Modelling Railway Scenery E-Book

Anthony Reeves

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

Seitenzahl: 257

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Whether you are just starting out in the hobby of scenic railway modelling, or are more experienced and are revamping an existing layout, this invaluable instructional volume will guide you through the art of using basic materials to create wonderful model scenery. Brimming with practical advice and tips, the book shows you how to create realistic cuttings, natural rocky outcrops, grassy hillsides, steep cliff faces, waterfalls, streams and lakes, as well as weeds, plants and foliage. Containing over 300 step-by-step colour photographs, this remarkable volume covers the tools and materials you will need and fully explains the modelling techniques that are required.This fascinating book is essential reading for all those railway modellers who wish to create attractive and realistic scenery for their model railway layouts. Superbly illustrated with over 313 colour step-by-step photographs.

Leseprobe

MODELLING RAILWAY SCENERY

VOLUME I

CUTTINGS, HILLS, MOUNTAINS, STREAMS AND LAKES

ANTHONY REEVES

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2013 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2014

© Anthony Reeves 2013

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

ISBN 978 1 84797 620 8

DedicationFor Nic, Luke, Libby and Benson and my family, past, present and future. ‘Take a look around and enjoy every day.’

AcknowledgementsThe author and publisher would like to thank the following companies for their generous support in the making of this book: A K Interactive, Deluxe materials, Javis Manufacturing Ltd, Noch, P&D Marsh Model Railways, Treemendus.

DisclaimerThe 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. If in doubt about any aspect of scenic modelling, readers are advised to seek professional advice.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION – SETTING THE SCENE

CHAPTER ONE: STONE-LINED CUTTINGS

CHAPTER TWO: NATURAL ROCK CUTTINGS

CHAPTER THREE: GRASSY HILLSIDES

CHAPTER FOUR: ROCKY HILLSIDES

CHAPTER FIVE: STEEP CLIFF FACES

CHAPTER SIX: SNOWY MOUNTAIN TOPS

CHAPTER SEVEN: WATERFALLS

CHAPTER EIGHT: SLOW-FLOWING STREAMS

CHAPTER NINE: NATURAL LAKES

CHAPTER TEN: MAINTAINED LAKESIDES

USEFUL SUPPLIERS

INDEX

SCENERY n.

1. the general appearance of the natural … features of a landscape, esp. when picturesque.

2. (Theatre) the painted representations of landscape, rooms, etc., used as the background … in a play etc.

INTRODUCTION – SETTING THE SCENE

STARTING OUT

Being born in 1967, I missed out on the steam era of British railways, growing up in a time of diesel and electric locomotives. In recent years, a number of the classes from my era have also been consigned to the history books. One element of rail travel that does stay more constant, however, is the countryside through which the trains pass. I have always had a fascination with all elements of railway scenery, both in the real world and in the scale-model world. It is fascinating how the landscape, structures and railways have a profound effect on each other.

I was given my first ‘train set’ as a gift in 1977, the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and a great year for music too. It was the Hornby InterCity 125 (HST) set, which, if I remember rightly, consisted of two power cars, one for each end of the train, with a single carriage plonked in between them. The set also contained an oval of track, battery power module, power clip, uncoupling ramp and a cardboard tunnel. It was the tunnel that, even at the age of ten, I found to be the least acceptable item – a foot-long arch of cardboard that served no purpose at all. I doubt if mine ever graced the oval of track more than once.

On reflection, it was actually that cardboard tunnel that was the biggest inspiration of the whole train set, as it led me to make my own tunnels on a scenic baseboard for my new train to chase its tail around. Over time, more track was added, to create a double track oval with a couple of points for the train to switch tracks. A few sidings were added towards the front. This was pinned to an 8 x 4ft chipboard base. The base was split down its centre lengthways with an imaginary line, and two plastic moulded tunnel mouths were added, one at each end of the oval.

Fig. 1. Railways run through diverse surroundings, from stunningly beautiful scenery to the most built-up industrial areas of Britain.

Fig. 2. Two power cars are all that remain from that original HST set.

From that point I was free to create my first scenic baseboard. I used chicken wire to make a hillside that joined the two tunnel mouths together. This hillside is what separated the front ‘scenic side’ of the layout from the ‘fiddle yard’ at the rear of the layout. Looking back, it may have been a waste of space to have included a fiddle yard on the layout as no one but me and a few family and friends would ever see it. However, I wanted to give the impression that the trains were actually going somewhere when they entered the tunnels and returning from some far-flung part of the country when they reappeared, not just going round and round the same track.

This all happened thirty-five years ago. These days, of course, there is a far wider choice of scenic modelling materials available. Nonetheless, some of the basic building materials and principles I used then are still in use today.

Concentrating on the scenery of what became much more than a ‘train set’ – once I had given it my attention, it had become a ‘model railway’ – completely took over from running the trains. I enjoyed and learnt so much from my early experiences that, when the layout was ‘finished’, I took it up and reworked the whole setting. My passion for the scenic elements of railway modelling eventually led me to develop the Treemendus range of scenic modelling materials, which are used today by modellers worldwide.

EARLY INSPIRATION

Most of my childhood weekends and school holidays were spent in our local woods and surrounding areas, climbing trees, bird watching and taking in the sights and smells of natural open places. I have always had a fascination with the way trees and plants grow, the way they interact with each other and their ever-changing forms and colours. As I walk our dog Benson every day, usually down the same lane towards the river Mersey, the shape, colour and quantity of the plants around us seem to change almost on a daily basis. As old plants die back, new ones spurt into growth to replace them. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, colours change, seemingly before our very eyes. Streams and rivers always seem to find the most convenient route and are very much affected by what lies under the ground as, over time, they cut their way through the landscape. Altitude and the harsh elements in mountainous areas have a huge effect on the appearance and characteristics of the way things grow and die.

Fig. 3. Traditional British countryside, showing the incredible variety of colours and textures.

It is important to remember that much of the scenery you will be creating for your model railway is quite literally as old as the hills. It was there long before the railways. Railways were built over streams, under hills, around lakes and through mountains because they had to be. If you can replicate this in any way in your models, it will give a better impression of the prototype. It can also be used to your advantage. Remember the cardboard tunnel? It served no real purpose, but if you put a tunnel mouth at the point just before the spur enters the fiddle yard, it can deceive the eye and therefore the brain into thinking that the train has entered a tunnel that had to be put there so that the train could continue on its journey.

Cuttings, trees and of course buildings can be used in much the same way – to hide the exit point of a train from the scenic layout. The eye may also be deceived by subtle colour changes within a layout. Colour fades with distance, so if, as in nature, the ‘near’ views are made a touch brighter and more colourful than the ‘distant’ views, the mind can be tricked into believing there is more space in the field of view than there actually is. Importantly, as the colour fades with distance so does the apparent size of features in the landscape. Trees and other features which are to be placed towards the rear of the layout should be made slightly smaller than the same features at the foreground of the scene. This is where artistic licence comes into play. You may want to model a huge tree in the distance but only require small trees at the front, so naturally the distant tree could appear larger than the foreground trees. There will be occasions when you see features just asking to be modelled.

Fig. 4. Features such as this will add character to your layouts and are easy to build from scratch.

RESEARCH YOUR LOCATION

FIELD TRIPS

A field trip to the location you intend to model is recommended in order to gain a feel for the area in question. If possible, more than one field trip is even better. If you are working on a layout where the prototype still exists, a train journey through your chosen area will help enormously. If you go during the time of year on which your layout will be based, you can see for yourself exactly how the surrounding hills, mountains, streams, lakes all interact to create the unique scenery that makes up your chosen area. This is assuming you are modelling a location with a picturesque rural setting but the same applies for layouts based on an industrial location. There is no substitute for actually seeing the area you are modelling ‘in the flesh’.

The reasoning behind this is that the geology of countryside changes dramatically from one part of the country to another and this affects the appearance of what is seen above the ground. The Cornish Riviera is very different in appearance from the North Yorkshire Moors, neither of them look like the Scottish Highlands. If you can capture some of the attributes that go into making each of these areas what they are, you can present a convincing scale model which oozes all the character of the area being modelled.

Fig. 5. Take care when on field trips and take your litter home with you.

Beware of trains!

Always remember that railways can be dangerous places so take care when doing your research and always ask permission from the landowner where necessary.

PHOTOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

When on location take as many colour photographs as you possibly can. In these days of digital cameras you can get literally hundreds at a time and these will be the references from which you work for a long time to come. Try to take some photographs of the area from a fair distance too, as this will give you a good indication of what the surroundings may look like scaled down in model form.

It is also very important to remember that people see and react to colour in different ways. I tend to tone my colours down a little so they do not appear too gaudy but in reality some grasses for instance can be of the brightest green. Remember also that you are creating a ‘work of art’. That is not to say that you expect it to be put on public display, but it will nonetheless be a piece of work that involves artistry. For this reason, you should aim to add your own interpretation, in order to create unique scenic models for your railways to run through.

Detailed research can really help in creating an authentic model of a particular location or general area. If, for whatever reason, you cannot get to your chosen area, do not be too disheartened. Although it is best to see the real thing, a search online should show you what you need to see. Similarly, if you are modelling a specific rural station, which may no longer exist, you may need to use the internet in order to find out what buildings were adjacent to it, what animals were kept in the surrounding fields, or what the row of trees looked like standing behind the platform. You should be able to find all sorts of information online, often with photographic evidence to help you.

While research is important, you should also be prepared to use a bit of artistic licence. If something looks right and sits right within the landscape I am creating I am usually happy to let it go. Above all, creating model railway scenery should be fun and bring you enjoyment.

USING THIS BOOK

The chapters of this book cover a series of easy-to-follow step-by-step scenic diorama builds, each concentrating on a particular aspect of railway scenery – cuttings, hills, mountains, streams and lakes. Others are included that do not necessarily relate to railways. It is important to imagine the different elements as being part of the same landscape. For example, a stream makes its way from the rocky mountain top to form a small waterfall, which then meanders down a gentle hillside and ultimately ends up joining a lake. Each chapter contains informative text and a series of photographs that highlight the techniques of each stage. The step-by-step instructions and photographs will assist you in tackling some of the problems modellers encounter and help to answer many of the questions that I am asked at trade shows.

This book is aimed at modellers who have some experience of railway modelling and, although it does not exclude newcomers to the hobby, it does not cover baseboard construction, track laying or electrics. Its emphasis is on creating beautifully realistic, convincing scale-model scenery. The dioramas are built to 1:76 (4mm to the foot) or 00-gauge, which is the most popular scale in the UK for railway modelling. The same techniques and materials used in creating 00-gauge model railways are suitable for whichever scale you choose to work in; they simply need to be scaled up or down appropriately.

It is also fair to say that, for all but the very fortunate, space will be a major consideration when embarking on a model railway project. This can have a bearing on the scale that you choose. If you envisage your layout as having huge hillsides or mountains and valleys with sweeping curves of track, then one of the smaller gauges will be an obvious choice.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

Each chapter starts with a basic materials and tools list. These lists are not exhaustive and other materials will be used during the building process. Not all the detailing materials are included but they are covered in the text.

Fig. 6. A small sample of construction materials.

Fig. 7. Good-quality groundwork materials are essential in the creation of convincing scale-model scenery.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

The ‘construction’ materials used to make the dioramas include polystyrene, chicken wire, cardboard, wood, cement, PVA glue, cork sheet and ceiling tiles. Some of these can be substituted by other materials and recommendations are given where possible.

GROUNDWORK MATERIALS

The ‘groundwork’ materials – for hedges, trees, earth, grass and foliage – including scatters, earth powders, grass fabric and other materials, come from the Treemendus Scenic Modelling Materials range. There are a vast range of scenic modelling materials from different manufacturers on the market and some of these will be introduced into the dioramas as they progress.

TOOLS

A basic tool kit will comprise a sharp scalpel or craft knife, steel rule, sharp scissors, wire cutters, assorted paintbrushes and paints, and hairspray. Reference is given in each chapter to the specific tools needed to complete each stage of the build.

METHODS USED

The techniques involved vary from build to build but there is also some repetition from chapter to chapter. Reference is made if the same technique is used elsewhere in the book, with the aim of inspiring consistency in your scenic modelling.

Although the models featured in this book are small dioramas, the methods used will relate directly to larger-sized model railway layouts. The text assumes that bare baseboards with track laid are in place.

CHECKLIST

The railways were built through an existing landscape and it is very important to bear this in mind when creating your model railway. With careful planning, this fact can be effectively replicated. Some of the features of the landscaping process may also be used to your advantage, for example, when it comes to disguising exit points on your models.

Fig. 8. A selection of the tools you will need.

Going on field trips and taking lots of reference photographs is a very important part of the planning process if you want to create a faithful representation of an actual location. It is less important if you are building a general scenic layout, but it is still well worth looking at some actual railway lines and their surrounding area. This will give you a feel for the colours and the way the features of the railway interact with each other and the landscape.

Landscapes change all the time and are significantly affected by the seasons and the weather. The way you use colour will make your models original and unique and the colour values you choose will tell the viewer about the time of year being portrayed in a particular scene.

Use the vast amounts of information available on the internet where necessary. During the course of building your model there will be many times when you need more references, so make sure you use this valuable tool.

With the necessary construction materials, a supply of quality groundwork materials and a sensible collection of tools, you are ready to embark on your journey.

CHAPTER ONE

STONE-LINED CUTTINGS

Fig. 9. Weathered stone blocks photographed in Cheshire.

Materials

•  Strawboard (3mm thick) or ply board

•  Pine strip wood

•  Plastic (or paper) brick/stone effect sheets

•  PVA glue

•  Newspaper or chicken wire

•  Cement or plaster

•  Hairspray

•  Scenic modelling materials (from Treemendus; see text)

•  Emulsion paints

•  Paints/weathering powders (from AK Interactive)

Tools

•  Steel rule

•  Pen/pencil

•  Scalpel/Stanley knife

•  Cutting board

•  Assorted paintbrushes

Most railway journeys will at some stage involve travelling through a man-made trough or ‘cutting’. Cuttings are a vital part of the railway infrastructure – following the most direct route from station to station often results in the need to take the line straight through a solid hillside, using cuttings and tunnels. Branch lines, which go from a main railway station to a countryside area or small town, will almost invariably pass through at least one cutting, large or small.

There are many cuttings in the UK and overseas that are blasted and carved out of solid rock. Once the loose rocks and debris have been removed, the walls of some of these cuttings are still strong enough to hold themselves up. Cuttings made through less stable ground are excavated in the same way, but they need to be lined with stone or brick walls. This enables all the loose earth to be held back, much like any retaining wall but generally on a much larger scale. There is much that could be written about large gravity-retaining walls and how they are built and work, but here the concern is only to make a realistic scale model.

CREATING CUTTING WALLS

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

With a bit of planning, it can be quite simple to create realistic-looking cutting walls.

Cuttings vary in height enormously – some are very shallow while others are very deep and dwarf the trains that run through them. The first step of planning is to decide how tall your walls are to be. Remember that a cutting can start out relatively shallow and gain in depth as the hill through which it has been built gets steeper, and the walls should reflect this. A cutting like this often leads to a tunnel mouth.

This project uses 3mm thick strawboard for the wall, but corrugated cardboard is good too, being very lightweight and easy to trim and bend. Ply board is another useful option and has the benefit of being strong yet fairly flexible. This is particularly useful where retaining walls are to be built on curves. When building walls on curves using thick card, it is recommended to score the front or rear side of the card with vertical scores to allow it to bend more easily. Score the front of the card for walls on the inside of a bend and score the rear side of the card for walls to the outside of the bend. Scoring also helps the walls stay in position while the glue that holds it in place dries. It also helps to curb the natural tendency of the card to spring back to its original flat form.

It is worthwhile measuring and cutting the whole length of wall needed for the project at this stage, so that all the lengths can, if necessary, be trimmed to exactly the same height. This makes for a neater-looking wall once the coping stones are attached. It is also a good time to mark and cut the pillars that can be seen on the prototype wall. These pillars strengthen the wall.

MEASURING AND CUTTING

Use a steel rule to carefully measure and mark on the card or ply board all the components of the wall (Fig. 10). If for any reason the height of your retaining wall is critical, it is worth bearing in mind that coping stones will be added to the top of the wall during its construction, although for 1:76 scale these will only be 2–3mm in thickness so will not really affect the overall height.

Fig. 10. Take time to get your measurements as accurate as possible.

The height of this wall is 101mm. It consists of a lower section of wall measuring 80mm in height, a 3mm thick card plinth, a 15mm high upper wall section and, to top it off, coping stones made using 3mm thick strawboard. The pillars measure 110mm in height. The pillars are cut from 12 x 15mm pine strip wood, with the 15mm face towards the front. The distance between each pillar is 250mm. These measurements are by no means an industry standard; dimensions undoubtedly change to fit each individual cutting in the real world.

Tip

Always take great care when using sharp blades for cutting out components. It is better to take your time and do more shallow cuts rather than trying to cut through it in one. Keep the blade as vertical as possible to give nice square edges.

Having carefully marked all the components for the wall on the card, the next stage is to cut them out using a scalpel or Stanley knife (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11. Carefully trim out all the components.

Measure, mark and cut the pillars to length, keeping the blade nice and square. The timber used for the pillars is 15 x 12mm pine strip wood available from any DIY superstore. You might find it useful to mark the card so that you can tell at a glance which is the front and back. This is particularly useful if you are making a long length of retaining wall, as the pieces can soon add up.

The next step is to trim the embossed stone sheets to size (Fig. 12). This sheet is actually a 1:43 scale sheet but works perfectly well for this sort of application in 1:76 scale modelling. The best way to do this is to place the trimmed cardboard pieces (cut out in the previous step) over the plastic sheet.

Fig. 12. Trimming the embossed sheet.

Tip

It is very important to lay the plastic sheet face down and have the rear side of the wall sections face up as you trim. This ensures that the correct face of the stone sheet will be facing outwards after trimming (another good reason to mark the card front and back.

Although it may not be apparent at this stage, it is a good idea to trim some strips of card to act as spacers at the bottom of the wall. These can be used to cause the wall to lean back as it rises away from ground level, creating a realistic angle to it. For this reason, when trimming the plastic sheet for the lower wall section, allow 2mm overhang from one of the long edges of the card. This will cut down on the gap between the bottom of the wall and the baseboard. In this wall the lower section of wall is 80mm, so the plastic sheet is cut at 82mm.

Trim around the wooden pillars by placing the wood on the plastic sheet and cutting around it with a sharp blade. Alternatively, take the measurements of the wood and mark them on the plastic sheet and then trim the pieces out. It is advisable to trim the stone sheet for the front of the pillars fractionally wider than the wood itself, as this will help hide any gaps at the corners of the pillars.

Printed paper sheets can be an effective way of representing walls and there is a huge choice of brick styles available. If you decide to use printed paper sheets for your wall, cut the paper 20mm or so larger than the section of wall you are covering. Apply glue to the front, edges and around the edges on the back of the card. Lay the printed sheet face down on a hard flat surface and carefully put the pre-glued section of card in the centre of it, with the front of the wall facing down. This will leave an overhang of paper all the way around the card. Cut a wedge shape out from the corners to create flaps, then pull and fold the flaps around the edges of the card and flatten them onto the glue. Any bubbles on the front of the wall can be removed by pricking the paper with a pin and smoothing over with a finger to force out the air. Once the components have been created, the wall can be constructed following the steps below, but without the need to use plastic embossed sheets. There are many components that can go into building even a short length of simple retaining wall (Fig. 13). Set these pieces to one side whilst the baseboard is prepared for them.

Fig. 13. Even short lengths of wall can use a lot of individual pieces.

POSITIONING AND CONSTRUCTION

Assuming you already have your track work in place, it is important before positioning anything else on the boards that the correct clearance is left for all current stock, as well as any you may run in the future (Fig. 14). One way of doing this is to hold a pencil or marker pen to the side of a long-wheel-based carriage and run this around the track. This way you will know that anything built outside the line is not going to interfere with the running of any stock. As this diorama is only a short length of straight track, a wagon was used.

Fig. 14. It is important to make sure the cutting wall will not obstruct any stock you are planning to run.

The red crayon line drawn above the track indicates the closest point to the track where anything can be safely positioned without obstructing the running of stock (Fig. 15). The red line therefore indicates the position of the front of the wall’s pillars. Behind the pillar will be a length of 3mm strawboard (ply board could be used here instead). This length of card will be a little lower than the final height of the wall; all the components prepared earlier will be attached to it. Marked at the back is the gluing position for the wooden blocks that will hold the wall upright and in place. (There are simpler ways of measuring the position of these wooden blocks, but this image aims to show the logic behind it.) (See line drawing on page 18.)

Fig. 15. Make sure everything has been taken into account before gluing anything down.

Another red line drawn along the length of track shows where all the wall supports should be placed (Fig. 16). Small timber blocks have been glued along its length using PVA adhesive. When the blocks are set a supporting wall is glued in place on to the front of them. This ‘wall’ should be about 10mm lower than the height of the finished wall. A bead of PVA is run along the red line at the base of the blocks, to ensure maximum adhesion and support.

Fig. 16. Wooden blocks help support the wall.

It is a good idea to lay out all the components in their correct position before starting any final gluing (Fig. 17). This orderly way of working allows you to clarify which pieces go where, and also helps to avoid that blind panic moment when nothing seems to fit together and everything ends up covered in glue.

Fig. 17. Creating an orderly way of working really does help.

Once the supporting wall has thoroughly dried, the time has come to build the wall for real (Fig. 18). Using PVA, glue in position one of the pillars and then measure and mark the distance to the next pillar. It can be useful to use the pre-cut section of lower wall as a measuring guide as opposed to a ruler. Continue this step until all the pillars are glued in place. Note that thin strips of card have been glued to the wall between the pillars at ground level. This is what will create a batter to the wall.

Fig. 18. Construction of the wall can now begin.

When the pillars have set in place, the embossed sheet can be added (Fig. 19). By gluing the sides of the pillar on first and the front on last, it is easier to hide any gaps that may appear. Remember too that the front pieces of the plastic sheet have been cut slightly wider than the width of the wood. PVA may be used to hold the plastic sheet in place but you could use superglue or a grab adhesive.

Fig. 19. With the pillars in place the stonework can be added.

The next step involves adding the embossed plastic sheet to the front of the pillar (Fig. 20). It is important to get the courses of the stonework to line up horizontally as this will add to the realism of the courses of stone in the wall. Any small gaps can be filled in with filler, although the painting process that comes at the end can be used to cover small imperfections.

Fig. 20. Line up the courses of stone – this adds to the realism of the wall.

Add stonework to all the pillars and to the lower sections of walling (Figs 21 and 22