I haven't pinpointed the exact buildings I plan to use on my layout yet. Do you wait to install the ground cover before or after deciding your buildings footprint?
Thanks, Fred
I plan the structures and roadways first, with consideration for desired earth shape. If you do ground form and cover first, you'll end up "excavating" a lot of it, just like real life.
In construction, I install a piece of fom-cor for building foundations and roofing shingle for roadways. Then I fill the rest of the area with my earth fill of choice.
Genesee Terminal, freelanced HO in Upstate NY ...hosting Loon Bay Transit Authority, run through Amtrak and CSX Intermodal
CP/D&H, N scale, somewhere on the Canadian Shield
Plenty do either one. I prefer buildings first and then add the ground cover. Many of my buildings are in industrial areas, so ground foam isn't an issue. The one exception is a farmhouse and barn, which is not on foam painted to mimic concrete. I put it in and then the ground cover.
On my layouts, ground cover comes last after ballast, roads, structures.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain On my layouts, ground cover comes last after ballast, roads, structures. Rich
I do ballast last, but buildings are late in my process, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Depends, some buildings have to be planned for like stations etc. It also depends on terrain, had one water tower that I had planned for but did not allow enough space, had to escavate.
derf I haven't pinpointed the exact buildings I plan to use on my layout yet. Do you wait to install the ground cover before or after deciding your buildings footprint? Thanks, Fred
I wait even longer - I use the actual building to mark the locations for the surrounding scenery because building footprints can change during construction.
After the first couple of times I had to cut out or, even worse, extend driveways and parking lots I decided to stop trying to install them ahead of time.