What is the best way to add Scenery such as, grass, bushes and trees to layout for a real look?

[Anonymous]

What is the best way to add Scenery such as, grass, bushes and trees to layout for a real look? Do I add the turf and trees first or the ballest to the track first? Then which color are good for a Pennsylvania layout.

Thanks,
Greg

[Anonymous]

It would probably be best to pick up one of the many books on scenery, as they give you specific details on what to do, and in what order.

Bob Boudreau

[Roadtrp]

The June 2004 Model Railroader had a great "step by step" article on adding ground cover. The order recommended in the article was:

1) Gravel roads and paths, ballast.
2) Grass, dirt, weeds, etc.
3) Rocks, shrubs, bushes, taller weeds, etc.
4) Trees.

You should really try to get a hold of the article. It gave a lot more information than just the recommended order for creating various types of scenery.

I like using Woodland Scenics materials. I find them easy for a beginner to use and they create pretty nice scenery. I was advised by someone on this board to use a mix of colors and textures when applying my ground cover. This was excellent advice and produces a realistic looking result. You should mix at least two shades of ground foam using both fine and course textures. I mix the various types of foam together before applying it... the result is more natural than if you try to apply each type individually. For areas that are maintained you will probably want to use more of the fine texture in your mix. For areas that grow wild you will want to use more of the coarse texture.

I'm just a beginner too, so I don't claim to be an expert. I'm just passing along knowledge from Model Railroader and from a board member who answered my question. It seems to be working for me!

[Anonymous]

Bob's advice to get a general scenery book is sound. Keep in mind there is no right or "best" way. It's like asking what it the "best" religion and why. You're going to get as many varied replies as there are practitioners.

Pennsylvania is a big state with varied urban, rural & mountainous scenery with colors changing throughout the year. Find photos of the area you're interested in to use as a guide but nothing is better than going out along the ROW to get a feel for the area, observing and taking photos.

My advice: Use the photos & your observations to capture the "feel," not duplicate the photos.

Wayne

[jfugate]

I have some basic philosophies I rely on to get realistic scenery on my HO Siskiyou Line: Color and texture.

Observe nature, then copy patterns in color and texture, not details. Don't rely on memory. If you just go from memory you will make brown tree trunks, gray rocks and green grass, just because that seems "right" but it's often not.

Look at real photos of the area you model then copy the color and texture patterns you see. As to color, you will have to learn to mix paint to get the colors you see. As to textures, this means you will have to learn to use more than ground foam.

A biggie in the texture department is to learn how to get "fuzzy" textures right, like grass. I am a fan of silflor for this reason, but the stuff is darned expensive, so I've developed ways to save money and still get grass that looks right, like in this photo:


See: http://siskiyou.railfan.net/silflor.html for some how-to details on making realistic tall grass in HO.


Same scene from another angle, modeling south western Oregon in July.

[Wdlgln005]

With the price of digital cameras these days, they may be the modeler's best tool. Go out & take lots of pictures, scenery, buildings, rolling stock. Many cameras come with some kind of editing/storage program.
If you don't live near PA, go to a website that has pictures. I'd recommend the Weather Underground gallery. They have thousands of photos in their gallery. Many have trains in them. You get a feel for what an area looks like.

You could rough in major features of hills, creeks etc first. Then add fine details. Go get some CHEAP brown latex paint to break up the white areas. Go for a light color that can be made darker.

[Anonymous]

I sprinkled on the stuff then I glued it down with a mixture of 9 parts water and 1 part glue and aplied it with a spray bottle.