Basalt Cliffs

Just completed my own version of a 'nohelix' (forgot the spelling) to raise elevation just a mere 4 inches. The 3 % grade (for a logging line and Bud Rail car passenger line) wraps around a stack of pink foam board. Any suggestions, comments, or two cent advice on how to transform the pink foam into basalt cliffs? I do have some pictures of the Columbia Gorge that I am working from, basically it is areas of vertical Basalt cliffs interspaced by steep slopes of talus or grass with very few trees.

 

Great question! I'd love to see any ideas anybody has out there. A few of my favorite areas to railfan have the basalt cliffs and I was just recently thinking about having some on my future layout.

One thought I did come up with was to use old hexaganal shaped Bic pens. Cut them into short sections and randomly glue them together to form "walls". With some more scenery and some paint and weathering, it might just work.

 

Did someone say "RS3"? Special SP&S RS's by Atlas and Lowell Smith here in Portland, OR. Right now I am just stacking pink board building up the hills. What I am thinking is one layer will be 2" vertical basalt cliffs, then slope back next 2" layer to next layer that will maybe be 1" verical basalt cliff, follow? And, being in the Columbia Gorge I will use my modeling license (?) to put Oregon waterfalls on Washington side of river. Don't even ask about the river, I guess the viewers will be standing in it.

 

Sounds pretty good to me. Have you come up with any more ideas to form the cliffs.

Would love to see further pics during the scenicking procedure.

 

Hmm, I thought this was looking better until I took the picture. I suppose the flash of the camera shows it in more light then the room. Anyways, I got much done this weekend. Carved the pink foam, added scultamold, painted (intitial) and started making the lower cliffs with resin/foam and a mold (Bragdon Enterprises). Will continue to work on to improve...