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The envirotex worked ok for my layout and it still looks great with no adjustments after 7 years but be aware that it settles to a flat profile (like standing water) although I'd tried stippling it right before it was completely cured (as suggested in Model Railroader) with no real luck (it settled flat anyway!) I also painted the bottom of the rivers black (to emulate Deep water) and feathered out the embankments with a grey/green mixture. For more realism and detail (which I love) I broke up some of my yard landscaping stones with a hammer and laid in a graveled embankment at the edges of the water so that it was covered with the envirotex "water" when I poured it. They suggest you lightly blow on it as it dries since the carbon dioxide from your breathe helps remove the bubbles. (Note: this works GREAT!) Add some "water grass" reed clumps to the top with Woodland Scenics long grass (actually soft straw cut to length) in yellow and green combinations) and WOW does it look real !!!!! A "trick" for you mountains I found was to "break" some of the hydrocal plaster moulded rocks in half after you remove them from the molds and THEN fit them where they look best. It will add to the variety of shapes you can get in your mountain texture and the realism is scary. I've not read of this trick ANYWHERE in the magazines so this is the first time I've written this little secret to anyone since I completed my layout. I used the 2" basket weave cardboard strips (cut from boxes) and hotglue to form the "frame" of my mountains & used a staple gun to secure the edges to the wood frame of my layout. It weighs almost nothing but fully supported my 170lbs. of weight. I then covered the cardboard basketweave strips with plaster cloth and finally finished it off with hydrocal plaster rock molds I poured just using rubber rock molds, hydrocal plaster, lemon dishwashing liquid sprayed into the rubber mold before each pour (as a release agent) and a shower curtain on the floor to keep from getting the carpet in my train room messed up during the process. Then you just "mortar" the molds into place with more plaster using a flat trowel (just like laying brick). The advantage of "hydrocal" plaster (found in bags at any hobby shop) is that it's roughly 1/10th the weight per volume of regular plaster yet much stronger. To paint your mountains just use an old Windex spray bottle and spray you colors on one at a time using the "leapord spot" techniques called out in the " woodland scenics " books. Finally over spray your finished work with a dilute 3 parts water & 1 part India ink solution over ALL your mountains to add the "shadows" normally seen in nature and then overspray with a final coat of Scenic sealer spray. I know this sounds like a lot of steps but WOW is it worth it when you're done. I purposely chose NOT to use the styrofoam bricks, expanding foam and newspaper ideas since my layout mountains actually have 3 track levels inside with switch backs and some track going UNDER other track as I created 4% grades. All is accessable underneath since it's open girder construction and I've successfully used electronic track pulse cleaners to keep it sparkling clean with almost no effort. Hopefully my wife will have the skirting finished and sewn soon so I can start submitting digital photos and a write-up to Model Railroader soon. Mine is actually an N scale layout but the techniques spelled out above will work in any gauge. Good luck and remember to not take too many shortcuts since attention to detail and careful planning really pay off in the finished product. <br /> <br />Paul Plovick <br />Chandler, Arizona <br />"Casa Vieja" railroad layout
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