Playing God - Landscaping Your Model Railroad Layout
Bill Murphy
One of the more fun aspects of model railroading is planning and executing the scenery and landscaping that your track and engines will meander through " for some it is almost like playing God in that you can decide and create on any scene you desire.
You can make it look as realistic or imaginary as you choose. Creating your display just takes an idea, supplies and a little time.
First and foremost you need a plan or at least a concept.
- Do you want to copy something you've seen somewhere else?
- Do you want to recreate some historical place?
- Are you more inclined to creating a never-before seen or unlikely scenario to wow the masses?
Once you've decided on your theme and to be successful, you will need to make sure you don't stray from it. There will be inconsistencies if you change or mix styles in your project and that will detract from the overall impact.
Staying consistent will enable the people.who are observing your project to find all the small details that you have added to make it so special.
Once you have a plan for the theme you need to decide on track placement and terrain. Many modelers create the terrain and then try to force the track to follow through that, just as occurs in real life " but one of the advantages of modeling vs. real life is that you can consider all aspects and requirements up front. If you know you will have a bend or a switch at certain points why design rough terrain that you will then try to overcome with 'grading' in your models at those points?
Your next step is to collect the items that you think you will want to use. Some you may already have around the house, others you may want to purchase from dealers or even a local hobby shop if you have one near. Just remember what your original design plan is so you don't stray from it. Just because you like the look of something doesn't mean that it will suit your project. Some common materials that you can gather are:
1. A Table or Stand 2. An outdoor grade plywood sheet for the base of a stand 3. Glue 4. Crushed stone, dirt or gravel as well as well as twigs and plants for ground cover 5. Touch up paint and paint for the background and the base 6. Poster board, papers etc for texturing 7. Blocks and sheets of Styrofoam for shaping things like mountains
Optional items you may wish to use include:
8. Plaster of Paris and / or fiberglass 9. Talcum powder, pepper and salt, cayenne pepper " for texturing and colorants 10. Corkboard and cork 'paper' 11. Roof repair tar (for road surfaces etc.) 12. Paintable caulks and adhesives for securing items in place
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