New Scenic Ideas please

[Dave Cooper]

Hi All,

I wonder if you could give me a few scenic tips for further development. First up a hill-side on the 009 line :

[Dave Cooper]

Platform end scene (could be extended in front of pick-up)

[Dave Cooper]

Backdrop to 009 goods yard (opposite station approach). This has a rope-worked incline to the left, but is currently 'open' to falling off the baseboard !


Thanks for any ideas /tips etc.
Dave

[Dave Cooper]

Plan view of the 009 side which may help. Rope-worked inclined runs from the canal jetty to the upper goods yard on the extreme right of the photo.

[Dave Cooper]

Bridges under development on the elevated 009 line. Both balsa on a ply base. Remaining Girder side to do. Stonework is scribed plaster (polyfilla type) on a polystyrene base (have to keep the weight down as the Contiboard baseboard weighs a ton !). 

[clayliner]

Given the lack of depth between the backscene and the layout I might be tempted to go for a cliff-face behind. But I'd think carefully about the rock type as it makes a big difference to the 'feel' and it's important (for some, anyway!) to get the rock formation and colour right. Is it chalk? - limestone? - slate? - the rock type will tend to locate the layout in a particular part of the country (assuming it's in the UK - but that's true wherever it is) and that location may have a bearing on buildings, too: the types of buildings and the materials used. If these things all match up the layout will have more overall 'coherence'. You also probably need to think about rock strata and their angle(s).

As always, should you go down this path the best thing is to look at photos of real rocks and situations before deciding and going ahead - it will give you more inspiration and help to get the right 'look'.

You might think about a building or some other structure where the red pick-up is to obscure the end of the line.

Just some random thoughts!

David.

[Dave Cooper]

Thanks David - some good food for thought here...

I must admit the exposed rock faces in the cutting and leading down to the canal were somewhat random. (They depended on the inspiration of the moment plus whatever was in the paint tray at the time !).

I'm now trying to tie things together with some road vehicles to give the layout extra purpose. Buildings so far are a couple of lineside huts (one is a weighbridge for the rope incline), a Wills kit for the station building (needs weathering plus possibly a change of external brick etc) and a card kit for an engine shed. I often do artistic painting hence a backscene or two would be ok. I think the cliff face would tie in nicely. The 009 goods yard is more problematical as you say due to a general lack of depth, (the price I pay for having a mix of SG and NG on the same layout...!) Maybe a low relief line of sheds, or just a painted backscene would suffice ?

I'm trying not to get things too 'busy' and distracting but, it's a delicate balance isn't it...In the longer term plan is an extension baseboard with a fiddle yard plus a 'continuation' of both lines in front. This may help alleviate some of the cramming (I hope !)

Regards,
Dave     

[clayliner]

Some low relief buildings would do nicely. They don't have to be entirely parallel to the backscene - some could stand slightly forward of the others for variety, and - looking from above - a sawtooth profile is also a possible variation for all or part.

David.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Low-relief trees or other greenery, almost a decoupage effect, might be an option too.

[Dave Cooper]

Graeme - I had to google that ! But, I get the general idea. Thanks.

David - had a bit of inspiration today for a scenic break at the far left-hand side....I think the 'cliff' could merge into a short tunnel before the line disappears into the fiddle yard.
Dave

[Graeme Dunbar]

I was thinking of "3D decoupage" more than the  collage-like (2D) decoupage, though that can be very effective too. In the days before photographic backscenes I think it was quite common. The most recent example I saw was a community model railway (mostly non railway modellers) a few years back that was built using donated items. They used cut-outs from calendars, tourist brochures and so on to produce a surprisingly effective background.

Another layout that I've forgotten the name of had a forest backscene with (from back to front): painted trees, cut-out trees set forward a few mm, flattened or "half-trees" in front of that and a few full  trees at the front.

Another really good and related trick seen on a number of layouts is forced perspective and a "trompe l'oeil" type effect (needed to google that for the spelling!). A common version has a backscene viewed under a bridge or between buildings. Having something in front to look through or between distracts the eye from the flatness of the backscene and helps force the perspective. It restricts the field of view, stopping your brain doing the mental calculations for vanishing points or whatever.

An even simpler trick is to have a hedge or wall set just in front of the join between the 3D landscape and backscene. Although it is the exact opposite it seems to have a similar effect to a ha-ha in landscape gardening (or perhaps an infinity pool).

[Dave Cooper]

Regrettably, Graeme, I failed 'O' level French (at least, I managed to reduce the examiners to hysterics in the oral exam though !).

Yes a trick of the eye, blended and disappearing perspectives sounds good. At the moment, I'm offering up lengths and chunks of white poly packaging to see what will fit. I think the idea of a wall (or hedge) for the 009 goods yard with maybe some low-relief behind will work well.

I'll do a bit of 'suck-it-and-see' hacking and then take a few more shots for evaluation...
Dave   

[Stephen Rainsbury]

What about a series of walls and fences like they were at the bottom of some gardens, then a backscene set back 1/2" with the houses in the distance and maybe slightly down hill?

[Dave Cooper]

Neat idea Stephen.

However, just measured up the clearance beside (and behind) a truck in the goods yard. Short of tearing up and re-laying one siding, it'll just have to be a painted backscene...(or, similar - 2D decoupage type maybe).

Never mind, I can now concentrate on the hill and new tunnel at the other end of the diorama. Still, scope for exercising some artistic skill though (such as it is !).
Dave

[Dave Cooper]

Just wondering about the tunnel mouth on the 009 line. This is at the foot of the new cliff and is situated where the line 'disappears' into the fiddle yard.

I have a Hornby short tunnel that I could cut up and use that, or, I could fashion something in grey stone effect (rather like the raised section of the line in the "Bridges" shot...).

Thoughts anyone ?
Dave