Need advice for scenery

[Dboy58]

I am working on my first N-scale layout (2X4 foot, "L" shaped). I have as a base, a sheet of foam on top of a plywood sheet. In reading a book about layout construction, it said the foam sheet should have a layer of plaster before painting.
My question is, should I secure the track (Lifelike Power-Loc system) to the foam, then apply plaster to all exposed foam, or should I secure the track after applying plaster to the whole surface?
Thanks for helping this newbie.

[Anonymous]

Hi Daniel,

I would think it be more prudent to get the track down first. That way you will know where your scenery will go next. Also, when applying plaster, make sure you use a form of cover to protect the track against the plaster compound. I use both saran wrap and masking tape. Have fun.

-Wolv33

[Anonymous]

As far as HAVING to cover the foam with plster, As long as you are useing Laxet paint or a glue like Elmers or Matt Medium (Craft Type glues) it is not nessesary to Plaster it. If you are going to put in a pond using Enviro-tech, use CA glues, or any type of Epoxy for gluing to the base which is foam, then yes it is nessesary to cover the foam with plaster to protect it. These glues will eat right through the foam. Stay with Water and Acrylic based scenery products and you should not have any problems....Jamie

[Anonymous]

Jamie is correct.

I used to build a lot of 1/285 scale wargaming scenery. As a base I used ceiling tile, because it would be easy to transport once the tiles were separated. As for scenery, I used blue, pink, and whiteboard foam. Using interior latex house paint was my best solution for cover. In grassy, earth, sand, or other areas that needed foilage, I would sprinkle on ground foam over the wet paint and let it dry. Then pick up the excess with a small vacuum cleaner, and recycle the excess material.

For model railroading I use Woodland Scenics Hydrocal and plaster compounds. I still use latex paint, since it comes in wide variety of colors and shades. You could also get a set of acrylic paints at Wallyworld. They will not damage foam, and are water based, so they clean up nicely. Have fun!

-Wolv33