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PRODUCTS
I N F O R M AT I O N S TAT I O N

Building
scenery
 2. Weave in horizontal
strips and staple (or
hot glue) where strips
cross. (Stapling is
much faster and easier,

Some scenery
but requires a
pliers-type stapler.)

;
y
fundamentals

y;y;y;
3. Lay on surface
of hand-sized

;
y
paper towel 4. Apply finish

y;y;
strips dipped in surface with

Materials and;
y
;
y
soupy plaster
(messy method),
or plaster cloth
putty knife,
using plaster
(messy), or
Sculptamold

;
y
strips (neat
method). Plaster (very neat).
techniques for trans- cloth is sold
in hobby shops.
Sculptamold
is sold in

;
y
1. Hot glue vertical
1"-wide corrugated hobby and
forming a Plywood cardboard strips craft shops.
y
;
Central into a realistic
;
y in place.

B ;
y
model railroad
een procrastinating? Sooner or
later all the track is laid and wired,
the trains are running, the equip-
ment has been detailed and weathered,
and you can no longer put off building
scenery. Fortunately, it’s easier today
than it was, say, 20 years ago, thanks to
all the quality scenery products now
available. You can get nearly everything
Fig. 1 MODELING SCENIC FORMS
A. Cardboard Strip Method

Color and texture

Once we’ve modeled the ground, it’s
time to paint it. Lots of modelers
choose browns that are too dark. Soils
are lighter than we think, plus our lay-
out lighting doesn’t approach the inten-
sity of sunlight. Medium tan in a flat
latex wall paint works very well for
model railroad scenery.
Increase flexibility by bending
while pulling across a handy surface.

Advantages

1. Inexpensive
Cut strips across
the corrugations.

(particularly with
messy methods).

2. Fast (particularly
on broad expanses).

3. Easily modified.
Disadvantages

1. Need carefully
applied finish layer
to hide outline of
strips.

2. May need
modifications to
obtain final shape
you need at a well-stocked hobby shop. Usually we thin the latex paint desired.
Remember that no stretch of scenery about 50-50 with water, brush it on, 4. Lightweight
(particularly if 3. Messy (unless
has to last forever. If you don’t like it, and then begin sprinkling scenery mate- Sculptamold is plaster cloth and
you can just knock it out and try again. rials on immediately to take advantage used). Sculptamold are
(Lots of fine modelers have done just of the paint’s adhesive quality. We can used).
that more than once.) You’re out only a
few bucks worth of materials and
you’ve gained valuable experience. Like 1. Stack up layers cut 2. Smooth surface with hot-wire Advantages
most everything else in this hobby, the from foam insulation tool, knives, Surform tools,
board; 1" and 2" whatever works. (Hint: Hot-wire 1. Controllable, easy to
more you do it, the better you get. thicknesses work well. tools are great.) That’s it. You’re achieve the shape you
Bond with Liquid ready to paint the surface with want.
The three elements Nails for Projects. tan latex paint.
As my friend Bob Hayden says, there 2. Lightweight and quite
durable (especially good
are three elements of scenery-making: for modules and
form, color, and texture. Get all three portable layouts).
right and your scenery will be right. 3. No wood formers ever
Let’s start with form, the shapes of needed.
y
;

things. Your best friend here is obser-

vation. Our memories don’t serve us
y
;

Disadvantages
well; looking at the real thing and study-
y;y;
ing photos is much more reliable. 1. Slow, particularly if
After considerable squinting and building a large layout.
hand waving over imaginary contours 2. Expensive if foam
you’re ready to start. Figure 1 shows insulation board is
y
;

two popular techniques; I’ve listed some purchased. (Scraps

can often be picked up
y
;

advantages and disadvantages with at construction sites.)

each. Modeling with extruded foam First foam
layer supported 3. Can be messy, although a
board is extremely popular with today’s Fig. 1 MODELING SCENIC FORMS by wood risers. hot-wire tool eliminates
modelers, so if you have difficulty B. Foam board method much of this problem.
choosing, choose that.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KELLIE JAEGER

Fig. 2 ADDING GROUND COVER
1. Paint surface with
thinned tan latex paint.
y
;
y
;
y;
Fig. 3 COLORING ROCK
CASTINGS
1. Paint rocks with acrylic 2. Flow on black wash with
paints, let dry. wide brush, let dry.
sprinkle on sifted real dirt, tiny rocks,
ground-up leaves, or kitty litter, but the
favorite material today is ground foam.
This is plastic foam (the material
inside seat cushions) ground up and
dyed. Woodland Scenics is a major
manufacturer. A variety of grinds (from
fine to coarse) and colors is available.
Bonding scenery materials
As you build up scenery materials
you can bond them in place by spraying
them with a dilute mixture of adhesive
from a household plant sprayer, as
shown in fig. 2. (Clean the sprayer after-
ward if you expect to be able to use it
again.) I like to use matte medium, an
acrylic varnish available from art sup-
ply stores. A good ratio for spraying is 5
parts water to 1 part matte medium.
Adding about a half-teaspoon of liq-
uid dishwashing detergent will help the
adhesive penetrate the scenery materi-
2. Sprinkle on scenery materials
(sand, ground foam, etc.).
3. Bond by
spraying
with diluted
adhesive,
detergent
added.
4. Sprinkle on more
materials, spray
again. Repeat
cycle until
desired results
are achieved.
3. Lightly drybush to highlight
surface detail. Don’t overdo it.
als. Otherwise you can end up with a
crust that breaks away, revealing still
loose materials underneath.
For small areas spray on “wet” water
(water with liquid detergent added),
then apply the adhesive (mixed the same
as for spraying) with an eyedropper.
Rocks
Lots of modelers carve rocks in plas-
ter as it is setting up and some get good
results. For the rest of us a better, faster
method is to cast rocks in rubber
molds, available at hobby shops.
Plaster of paris, patching plaster, and
molding plaster all work well for casting
rocks. Just mix the plaster to a thick
cream consistency and pour it in the
molds. Either let the castings set up in
the molds, then glue them to the layout,
or else keep an eye on them and as
they’re setting hold them in place on the
layout to cast rocks in place.
To unify a rock surface apply plaster
between castings and use a knife to carve
the wet plaster so it blends with the cast-
ings. (A palette knife works best for me.)
Painting rocks
Most modelers use artist’s acrylics,
usually out of tubes. They dry quickly
and clean up with soap and water.
(You’ll note that the materials we’ve dis-
cussed here are all water-soluble. Gen-
erally this means you can keep working
without waiting for work to dry thor-
oughly, can clean up easily, and won’t
get chemical reactions.)
When painting rocks I begin with a
thinned coat of white, but many model-
ers go straight to work with colors. For
the most part we stick with earth tones:
burnt umber, raw umber, burnt sienna,
and raw sienna. Of these burnt umber
(a rich brown) is the most useful. You’ll
also need some Titanium White and
Mars Black to lighten or darken colors.
Squeeze out short ribbons of paint
on a palette, a white dish, or whatever is
handy (as long as it’s white so you can
see the colors). Keep a cup of clean
water handy (change it frequently), and
start mixing with your brush and paint-
ing. This may sound artsy and difficult,
but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Washes and drybrushing
Several special painting techniques
will prove helpful. The first is washes,
wherein you flood an area with a thin
solution of paint, applying it with a large
brush, say a 1" or 11⁄2" flat. See fig. 3.
Besides being good for establishing a
color base, this technique is also useful
later in the painting process. You can,
for example, apply a thin coat of dark
color that will settle into nooks and cran-
nies and help bring out the detail.
Another technique is drybrushing,
wherein you dip the brush into paint,
wipe it dry on a paper towel, then brush
vertically over raised surfaces. (Yes, an
all but imperceptible amount of paint
has remained on the brush.) A 1⁄2" flat
brush works well for this.
All I’ve attempted here is to touch on
some primary concepts, techniques,
and materials. For a wealth of further
information, get Dave Frary’s book,
How to build realistic model railroad
scenery, published by Kalmbach.
Give scenery modeling a try. It’ll
make a tremendous difference on your
layout, and if you don’t believe me, just
sprinkle some green ground foam on a
stretch of plywood next to the track and
run a train by. What a difference! 1
 BUILD REALISTIC
H
ighly detailed, prize-winning foreground scenery doesn’t
have to be time-consuming or overly complex. In fact,
with a little effort and research, building show-quality
scenery can be fun, easy, and rewarding.
My scenery techniques were inspired by a convention
clinic given by late MODEL RAILROADER staff member Art
Curren in the 1990s called “Scenery as I See It.” The main
point of Art’s clinic was that density, shape, size, and color
vary greatly in nature. As a result, the more texture you can
add to your scenic details such as trees, brush, and under-
growth, the more realistic they’ll appear to the viewer.
Follow along as I take you step-by-step through the process
I used to build the scenery for my HO scale model contest dio-
The scenery techniques Sam Swanson uses on his HO scale layout
and award-winning dioramas are fun, convincing, and most impor-
tantly, simple to duplicate for your own model railroad.
rama, Hall Hollow. It is an Appalachian valley coal mine sur-
rounded by muddy roads, dense brush, rock outcroppings,
and wooded hills, adding realistic texture to the scene. 1
Sam Swanson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, enjoys scratchbuilding
highly detailed structures. Having won many awards for his
modeling work, his Hall Hollow diorama, as seen in this article,
won first place for On-line Display at the 2001 National Model
Railroad Association convention in St. Louis, Mo.
SCENERY Landscaping from the foam up
By Sam Swanson • Photos by the author

1 A SOLID YET FLEXIBLE BASE

For a solid foundation I use extruded foam insulation
board. I build the rough topography by stacking layers of
foam, holding them together with Liquid Nails for Pro-
jects adhesive and bamboo skewers. After the glue dries,
the land features are easy to define using a serrated-edge
paring knife. Other tools that work well for shaping the
foam include a Surform tool, a rasp, various wire brushes,
and even sandpaper. (A Shop-Vac is also a handy item to
help control the mess.) Next, I pencil in roads and track-
work with a permanent marker, and cut spaces for struc-
ture bases that will be incorporated into the scene.

2 ROADS AND TRACKS WITH PURPOSE

I use track spurs and roads as leading lines to guide
viewers into a scene. Typically the lines provide a color
contrast – dark-ballasted rights-of-way versus light clay
roads – and each helps catch the viewer’s eye.
For rail spurs, I glue flextrack into place with a thin
layer of Liquid Nails spread on top of the foam roadbed. I
then spread soil and ballast around the track and secure it
with diluted white glue (two parts water, one part glue).
For dirt roads, I mix fine clay soil with diluted white
glue to a consistency of peanut butter as seen in the photo
on the right. Then I spread it on the roadway about 1⁄8"
thick and work in ruts with the end of a paintbrush. Next
I sprinkle dry clay on the non-rutted areas and let the road
dry thoroughly. For the final touch, I rub the road with a
stiff brush or my finger to give it that dusty, hard-packed
clay road appearance as seen in the photo below.
 3 EASY ROCK OUTCROPPINGS
The bulk of the outcroppings on the diorama are
carved from the same foam insulation board I used for
the base. I score and snap 2"-thick foam pieces and glue
them in place to start the rock formations. I then carve
and sand the outcroppings until I am satisfied with the
lines and shapes of the rocks.
Next, I use a four-step finishing system, as shown in
the photo. First I paint the outcropping with a suitable tan
color. In the second step, I stain crevices and shadowed
areas with a thinned complementary dark color of paint.
For the third step, I add texture to the rocks by what I
call the “soiling” process: affixing fine clay to the rocks
with diluted white glue. I brush diluted glue over the
painted/stained (and thoroughly dried) surface. Then I
sprinkle or brush the clay liberally on the rock face and let
it dry completely before proceeding.
As a final step, I drybrush the rocks with lighter colors
of paint to highlight and accentuate the texture.

4 BLENDED GROUND COVER 5 FUZZY UNDERBRUSH

To give the ground the proper look, I use an assort-
ment of soils, rock debris, and ground foam to create
my basic ground cover. For your layout, consulting pic-
tures of the area you are modeling is a must when mak-
ing these color selections.
I start by painting the open foam areas between the
track, roads, and rock outcroppings with a flat interior
latex tan paint. I then add soil and fine ground foam,
along with talus (rocks sloughed from outcroppings)
around the rocks. To vary the soil color, I use two
strengths of diluted white glue: The stronger the glue
mixture, the darker the color of the soil when it dries.
For the area I model, foam colors include a variety of
greens, browns, and yellows. I commonly use eight dif-
ferent colors, starting with Woodland Scenics Green
and Earth blends. I let the ground cover dry thoroughly
before adding any other scenic details.
I consider everything from grass tufts, bushes, brier
thickets, and weed accumulations to be underbrush.
The two materials best suited to modeling underbrush
are jute twine for grass and commercial poly fiber for
bushes and thickets. They have the “fuzzy quality” that
Art Curren stressed as important in model scenery and
simulate the dense undergrowth found throughout my
modeled region, the Appalachian hills.
To create large areas of thicket and weed underbrush
quickly, I use thinly stretched mats of poly fiber covered
with several different colors of fine ground foam fixed
in place with either maximum-hold hair spray or
Testor’s Dullcote. I use the same colors as the ground
cover and prepare a variety of color combinations, often
placing different colors on the front and back of the
mats. To make wildflowers, I add dashes of Woodland
Scenics no. 48 flower mix to a few of the poly fiber mats.
When installing them in the scene, I vary the under-
brush mats by mixing up the colors, shapes, and densi-
ties. I stretch the mat so some of the ground cover
shows through and glue it in place with beads of full-
strength white glue.
 6 TUFTS, BUSHES, AND SAPLINGS
With the poly fiber underbrush in place, I add more
detailed individual underbrush items including grass
tufts, bushes, and saplings.
For grass tufts, I stain and tease jute twine. When
dry, I plant the tufts in holes in the foam base and
secure them with white glue. You can also use grass
tufts to make small bushes by gluing fine foam to the
jute fibers for leaves.
I make simple bushes from poly fiber or tree foliage
balls sprinkled with fine foam. I typically use bushes in
heavy undergrowth areas to provide some vertical
shapes and vary the texture of the underbrush.
For saplings I use the small twigs that break off
when making trees and top them with a ball of
commercial fiber or clump foliage; both work well and
provide variety through color and density. I use
saplings to bridge the transition from underbrush to
the wooded areas, much as they do in nature.
7 TREE TRUNKS THAT LOOK RIGHT
To make the dense stands of deciduous trees that
characterize Appalachia, I use three different types of
trunks covered with fiber and clump foliage, as well as
fine ground foam. My goal is not to model specific
species, but to vary trunk and foliage sizes, shapes, and
colors enough to produce realistically wooded hills.
For my homemade tree trunks, I use sunflower roots
and various twigs. They’re realistic and free! I preserve
the natural trunks by allowing them to dry thoroughly
over a couple of months and then submerging them in
a pool of diluted white glue. Later, I add a 3⁄8" length of
.020" brass wire to the base as a mounting pin.
To make larger trees, I combine sunflower roots and
twigs. Sometimes I thicken the trunks by sculpting root
bases from Duro Master-Mend green epoxy and then
paint the roots to match the rest of the tree trunk.
I also use Scenic Express SuperTree commercial
kits for their light and airy appearance.

8 LEAVES FOR YOUR TREES

To add leaves to the trees, I use Woodland Scenics
fiber and clump (or cluster) foliage. The key to making
realistic trees is to cover the sunflower and twig branches
with many small puffballs of teased foliage material indi-
vidually glued to the branches. I start near the bottom of
the tree and work out and up along the trunk and
branches, gluing the foliage balls on with white glue.
After those have had time to set, I fill in any unwanted
open spaces by gluing puffballs directly to each other.
When dry, I highlight the treetops by dusting them with
light-colored fine ground foam, holding it in place with hair
spray or Dullcote.
I install the trees on the diorama last, only after all the
other scenery has been completed. First I test the place-
ment of the trees in the scene, either individually or in
groups of three or five. Once I am happy with how they
look, I plant each tree by pressing it firmly into the foam
base, securing it with white glue.
With that, your lush, textured Appalachian scenery is
finished and you can to amaze your friends with your
realistic re-creation.
Western scenery
How-tos for handling the subtleties of arid scenery
in foreground locations
By Pat Gerstle • Photos by the author

M
any modelers are drawn to
Western scenery: snow-capped
mountain ranges, twisting
canyons, endless deserts, and pine
forests. I suspect some modelers even
choose the location before they choose a
railroad. The photo of Clear Creek
Canyon, Colo., (fig. 1) is the sort of
scene that inspires us to model the West,
but what we usually see when standing
trackside, as fig. 2 shows, is a few feet of
rocky soil, some scrubby bushes, and
maybe some larger rocks and a hillside
behind the train. This article is about
how to model this up-close-to-the-action
trackside detail.
Research
Among my primary references for
colors and general scenes are pictures
from railroad wall calendars. The pho-
tos are large, very high quality, and pro-
vide a detailed view of the railroad and
its surroundings. Nothing helps like the
real thing, however, so I have an equally
large collection of personal pho-
tographs. For general how-to on
scenery, I recommend Dave Frary’s
How to Build Realistic Scenery for Model
Railroads from Kalmbach Publishing.
Terrain
In fig. 3, I have cut and glued some
2"-thick blue foam to form the base of a
small rise on which a mine will be
placed and covered the foam with plas-
ter soaked towels or gauze. I then
painted this base with a soupy mix of
plaster to fill in any holes and thin
areas. Next I added rock castings, fix-
ing them in place with plaster and
painting around them with the plaster
soup to blend them into the base.
Finally, without waiting for the plaster
to dry, I painted the ground and cast- Fig. 2 TRACKSIDE SCENERY. At trackside,
ings with the base color. you rarely see big vistas; usually you see a
Western scenery is mostly beige with relatively shallow scene of rocks and grass.
some light tans and reds thrown in. I
use Sears no. 770 interior flat latex
diluted with an equal amount of water.
Brush it over everything except the
rocks. On the rocks, mix one part paint
with two parts water for more of a
stain. Now wait for things to dry, then
brush on some dilute raw umber for
reddish highlights. Finish with your
favorite black wash (either very thin
black paint or India ink and alcohol) to
bring out the details. Your finished
scene should look something like fig. 3.

Ground cover
The next process introduces most of
the surface details, and most of the sur-
face detail in the West consists of LOTS
of rocks, of all sizes, scattered and piled
everywhere. I used the following Wood-
land Scenics products: talus (fine,
medium, coarse, and extra coarse in Buff
and Brown; ballast (fine and medium)
in Buff and Brown; turf and coarse
turf in Yellow Grass, Burnt Grass,
Earth, and Soil; clump foliage in Burnt
Grass, Light Green, and Fall Mix; and
field grass in Natural Straw, Harvest
Gold, and Light Green.
I also use finely sifted dirt and gold-
mine tailings I gathered from the area
I’m modeling. I make a palette of these
materials by placing them in empty
tuna cans in a box lid.
Start by painting a small area (about
one square foot) with a thick coat of
full-strength white glue. Now drop the
large talus pieces randomly and in
groups over the area. If the area is
sloped, place more toward the bottom.
Next, drop the medium talus around,
followed by the fine. Use more of the
medium and lots more of the fine. Put
some of the medium and fine talus
around the large and randomly distrib-
ute the rest over the whole area. Con-
centrate the talus in gullies, stream
beds, and at the base of rock forma-
tions. At this stage your scene should
look like fig. 4.
Fig. 1 CLEAR CREEK CANYON. This view typi- Fig. 3 BASE TERRAIN. After shaping the
fies the scenery of the West, but few layouts basic landform and adding rock castings,
have the space to model such large vistas. Pat paints the whole area a light tan.
Now scatter small patches of the turf
and grass around – not a lot and con-
centrated in the areas where moisture
would collect. To fix the groundcover, I
spray on a coat of “wet water” (water
with one or two drops of dish detergent
added so that it soaks into the ground-
cover). Then I use an eyedropper to dis-
tribute a 50/50 mixture of white glue
and water. Make sure the ground is
thoroughly saturated with glue.
Only when all is solidly dry do I
plant the larger shrubs and trees. The
shrubs are clump foliage and the trees Fig. 4 ROCKS AND MORE ROCKS. Woodland
are pines and aspens from K&S Scenics talus and ballast provide a wide
Scenery Products. A lot of the shrubs range of rock sizes to work with.
are placed near the larger rocks because
moisture collects in the shadows.
The last thing I add is the field grass
– I love this stuff! I add clumps in all
shapes and sizes around larger rocks
and in gullies. I think by striving for
realism in the area you would see up
close I’ve captured the look of Western
scenery without trying to include the
snow-capped back range! 1
Pat Gerstle is a computer programmer
who lives just outside of Lexington, Ky.
His primary modeling interests are Fig. 5 PLANT LIFE. Plants don’t dominate
scenery and photography. This is his first Western scenery, but they’re needed. Concen-
published article. trate them where water naturally collects.
7
steps to
realistic
ROCKS
Easy scenery you can make
with ceiling tile
By Joe Whinnery • Photos by the author

O
ne of the nicest comments I’ve heard about
my layout came during the 1997 National
Model Railroad Association convention.
Some visitors from back East said the sedi-
mentary rock formations on my HO scale East-
ern coal-hauling layout looked real, and that
they knew exactly where the actual scene was I
had modeled!
That is the essence of model railroad scenery
– making it look real. The technique I model
rocks with is time-tested but perhaps new to
some of you. Beside getting great results, it’s
easy and inexpensive.

Re-creating dramatic scenes such as this is part of the fun of

building scenery. Joe Whinnery relies on a time-honored technique to
make typical Appalachian rock formations for his HO scale Eastern
coal-hauling layout.

 The Appalachian Mountains are layers of sedimentary rock that the

massive collision of two continents forced upward. In some places –
like this scene on Cranberry Grade at Terra Alta, W. Va. – the rock lay-
ers folded into elongated arches and troughs. Ceiling tile built up in
layers, textured, and painted can re-create this dramatic effect.
Ceiling tile unlimited
I prefer ceiling tile for creating large sedimentary rock for-
mations typical of the Appalachians. I’ve also used plaster cast-
ings with good results because the rubber molds duplicate the
textures of real rock. But I’ve found most rock molds are too
small to effectively and efficiently create large rock expanses.
In the same vein, extruded foam board makes fine rock sur-
faces, but it’s more difficult to achieve the layered look I wanted.
Ceiling tile has many advantages. It’s inexpensive and
easy to find, cut, shape, and color. But make sure you buy
new ceiling tile at a home-improvement or hardware store
rather than scrounging for castaway pieces from an old
building. The discarded stuff might contain asbestos –
model railroading is supposed to be fun, not hazardous to
your health. And always wear a dust mask when cutting
and carving ceiling tile.
TILE PIECES. Snapping pieces of tile over the edge of
1 a board creates a clean edge. Score the white side with a
screwdriver, utility knife, or old hacksaw blade, then gently
bend the tile over the board until the piece snaps off. It’s a good idea
to do this step outdoors because of the dust it creates.
CARVING. This is the messiest part of the rock-making
3 process, so make sure you do it outside and wear a dust
mask. You can carve ceiling tile with a wire brush, a
straight-slot screwdriver, and broken hacksaw blades. Use the wire
brush in a long horizontal motion to get a layered look, and the
screwdriver and hacksaw blade to make deep, vertical fissures. Refer
to photos of real rock formations and use your imagination.
Planning pays off
Before grabbing my carving tools, I take some time to
plan how I want the scene to look. As was mentioned in Part
Four of Tony Koester’s Coal Fork Extension series (Septem-
ber 1998 MODEL RAILROADER), Africa and North America
have probably collided at least twice in Earth’s long history,
and the last collision created the Appalachian Mountains.
And during one of the continents’ earlier collisions, tectonic
plate action compressed many sedimentary rock layers, cre-
ating arches called “anticlines” and troughs called “syn-
clines,” which are prevalent in the Appalachians.
I wanted some sections of my scenery to reflect this sig-
nature geological effect, so I tilted some ceiling tile layers
upward with a small wedge of material, such as a door shim.
Got your new pieces of ceiling tile and some tools? Good,
then let’s make some rocks! 1
BUILDING UP LAYERS. Stack layers of ceiling tile to
2 the height you want the rock formation to be. Glue each
successive layer to the one beneath it with white glue or a
thin layer of an acrylic adhesive such as Liquid Nails for Projects.
Weight or pin the pieces together until the glue dries.
PATCHING. Mix up a small batch of Sculptamold (a clay
4 and paper product available at most hobby shops or from
Walthers at www.walthers.com) and patch any significant
gaps in the tile with it using a palette knife (available at most art
stores and some hobby shops). The Sculptamold shows as white
areas against the gray tile and, after it dries, it will take paint just
as well as the ceiling tile layers.
 PROJECT AT A GLANCE
C eiling tile is a handy material for making easy and realis-
tic sedimentary rock formations like those typically found
in the Appalachian Mountains. Coloring the rocks is as sim-
ple as airbrushing or brush-painting earth-tone acrylic washes
over the sealed surface.
Tools you’ll need include:
❑ straight-slot screwdriver ❑ palette knife
❑ old hacksaw blade ❑ 2" paintbrush
❑ dust mask ❑ shop vacuum
❑ wire brush ❑ airbrush (optional)
SEALING. Get rid of the “fuzzies” the wire brush caused by
5 brushing water over the tile face. This step keeps the porous
tile from soaking up too much sealer. Leftover tan-colored
latex paint makes a great sealer. Let the sealer coat dry completely
before applying any other colors. Tile that’s too wet can break apart.
COLORING. It’s best to color your rocks under the same
6 kind of light that’s over your layout. You can use an air-
brush or brush-paint. If you brush-paint, apply thinned
acrylic earth tones over faces, then spray the rocks with water to
blend the colors. An airbrush lets you do more precise coloring, such
as simulating a layer of shale in sandstone. You’ll get better results
with several light passes of the airbrush rather than one heavy pass.
Meet Joe Whinnery
J oe’s interest in railroading started in grade school when his
uncle worked as a brakeman for the Baltimore & Ohio’s St.
Louis Division.
After a tour in the Army as a photographer, then college,
Joe’s interest in model railroading revived. His current layout
is an HO scale Eastern coal hauler drawing on the B&O,
Chesapeake & Ohio, and the Chessie System. The 13 x 30-
foot layout has earned the National Model Railroad Associa-
tion’s Golden Spike and Master Scenery awards, and it was
one the layouts participants could visit during the 1997
NMRA convention in Madison, Wis.
In addition to his career as a professional photographer,
Joe works at the Brass Whistle, a hobby shop in Loves Park,
Ill., near Rockford.

More on our Web site
For another basic technique you can use to make
realistic rocks, visit MODEL RAILROADER’S Web site at
www.modelrailroader.com. There you’ll find an article
on how to make rock castings.
SOIL AND VEGETATION. After blending the existing
7 scenery base around the rock face, add vegetation and soil.
Kudzu, a noxious weed prevalent in the South, often covers
rock faces. Finely sifted dirt or gravel gives the appearance of soil
that’s been washed down the face of the rock. To simulate kudzu,
make a light pass with spray glue over stretched-out brown or green
polyester fiber, then sprinkle medium-grade ground foam on the fiber.
Splendor in the grass
Modeling knee-deep grass with a new
material and methods
By René Gourley • Photos by the author
A
s a youngster I spent many quiet
afternoons sitting in a trackside
field about a mile from my home
while the breezes rustled through the
tall grass. The rails shimmered brightly
in the afternoon sun while birds soared
overhead and the field resounded with
the sounds of summer insects. Ulti-
mately my patience was rewarded when
the blare of a distant air horn brought
me to my feet so I could see the oncom-
ing train.
The tall grass along the right-of-way
never saw a mower so some of the
plants tickled my chin when I walked
through them.
Over the years, I’ve attempted a
number of techniques to duplicate these
high grasses in HO scale using fake fur,
twine fibers, and ground foam. Unfor-
tunately, ground foam evokes leaves
and foliage better than it does tall, ver-
tical grass, and fake fur comes on a
woven backing that’s too dense.
In 1998, I received a German model
railroad magazine which had some
superb photos of scenery with tall grass
that made me look twice. The article
indicated that the scenery was made
using products from Silflor, a German
manufacturer of scenery materials.
First sample
Silflor makes a variety of grass mate-
rials as shown in photo 1. My first sam-
ple was a square of winter pasture. This
mat represents grass that’s been stand-
ing for some time so the leaves closest
to the ground are still green, but the tall
blades have been bleached by the sun.
The fine nylon fibers are tightly packed,
providing an excellent representation of
a densely planted field of standing hay.
Turning the sample over, I found the
grass is woven into a backing of heavier
fibers. You can pull this substrate apart
to produce a scattered, irregular field of
hay. See photo 2. The grass never gets
 1 2 3

4 5

1. VARIETY. Silflor’s grass comes in short bristle spring, summer, and winter colors. The
autumn mat has the longer bristles to simulate tall grass. Other mat colors and textures sim- Sources
ulate forest ground cover, moorland, pasture with weeds, and pasture with long grass.
Silflor Products are available from
2. THINNING GRASS. As delivered, Silflor’s grass is too dense for the scrubby growth along the the following mail order companies:
right-of-way. Pull it apart until the grass begins to look more realistic.
Blue Ribbon Models
3. GRASS AND SOIL. Once the mat has been teased out, it’s glued down to a layer of soil using P. O. Box 333
white glue. Some of the soil will show through between the clumps of grass. Swampscott, MA 01907-3333
www.shore.net/~jdf/tswelcome.html
4. GRASS APPLICATION. Set the mat on the wet glue and press it down with tweezers to pre-
vent matting. Adjust the clump positions as needed with tweezers. Trim off any excess grass International Models
after the glue has dried overnight. 22 Harold Rd.
Birchington, Kent, CT7 9NA, UK
5. ADD DIRT. Use fine sifted dirt, worked into the grass mat with an old toothbrush, to hide www.internationalmodels.net
the substrate fibers. Then flood the area with wet water and diluted white glue.

sparse, but clumps spread farther apart
until they detach completely. As the
clumps pull apart, some of the grasses
fall over, but enough vertical blades
remain to represent late season grass.
Being nylon, the blades of grass are
shiny so they reflect light in a distress-
ingly unrealistic manner. Fortunately,
this sheen is easily remedied with a fine
spray of matte medium. I use an air-
brush to keep from gluing everything
together in a big mess. I can apply this
dulling spray before or after planting.
Planting procedures
The photos show how easy it is to
duplicate the coarse grasses and under-
growth common along the railway
right-of-way with the Silflor grass mats.
It takes a little time, and the materials
are somewhat more expensive than
dyed sawdust.
Begin by stretching and teasing the
mat as far as it will go. Then cut it to fit
the space. The spaces in the mat require
application over a painted surface or
one that has a soil texture so an appro-
priate color shows through. See photo 3.
Full-strength white glue is the pri-
mary adhesive for this grass mat.
Spread the glue liberally in depressions
and anywhere you plant the grass. The
white glue soaks in and dries transpar-
ent, making a permanent bond that
holds the grass fibers upright.
Use tweezers to press the grass mat
into the glue as shown in photo 4. Avoid
the temptation to press with your fin-
gers as that results in a matted jumble.
The tweezers also comes in handy to
make minor adjustments. Don’t worry if
the edges of the mat overlap the glue
area as they can be easily trimmed once
the glue has dried overnight.
To hide the substrate fibers, pour the
finest dirt you can get over the area. Use
a retired toothbrush and your fingers to
work the dirt into the grass and pull the
blades of grass back into view (photo 5).
Flood the area with water wetted with a
few drops of dish soap, followed by
diluted white glue to secure the soil.
The next morning, or when the first
glue dries, add some fine dark green
ground foam and a few bits of chunkier
light green foam and glue it down to
represent some of the other plants
mixed into the grass.
Patience rewarded
These steps take a few evenings to
accomplish, although it goes fairly
quickly when I work on several areas at
a time. It’s a small price to pay for the
chance to go back to those youthful
summer afternoons of lying in the grass
listening for the first sounds of a train. 1
René Gourley, an S and HO fine scale
modeler, recently moved from Canada to
England, where he’s a consultant for a
computer database company.
A tale of
three creeks
These waterways illustrate both
variety and consistency
By Jack Burgess
Photos by the author
W
e’ve all heard that variety is the spice of life. It’s easy
to follow this advice when adding scenery to our lay-
outs. But if we add a little of this and a little of that,
we soon have a mishmash of scenes that don’t relate
to each other in a realistic way. On the other hand,
distinct scenes are essential to helping portray dis-
tance and variety.
The solution is to take clues from nature, so slightly dif-
ferent scenes can be developed which will be realistic and
also faithful to the prototype.
As my prototype, the Yosemite Valley RR, left Merced in
California’s San Joaquin Valley and headed for Yosemite
National Park, it quickly crossed three creeks: Bear Creek at
milepost 1.35, Black Rascal at 1.90, and Fahrens less than a
mile later at 2.70.
Regardless of proximity, these crossings are all unique.
Bear Creek has relatively uniform banks covered with wild
bamboo. Both Black Rascal and Fahrens flow along non-
native eucalyptus groves with occasional sycamores or cot-
tonwoods along their banks.
Initial modeling
All three creek crossings have standard YVRR concrete
abutments, so I made a mold and cast the six abutments
from Hydrocal plaster. I scratchbuilt the bridges from
prestained stripwood and n.b.w. (nut-bolt-washer) castings.
Next I installed the bridges and roughed in the scenery
with plaster. I used real dirt to form the banks.
The water for Bear and Black Rascal Creeks is casting
resin that I poured in layers 1⁄8" to 1⁄4" deep. Since Bear Creek
is relatively deep (a scale 10 to 12 feet), I added color directly
to the casting resin, using brown and green tints for the
first layers and green and blue for the middle layers. The
final layers I poured clear. These darker colors emphasize
the deep, slow water.
In contrast, just the first layers of casting resin for Black
Rascal Creek were lightly colored with green and blue to
result in a clear, cool creek.
Once the casting resin had cured, I dappled the surface of
the creeks with a coat of acrylic gloss medium.
Bear Creek
I duplicated the dense wild bamboo covering the banks of
the real Bear Creek using Woodland Scenics field grass (fig. 1).
I applied it by cutting small clumps and gluing it in place
with white glue. This was tedious but produced the look I was
after. While there is a tendency for the material to lean over,
just keep pushing it up. As the glue dries, it will finally hold
position. Using sticky white craft glue rather than regular
white glue also helps.
Once the bamboo was in place and the glue had dried, I
used a moustache scissors to trim the material to a relatively
even length. Since the banks of Bear Creek were covered with
bamboo, little further detailing was needed.
Black Rascal Creek
In contrast to Bear Creek, Black Rascal (fig. 2) is more typ-
ical of the meandering creeks draining the foothills in the
Merced area. Moisture in the adjacent ground allows the grass
to remain green during the hot summer months.
To duplicate these conditions, I airbrushed Noch electro-
static grass a light green. The willows which encroach into
 Engine no. 28 crosses Fahrens Creek on Jack Burgess’ HO Yosemite
Valley RR. It’s one of the three distinct creeks he models.

Fig. 1 BEAR CREEK. The deep, slow water is perfect for fishing, so
Jack added a raft and a youngster whiling away an August afternoon.

the creek are a combination of Woodland Scenics field grass

and flower pieces from dried artichoke heads dyed light
green. (Dried artichoke flowers can be found in craft stores.)
Since the area next to the bridge seemed an appropriate
watering hole, I mixed diluted white glue with fine-grained
clay soil and spread it on the banks. I gave the muddy area a
light coat of acrylic gloss medium to make it look wet.

Fahrens Creek Fig. 2 BLACK RASCAL CREEK. To complete the meandering creek
Unlike Bear and Black Rascal Creeks, Fahrens (fig. 3) is scene Jack added a steer and muddy hoof prints.
modeled as a dry creek bed, typical of the Merced area in
mid-summer. I used Woodland Scenics field grass to model
the bullrushes along the creek banks, hot-gluing it in place.
Cattails were made with short pieces of fishing monofila-
ment which had been dipped in white glue and allowed to dry
to form the heads. I then painted the heads brown.
I used fine beach sand to form the creek bottom and
bonded it in place with diluted white glue. The sand was
added after the field grass was in place, covering the hot glue.
Portions of the real Fahrens Creek banks are covered with
wild blackberry vines. To model this, I started with small
poly fiber balls covered with ground foam, bonded the foam
with hair spray, and glued them in place with white glue. A
light sprinkling of red foam replicated ripening blackberries.
Modeling scenery accurately requires no more than
observing nature and, sometimes, developing techniques to
reproduce what you observe. Detailing scenery can be a relax-
ing diversion from working on the rest of the layout. 1

Jack Burgess, who models the Yosemite Valley RR circa Fig. 3 FAHRENS CREEK. Detailing on the dry creek bed included
August 1939, contributes frequently to MODEL RAILROADER. adding cattails and bullrushes.
Cajon Creek
step-by-step
I
visit Cajon Pass at least twice a year
How to model to shoot photographs and collect
information for my HO Atchison,
this meandering Topeka & Santa Fe. In January 2000 I
was exploring the pass with Al Bowen, a
mountain stream good friend who is well versed in the
history and geography of the area.
My question for him that day was,
By Ted York “Where does the water come from?”
Photos by the author Despite the dry desert look of the pass
some water always flowed down Cajon
Creek. In the many times I’d been there,
I had never looked into the creek’s
sources. Al promptly drove up a narrow
road to the north of the tracks; we
walked up a short trail where we found
a small, clear lake nestled in the center
of the San Andreas fault line.
Water seeping up from cracks in the
ground formed the lake, providing a
source of water flowing through the
pass year-round. I was amazed to be
standing in a dry landscape looking at
more water than I had imagined.
But modeling this water would be a
little different from what I had seen on
most layouts because Cajon Creek is
very shallow and clear, reflecting the
 Preparation
F irst I prepared the streambed, using
cardboard strips to form my scenery
base then attaching cheesecloth with
there’s a lot of plant life, much of it
very green in spring.
Next I soaked the material with iso-
hot glue. Next I painted on two coats of propyl (rubbing) alcohol so the glue
plaster of paris mixed to the consistency would penetrate. I used a coat of
of latex paint. To form the final scenery diluted Elmer’s white glue to fasten the
I came in with a coat of casting plaster ground cover.
about the consistency of cake batter. Before working anymore on the
I formed the smooth areas of the stream I weathered the bridge and abut-
riverbed by spreading the plaster with a ments. My weathering materials are on
spatula, then smoothed it as it set up by the messy side and I didn’t want to get
simply rubbing the plaster in a circular them on the finished “water.” I applied
motion with my hand. a very dilute wash of black shoe dye
I modeled the concrete under the and isopropyl alcohol on the abutments.
bridge (the Santa Fe called them con- I used chalks to streak on the rust and
crete blankets) with sheet styrene dirt colors that wash down from the
scribed to represent expansion joints, bridge. Finally, I painted a thin wash
then installed it with casting plaster. on the bridge, using a very dilute mix of
On many areas along creeks, the the tan latex paint I used on the plaster.
bank has eroded leaving the top layers
of soil hanging. Modeling this was quite
simple with a sponge. I put some plas-
ter on an area then used a damp sponge
to push it toward the bank. As I did,
excess plaster moved up and over the
sponge. I pushed down upward bulges
with my hand, smoothing it out like I
did the riverbed.
Dabbing at the plaster with the
sponge as it sets up gives the plaster a
soil-like texture. After the plasterwork
was done I gave it a quick coat of a Ted used a sponge to push the plaster
light tan latex paint. into shape, forming the eroded banks
Then came the fun. I filled paper along the riverbed.
cups with dirt sifted to various grades
and began tossing it over the riverbed.
Since my stream was only a small por-
tion of the entire bed and very shallow,
I used dirt to form the channel that
would contain the water.
I added various shades of ground
foam on top of the surrounding banks.
Even though I’m modeling the desert

Before finishing the creek Ted weathered

the bridge and abutments so he wouldn’t
get the weathering materials on the fin- After the plaster set, Ted painted it with
ished stream. light tan household latex paint.

A young railfan watches from below as a GP7

helper, lashed to the rear of a Santa Fe
freight, crosses Cajon Creek, a year-round
source of water.

color of the streambed itself, varied by

shadows from the surrounding rocks,
vegetation, and clouds passing over-
head. The following photos and cap-
tions take you step-by-step through how
I modeled my steam. 1

Ted York’s previous byline in MR was

a story on detailing Union Pacific FA-1s.
Painting
C orrectly coloring the water-covered
portion of the streambed is one of the
most important things if you want a
realistic-looking stream. I studied pho-
tographs of the stream and decided a
greenish brown was needed. I used tube
acrylics for the project and experimented
until I found suitable colors. I painted
most of the stream with a raw sienna and
white mix, but for the deeper mossy bot- To give a realistic look to the water Ted Ted drybrushed white where there might be
tom I used an olive green mixed from painted the streambed with appropriate a rapid movement of water, like around
black, yellow oxide, and white. acrylic paint colors. rocks and down the concrete blanket.
I kept a separate container of water
handy to dilute the acrylics as I applied thin wash of the sienna down the con- water, such as down the concrete and
them, watering down the paint as much crete blanket. around rocks. Don’t overdo this though,
as I could and still have it cover the dirt. Next I drybrushed some streaks of unless you want major rapids.
I first painted the riverbed the raw olive down the concrete to give the look If you care to add junk to the
sienna mix, then added the olive color, of moss build-up where the water flowed streambed such as brush, and old tires,
alternating between the two so I could over it. Finally I drybrushed some white now is the time. Let the paint dry before
blend them while wet. I also painted a on areas that might have rapid moving going on to the next step.

Pouring
I used Enviro-Tex Lite two-part epoxy
resin for water. The fun thing about
this product is that if there’s a way for
the resin to escape from your streambed
it will. I was confident my streambed
was leakproof except for the layout edge.
Sealing this escape route was quite
simple: I sandwiched a synthetic sponge
between wax paper and a piece of
Masonite hardboard. I ran a couple of Sandwiching a sponge between wax paper Notice how the epoxy has creeped into the
screws through the Masonite, attaching and a piece of Masonite stops the Enviro- riverbank along the water. This can be
everything to the fascia and forming a Tex from “escaping” the layout. covered with ground foam.
tight seal. The epoxy won’t stick to wax
paper. Just be sure the dam extends far
enough to each side of the stream to pre-
vent epoxy from going around the sides.
The epoxy instructions tell you to
pour a maximum thickness of only 1⁄8". If
you need it thicker make separate pours,
allowing the epoxy to cure between each.
My project took two coats. I used an old
brush (old, because it’s the last time
you’ll use it) to direct the epoxy. I also
brushed a little on the concrete blanket;
I didn’t want it to be very thick there. Here’s the finished epoxy prior to applying Ted brushes on several coats of Mod Podge
Once I was satisfied with the pour, I left the Mod Podge. It’s too smooth to repre- to build up the ripples that are found in
town until morning to avoid the tempta- sent moving water. moving water.
tion to touch the stuff and mess it up.
Be aware that Enviro-Tex tends to It took three coats, spread at random, to the Mod Podge goes on white, it dries to
creep up the bank; it also cures as build up a nice textured surface. a nice shine.
smooth as a sheet of glass. I was model- On the concrete I pulled the brush Not only does the water now give the
ing moving water and needed ripples, so down the slope to get a look of downward illusion of moving down the streambed,
I bought a small bottle of Gloss-Luster movement. After that set up I applied it also gave the appearance of distorting
Mod Podge at the local arts and crafts more, this time pushing the brush down- the light as I looked into the water.
store. Gloss Medium will work as well. ward to spread the bristles as I had done Another nice feature is that if the water
I used a paintbrush to spread the with the rest of the stream. I did it sev- starts to look dull after a while, I can just
Mod Podge over the cured Enviro-Tex, eral times in the same spots to give the grab the paintbrush and give the stream
pushing down on the brush and spread- effect of water moving down in sheets as another quick coat of Mod Podge and
ing the bristles to form a ripple pattern. I have often seen on spillways. Although it’ll be good as new.
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