Beyond the plywood plains - building the first ground forms

Once you've gotten to the point in your modeling where you've got trains running, it's time to start thinking about building the scenes through which your trains will run. If you've planned your scenes based on a specific prototype, then you already know what kind of vignette you need to build. If you're proto-freelancing, then you've probably got a good idea of the kind of scene you need to build. If you're just building something to look better than bare plywood, well, think about what kind of terrain you've imagined the trains operating through. Once you know what kind of terrain you're going to build, how do you do it? Here's one method to get the first landforms in place on your layout.

Tools and materials required

The items you will need (in approximately the order that you will need them) for this process are as follows:

• Insulation foam board, 1 or 2 inch thick
• Utility knife with new blades
• Liquid Nails for Projects
• Shur-Form tools
• Shop vacuum
• A bucket of warm water
• Plaster gauze
• Paper towels or old newspaper
• Brown latex paint
• Paint brush
• Ground foam or sand, depending on the area being modeled
• Spray bottle with “wet water”
• Elmer’s white glue
• Bulb syringe

Most of the tools you should have in your toolbox already. The foam board for this process can be obtained cheaply from construction sites near you (ask the site foreman if you can take some of their waste foam; you will more often get acceptance than refusal since they would have to pay to haul it away themselves). While the white beaded foam will work for this process, it is not recommended. The glue that you use for the foam is important. Buy Liquid Nails For Projects. The important part of this is the “For Projects”. Regular Liquid Nails will eat the foam (and put out some nasty fumes while doing so) but Liquid Nails For Projects is water based and specially formulated for gluing foam. For the paint, ask at the paint counter of your local hardware store or at a paint specialty store for a gallon of reject brown latex paint. The shade of brown isn’t as important as the quantity. However, keep in mind that you’ll do better with a light shade for sandy or desert areas, while a darker shade will work better for forested or farm areas. I recommend a latex paint because it doesn’t smell as badly as other types and it cleans up with water. Interior versus exterior grade does not matter for this process. You should be able to buy a gallon of brown paint for three to five dollars. The plaster gauze and ground foam are probably going to be the most expensive materials. Sometimes you can purchase plaster gauze in bulk from a medical supply store. If you don’t have a medical supply store in your city, or don’t want to wait to order the plaster gauze over the internet, Woodland Scenics makes it. The wet water referred to above is about a quart of tap water with a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. Any brand of soap will work, just be sure to get the kind used for washing dishes by hand, and not in the dishwasher.

The Procedure

Build Basic Landforms

Use the utility knife to cut rough shapes in the insulation foam to approximate the contours that you want in your finished scene. Stack the foam to gain higher elevations. Unless part of this scenery is going to be under a structure model, you don’t have to be precise on your cuts. In fact, the apparent randomness of the edges will look better in the final scene. Once you have the stack of foam about how you want it, glue it together with the Liquid Nails For Projects. Add a few weights to hold the foam down and let it set for about a day or more. Once the Liquid Nails has set, use your utility knife and Shur-Form tools to smooth the contours into slopes, hills, mounds, grassy knolls, whatever. Be sure to pay attention to which direction the Shur-Form cuts, as going in the opposite direction will have a much smaller effect. Don’t worry too much about getting the shape perfectly smooth, the next part will take care of that. Keep your ShopVac handy and vacuum up the foam every now and then. The foam shavings could be used as filler under the plaster gauze if you want, but its presence can make it hard sometimes to find a solid spot to attach the plaster gauze. The shavings also won’t hold up trees or poles as well as solid foam.

Apply the First Layers of Ground

Use your utility knife to cut the plaster gauze into strips that are about 8 to 12 inches long. One sheet at a time, completely dip the plaster gauze in the water and then drape the wet gauze over your landform. Use your fingers to smooth the plaster and to position the gauze. Each piece of gauze (after the first piece) should overlap its neighbors by about ½ to 1 inch. If your landforms are too level, crumple up some paper towels or newspapers for small areas and drape the gauze over them. For larger areas, add more foam. If you have rock molds to apply, now is the time to do it (and that’s a topic for another clinic in itself). Let the plaster dry for at least a day before the next step.

Add Color and Texture to the Ground

After the plaster is dry, work in an area of about 2 square feet. If there is trackwork in the scene, paint it with a random mix of black, grime and mud (as appropriate for the area being modeled) now. Brush the brown paint on the plaster to form a nice thick coat. While the paint is still wet, sprinkle on the first layer of ground foam or sand to form the base of the visible scenery. Look at prototype photos of the area you’re modeling to get an idea of the thickness and color you need. For additional layers of scenery, apply the ground foam and other scenic materials to the base scenery after it has had a chance to dry. Spray a light mist of wet water over the new scenic materials, and use a 1:1 mixture of Elmer’s glue and water (with a drop or two of dishwashing soap) to hold the new materials down. Apply the glue liberally with a bulb syringe. Continue in this manner until the scene is as complete as you want it.