Scenery

     Most people enjoy running trains, switching locals and keeping traffic rolling. I have found that doing scenery is what I enjoy most. The methods used on my B&O are traditional, and they work well for this type of terrain. The mountains are made from screen wire forms covered with plaster-impregnated cloth and detailed with milded gypsum perlite rocks applied directly to the base plaster. All the plaster is painted with acrylic paints and dyes, then drybrushed with latex "earth," a homemade mixture of Pittsburgh Paint Company flat wall paint that is drybrushed on to bring out details and create the impression of sun reflection. I do not like drybrushing with white because it is not a natural color in the real world.
     Large mountain areas are covered with poly-fiber coated with Woodland Scenics powdered dark and light green foams, while most tall foreground trees are done with Scenic Express Super Trees. Some large foreground trees are also made up of weeds, poly-fiber and foam to give the appearance of different species.
     For streams, rivers and lakes, I use a two-part, Aristocraft brand, high-gloss epoxy. Before pouring it I detail the banks and streambeds with sticks, rocks and stones found while fishing with my son. I also add figures, tires, barrels and sifted natural topsoil to these waterways before the epoxy pours. Water flowing out of culverts and storm drain pipes is simulated with filter floss, found in pet stores, soaked in the epoxy and positioned before it sets, and the culvert pipes are made from scrap graphite golf club shafts.
     I also enjoy kitbashing large buildings using available kits, styrene and wood. Pittsburgh is a great area to see and learn about heavy industry, and it is both funand a challenge to model some of it. This often involves taking kits and rebuilding them to fit my layout needs. I usually use a combination of airbrushing, drybrushing and washes followed by applications of powdered artists' pastels for weathering structures.
      Most of the structures also receive signs and billboards, something made a little easier for me to do since I work in the printing and graphics arts field. Some backdrop mountains are handpainted using a one-inch paintbrush and acrylics, while the detailed backdrops around the whole layout are from a company that I started to make and print backdrops for layouts (Realistic Backgrounds, by DQCI). The clouds on the walls are done with an airbrush using white and Dover Gray, or are on my printed backdrops.

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P&LE 2059 and 2033 pass the PFender Feed and Supply Company.

Cumberland, MD Engine House

RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN / OCTOBER 1999
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