Making a Mountain out of a Molehill

Taylor

Taylor

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OK..some of us have hobbies that others may think are strange. I've never mentioned it publicly on AD and many of my fellow officers do not know I have this hobby (although some members here know about it privately).

For some odd reason (and yes, it makes me a dork and goofball), but my hobby is model trains. Not just trains that go in a circle but have scenery and attempted to make them look lifelike.

I won't post any pictures of my old layout, but decided to publish pictures of my new layout. Keep in mind that this layout is just getting started and doesn't resemble much.

Here goes. First picture is of just a simple table (the base of the layout)

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I ran into this problem with my last layout and attempted to correct it here. I live in an apartment and it is almost impossible to do a decent sized layout that you can move. So, I'm breaking the layout into 3 sections that are joined together. When it comes time to move, each section will be carried out seperately. To do that, I used 3 pieces of plywood:

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OK...now I love mountains and tunnels. Here is the start of a 'grade' that will go into a tunnel and then have a bridge at the end. Again, this is the very beginning:
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Next, I was trying to creative. I wanted to make the side of a mountain that had that 'layered' look (granite or other layers...if you've ever been into the mountains, you know what I mean). To make those layers, I used (drum roll please.....tadaaa), a ceiling tile. The tile is broken into pieces and then glued together. It looks like these:
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Ok...now I run into the problem of moisture. These tiles are designed to soak in moisture like a sponge and they expand (you've seen those big brown wet spots on ceiling tiles, right?) So, now I apply a sealer to it. The sealer turns it white like spraypaint (store was out of clear)...

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Now...lets put it up against the grade (ramp) that I showed earlier:
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Ok...thats what I've done so far tonight. Next, is to fill in the space between the rockface and the ramp. I'm using a celluclay to do that (its this paper mache that comes in a weird fiber...add water and tada, you mold it).

After that, I'll actually make the tunnel....once the tunnel is complete, I will paint it to make it actually look like a mountain and not broken ceiling tiles ;)
 
That's a good smart move considering breaking down to several parts that will make it easier to move. Also, very impressive...who would have thought of using old ceiling tiles for mountains? Very nice.... :thumb:

Interesting and neat hobby you have and sure will be a cool thing to watch as you progress setting this up.

Good luck and have fun setting this up! ;) (...and thanks for sharing with us AD'ers)
 
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Some more pics of the latest edition/work in progress. I really don't know if anyone has any interest in any of this LOL.

This is on another portion of the layout than that pictured above. Here, I am setting up 'risers' so there is a smooth steady incline to the track. The risers are the funny looking stilts that the track is on. This will be covered up by scenery and is only used as a base. This is the start of a climb that goes up and turns to the left...then will cross a bridge. Right now, the trackbed ends where the bridge will go. The track is only temporarily in place so I can see how everything lines up. As I build the base part of the scenery, I will remove the track...then build track bed and make it look realistic. Once that is complete, the track will be put permanently in place.

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You will notice that this display is on very thick styrofoam. The reason for that is there will be a river carved out of that foam. This brings the 'ground' up, and the water part of the river will be lower and carved into the styrofoam.

This next pic is more use of my 'celluclay'. Its great for modeling and building crap. Its a fibery substance and you mix it with water...then mold it. This pic is me building the 'ground' for the outside edge of that portion of the layout. I've put it on pretty thick here so it will take awhile to try (this thickness will be several days to a week). Once that hardens, I will add more layers to it to bring it up even with the track.
risers4.gif


This next one is a 'rough draft' of where 2 culverts will go. I will carve a channel and it will become a creek (actually 2 creeks). Water will flow from each of these culverts into 2 creeks. Those 2 creeks will merge into a larger one...and that, in turn will flow into the river I previously mentioned. I need to determine final positioning on these but where you see them is probably about where they will be
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Looks cool Taylor, ..... I can't wait to see how the progress delevops and takes on a life of its own. :) :thumb:
 
Heath said:
Looks cool Taylor, ..... I can't wait to see how the progress delevops and takes on a life of its own. :) :thumb:
Click to expand...


Thats why I'm taking photos as I go along. In the past, I've made the mistake of building without taking photos. A majority of the fun is in the building and not the finished product so I'm documenting the building this time around. It looks strange now, but when it comes together, it will all make sense. For example, this shows how things should look in the end:

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Wow... interesting!

That reminds me of a model train show I saw at a local mall during the holidays in Texas. :)
 
That is really amazing, Taylor. It's always interesting to see something that can be in use for something else. Oh yeah the real-like stuffs is much better for the eyes, Hey it can be an eye candy to see how it blooms into something beautiful :D I'd love to see how it ends and from the way I see it - I think it will turn out just great!
 
Wow smart move to creat something like that. It would be great to be in show !
 
Oh forgot to add one thing to say that there s store (forgot the name of it) that has alot of trains to show.. I sometimes go there when we go to Tallahassee and my son always say "Mommy I want that then other items saying I want that all that" and I say no we don t have any room for those arghhh...
 
OK, things are starting to fall in place on this one section of the layout. In the previous photos, you can see where the drainage pipes are positioned. This is how it comes together:

I draw some lines in the foam and cut out the area to make ditches

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I start adding some ground texture using the previously mentioned celluclay

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Next, still adding more texture. I have also started laying a rockbed for the creek:
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We build up more texture and add more creek bed:
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The creek will be shown a little more as I had to build up around it.
 
If you are familiar with train tracks in real life, you will notice gravel that sits under the tracks. This is called Ballast and offers some support as well as cushioning for the heavy trains rolling through. The next step of the layout is to start laying some ballast and finally putting some track into place:

I have added some more ground texture to begin bringing the 'ground' up closer to the track. I then used aquarium sand as a ballast (simulating the gravel under the tracks).

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This shot is from the bottom of the hill looking upward (see the risers mentioned in previous posts)
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Here is an overhead shot:
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Please note that you will see darker celluclay on top. This is just a top section. The whole set-up makes the track and ballast look out of place. What will happen next is the ground is brought up some more. Once completely molded and then dried, I will begin painting and adding some plant life. A little later, there will be some structures put into place near the creek as well as the large open area you see.
 
That's really amazing project you have made. I'm fascinated with the project that you worked on. Do the best you can and keep us posted on what your progress is :thumb:
 
WOW look so amazing and look like it is so REAL!!! :lol: :D Keep it up and posting in here to show us till you are done :D.
 
Sure looks great so far, it'll be quite interesting to see the final results as well as watching the 'train conductor' with the controls and having his train go tootin' around on the tracks out on a cool setup-- :D

When do you anticipate that you'll complete the whole set, any idea at all? I realize that this can be tedious and a lengthy project, but altogether a cool one! :thumb:
 
Not sure of a projection date....it will be awhile. The first one I built I did not spend as much time on. This is more or less my stress release so I'm not in any hurry to get it done. I work on it a few hours here and there. The problem is it is very meticulous work at times. It took several hours just to lay the gravel to make it look right. That is what I like about the project...make it look good the first time time and take my time making it look right ;)
 
Taylor said:
Not sure of a projection date....it will be awhile. The first one I built I did not spend as much time on. This is more or less my stress release so I'm not in any hurry to get it done. I work on it a few hours here and there. The problem is it is very meticulous work at times. It took several hours just to lay the gravel to make it look right. That is what I like about the project...make it look good the first time time and take my time making it look right ;)
Click to expand...

Excellent work, Taylor. Sometimes the best worksmanship comes with just taking your own time with no working against the clock which really raises the quality of the work alots better. Good Work !!!! :) :thumb:
 
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