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Brandon, [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/trainnut1250/longtrestle2.jpg[/img] I contacted you via e-mail and you asked me how I made my canyon. I thought I would post here so everyone who is interested could check it out. [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v377/trainnut1250/resampleview2.jpg[/img] I’m not sure where to start here, so I will start at the very basic. Forgive me if this is stuff you already know. The first thing I did was to build the basic bench work for the layout which was two L girders about 35” off the deck. I then decided where the canyon was to go and cut a 30” gap in the bench work and the front girder. I had to reinforce the structure to make it solid after the cut. I then had an area about 30” across by 30” deep by about 3 feet high. I then built all the roadbed supports. There are two track levels - the upper level is about 13” higher than the lower one. After all the track was tested and I built the bridges, the bridges were removed and I put in the screen. I used window screen and a hot glue gun to make the basic shapes of the canyon and the two mountains on either side. I decided that I wanted the canyon to be really deep so I made the mountains about 5.5 feet tall from the floor. The screen was glued to wood supports where necessary. It actually is quite stiff, so I didn’t need a huge amount of support. I then applied the base coat of plaster. This is a very messy job. Use old clothes and old shoes and make sure you have a space that you can leave really messy for quite some time. Don’t put old plaster down the drain. Use paper towels to clean up wet stuff and let the plaster set on bowls etc and then crack it off to clean them. I used hydrocal plaster. It is a very hard plaster that is quite strong (when taking down the layout, I had trouble cutting it with a sawzall). I don’t recommend other kinds of plaster for this type of scenery because you need to wail on the whole thing when carving the rocks and most kinds of plaster can’t take the abuse. The base coat consisted of paper towels dipped in plaster. I applied two coats. This made a shell that was rock hard. The next step was to apply thick sections of plaster and carve them into rocks. I mixed up two or three batches of plaster (about two cups dry plaster per batch) and let them set in the bowls until they were beginning to set and could hold a shape. The shell is then sprayed with water and the plaster is applied in 2” thick ropes to the hard shell. You then have about 10 minutes to carve before it turns to stone. I used a chisel to break the plaster into jagged edges and a utility knife to make the crosscuts and fine lines. You have to work fast and decisively. If something didn’t work, I would put more plaster over the top or break it out with a hammer. I made the fracture lines in my rocks follow the natural lines that you find in real rocks (synclines and anticlines). They all line up like real rocks do, along a single plain. I was able to do about a square foot per evening; it took 2 years to do all the rocks on the layout. After the rocks were carved, I colored them with watercolor paints. I used burnt sienna, burnt umber, ochre, Paynes Grey and India ink washes in spray bottles. The secret is to work slowly, vary the colors and to gradually build up the color in the plaster. It is like watercolor painting, You can always add more color later, you cannot remove color to make things lighter. I then took all of the shavings from carving the rocks and used different sized screens to sort them into various sizes. I then sprinkled these into the bottom of the canyon and colored them as I had with the rocks. I used real fine pebbles near the edges of the bigger outcroppings to look like small rocks that had fallen off more recently. I used woodland scenics foam for the foliage and scenic express super trees. I was inspired by John Allen’s work to make this canyon. Check out Linn Westcott’s book, “Railroading with John Allen”. His scenery was amazing. While Woodland Scenics sells hydrocal it is best purchased in 50lb bags at home supply yards that carry supplies for lathe and plaster wall repair and construction (there is usually only one in town). It is also possible to cast rocks instead of carving them, the effect is different, but just as nice….(and quicker). Don’t be afraid to go for it. I thought the canyon was the best part of the old layout and I never regretted taking the time to do it. My two cents, Guy
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