Well I have finally begun work on the mountain area at the far end of the layout. I decided to go with a wood skeleton and cardboard strips...and then the crumpled brown paper as Rich Battista did on his layout. I used hot glue to hold the paper to the framework. Just did this tonight...have alot more work to do. Tell me what you think....








I am going to fit the portals in tomorrow and continue with the paper and adjusting the terrain abit.

Looks Great!!

As someone who prefers foam I like yours. It is hollow which makes for easier access from underneath if you allowed for it before starting the mountain. Nothing worse than a derailment and no access. Helps when cleaning the track also.

The mountain has a good shape to it, as was pointed out you do need access in case of derailments, track cleaning, etc., and I don't see where you have that from beneath as being in the corner you won't be able to get to it from the back. Also may I suggest you do any tunnel liner and tunnel entrances before you start with the plaster cloth.

Looks great to me! Do you have plans for sky background? Trust me- Do something before you get very far with the mountains.

Hi Owen and Paul,

I actually did incorporate an opening from underneath. Originally there was solid plywood all the way across, once I decided on doing a wall to wall mountain I removed a section of the plywood giving me access from underneath directly in the middle by the support legs. As far as the tunnel portals I am going to be setting those tomorrow, I wanted to get the majority of the paper down first and be able to tweak it in those areas prior to installing the portals.

Hi Mark,
yes I do have a back ground ready to go for that area, I just need to put it up there which I will be doing shortly. I wanted to get the paper down so I could have a rough idea as to how high the mountains would be and the shape etc....

Thanks so much for the input guys...I really appreciate it. It seems sometimes when you get going on stuff like this the fresh eyes (perspectives) and experience can make all the difference in the project.

Vey good start, This in my opinion is one of the most important parts as to get the desired shape and so far you are on the right track. Please keep us updated on your progress.

Good start. I might actually make it much higher. I did that with mine and having to look up at really adds something. If you don't want to climb underneath think about making a portion(s) of the mountain accessible by cutting in a removable little section. I had to do that on mine as getting underneath access just wasn't going to work. Just cut an opening at track level and then cut a piece of foam to mate up and slip back in. Then scenic over it and you can pull the piece on and off as needed.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: davidbross,

The shape looks great...I like your technique!

Hopefully, you will use the white hydrocal to create the hard shell. Also, if you plan to apply molded rocks to the vertical faces (like behind your passenger car at the entrance to the tunnel, The white hydrocal dries fast and allows you to place and hold for a short time (~15seconds) to get them to stay.

I did an extension to my layout with a small mountain piece in the corner. After all my experience using this technique, this new one has turned out the best. The technique is the same, the execution is just refined. This time, to be efficient, I stayed in the same area for all the steps. Instead of covering all the paper first, then applying all the rocks, then all the fill, now I stay in the same small area (2 square feet) and do all three together. I can keep all my material in the same place, and even use the fill I create with the leftover dried plaster in the bucket. The disadvantage of the hydrocal drying fast is that you can only get 3 or 4 sheets of paper towels applied before the plaster dries in your bucket. I turn this into an advantage by working in small "cells". So I use about two cups, apply 3 or 4 sheets, then mix another cup with the thickened leftover plaster in the bucket to make the paste to apply the rocks. Once the rocks are applied, and the leftover paste hardens, I mix some fresh plaster (1/2 cup) to make the fill. I repeat this over and over for each small area. Its very efficient.

Sorry for all the unsolicated advice. If you have any question I'll be glad to help.

Rich.

Looks very nice but I don't understand how a paper structure could hold the weight of the plaster. I use a similar technique but my mountain frames are made of foam board with screen wire over them. The metal screen wire prevents any furure cracks from developing. The other item is that I use plaster of paris and not hydrocal as it is about 1/2 the price.
Can't wait to see the finished result.

Thanks so much for the comments everyone.

Rich please don't apologize, I really enjoyed your DVD and look forward to your next one. I appreciate the advice. I see what your saying about the new technique, it does sound streamlined abit and allows you to focus on a given area more directly. As I know you have heard many times your layout is absolutely amazing, thanks so much Rich.

Dennis,
Underneath the paper is a wood framework and card board strips used to span the gaps between the wood. There is actually a pretty good amount of wood under there, and the cardboard is pretty sturdy. I think all will go well...hopefully

quote:

Originally posted by CWEX:
Well I have finally begun work on the mountain area at the far end of the layout. I decided to go with a wood skeleton and cardboard strips...and then the crumpled brown paper as Rich Battista did on his layout. I used hot glue to hold the paper to the framework. Just did this tonight...have alot more work to do. Tell me what you think....








I am going to fit the portals in tomorrow and continue with the paper and adjusting the terrain abit.

Chris,I love the texture and form. We have to do something like that with the AGHR mountain division. I wish I could post some on the pictures of the work some of our members have done on our club layout, but 14 steps to post photos is thirteen more than I can manage. Chris, great work.

CWEX,

I had a thought looking at your second photo. You might consider lowering the base of the mountain below your track level. You could run support planks (like a step) across the back and around the corners about 1ft down or more! I've seen some people go to the floor. Probably too much though. If you plan on taking photos at the entrance to the tunnels, its nice to have some scenery under the track so you can keep the trains in the middle of the photos. It would not affect what you've done so far, you could just add more paper over the edge. Just a thought.

Rich

You know Rich it's funny,after coming back and looking at the photos instead of in person I see what your saying. It would definetly give more depth to it by extending them down alittle more. I am gonna have to play with that idea, Thanks Rich.

Nice work! You can easily visualize it with that brown paper. Better than the newspaper method I used.

I see you like the cost of those free USPS boxes too.

Absolutely! The price is just perfect.. . I have added the portals and am just adjusting the paper around them right now. I hope to start covering it with hydrocal this coming weekend. I have been pouring rock molds the past 3 days to have a good amount of cured rocks when I am ready to start placing them. After that coloring and ALOT of trees....more pics to follow.