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How I make ceiling tile rockfaces

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  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Dover, DE
  • 1,313 posts
How I make ceiling tile rockfaces
Posted by hminky on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 3:46 PM
I have been asked[^][:)]how I made the rocks by the tunnel portal in my article on weathering plastic track:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/weathered_track/

I have an article on the rockfaces at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/rockfaces

For more articles on my building of my 4x8 On30 layout go to:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/4x8/

Most are of general railroad interest

Thank you if you visit[:D][:D]
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 3:59 PM
Cool site!! I like the pics of building the dynamite lines. Gonna incorporate that in my rock faces (when I get around to it!). Thanks!
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: San Diego
  • 954 posts
Posted by stokesda on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 6:21 PM
Outstanding work! I want to do something like that on my dream layout someday, which will feature a section "inspired by" Glenwood Canyon along I-70 in Colorado. I've seen an article on the MR website about using broken ceiling tiles, but your website is extremely helpful and much more detailed. You've even inspired me to try this on my first "real" layout that I will start building next year [:)]

Thanks for the good info, and good luck with the rest of the rock modeling!

Cheers,

Dan Stokes

My other car is a tunnel motor

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Prior Lake, MN
  • 124 posts
Posted by JCasey on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 9:15 PM
hminky,
Very nice, and good info, thank you for sharing!

JCasey
"Anyone who goes to bed the same day they got up is a quitter." Anonymous
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Vermont
  • 540 posts
Posted by ondrek on Thursday, October 14, 2004 7:45 AM
this site makes me think about going to ON30, which is totally possible since my lyout hasnt been built yet. I am still in the desing stages.

Kevin
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Crosby, Texas
  • 3,660 posts
Posted by cwclark on Thursday, October 14, 2004 8:12 AM
MR had an article a long time ago about using ceiling tile for rock faces...I used it back in the early 80's on a previous layout...it was really easy to do...cut it,stack it, glue it , wire bru***he rock face into the tile, and paint it...nice layout hm...Chuck[:D]

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Vermont
  • 540 posts
Posted by ondrek on Thursday, October 14, 2004 8:36 PM
the only thing i can say is that in the pics of the tiles, they are stacked horizontally. As i drove around today, i saw several open faced rock ledges caused by man. what i noticed is that the layers of rock are not horizontal, they are on and angle sorta jetting out. this makes sense too because the layers of rocks are horizontal, but as the layers of earth are pushed up to form mountains, the layers are put on angles.

picky picky picky right?, no, just an observation.
  • Member since
    January 2003
  • From: Dover, DE
  • 1,313 posts
Posted by hminky on Thursday, October 14, 2004 10:21 PM
Actually, they can go from horizontal to vertical. I have seen all that variation. I have seen the striations do a loop in the rock formation.
Just a thought
Harold
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Vermont
  • 540 posts
Posted by ondrek on Friday, October 15, 2004 10:08 PM
true, they can also have no lines at all. i did see he did some on angles in some of his pics

really well done, tons of ideas

nice
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: North Central Illinois
  • 1,458 posts
Posted by CBQ_Guy on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 1:25 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

MR had an article a long time ago about using ceiling tile for rock faces...I used it back in the early 80's on a previous layout...it was really easy to do...cut it,stack it, glue it , wire bru***he rock face into the tile, and paint it...nice layout hm...Chuck[:D]

Speaking of a long time ago. I read about this method back in the mid-1960's on building a project layout in Boy's Life magazine. I'm sure the idea goes back even earlier. I'll be using scrap pieces of Homasote as I'm sure to end up with a bunch of that as I build my basement layout.

Someone mentioned that sometimes the strata isn't always horizontal. Tony Koester had an article recently on this and "railroad applicable geology" in MR mag. If you can find a copy of the old Kalmbach book on scenery written by Bill McClanahan(sp?) back in the 1950's or '60's, he also discusses it in some detail as well.
"Paul [Kossart] - The CB&Q Guy" [In Illinois] ~ Modeling the CB&Q and its fictional 'Illiniwek River-Subdivision-Branch Line' in the 1960's. ~

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