In this episode of The Roundhouse I will be showing the progress in the initial scenery phase of the Mid-West Basin Railroad.
There are many ways you can add scenery to your railroad, that being said just because I am doing things a certain way doesn't mean that is the only way. For as many types of scenery (buildings, plants, grass) there are just as many if not more opinions on how to do it. The goal is to enjoy the process and if doing it a certain way makes you enjoy it more and makes more sense to you, then go for it. Below are the steps I went through in order to add scenery to my layout, and its current progress.
Step 1: Buildings / Large Scenery
The first thing I wanted to do was to collect and assemble a bare minimum of buildings and other items to give a good layout. These include the following models which I acquired by going to local model railroading shows. These shows are also a great way to talk to more experienced modelers and get some tips and tricks they have learned over the years.
The above image shows a passenger station I have collected at the train show for my layout. This will be where my passenger and cargo cars will arrive and depart from.
The above water tower is going to be placed near my passenger station just after the trains arrive / depart from the station.
The above Coaling Tower was also acquired from a train show. This is going to be placed near the round house to both fill the hoppers as well as fill up the steam locomotives as part of my roster.
The above round house was also purchased at the train show, this is where I will be able to store all 3 of my active locomotives (2 diesel and 1 steam). There are also a couple inactive locomotives which I will display out in the yard by the turn table.
The turntable above was a purchase from online. This is one item where you will have to be sure where you want it placed. As you will need to cut a hole in the base of your table to allow for the pit of the turn table to sit nice and level. You will also need to trim back some of the ties of the track to allow for the rails to close the gap. I will detail this process in a future episode.
Once you have what you want to start with with respect to buildings or any large items. What I did was to take each one and play with placing them in different areas and driving trains around to see what made sense. Thinking about things like, do I want the coaling tower behind the round house and have to back the train into it each time, or do I want it off a spur from the turntable?
Step 2: Gathering Supplies
Once you have the layout you want I took a sharpie and traced the locations on the foam base so that when I removed them to glue them down they could be placed in the exact spot desired.
Below are the supplies I used in my layout for Track Ballast, Grass, Turf, etc.
The above is the ballast used on my tracks for the railroad. It is not too fine and not too coarse. It provided a good texture for the layout. I was able to purchase this from my local Hobby Lobby (here is a link to it): https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Medium-Buff-Ballast/p/80953319
Adding ballast and grass/turf will be the subject of the next episode of The Roundhouse.
The above glue is the main adhesive I used when gluing down the ballast on the tracks, as well as solidifying the grass / turf. This is convenient as it comes in a nice spray bottle, but be careful around spraying it on the tracks themselves as best you can or you may have to buff off the tops of the rails so that your trains can get the power and communication needed. Here is a link to the glue: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Model-Spray-Glue/p/92341
The above are the turf and grass which will be used on this layout. I went with the shakers as opposed to the mats so I could better control the amount and density of the textures. But if you are looking for a quicker way to put down grass or turf then the mats may be your way to go.
Here is the link to the Turf: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Earth-Blend-Turf-Shaker/p/80951502
Here is the link to the Grass: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Green-Blend-Turf-Shaker/p/80951500
The above is the model glue used when applying the grass / turf to the foam board. You will have to mix it in a 3:1 ratio mixture with water. Meaning 1 part glue to 3 parts water. You will then paint this mixture onto the foam board and apply the grass / turf over top to the desired texture / fullness. This glue will dry clear so don't worry if you see it heavy white looking in certain areas.
Here is the link to the Thick Glue: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Thick-Model-Glue/p/80951494
That is all for this episode of The Roundhouse. I hope it was interesting, if there are any details or steps you would want more information on, please feel free to head on over to the Contact section of the site and shoot me a message. I will be sure to respond as quickly as I can.
Until next time!
All Aboard!
- Matt
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