks perfect to me and feels just like a warm summer day in Southern Oregon (where I grew up).

Then you get into technical problems around lighting like the way tungsten bulbs run hot and heat up a room more than the same lumens of florescent lights. And while cool florescents are very cheap, the other florescent bulbs cost quite a bit more, with daylight florescents being especially costly.

On my Siskiyou Line, I use low wattage tungstens (15W and 25W) which keeps the heat down, and makes using tungsten lights practical. You can get cheap dimmers for tungsten lights, which is another advantage of them over florescents.

I take a glossy color photo of prototype scenery with colors I want to match, and match the colors under the layout lights to the colors in the photo. I suspect that's one reason people tell me my layout photos look like they were taken outdoors, like this one:

http://mymemoirs.net/model-trains/forum/phpBB2/images/trains/LocoHeadlights.jpg
This photo was taken under the layout lights using a digital camera with a custom white balance matched to the layout lighting, so this is very close to how it actually looks to you when you visit the layout in person.

[Trackside]

BIG THANKS to Joe, and the others who contributed to this thread. Looks like a lot of work went into the different topics. I can tell that it's going to be a LOT of help to my layout in the future. Although I'm sure this is a little like most things in life - It looks a lot easier than it is.

Either way I'm sure it will help to point me in the right direction.

[Steve B]

Ross With a bit of practice it's amazing how fast you pick it up, what i did was a small diorama, i made a blue foam base with a length of flex track glued onto cork roadbed then tried different methods i read about till i found the one's i liked then with a bit of experimentation i got some good results which i now use

[Trussrod]

Yes Joe,
Your info is very useful and helpful, keep it comming.

[Mixerdriver]

I LIKE IT> Just what a newbie to this hobby needs. I will be here often. Any tips on what i can use other than scuptamold????. Looking for cheaper alternatives

[Ngoody]

any way to get the photos back in the posts??

[CBCNSfan]

any way to get the photos back in the posts??
Edit/Delete Message
Other than contacting the original poster, afraid not. In most of those cases the photos were hosted off site and linked to here. Looks like the poster has removed those links so the photos are gone.
Do a search for hminky; grove den; GrampysTrains; to name a few, or better still just take a peruse through the Scenery section here, lots of info to learn from.
Better still, Just ask a How to? question, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the answers and tutorials.

Cheers
Willis

[jaytee]

I cant see the pics, only red x's. How can I fix tihs?

[JeffShultz]

If it's Joe's pics ou are missing, make sure you can get to http://siskiyou-railfan.net - that's the website Joe has the photos on.