scenery links

[wickman]

Hi guys
I'm looking to find all of the options avail for doing scenery such as mountains gorge banks rivers fall etc . I would like to know if any of you gents got some favorite links that I may chk out. As well I would like to hear what your likes and dislikes were. I have to fill in a drop down in a gorge manner with a river and falls , the falls will be on farthest away as u look at the pic under the 2 bridge crossings I also will need to do some mountain building with a couple tunnels.
this is the effect I'm looking for ...the falls on the end then create a rock wall down both sides

heres a kinda top view

heres alook from the other end



this is where the river wll exit out of


obviously I will need to build and install a total of 5 bridges ...2 elevated and 3 curved ...3rd one does not have track down yet

I'm looking for all the different ways I can fill in this gorge if you guys got some ideas I'd much appreciate them . :)
thanks guys[:)]

[Medina1128]

Well, you could build it up from the bottom with foam insulation. I would start with 2-3 inch wide strips close to the sides, working up, using narrower strips as I went. Once you have the rough shape built up, you could carve the strata directly into the foam. Or, you could make and attach rock molds directly to the sides of the gorge. Depending on what type of topography you are wanting to model; rocky soil or rocky rocks (?). That sounded strange when I said it, too. When coloring the strata, most water carved gorges show distinct color changes for each change in climate (drought, floods, etc.). If you choose to make rock molds, I would make sure to include the approaches. It's easier to make the approaches, then model around them than to make the rocks, and carve out the approaches. That's one advantage over the real world.
Once the sides and approaches are in place, then I would tackle the trestles/bridges. There was an article in Model Railroader last year, I believe, about using string to linesight your trestle so the vertical alignment would be dead-on. I would cut the tracks approximately 1 1/2 - 2 inches back from the edges of the gorge. This would give you more room for the bridge approaches. Using this method, I would take my dimensions and build the trestles on the work bench, with MANY test fits along the way. Since you have a solid "riverbed", if your vertical aligment is a little off, shimming it to height should be fairly simple. I plan to cheat a little on mine. I'm leaving the subroadbed in place and installing piers underneath, then attaching Walthers deck bridge plates directly to the subroadbed. A little ballast and weathering.. ta-daaaaa! With the proliferation of insulation foam, the approaches are a snap. Will be posting pictures as I start on it. Besides, if it doesn't work, I can tear it out, use the plates for a metal scrap yard, and start over on the bridge. Nothing goes to waste, even the waste gets used somewhere.

[wickman]

thanks Marlin
that sure sounds easy enough . On the very bottom where the river would be is it a good idea to put 1/2'- 1" foam board for the base for the water or does it work just as well leaving it the plywood and making the water on that. Also I've heard a lot lately about these rock molds and have also heard of making rock molds out of aluminum foil crumpled up to make the marks of rock shape then opening it up to form a hole for pouring plaster or what ever it is would be poured I've also heard of using Sculptamold and hydrocal rock castings are these all basiclly the same and ... which brings me to the question what does one pour in the molds whether aluminum foil or the other types of molds can a durabond 90 or plain plaster just be used? Also you mentioned
-> I would make sure to include the approaches. It's easier to make the approaches, then model around them than to make the rocks, and carve out the approaches. That's one advantage over the real world. <- dumb question what are approaches? [:)]

[dgwinup]

If you have enough depth in your riverbed, you can use foam for the base of the water. Just make sure to seal it well with paint to avoid a reaction with whatever you use for water.

If you don't want to lose the depth, make sure you seal the plywood base with paint (like Kilz or Kilz2). Otherwise, your riverbed will have a wood-grained effect in it.

Casting rocks can be done with plaster or hydrocal, even resin will work. I go to my local garden center and search through their rock piles looking for a rock that has several different and interesting faces. Clean the surface well and make latex molds from the different surfaces. Re-inforce the molds by layering cheesecloth (or Handi-Wipes!) as you build up layers with latex. You will have strong, but pliable, reusable molds for casting. Making several molds from different areas of the rock will give you a good variety of rock surfaces and the castings can be broken apart to make new rock faces.

Darrell, rockily quiet...for now

[Medina1128]

You can use the plywood for the river bottom. I would paint it black or put a thin coat of spackling compound on it to keep the wood grain from showing through. Better yet, coat it with the compound, THEN paint it. You paint it lighter colors as you move towards the banks. They covered how to do this in the Turtle Creek RR series in Model Railroader earlier this year. And with DGWINUP's ideas for making molds, make sure you use a release agent in the mold. It'll make the piece easier to come out without pieces of plaster sticking in all the cracks and crevices.
There's NEVER a dumb question! The approaches are the supports and tracks leading up to the bridge. If you look at the real world, the bridge is set on the approaches at either end. This keeps erosion from washing out the bridges, just the short areas leading up to the bridge from either end.
I've included a link to a picture on a friend's layout. Dan Goins' Santa Fe. On the far end of the bridge, you'll see how there is support for the track that is separate from the bridge. This is the approach. I've also included a link to the rest of the photos on his layout. The picture of the locomotive in my signature is of the Santa Fe #3751 from Broadway Limited Imports. I first saw one on Dan's layout. They're a real beauty in person, too.

http://www.trainweb.org/santafe/steam/20.jpg

[wickman]

well first try was a kinda failure LOL tried with the foam board but I found there was a kinda problem space I'm working with is 4' x 8.5 inches wide and about 8 inches deep.All I'm trying to achieve right now is to get walls made for the gorge.
I just didn't find there was enough room for stacking the foam board and getting the correct slope on the sides so we pulled all the foam board out . ,
my 13 yr old son suggested we should first try the rolled up paper and rabbit cage wire technique then plaster the paper towels wow what a mess and we found it stuck out too much and we couldn't get the proper slope to go from top to bottom but here's the resulting pics any way. Have you guys got any experience in this particular circumstance where you have this kind of confined area to make a gorge wall slope if you have I sure can use some advice on the proper way to proceed?Or if I'm doing something wrong please direct me down the right path .By the way my son made this box up for playing around with the gorge scenery he made it in about 1 hr LOL