Hi,
I would like to know what I need ( materials) for to do winter scene on my layout? All of the products I need to make a wonderful winter scenery!
Thanks!
Woodland Scenics has a "snow" product, not sure if Scenic Express has their own or sells WS. Check the Walthers site for other manufacturers.
Haven't done one, but I understand they get dirty fast. Some folks don't attach the "snow" and vaccuum it up. Have to be careful not to get it too close to things that might suck it in on the layout.
If you are doing a just for Christmas layout that can be protected from dust the rest of the year, you could attach the snow. White paint, probably a semi gloss would probably look good. Don't forget the dirt streaks where the plows dug up the lawn and road sand got mixed in.
Good luck,
Richard
Really, you don't need much other than the snow product mentioned above. Preiser, Merten, and Woodland Scenics all make figures appropriate for a winter scene, and you would want to use bare armatures rather than full trees (except evergreens, of course). Ice can be simulated by putting a thin layer of your preferred water product or gloss gel over a blue white surface.
A friend of mine achieved a very nice snow field effect by using a piece of white felt over cotton batting (to add a little depth and unevenness. Remember that snow rarely falls flat. It will drift against poles / posts, trees, bushes, buildings, etc. Places where people or animals have walked will have tracks, which can be done either by actually denting your snow product, or simply by painting very light gray patches, which suggest depth.
Winter scenes are fun. I used to have one I pulled out every Christmas, and am thinking of doing another someday soon.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Lookup nsmodeler24 on YouTube. He has a 3 part series on how he built this scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USXIhw2BnYg&sns=em
Very well done.
Place evergreens in the scene. Place leafless deciduous trees and shrubs in the scene. Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder, Woodland Scenics 'snow', or lay cotton batten liberally.
Run ye olde deep-flanged car back and forth along the tracks to clear them of anything in the flange paths. It wouldn't hurt to lightly run a Bright Boy along the rails first to get any of the material you use off the rail heads.
For something more permanent, you would probably want white plaster or hycrocal, and be prepared to whitewash it at least once a year.
Thanks everyone!!
Rand Hood has a good article about winter scenery.
http://books.google.com/books?id=wZpt6ldjXasC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=rand+hood+winter+scenery&source=bl&ots=Zkwt4-c7MF&sig=pxT8mowHzhUGDPgJpf2KHJQek3s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fgj0TuaIAY-osAKyyImnAQ&ved=0CFUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=rand%20hood%20winter%20scenery&f=false
Steve S