Started the Scenery

Since getting the main lines up and running, I've been chomping at the bit to get going on scenery. Today, having run out of rail joiners and all work on the yard coming to a halt as a result, I did just that.

Now, on my last layout, I sceniced the entire layout one step at a time (built the mountains, the roads, painted the terrain, added turf then trees and so on). Given that this layout is several times the size of the last one, this time around I intend to focus on one area, get it fully sceniced and move on. I started off in a small area just outside of Altoona, leading up to Horseshoe Curve.

I started out by painted the backdrop. Origionally, I thought I would use some bulletin board paper  with clouds printed out in. However, after an hour of fighting with the paper and some spray adhesive, that idea turned out to be unworkable. Instead, I used some poster paints to paint the tops of distant mountains on the wall.

I didn't take the mountain all the way to the layout base since they'd be covered up. Why waste the paint even if it is cheap?

After getting the backdrop done, I started building the mountains. U used wadded up newspaper and cardboard strips to form the mountains' super structure. I then covered that up with Woodland Scenics plaster cloth.

Once the plaster dried, I hit the mountain with a coat of Apple Barrel "Nutmeg Brown" acrylic paint. On my last layout, I used Woodland Scenics "Earth Undercoat" pigment. But the Apple Barrel stuff looks just as good and costs about half as much.

Mountains added. Some touch up on the backdrop will be needed.

For my last trick, I painted the rails Floquil "Rail Brown." This is an extremely tedious task, but it has to be done. I did approximately 24 feet of track, all in the area the scenery was added. I'll probably do a few feet here and there until its all done. Since my last layout was viewable from all sides, I painted both sided of each rail. However, since this layout is against the wall and one side of each rail is out of view, I was able to save a good bit of time by only painting one side of each rail. This is my take on what master model railroader W. Allen McClelland called the "Good enough philosophy."

Rails painted Floquil "Rail Brown"

The next steps will be ballasting the track, adding rock formations, adding turf, trees and other greenery and a small waterfall and stream.