Frary's book on scenery (p. 14-17ish) talks about using the cardboad strip method for hills, mountains, etc. How close can I put the mountains from the track? OK if in some places, it's under an inch?
He also mentions replicating the dirt color of where you are modeling. I live in NOVA. Is the dirt here about the same color as Roanoke? We have the good ol' VA clay mostly. Do I need to prime the pink foam roadbed before painting it with acrylic?
TIA!
Lee
kasskaboose Frary's book on scenery (p. 14-17ish) talks about using the cardboad strip method for hills, mountains, etc. How close can I put the mountains from the track? OK if in some places, it's under an inch?
What you have to figure is the foiliage, the rocks and then the cardboard/screen/foam.
So if you are going to have 1/2" thick bushes sticking out of 1/2" rock castings, then the cardboard needs to be 2' from the centerline of the track.
You have to gauge clearance from the FINISHED surface, not the supports.
I personally buy a dirt colored interior latex paint. Then I paint everything the base dirt color. If I am using cork roadbed I paint it a dark grey to black color. Then I use acrylic craft paints to highlight and color the rocks, using a base coat to color them and washes to vary the color. I will often use the base color and then tint or shade it with craft paint to keep the same tones. I even put a couple drops of the base color in the glue I use to glue down ballast and foliage, just so they will have a slight tone of the base dirt color, think of it as dust on the ballast or plants.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Use NMRA gauges.
https://www.nmrastores.com/cgi/NMRA_Store_NonMembers/nmra-store.cgi?ORDER_ID=263737372&thispage=page3.html&ACTION=NEXT+PAGE
You'll need more clearance on curves, particularly if you have articulated locomotives.
Mark
IIRC, Roanoke has good old red clay - dusty rose when dry, deeper brick color when it sticks to your shoes...
Even low-profile scenic treatment will require a little space. If your track centerlines are only an inch from the wall you're pretty much stuck with a painted backdrop - or photo murals. I've allowed a minimum of four inches for horizontally-compressed mountain scenery - more, when possible.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
kasskaboose How close can I put the mountains from the track? OK if in some places, it's under an inch? He also mentions replicating the dirt color of where you are modeling. I live in NOVA. Is the dirt here about the same color as Roanoke? We have the good ol' VA clay mostly. Lee
How close can I put the mountains from the track? OK if in some places, it's under an inch?
He also mentions replicating the dirt color of where you are modeling. I live in NOVA. Is the dirt here about the same color as Roanoke? We have the good ol' VA clay mostly.
The rock cuts can be quite close to the track. Just make sure of your clearances from the NMRA gauge and a little extra. Where the rock cut is close to the track, the railroad (including N&W) often installs a fence that is connected to a track signal so that a falling boulder tearing the fence would result in a red signal for oncoming trains.
I tried gardening in Roanoke, Virginia for something like 27 or 28 years, and became well acquainted with the dirt there. Northern Virginia clay is very similar. It's not the deep red of the deep south. Also, as one moves west out of Roanoke toward coal country, the rock outcroppings turn progressively darker. The color photo books should be of assistance - I'm looking at a photo of Shawsville Tunnel on page 53 in H. Reid's Norfolk & Western and Virginian Railways in Color. One can also go to a site such as RailPictures.Net and sort the photos by state and then page through to find photos that depict rock outcroppings in the area you wish to model.
Bill