Presents: EASY MODEL LANDSCAPING 

This "electronic book" is written as a picture guide for people not familiar with model landscaping. Building a model railroad can be a simple and fun. Start with a few items and follow our program. Our set has the popular E-Z track system, We won't need wood or nails, Styrofoam will be our light-weight base. The layout pictured here was done using Mountain Modelcraft's Base Paste and line of grass, brush and tree products. Now, let's get started!

STEP 1: THE FOAM BASE

Our Layout used 1 4' x 8' sheet of 1 ½" thick white polyfoam board or "beadboard" Beadboard is easy to handle and inexpensive. It is easily cut and shaped and releases no chemicals or odors when cut. Carefully measure the foam for cutting. Our layout will be 4' x 5'. Our cut is made 5' from the end using an electric knife or hack saw blade to easily cut through the foam. Don't worry about using your electric knife. The foam will do no damage. If you use a hacksaw blade, wrap tape around the end you will be holding.

STEP 2: ASSEMBLING AND CHECKING THE TRACK

This will be a quick check of your track laying skills. Assemble your track being careful to properly align the joiners and then pushing or snapping together. Now is the time to make your decision on layout design. Remember to think it out carefully! When your track is assembled, put a car on it and push it around. If it falls off the track, carefully look at it and correct the cause of the problem. Remember, it's a lot easier to correct a problem now than later.

STEP 3: BUILDING A TUNNEL

To build a tunnel make a template of the size tunnel you want. I slide a piece of paper such as newspaper under the track and mark it out. Cut out your template and recheck its size. Transfer the pattern to a piece of the leftover foam and cut it out. You will need to make at least 3 identical foam cutouts to stack up for the proper height. Once cut, our three identical pieces are stacked up and glued together. White glue or any type of Styrofoam glue will work. Since we will need Base Paste later in this project, we can save some money by using it in this step as well. If you want to secure the pieces together while the glue dries, push some long nails into the foam.

Take another piece of Styrofoam and cut out a lid or top for your tunnel. Since we will shape these pieces to fit later, you don't have to be to fussy about exact fit now.

STEP 4: PLANNING THE TOWN

Now that we can see how much room is needed for our tunnel, we can design the town. We bought 3 ready made buildings for this step: A station, a house, and a freight company. Your choice of buildings may be different. Our goal here is simply to show you how to do things. 

After the buildings are in the places you want them, draw in the streets. Make sure to use a permanent marker for this and many glue, paint and other products you may use to are water based and non permanent markers will bleed.

STEP 5: HIDING WIRES IN THE LAYOUT

Model train layouts look really nice when the buildings and accessories light up. It is very easy to install wires at this time in our construction. Mark out the path to your power pack location. On our layout that will be near the tunnel on the outside of the track. Use a razor blade or Xacto knife to cut a "V" shaped groove. Lay some 2 conductor wire to all the locations of your buildings. Use one continuous piece, but leave a loop where each building will be. This way you can tap into it later. Hold it in place with some small staples. Do the same for track and turnout power. We filled in and buried our wire grooves with light weight spackling. Apply it with a putty knife as shown. 

STEP 6: SHAPING YOUR FOAM LAYOUT

Get the hacksaw and electric knife for this step. It's time to get artistic! Cut the foam creating a rolling shape. You can make small canyons or valleys. Save the scraps and carve them into smaller bumps or rocks. Glue them down with white glue. You can also use a hot wire
foam cutter. You don't have to have it but it works nice if you intend on building a large layout. 

STEP 7: ADDING A POND

Ponds are very easy to make when you have foam as your base. Just mark out the shape you want and wire brush the foam until you get a depth of about 1/4". A vacuum cleaner is a handy item for cleaning up the mess. Later we will explain how to "fill" your pond.

 

STEP 8: MAKING YOUR LAYOUT COME TO LIFE

PASTING TRACK: Use an appropriate adhesive and an inexpensive, relatively stiff brush about 1 1/2" to 2" wide to adhere the track to our layout. Lift up the track and brush a coat under it. It doesn't matter what type of track you are using or what scale you are working in. Our goal is to stick the track to the Styrofoam base. 

GRASS AND  GRASSY HILLS: Let's start in the corner and work our way out. Brush a coat of adhesive on the foam. The small hill you see was a scrap of foam that we rounded off and glued in place and then covered. Use a simulated grass and put a small pile of it on wet base adhesive. 

This is where the magic starts! Use a clean dry paint brush to move the grass around. When applying grass it is best to use a stippling action with the brush. Push it into all the cracks. Don't skimp! 

POND EDGE: Adhesive was brushed over the pond base and surrounding area. Grass base was carefully applied to the area. If you spill the grass into the pond, remove as much as you can. If you leave it there it will look like a swamp.

 

ROADWAYS: Pavement is created by mixing dry plaster powder into gray Base Paste. Stir in the plaster until you get a thick but brushable gritty looking mixture. Brush it on the roadways. It's a good idea to let this dry before you go any further. We don't want grass to stick to the road.  While the pavement is drying we'll work on the pond.

ADDING WATER TO THE POND: Begin by brushing brown acrylic paint from the center of the pond outward to about an inch of the shoreline. Dip your brush in water to dilute the color a bit nearest the shore. After the brown has dried put a small amount of black paint in the area you want the water to look the deepest. Dip your brush in water and blend the edges of the black into the brown. Let dry completely. Envirotex® is a two part epoxy-like coating used for craft projects. This is the best way of making realistic water that I've found. It is available from most craft and hobby stores. Mix equal parts in a clean cup and pour it into the pond. It will level itself but you can help it out with a small brush if you like. It takes overnight to dry.

ROCK OUTCROPS: Rock outcroppings will add a lot of detail to your landscape. The first picture shows a small piece of foam that I carved with my hacksaw blade. I began by painting it brown. While the brown paint was still wet I added a light tan to the high points and some black to the cracks. My brush was cleaned and dipped in water and gently brushed over the surface to blend and settle the colors into the crevices.   See if you can spot this Styrofoam rock in the next steps. I'll use it near the tunnel.  As I shaped the tunnel I unintentionally formed a small knob. I decided to carve it into a rock outcropping. Keep an open mind and details like this just seem to happen.  Adhesive was brushed up to it and grass applied. 

LANDSCAPING THE HILLSIDE: Brush adhesive on about half of the tunnel. Note the small foam scraps that were used to round off the top of the hill.  Be careful to keep a straight edge along the road.  Push the grass into the wet base with a clean brush. The tinted base will show through on the vertical surfaces adding a natural look.

 

TUNNEL DETAILING: The tunnel portholes we chose are cast plaster and need to be painted. The same acrylic paint we used on the rocks is used.   To add realism we "dry brushed" white after the colors had dried. This is done by dipping the tip of your brush into white paint and brushing almost all the paint out on a scrap of paper. Then briskly brush over the porthole. Details really add a lot to a project. Remember that small piece of foam that we carved and painted a few steps back? This will be its spot on our layout. Put your scraps to use in this manner.  "Details really add a lot!" When the paint is dry, brush "adhesive on the area where the porthole will sit. Don't worry about gaps at this time. You can fill them in later with foliage or lichen.

STEP 9: TREES AND FINAL DETAILS

The layout has progressed very nice. The buildings we purchased with the train set are on the layout and a few trees are "planted".  Trees are very easily "planted" by poking a small hole with a nail and inserting a tree with a dab of adhesive. Use a variety of tree sizes, types and shapes to add realism. 

The roofs and sides of the buildings were "dry brushed" in the same manner as the tunnel porthole. Use an up-down motion to simulate the way nature would do it. You're on your own now! I hope your imagination will take over from here. Think out your ideas carefully.  Can you see how details help? The track was enhanced with ballast product. Lichen and an assortment of trees were planted.  An old brick was hammered into small pieces and scattered around.  Don't buy everything at once. You'll get more enjoyment when your railroad is always a work-in-progress.  

STEP 10: YOU'RE DONE!

You will also note a wood frame was installed. It's made from 1"x 3" boards. It helps support the foam with corner supports and 2 cross braces. Now sit back and have fun!

   

This tutorial is courtesy of Mountain Modelcraft. For more information on their wide
variety of landscaping products and specialty adhesives visit them at modeltrain.com.

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