Has anyone out there got a reccomendation for any of the scenery books out there? I've reached the stage on a large layout where I'm startng a pretty extensive mountain scenery section and it's been a few years since I did any hard-shell stuff and need a refresher course. Thanks, millcstl1@mindspring.com
It seems most people these days are using the plaster soaked gauze (like they use for casts when you break your arm). Woodland Scenics makes a product called apppropriately: "Plaster Cloth" that is very lightweight. I think if you have a super large area, it might be cheaper to get the plaster cloth from a medical supply store. Kalmach makes a video called "Model Railroad Scenery Made Easy" that shows you exactly how to apply it. They also print a good book called: "Realistic Model Railroad Scenery" written by Dave Frary. Woodland Scenics makes a video called "The Clinic" that is very good too. Making mountains these days is easy. and a lot of fun! Pete
I recently purchased a Kalmbach Book, How To Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery, by Dave Frary, which I think it rerally going to be of benefit to me. He basically deals with water soluable techniques that seem to fit the bill and be up to date as far as materials that are available to use. I am just beginning to do the scenery on my 10' X 21' HO layout and think I'm comfortable following the author's lead on this.
Shameless plug here - you can try to get a copy of our scenery book at the following address. http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/shop_prods1.html Seems we are directly out, but you can get it elsewhere, along with many of our other offerings.
I recently got the MR VIDEO "Model Railroad Scenery Made Easy". I'm not a great 'scenery' person, so I think actually seeing it happening is far more useful than a set of still pictures. (But as yet I haven't tried to do anything they did on the video )
You may also want to consider using foam insulation board (extruded Styrene), not the beaded stuff (although I've heard of many using the beaded stuff - "it's way easier to shape" -- but you have to be able to deal with all the little static electric beads....). You'll need a couple of layers of plaster cloth to be strong enough and it gets expensive very quickly. The foamboard is relatively inexpensive and you can sometimes get enough for our stuff from construction scraps. It's very strong -- I've seen around the wall layouts on just foam with supports every 2'. Glue slabs together to create the surface, using water (not solvent) based glue (Liquid Nails for Projects). Then, you can use a hot wire cutter (fast, clean, but smelly) (inexpensively purchased from Woodland Scenics) or a Stanley ShurForm File (pretty fast, very messy, not smelly) to form the foam. Rocks cast in plaster can then be glued to the foam, or the surface can be covered with paint and ground foam. Another interesting option is the two-part polyurethane foam product from Bragdon Enterprises. For this you use window screen and spread on a thin coat of foam mixture -- in a short time you have a stiff but flexible landform, that can be re-shaped using a heat gun. They also sell a rock molding kit that makes highly detailed rock forms from a similar foam. All in all, makes a very lightweight mountain.
I'd like to second the foam approach. I use a combination of foam board and Bragdon's approach [check out his website at www.bragdonent.com]. He gives good details on using his method at the site. With foam board, the stack, glue and shape is the cheapest method there is- you can pick up lots of scraps from construction sites if funds are tight, but even buying a 4'x8' sheet and chopping it up is cheaper than plaster and associated supplies. You'd be amazed at how you can even take a piece of foamboard and rough it up with a wire brush to use as a cliff. I do shaping of the glued together layers with an old soldering iron- fun stuff our parents would have grounded us for when we were kids, but now we can make a smelly mess in the name of a grown-up hobby. Doesn't get much better than this! Curt
Anything written by Dave Frary. I have his Kalmbach books. Plus, I have all the other scenery books out there. Frary cuts to the quick on most methods. I like his no nonsense approach. Scenery is not rocket science and Frary conveys that very message between the line in all of his scenery books. (IMHO). I also like his 222 Structure Tips books or whateve it is. The biggest step in scenery is just jump and get yer hands dirty. It will come together. Good luck!!!!! -Kitbash
