O Gauge Modelling on the GWR
A personal Journey
Scenery addition
How would two lines converging out of tunnels look if they had the remains of hills mixed in them? This is an attempt to recreate such a landscape based on an actual location as shown here.
| My model will have a road leading through the tunnel to the coal mine and not a rail track though. First up I used my technique for creating a structure between the line and the road. Using a hot glue gun I stuck wooden pegs of different lengths in an upright position to create an undulating surface. Next I connected the top of each 'peg' with thin strips of wood to strengthen and give more form to the eventual surface. To add a mixture of surface texture I used the remains of the cork bark I had used on the other 'cliff face'. This will help to connect the two areas together. So the final intention is to create a 'cutting' for the road as you can see below. |
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Covering this structure was easy. This time I used tissue paper soaked in a mixture of PVA and water. Messy but it gives a good surface on which to work and allows for a number of stretching bodging and filling practices with the final 'skin' being tough enough to accept the next layer. I'm not too bothered about the 'points' sticking up as these will be hidden and rounded off when grit is applied as the next layer. |
| As it began to dry I went over it again with another coat of PVA. This is when you walk away and leave it until the next day! |
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I used real ash from my 'boffy' stove and a mix of PVA and water to make a mortar. This was then carefully applied to the almost vertical sides of the scenery. It provides a rough like rocky surface which will be painted once dry. |
| The top surfaces will eventually be grass areas. To make them rough
and avoid the bowling green syndrome I use grit mixed as before and
plaster that onto the horizontal surfaces. All this is now left to dry.
I have recorded how the mix is applied before elsewhere on this site and
the type of PVA to use to give best results. Once it has dried I then
apply burnt umber acrylic paint to give a 'soil' effect. So when i apply
the grass later on any missed or not stuck will reveal a little soil
just like the real thing! I'm also tempted to investigate using a 'waterfall kit' I bought several years ago and have it cascading off the hillside adjacent to this bit. More on that later! |
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This image shows the grass tops completed. I use the Hoch Grassmaster to apply a fine grass onto a PVA base. Once left to dry you can Hoover up the excess grass to use again. The mainline is on the right. To the left of it is the private line feeding the coal mine and to its left is the road also leading to the mine. To finish off a little hedging and some shrubs will suffice. A few other additions like fencing etc will complete this area. |