simple and inexpensive - scenery and roadbed ideas

[pbjwilson]

The cardboard idea might work if you spray it with a speckled paint like Flexstone. Its about $8 a can but one can would probably do roadbed for a small layout. You can find it at craft stores or some hardware stores.

Another idea would be to find a carpet remnent in a grey color that you could cut up for roadbed. Something with a low pile.

For scenery, old paper grocery bags work well. Crumple them up, paint on a ground color and sprinkle with ground foam while the paint is still wet. When that dries you can staple the bags to your benchtop to make hills. Put some scrap wood or cardboard under the bags for extra support. Glue some lichen and trees on top. My son used this technique on a school project and it worked great. The key was to hide the seams where the bags overlaped with lichen and small trees.

edit - Forgot to mention to cut the grocery bags up so that you are dealing with single flat sheet of paper. After its cut then crumple the paper.

[raymans]

lionel2986

 I understand your reasoning, but the one thing that may not work as planned is the cardboard.

When you apply the glue mixture the cardboard may twist and end up drying in a shape that would not be pleasing.

An alternative might be to purchase cork roadbed.

In many cases the track can be screwed through the cork into a base without gluing down the cork meaning it could be easily pulled up at a later date.

I don't think the cost of the cork is too bad. (vinyl ls really nice but more expensive I believe)

Also fastening the carpet may be able to be accomplished with a type of rubber glue that could also be pulled up without having a lot of nails.

What ever you decide have fun while you are building, remember it's the journey not the destination.

[lionel2986]

Hi all,
I have just finished the frame for my benchwork today, and will attach the legs and plywood tomorrow/this weekend. I have yet start the track plan (waiting for O-27 RR-track software to come in the mail), but I was thinking about scenery. I want to try to make it simple and clean. That way I can take it appart when I move and it won't be messy. I have very old outdoor green carpet from my old layout (the stuff that is typically used on layouts).

Here is what I have in mind so far:

I was thinking of cutting up cardboard boxes and using the cardboard as a base to the roadbed under the track. Then, I will use water mixed with elmers glue and spray that mixture on the cardboard. Then sprinkle sawdust on that (repeat a couple times to add dept), and paint it gray. Will I have any problems with this or is there a better way?

I have rubber roads that I will laydown for streets. Where I don't have buildings, roadbed and streets I will cut my old green outdoor carpet and fill in those areas. I will probably fasten the carpet to the plywood with small nails.

Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions. I'd like the scenery to be easy to remove so I can reuse the plywood if I move (so I want to avoid glueing things, sprinkling grass to the plywood). I think the way I mentioned will work good, should be clean and cost almost nothing (I rather spend the money on engines and rollingstock).