I AM IN MARYLAND WE ARE ABOUT AN HOUR PLUS FROM HORSESHOE CURVE.. tHANKS FOR THE TIPS. I NEED TO FIND SOME PHOTOS OF THE AREAS THAT I WANT TO MODEL AND JUST GO FROM THERE. JOSEPH
PA? Then I would darken that tan, but only to a middle tan...you'd be surprised how dark it will look indoors unless you are well ahead on the lighting side of things. Then I would suggest you spend some time trying to develop a quick and effective way of creating coal-face-type rock outcroppings with chunks of foam. Keep in mind that foam will not be as robust as the plaster, so be warned. Still, I am sure decent rocks can be created out of foam; you'll need a dentist's tool set to make them look good. Plaster castings are already going to have the details, and will just need some staining or light painting to make them look convincing. Those rock faces, in any case, would be quite dark in PA...I would guess based on images of Horseshoe Curve.
If you have good soil handy, you may want to make a foot-square mock-up of your yard space and try using dry soil that is sifted through a pair of panty hose...wife preferably removed, but not absolutely necessary. She'll understand...trust me on this.
Anyway, mix the dirt with plaster of Paris, three times dirt to the other, and add a masonry dye to darken it if it is too light once you are done. Sprinkle it onto your mock-up surface and then roll it till it's flat and about 1/4" or a bit more thick generally; use a small glass jar to do the rolling. Then wet it fairly thoroughly with a mixture of alcohol, water and yellow glue in the ratios of 2/4/1 respectively. It should dry reasonably stiff and resistant to breaking, but no matter. If it looks good and is sufficiently hard, you know what to do. You needn't worry about creatures...the plaster will render them fixed, dead, and dessicated in due course. The alcohol won't do them much good either.
I also sprinkled W/S cinders along my yard tracks and along the mains.
Right Right and Right And I did see the post on weathering track and all the notes were made... You mear I have to go the Kleins AGAIN!!!!...
Modeling in HO, layout is about 14 X 7 ish I have a yard on one side, room for a turntable on the other, 2 main lines as well as a 3 line that goes around the Yard/turntable area.
Area of interest is Coal in the late stream early desiel but will probably welcome all types of trains in the future. wife is from Wva and we live in Baltimore so there will be alot of trees. I will have one mountain and tunnel , mabey a small bridge, a few places for some cliffs overlooking some track.. I think that is it... J
I have gotten to this post very late...you are probably due back from the store any time now, unless you have held off making your purchases due to a lack of response. It seems to me that you have not furnished sufficient information on which to base an appropriate reply to you. What railroad colour scheme in which era, for what type of cars? With respect, your question is too open-ended or ambiguous to help you at all.
Sorry.
That's the rolling stock. As for mountains, any very light brownish-grey, or light tan will do for the scenery, typically. Depends on the area you are wanting to replicate. For the rails, there is a current thread right around yours on the page that may be of use to you.