Technorati Tags: Scenery, secrets

• ISBN13: 9780890247365
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Product Description
A comprehensive how-to guide for constructing the most common forms of scenery: mountains, deserts, lakes and streams, and rural and town scenes…. More >>

Essential Model Railroad Scenery

Technorati Tags: Essential, Model, Railroad, Scenery

Model trains scenery can be nearly anything, from small cars and tiny buildings set by the side of your tracks to more elaborate displays that model mountains, specific villages, even down to painting and placing individual trees.  A few people in the hobby refer to it as their ‘model train scenery habit’, and talk about how they can’t go to Michael’s Craft Stores or Hobby Lobby without looking at something as a potential basis for scratch building a new piece of terrain, or a new building. This means that if you get NMRA-certified terrain in the scale you model at, everything will be pretty close.

On the other hand, there are entire sub-genres of model trains scenery that don’t have commercial niches; these are settings and themes that aren’t as popular, and nobody can make enough money to pay for the sculpting needed to bring them into production.  This isn’t the end of the world; it’s a doorway to creativity.  It’s surprising how many common household items can be turned into H, HO or N scale scenery with an Exacto knife and a bit of time and patience; indeed, for a lot of model railroading aficionados, time spent at the workbench is the most enjoyable part of the hobby.

Most model railroaders do a mixture of pre-bought and self made model train scenery; they focus on what time period or theme they enjoy doing, and slowly and gradually collect (or make) the pieces of terrain that they enjoy.  It also becomes a way to bond with other model railroaders, and to bond with their children, who often get their first taste of the hobby by helping Mom or Dad glue something together, and then slowly put together the diorama and run the trains on the rails, to get everything going, and to see something that grew from their own hands and their own minds, made real

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It isn’t just trees and landscaping that we are talking about, but all kinds of different ways to decorate you layout ideas. While it’s true that you can spend the time to make your own model train scenery, buying plastic plants to tear apart for trees and shrubs, or snagging a toy car or figurine once in awhile from your kids.

You may even think about recycling things out of the garbage like tin cans and cardboard boxes, cleaning them out and painting them to suit your needs. While these are all good ideas, many home made model train scenery creations aren’t going to be the same size and scale as the model train, and will look out of place.

Unless you are quite skilled at painting and modeling, you will never get the same quality of detail as you will from products that are specifically made for the train hobbyist. The product and accessory options are far better than anything you can come up with in many cases.

Weight bearing structures like bridges and trestles should be purchased prefabricated, to ensure their durability. It’s not just that though, just in holiday accessories you have carolers, musical clock towers, little lighted lamp posts, all that look just like the real thing, just smaller.

The people and vehicles of pre-constructed model train scenery are proportionate to the size of the train, meaning that the people figurines look like they could fit inside the train cars, not on them. Many mechanisms work in conjunction with the train’s electrical wiring and can be operated remotely from the command center.

When picking model train scenery, it is important that it’s fluid with the model train layout. If you’re layout has trains that transport goods, and you have more of a flat town or city layout, you won’t want a bunch of trees, mills and other forest related items.

You would want an oil refinery, some warehouses, maybe some semi tractor-trailers. If you are going with a country setting, then you would want grain silos, maybe a windmill, some farm buildings and animals.

If you just have to work with your hands, or have a sense of making it on your own, there are many model train scenery assortments where the pieces are prefabricated, but you get to put it together yourself. This way the scenery retains its detail, and you still get to feel like you did it yourself.

You can find model train scenery from a wide range of places, both on the Internet and at many local hobby shops. It might be a wise idea to visit online shops first, even if you may have to order products online, because they can answer many of your questions as well as show you what they do have in stock.

Then you can see firsthand the detail that goes into some of these items.

Technorati Tags: Beginner's, Guide, Introduction, Model, Scenery, Train, Ultimate

Basic Scenery For Model Railroaders – The Complete Photo Guide – A Model Railroader Book

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Technorati Tags: bridges, Model, Part, Railroad, Scenery

Technorati Tags: Hennef, Layout, Model, Railroad, railway, Scenery, Show, Train

Description
Learn scenery secrets from the experts! With simple instruction and readily accessible materials, you’ll see how you can create the scenery that really brings your layout to life. From carving rocks, to mixing paints, pouring water, and planting trees, you’ll learn the fool-proof, inexpensive methods that work every time! 60 minutes; VHS; color; stereo sound…. More >>

Model Railroader Magazine Presents: Model Railroad Scenery Made Easy

Technorati Tags: Easy, made, Magazine, Model, Presents, Railroad, Railroader, Scenery

These are the items you will need:

· Newspaper
· Masking tape
· Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal plaster
· Acrylic paints in burnt umber, raw umber, raw sienna, white and slate grey colors
· Art paint brush and craft sponge brush
· Assorted items for shaping plaster, such as spatulas and plastic knives
 
The first step is deciding where you want that rock face, outcropping or rocky hill will be on your railroad layout. 
Unless you’re modeling a section of the Grand Canyon, bear in mind that rock structures usually emerge from areas of foliage and greenery. And it is precisely this contrast that makes the scene look interesting and real.
 
Before you proceed any further, cover any areas on your layout near the section you’re planning to work on. Wet plaster drips and tends to get on everything no matter how careful you are. Whenever I work with plaster, I tape over my railroad tracks with painter’s masking tape and cover larger areas with cling wrap or aluminum foil. Aluminum foil is also great because, for this purpose, it’s reusable. 
 
Once you have decided on the placement of your rock scenery, make up several wads of small pieces of newspaper. On my HO scale layout I use sizes varying from 2 to 4 inches in length, in varying thicknesses.  Use a size that you think is best for your layout scale.  Larger wads will create bigger outcroppings on the rock face.
 
Using masking tape, attach the wads of newspaper to the area where the rock outcroppings will be. Cover the wads completely with the masking tape. Try to go for a layered arrangement that looks random and not man-made. Don’t worry, it will look much better and come together with a very natural look after you complete the next few steps.
 
Mix up some Plaster of Paris or Hydrocal plaster following the instructions on the packaging. Hydrocal is very lightweight but considerably more expensive than Plaster of Paris.  Plaster sets quickly so mix up smaller quantities and work with it in small batches. Be sure to thoroughly rinse out the mixing container and spatula between batches as any dried residue plaster will interfere with how the new batch sets up. 
 
Now comes the fun, albeit messy bit.
 
Using a spatula, apply plaster over the newspaper and masking tape wads. Remember to keep the texture random — smooth in some areas, craggy in others. Use a plastic knife to add more detail to the rock face with vertical or horizontal striations. Notice how the newspaper wads beneath the surface give the rock a three-dimensional look. 
 
Stand back, admire your handiwork and let the plaster dry overnight.
 
Adding color to our rock is the final step to complete scenic realism.
 
I usually choose a combination of raw sienna, raw umber, burnt umber and slate grey acrylic paints. The colors should be diluted with water to a thin wash so that we are not actually painting the rock but staining it.
 
Using a paint brush or sponge brush, apply the washes in a random series of spots of burnt umber, raw umber and raw sienna. Go easy on the darker colors as they tend to dominate and, if overused, can make your scenery look somewhat somber. Then, apply a very dilute wash of slate grey over the whole rock face and over the other colors. The grey wash unifies the other color combinations into a very realistic look.
 
Finally, very sparingly dry brush undiluted white acrylic paint in areas for highlights and to create a sun-bleached effect.     
 
As you can see, it doesn’t take exceptional artistic talent to create realistic looking rock on your model railroad layout. But use these ideas as a starting point and feel free to experiment with ideas of your own. Try different materials and coloring techniques. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you may come with.
 
And don’t forget, as scenic modelers we must constantly observe nature for an infinite supply of new ideas.

Technorati Tags: Create, looking, Model, Railroad, Realistic, Rock, Scenery, Structures

• How to Build Realistic Scenery 3rd Edition
• KALMBACH PUBLISHING CO.

Product Description
A cookbook approach to creating scenery like an expert that delivers predictable results every time. Teaches how to design, build, model, and finish backgrounds, mountains, hills, trees, bushes, water, dirt, and much more. Features detailed photos, techniques, and product information…. More >>

How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery, Third Edition

Technorati Tags: Build, Edition, Model, Railroad, Realistic, Scenery, Third