Foam Layouts

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone I am new here and I would like to start on my own layout. My father and I made a simple layout years ago and now I would like to make one. Can anyone explain the Blue Foam and how it is used? and also the birthday cake style stacking. I would like to have a forest area with rolling hills that is in a forest with a path winding through it this is by a lake, then on the way to the town there is more forest and a water fall from walthers, also on the way is a number of farmers fields complete with corn and when you get to town have a rural/city style setting thats where the station is.  I hope  you guys can help me

[ttrigg]

Modeler_02
Sounds as though you are building in one of the smaller scales, HO or N.  The techniques you ask about are mostly for indoor.  That's NOT to say it cannot be done outdoors, but most of us like to play in the real dirt, grow real trees (miniatures but alive), move real rocks, and some even plow through real snow.  If you are doing "G" scale indoors what you are asking about is not much more than stacking sheets of Styrofoam and carving out a mountain.  
Give us a bit more information, scale, space allowed (how big a space in the garden) what kind of plants you like and such.  I know we can have a good old time giving you too much information.

[Anonymous]

Iam using HO scale and I am working indoors and I don't know if i started this in the wrong place I dont use gardens. I have it in my parents basement and the room is about 12 feet by 18 feet. (this is a room off the main one) what I am trying to get at is not mountains, but rolling hills and my other layout ideas with foam. if that helps

 

[Anonymous]

Basic principle is level track on a sound  roadbed  then build the scenery .

If you set your track at midoint of your proposed terrain allowing for water and  descending rivers then raise up to within 2 inches of final level  in ply on a timber frame - this cuts down the amount of foam needed . Then  setting it in PVA adhesive then sculpting with  saws, knixes , sandpaper and  rasps to the rough shape and finally coating  with thin plaster seems to work , rock faces can be  added again in plaster - hint is to tint plaster brown or grey  with water color paint so  dents and holes do not show,remember to set pices of ply or thick card in building locations to give a level base and to run all power and illumination cables first - then test them and the track thoroughly before starting landscaping. 

[Anonymous]

Daves quite right get your layout going round and round first, then worry about your scenery later.

However having said that it is good to have a good overview of what you hope to achieve before you start,

I have always been dead set against using foam in outdoor layouts, as it just wont stand up to the weather; however i have been quite wrong. you can get your shape with foam; then coat it with something and you will make it as hard as rock. Why i have said something is because you can use many things; depending on what you hope to achieve.

Rgds ian