What are your scenery tricks?

[DKS]

At some point the topic of rocks may come up. I've tried just about every rock technique known, from cast-in-place hydrocal to hand-carved plaster, from hot-carved foam to tree bark glued together, you name it. These days I'm totally sold on Cripplebush Valley rubber rocks. They are sheets of molded rubber material (as opposed to the typical case of rubber molds used to make plaster castings). It's expensive, but IMO worth every red cent. Here is a little mini-tutorial on how I use the stuff: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=30650.msg355554#msg355554

Some other Railwire members have also been using this product to great effect, particularly David Gray; scroll down a ways to see is magnificent layout--IMO some of the finest scenery ever modeled: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;area=showposts;u=2390

[chuck geiger]

Scenery tricks and tips for modeling desert scenes:

http://sandiegoandarizonaeastern.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-coyote-wells-was-created.html

[chicken45]

You're always going to need a lot more trees than you think you do.

From Ed K: real trees are a lot taller than are modeled on most layouts.  I researched how tall the various trees are in the area I modeled (NE PA), and also bloom times of them, as I chose to attempt to recreate springtime.

Collect lots of photos of the area, specifically on the morphology of the landforms, and any bedding structures to types of rocks specific to the area. (ex geology major, so I tend to talk like this about this subject.  Sorry.)

]





(been too damn cold in the basement for my hands to work, so nothing done on the layout in quite awhile)

Hey Bob! Love those trees!

[randgust]

I think the best scenery tip I was ever given is to always try to figure out the way things looked like BEFORE the railroad, town, road, etc. ever got there; determine the original scenic contours.   And to try to understand WHY the railroad would build there; basically the path of least resistance following the contours.

Probably my best example - determining the contouts across the hill BEFORE the cut was made, and making sure the hill behind rose enough to actually justify the tunnel (Nelson tunnel, the only 2-track mainline tunnel on the entire ATSF).



The other thing I've learned is that tunnels are way, way, overdone as a way to exit scenes.   You can do just as well with a highway overpass, and front surface mirror.  I have one tunnel, two overpasses, and one front-surface mirror I just dive into.   This one has both the overpass and mirror trick (notice the LH edge is repeated, highway, not track, dives into the mirror).

[MVW]

Hey Bob! Love those trees!

What is the story on those trees, Bob? What's the technique? Dynamite stuff.

Jim

[Andrew Hutchinson]

I like sawdust. It comes in several different sizes and when mixed dry with acrylics or latex paints can attain most of the darker colours. Light colours (lighter than the original colour) can be attained by first mixing in extra white, letting it dry and then dry mixing the lighter shade of choice on top of the white.

It can be used for groundcover; everything from dirt to mud to rocks and fallen leaves. It can also be used for foliage.  Mix it with sculptamold, feather light, glue, and paint and it can be trowelled out or alternatively it can be glued down naturally together with hemp, jute and fine polyfil shavings to create a forest floor base and later stained. Because it is heavier than foam it can take a little more fixing on trees than ground foam  might.

The main attributes are that it is cheap, would otherwise be in a landfill, and doesn't come in a box.

Andrew Hutchinson
Surrey BC Canada

[Hornwrecker]

What is the story on those trees, Bob? What's the technique? Dynamite stuff.

Jim

Thanks, they're just Super Trees.   I did play around a bit with the usual materials, as well as anything else I could find to mimic sprouting springtime trees, no matter how weird.  I got a couple of tree books, so I could pick the correct shape and heights, then apply the right color of stuff to make it look like a particular type of tree that I was trying to duplicate.

Another thing I learned from gardening, is that if you're trying to make a planting look natural, use an odd number for the group planting.

Here's my layout build thread (which has been inactive for way too long), which goes through my adventures in tree making, if you want to wade through my trials and tribulations. Scroll down a bit for when the tree stuff begins.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=28385.75

[Mark W]

I think the best scenery tip I was ever given is to always try to figure out the way things looked like BEFORE the railroad, town, road, etc. ever got there; determine the original scenic contours.   And to try to understand WHY the railroad would build there; basically the path of least resistance following the contours.

This is not only a great tip for scenery, but also track planning itself.  The railroad is going to follow the path of least resistance, always. 

[OldEastRR]

I think the best scenery tip I was ever given is to always try to figure out the way things looked like BEFORE the railroad, town, road, etc. ever got there; determine the original scenic contours.   And to try to understand WHY the railroad would build there; basically the path of least resistance following the contours.

Yes. Yes! YES!! Eye candy is one thing; but the difference between a layout and a model, to me, is the model has realistically-recreated landscape as well as buildings, locos, rolling stock, etc. And by landscape I mean all of the model landforms as a whole, not just choice bits here and there. I see so many layouts that look nice but are essentially blocks of flat slabs in most places. And ones where the lowest elevation of the whole thing is track level. That ruins the reality illusion for me.  The closer a model railroad is to an architectural model, the more realistic it looks.

[randgust]

BTW that overpass/mirror shot isn't photoshopped.   I messed with mirrors for years, mostly successfully, but had no idea where to get 'first surface' mirrors, and even when I did get mirrors, cutting them to a precise fit size was nearly laughable.  I remember going through an entire discount-store full-size door mirror trying to cut out about a 10" x 24" piece precisely with a glass cutter.   Never again.   When you're looking at an entire box full of mirror shards you try not to be superstitious.

If you've never tried 'first surface' mirrors as opposed to a conventional mirror, you're in for a shock.  One of the most amazing scenery tricks ever.   I've got....three of them now and am replacing my other ones as 'scene renewals' come about.  That overpass one is my favorite and it replace an conventional mirror with a very objectionable mirror line on the backdrop.  This has virtually no visible mirror line at all, you'll have to stare at it to find it.  I've sawed vehicles in half and put them up against the mirror and you can't see the line.

I've had great luck with these guys and if you can measure, you can get what you want precut:  http://www.firstsurfacemirror.com/

That overpass one was a trapezoid shape on the bottom to fit the highway fill, and they hit the dimensions dead on.  Tearing the old one out was way worse than getting the replacement one back in.

[DKS]

Yes, I also use mirrors fairly often; John Allen was a big inspiration. I had several on my WR&N, although they were all pretty small, and I only have one image of a scene that utilizes two mirrors:



I used one on my James River Branch as well:



Mirrors can be quite challenging to utilize effectively; one must be mindful to avoid creating circumstances where the viewer can see themselves in the mirror--this instantly destroys the illusion. And it becomes tricky when anything readable can be seen. In one instance I created a double-sided sign where the back (which was reflected in the mirror) was flipped, so it would be right-reading in the mirror; it was also lettered for a different business. Also, there are tricks to use them effectively on streets, such as creating vehicles with two fronts or two backs. My favorite trick is to place two of them at 90 degrees and create a complete intersection between two buildings at the end of a street. I did that on my first Z scale layout--alas, no photos.

I've bought first-surface mirrors for many years from stained glass suppliers; they're used in DIY kaleidoscopes.

[Baronjutter]

I've got quite a few spots where a road will hit the backdrop and would love to learn how to use mirrors effectively but really have no idea.  I'd love to see some posts of mirrors in use that maybe are at a less-perfect angle where you can better see how the effect is created.

[randgust]

David, I'm also of the generation that spent hours looking at the color photos in MR and some of the mirror tricks.

Very well done.  And wondering what tricks you have up your sleeve on the new layout!