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Changing terrain

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  • Member since
    August 2003
  • 6,434 posts
Changing terrain
Posted by FJ and G on Friday, February 25, 2005 10:45 AM
Does anyone besides myself, change their terrain periodically?

I use 1 ft thick Industrial styrofoam that makes changing terrain a breeze.

Why change terrain? Change course of a river or add an elevated terrain feature or lay new track or abandon a stretch of track and then erode the fill supporting it.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Carmichael, CA
  • 8,055 posts
Posted by twhite on Friday, February 25, 2005 11:29 AM
I'm like you, I've been using the extruded foam as a base and it makes it VERY easy to change terrain. I'm one of those "Dang, a river WOULD look good there, right in the middle of the peach-orchard" kind of guys--in fact I just extended a hidden reverse loop and I'm going to have to do some tunneling into a mountain that I thought was nice and finished (to say nothing of cutting in another river). So out comes the hobby knife and the shears, plaster-cloth flying. I don't think that hardly anyone hasn't adjusted terrain on their layout at one time or another. it used to bother me, all that work for nothing, but it seems every time I decide to change something, it looks a little more satisfying (to me, at least), once it's done. I'm not one of those sacrosanct guys that figure once it's up it's there for Eternity. If change will improve it (at least for me) then I'll change it, full speed ahead and Dang the torpedoes. Now I've go to go out to the garage and charge up the excavator!
Tom
[}:)][}:)][}:)]
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • 6,434 posts
Posted by FJ and G on Friday, February 25, 2005 12:01 PM
Tom,

Glad to see there's someone else. For little jobs I use a drywall saw. For the big jobbies, I pull out the sawzall. Man, you oughtta see those beads fly!

Good I got a 6.5 HP shopvac!

A bit like building sandcastles, if I may use the analogy.
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Carmichael, CA
  • 8,055 posts
Posted by twhite on Friday, February 25, 2005 1:46 PM
I know the feeling--I've changed terrain a couple of times while expanding the layout. Next project is putting in a lift-out bridge to a projected yard on the other side of the garage. My Yuba River Sub is mainly Sierra Nevada mountains, but the yard is going to be in the Central Valley, near where I live, so it's going to be gently rolling country. Good thing for me my garage space is limited, or else I'd probably extend east into Nevada desert, LOL!
Tom
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 1,400 posts
Posted by fiatfan on Friday, February 25, 2005 8:05 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G


Good I got a 6.5 HP shopvac!



Gotta love those big shop vac's. I always told my family that when I replaced my 30 year old shop vac, it would be with one big enough to ride! Sure enough, that's what I did. The family was out in the yard so I hopped on that baby and just rode her down the driveway. It took them 10 minutes to stop laughing! [8D]

Tom

Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!

Go Big Red!

PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"

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