Creating Realistic Landscapes for Model Railways E-Book

Tony Hill

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 166

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

The landscape through which railways run is often the inspiration and reason why people choose to model a particular line. Therefore creating a realistic setting in which to operate your railway is an essential aspect of modelling, yet it is often overlooked or left until the last moment. Creating authentic and believable scenery without spending a fortune or buying it 'ready made' is a skill that, with patience and understanding, can be achieved by anyone. In Creating Realistic Landscapes for Model Railways, highly skilled landscape modeller Tony Hill shows you, through step-by-step photo sequences and clear instructions, how you too can re-create a realistic landscape for your model railway. With chapters on modelling trees, grass, water, fences, rock, walls and hedges, this book will tell you everything you need to know to design and create a unique and special setting in which to operate your model railway. Superbly illustrated with 395 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

CREATING

Realistic Landscapes

FOR MODEL RAILWAYS

Tony Hill

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2010 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

This impression 2013

© Tony Hill 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 84797 850 9

Disclaimer

Power tools, glues and other tools and equipment used to create model scenery are potentially dangerous and it is vitally important that they are used in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The author and the publisher do not accept any responsibility in any manner whatsoever for any error or omission, or any loss, damage, injury, adverse outcome, or liability of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any of the information contained in this book, or reliance upon it.

DEDICATION

To Sue, my wife and friend who gives me support through all my highs and lows.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE: STARTING OUT

CHAPTER TWO: CUTTINGS, CLIFF FACES AND ROCKY OUTCROPS

CHAPTER THREE: LET IT GROW: GRASS, VEGETATION, WATER MARGINALS AND FLOWERS

CHAPTER FOUR: WATER

CHAPTER FIVE: TREES

CHAPTER SIX: FENCES, WALLS AND HEDGES

CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION

SUPPLIERS OF MATERIALS

INDEX

PREFACE

My formative years were spent drawing, painting and creating things from my imagination with anything that came to hand. I was generally outdoors as much as possible in those halcyon days, playing with my pals up on the hills behind my home town and building tree-houses in the local woods; this played a big part in what I do now. Little did I realize that Mother Nature was quietly planting her own seeds into my subconscious, and that all that playing was to give me a love of the countryside, and trees in particular.

My working life took me into carpentry and joinery, and during this period I worked and made friends with a woodman on the estate where I was working. What he showed and taught me about the life of a woodland has stood me in good stead ever since.

Modelling railways was a natural progression for me as – like so many of my contemporaries in those days – I had lain on the floor with a train set and imagined being on that little train, making an imaginary journey. In due course I had a family of my own, and at about my son’s third birthday I rekindled that love and built a train set for him. My enthusiasm didn’t stop and I soon joined the local model railway club. At the club I was quickly drawn to a group who were building a Welsh narrow-gauge layout. The scenery was a very attractive part for me, and I honed and refined my skills on that little railway.

Trees in those days were made mostly from lichen and wooden sticks. I did not like the look of that very much, and started to make improvements, which eventually led to demonstrating at model railway shows. At those shows people began to ask if I would like to make them a tree and how could they make a landscape on their railway? After two or three magazine articles my first book was born, added to which my own landscape model-making business has blossomed. Travelling the land and realizing customer’s dreams for them is perhaps the greatest gift that could have been given to me outside my family life. When I look back I can now see where all that playing up in the woods and on the hills has led me.

The aim of this book is to enthuse you and hopefully lead you to enjoy Mother Nature whilst creating it in model form.

Happy modelling.

Tony Hill

INTRODUCTION

Over the last few years modellers have started to look for more realistic scenes in which to show off their prized models. Creating a realistic scene requires an ability to translate that which the eye sees into a model, with the added bonuses of patience and time. This book aims to enthuse and perhaps also give a wider view of our creative hobby.

Modelling is a very similar discipline to painting a picture, except that we are working in three dimensions rather than two. The following chapters deal with almost all aspects of a landscape that a modeller will come across, starting with ‘the big picture’ and working down to the finest detail. It is of course up to the individual modeller how far that detail is to be taken.

There are many ways of creating a good model, but at the risk of repeating the obvious it all starts with observation. I will start with a general view of the world around us, as it appears in the UK; with this as a starting point, modellers in other parts of the world will be able to observe their respective landscapes appropriately.

Each chapter will start with a discussion of the materials and tools required. This will be by no means an exhaustive list, but more of a guide. Suppliers come and go, but I will list those that I am currently using at the end of this book. I have no affiliation to any, except as a happy customer.

A really classic view, this is Monsal Head in Derbyshire, which is very often held up to be the most picturesque and evocative railway line in England. Having walked the old line a couple of times, I marvel at the engineering skills and undaunted vision of the Victorian engineers and surveyors who could see a way through this fabulous landscape.

RESEARCH

It has always been important in creating realistic landscape models to have a good knowledge of the specific area that is to be replicated. Take a good look at your chosen subject and note the colour of the top-soil: this will normally give you a good indication of the underlying geology and how the land was cut by glacial movement, then by sea, rivers, rain and wind.

Chalk, for example, is formed by the compaction of millions of crustaceans under the sea. The sea retreats and leaves an undulating landscape that is fast covered by soil/sediment brought down by streams and rivers. Vegetation then starts to grow, and shrubs and trees start to colonize the areas. The sea starts to fight back and with the help of rain and wind erodes the chalk, creating areas such as the White Cliffs of Dover. Underneath the chalk in this area there is a seam of blue clay: this acts as a skid and, when the conditions are right, there is a cliff fall that exposes fresh white chalk, capped with a dark reddish brown soil.

Fresh chalk shows quite white after a fall, but it will soon become discoloured and turn a yellowish/green shade capped by light, then dark, brown soil covering. This is the real thing.

This is the model: it shows ‘fresh chalk’, with the older chalk discoloured.

I use a small pocket camera that just sits in the car and is popped into my pocket when walking. It will record the time and date, which is a useful aid to jogging one’s memory when viewing the results.

Here are a few books that I have found to be of use in my research, but this is by no means an exhaustive representation.

Around these areas we find a wealth of plant life appropriate to the chalky soil. With this sort of observation the start of a journey into creating realism in model form has begun. It cannot be stated often enough that to observe and understand a chosen area is paramount if we are to succeed in creating realistic models.

It has been said that one needs a certain artistic skill to create realistic model landscapes. That may be so, but I do feel that even those of modest natural talent will be able to produce plausible scenery by using the methods described in this book. A bit of forethought allied to a certain amount of groundwork in the form of ‘field surveying’ is necessary – this can be combined with holidays, travelling to work and so on. It is a good idea to have a small camera close to hand so that you can take pictures of things such as the colour of soil and rock in embankments and cuttings, and different types of tree, hedges, walls and the like. I also find it useful to carry a notebook to jot down anything that might be useful.

To help my modelling I use many reference books on things such as trees, dry-stone walls, hedges, shrubs, wildflowers and geology. If I don’t have suitable books in my collection then I will either search online or go to the library, but I feel there is nothing like experiencing the landscape myself to get a real feel for it. One should be aware of the constraints and influences of geology, climate and farming practice. By following these rules you will avoid blunders such as creating a chalky outcrop in the English Midlands or granite cliffs at Beachy Head. I will now take a tour of Great Britain, describing loosely the relevant landscape.

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Taking the south-east first: this is an area of chalk downs and farmland, and woods of oaks, beeches, silver birch and ash, hawthorns, crack and weeping willow. Sycamore vies with hazel and hornbeam to form the hedgerows that line country lanes, and there is the odd sessile oak. Marshlands are found in both Kent and Sussex whilst in north Kent there are chalky outcrops that have been exploited for cement. Flint is commonly used in buildings in these counties.

The start of the White Cliffs of Dover? Not quite: this is The Warren, looking east towards Dover with the railway running close to the English Channel. This stretch of cliffs lies between Folkestone and Dover in Kent; it is a very spectacular piece of coastline and demonstrates how Mother Nature can very quickly take over after a chalk slide. Looking at the centre left we can see how trees and shrubs are growing up onto the top of a chalk slip.

The New Forest: this is an edge to an enclosure, and shows the variety of trees that thrive there. Also worthy of note are the colours that exist within a small area.

An absolutely superb model of a south Devon coastline by Robert Dudley-Cooke, where observation of the area has paid dividends in creating such a lifelike appearance. (Dave Nicholson)

Moving towards Southampton there is chalk down-land and the New Forest, where sands and clays predominate. Scots pines, alders, hemlock, silver birch and oaks are the most common trees. Wiltshire and Salisbury Plain have a thin soil coverage that necessitates farms growing cereal crops and raising sheep. Heading further west, counties such as Somerset boast a great variety in their landscape, such as where the Mendips give way to the Cheddar Gorge. As we move further west, attractive hedgerows divide up the land.

On the south-west peninsula, Dartmoor sprouts tors of granite but few trees on its vast open tracts of high ground, whilst Exmoor boasts red sandstones, which also appear on the south Devon coast. Further west, Cornwall is noted for its huge china clay waste heaps, dry-stone walls and craggy coastline dotted with beautiful sandy coves and sheltered estuaries.

THE MIDLANDS AND EAST ANGLIA

Heading north to the Midlands the landscape is really diverse. The West Midlands has a lovely rich red soil indicative of the red sandstone that runs right down to the South Devon coastline. The Midlands contain high density urban sprawls that are surrounded by the beautiful limestone gorges of the Peak District and high, open tracts of land. Miles of dry-stone walls criss-cross the landscape, keeping in the livestock. The hillsides are densely wooded and the roads are very often tree lined.

Moving east we come to the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and then down to Essex, which leads into the great urban sprawl of London. Lincolnshire is famous for its flat, open tracts of land but we mustn’t forget the hills of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Nottinghamshire has a history of coal mining and of course Sherwood Forest and its famous oak. Norfolk is famous for its Broads, and Norfolk and Suffolk together are renowned for their ‘big skies’, also known as ‘Constable Skies’.

Devon again: this picture shows the rolling hills of that beautiful county.

NORTHERN ENGLAND

Heading towards the north-west we come to the Lake District, which has been described as a ‘mini Scotland’ with its fells (mountains) and its many lakes and rivers lined with all the common types of trees from great oaks to hawthorns. There are many dry-stone walls, which vary in style from north to south in this area.

Like Wales this is a very wet area, but moving east over the Pennines and Cheviot Hills it becomes less so with more rounded hills and again dry-stone walls. On the levels towards the North Sea there are flatter and more verdant areas where cereals are grown and hedgerows predominate. These plains give way to long stretches of sandy coastline, particularly to the north of Newcastle. As we move down towards Yorkshire the coastline gets craggier and we have the North York moors, which is a barren, heather-covered landscape. This gives way to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales with their wealth of dry-stone walls separating the livestock in a massive patchwork quilt of individual fields. Trees such as sessile and pedunculate oaks, ash, hazel and sycamore are very common.

With its deep limestone gorges and valleys, the Peak District of Derbyshire exhibits a special beauty.

The Lake District has a unique beauty aided by fantastic light, making it a magnet for artists.

The wide open expanse of the Yorkshire Dales is evident in this view, with dry-stone walls breaking up the landscape. The verdant dale bottom and the barrenness of its tops is very typical of this region.

WALES

This is a very wet area, but differs greatly from north to south. In the north lies the mountainous region of Snowdonia, with its proliferation of slate mines and narrow-gauge railways lying amongst terrain that varies from rocky outcrops to deep wooded valleys. Here you will find the more compact tree varieties, with oaks, wych elms, hawthorns and birch being the most common. South Wales has the Brecon Beacons, which lead into once heavily industrialized valleys that are now more wooded with the decline of coal and steel production. And all around it, Wales boasts a spectacular coastline.

SCOTLAND

Starting with the Borders, like Northumberland this region has a rolling landscape with farming of cattle and cereals. Trees in this region include crack willows, wych elms and oaks, but rowans are now starting to be more common. Moving on to the central lowlands, this area is heavily populated but also boasts grassy slopes, lochs and mountains with the broad plains populated by large urban sprawls. The industry in these areas has now diminished and Mother Nature is creeping back in again. Trees such as oaks and ashes, aspens, birches and alders are starting to be more common, along with the Scots pine or Caledonian pine.

The further north we move, the more mountainous and rocky the landscape becomes with deep lochs and barren mountains overlooking heavily wooded glens. Remnants of the Caledonian Forest are now regenerating, containing mostly Scots pine bordered by birches. On the west coast areas such as the Ardnamurchan Peninsula carry some of the most ancient oak woods in the British Isles. I will conclude this chapter by saying that there is nowhere in the world that carries such diverse and limitless landscape in such a small area as the British Isles.

Ancient Scottish woodland, with old oaks vying for the best position with lesser specimens, and with a carpet of bracken just starting to bud. Some of the ancient woodlands will have bluebells spread across the ground; this is very evident in May and will add even more interest when modelling such areas.

‘Lonesome pine’ in the Highlands of Scotland, where there was a massive clearance of the land a couple of centuries ago. Vast tracts of land were deforested to allow for sheep farming, and only the last vestiges of a great forest can still be seen. Luckily this is now being reversed by groups such as Trees For Life, which fence off large enclosures and allow the young sapling Scots pines to grow without deer nibbling off the tender shoots.

Scotland offers a wide and varied landscape, with this west coast view showing a rugged, spectacular landscape. Within this formation there lie beautiful wooded glens populated with ancient oaks and silver birches.

CHAPTER ONE

STARTING OUT

The first thing you will need is a baseboard on which to place your railway and scenery. There are many different types, but the open-frame method seems to work the best. This is best described as a series of struts glued and screwed together to form an open, horizontal framework. Height above and below the track level can therefore be easily accomplished.

The traditional, flat baseboards can only give two dimensions – width and height – convincingly without recourse to major cutting and sculpting of the flat surface. Even the flattest of surfaces on the Earth have small undulations and it would seem that baseboards should be built with the Earth’s surface in mind. But before rushing into building baseboards with a slight horizontal curve in them (mimicking the Earth’s curvature), take a good look around and see how the landscape is formed. Make a sketch or take a few photographs, and then perhaps make a small mock-up to help get a good idea of how the model is to look.

The glue gun comes in many shapes and sizes, but the best are those with a stand and a trigger feed for the glue stick. If you have one that has a thumb-push feed, then any significant amount of gluing will give you a pain in thumb, and the control is less user-friendly. The glue sticks are the general-purpose type, 10mm in diameter.

Artex is a trade name for air-drying decorative plaster. It dries more slowly than wall plaster such as Polyfilla and similar hole and crack fillers, though the drying time of these can be retarded by mixing in some PVA glue added to water. Colour is added to the decorative plaster in the form of powder paint. All the dry powders are mixed in an empty clear plastic container.

A selection of palette knives and, in front, a plasterer’s small tool. The palette knives are used to form the landscape substructures, while the wooden coffee stirrers are used for stirring paints and decorative plaster.

FORMING THE SUBSOIL

Once the baseboards have been constructed, the subsoil can be started. There are several ways of achieving this; my favoured systems are hard shell and (discussed under ‘Solid Landscape Form’ later in this chapter) carved polyurethane foam board and stacked insulation board. Although there are other methods, these lend themselves best to our particular hobby. Long gone are the days of using chicken wire and papier mâché (very messy): this system leads to heavy baseboards, and chicken wire can be particularly vicious when it is cut. It will depend on the type of landscape that is to be represented as to which method is best to use.

Chicken wire fixed to plywood formers with the aid of staples is an altogether rather heavy and unwieldy construction, which needs a heavy baseboard.

HARD SHELL PROFILES