I have a couple of questiosn about rock croppings that Dave Frary discusses in his book on scenery:
1. What types of rock croppings (from WS and elsewhere) would look realistic in a Southern VA layout near Roanoke?
2. How deep are the rock croppings and how much clearance to give between them and a consist? It appears that some layouts have the cropping(s) VERY close to their cars.
3. How do I secure the croppings on the mountains/hills? I will make them out of cardboard strips with plaster cloth and plaster of paris over that.
TIA!
Lee
1. Sorry, I can't help you with the type of rocks you want, but my suggestion is get pictures. I have taken a number of photos of the varried rock types around here. Travel magazines might have some useful ones.
2. If by deep, you mean how thick are the castings, they need not be too thick. Look at the molds at your LHS to get some ideas. As in real life, some rock outcroppings are close to the trains. Use your longest cars and largest locos, then mark their overhang, give yourself at least another 1/4 in or so.
3. As to how to glue them on, there are several methods, depending on what you make your rocks from. Read up on each one, then decide what you want to do. If you make castings out of plaster, you can let them dry, then attach them with more plaster or latex caulk. If you carve them from extruded foam, cheap latex caulk works well, also. There is also a method useful where you are on a curve, where you pour the casting and when it is partially set, you put it in place and the damp plaster adhears to your base. As I said read up on each and see whoch suits your needs best.
Have fun,
cowman 3. As to how to glue them on, there are several methods, depending on what you make your rocks from. Read up on each one, then decide what you want to do. If you make castings out of plaster, you can let them dry, then attach them with more plaster or latex caulk. If you carve them from extruded foam, cheap latex caulk works well, also. There is also a method useful where you are on a curve, where you pour the casting and when it is partially set, you put it in place and the damp plaster adhears to your base. As I said read up on each and see whoch suits your needs best. Have fun,
Many times the back of the partially dried mold is wet enough to bond, however for added insurance mix a small batch to use to "butter" up the backside before placing . I will on occasion, let the mold dry to the point where it will fracture/ break as it is pressed to the contours. This will definatly need the added plaster to bond. This proceedure requires that you firmly hold the mold to the shape. You will feel the mold get warm. A few minutes of this should work. Let the mold stay put for about 10 minutes. You can check by prying up a side. If a mold is removed too soon some of the detail could be left in the mold. Roll the sides of the mold back actually stretching to pop out some of the extemely deep textured portions. Some of the oozed out platster can help with any blending that you may need when placing numerous sections. Small broken pieces work well to place in those areas between individual molds. these can be placed into that oozed out "stuff". A bit of creative placement and carving as well as final greenery does wonders to hide any inperfections.
These WS molds were forced and pressed to the contours, The greenery is not done in this pic
If you need larger areas to cover try the large Braegdon molds of use the CrippleValley rubber rocks. The rubber rocks although rather pricey will cover quite a large area in a short time. They can be cut and spliced, bent and folded to almost any shape substrate. I needed a rock cut for a 12 ft area the Cripplebush work fantastic
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Best thing to do is get some photos of the Roanoke valley area,Skyline drive or of Montecello etc. There are not a lot of rock outcroppings in VA, so a minimal amount would be advisable, a little will go a long way. Place most of the rock near artificial cuts such as the right of way, and a few here and there in the hills. 95% of the area will be covered by either forrest or farms.
Good luck and post some photos when you get the scenery up!
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"