Small Diorama Kick-starts Layout Landscaping
By Andrew Batchelor
(from June 2004 Interchange)
"Is a model railroad every really done?" is a question modellers often asked while surveying their basement empires in progress. In my case, "Does a model railroad every really get started?" might be more appropriate. So what is it that is keeping me from my own empire?
While I have spent considerable time in the basement working on models - structures, rolling stock and so on - I have yet to make significant progress on the landscaping, the element that in my opinion really ties everything together and turns "plywood central" into a model railroad. I created this small diorama as a way to try techniques and tips I had seen or read, before committing to them for the entire layout.
The base of this 8" x 12" diorama is plywood with pieces of 2" extruded (blue) foam insulation affixed with white glue. The ground is given shape by carving the foam with a knife, and then covering it with cotton batting (scraps from my wife's quilting projects) to hide the joints. The batting is painted with a variety of brown and tan craft paints. The batting may not be the best material for this as it sucks up a lot of paint, and never seems to
solidify.
The grass and short weeds are a variety of Woodland Scenics ground foam products. I don't know why I was reluctant to try the ground foam, but I must say it is easy to use and a little goes a long way. The tall weeds in the ditch are bits of "craft broom" trimmed to height and painted.
The trees are made in a variety of ways. The conifer is circles cut/ripped from a green pot scrubbing pad stuck on a bamboo skewer and coated with ground foam. Model Railroader had an article some time ago on creating conifers with this method. It is easy to do, very inexpensive, and relatively quick, especially if you "mass-produce" them. The small dark green bush is simply WS conifer foliage rolled into a ball, while the light green bush is a WS metal casting with foliage. The "sumac" near the fence is a sedum flower head soaked in 50/50 white glue and water, and sprinkled with foam à la Mike Hamer.
The Howe & Sons chain link fence is made from a spatter screen from the kitchen, with 1/12" dowels standing in for metal posts. The gravel/sand road is actual sand, screened to remove the biggest pieces. Once cemented in place with white glue, I sanded the wheel ruts into the road using 60 grit paper.
The utility pole is a 1/8" dowel with stripwood cross arms. The braces are styrene, and the insulators are glass beads. The small fence in the foreground is made from sedum stems dyed in an India ink/alcohol stain.
I used lightweight joint compound to create the small rock face next to the tracks, applying it directly to the foam - about a 1/2" layer. Once it had skinned over, I used a dull Xacto knife to slash and jab the horizontal rock forms into the compound. When it had dried completely (about 24 hours), I applied a variety of washes of black and brown craft paints. The debris along the track is simply compound that fell off or was cut away during carving.
Atlas Code 100 sectional track was cut to fit and installed on cork roadbed; the rails were painted black to make them appear smaller. The ballast is black aquarium gravel cemented in place with 50/50 white glue and water, then dry-brushed with greys and browns. The ties were also dry-brushed with brown craft paint.
So is a model railroad every really done? Maybe the answer is still "no", but scenery is not the daunting task it may seem. This small diorama allowed me to hone my skills, actually trying some of the many techniques I had seen on other layouts or in magazine articles. The most important lesson I learned? If someone else can do it, so can I!
- Andrew Batchelor
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Ottawa
Valley Associated Railroaders