Layout pre-building
knife and then carefully prying it up. Conclusion
Pre-building can be an enhancement to anyone’s enjoyment of model rail- roading because it’s a way to start a new layout–and make real progress on it–while still enjoying the current lay- out or waiting for that next train room to be available.
These two grounded m.o.w. cars (above) are slated for the Rico enginehouse scene. The base is two layers of ¹⁄₈″ hardboard, laminated with Liquid Nails. The top layer is smaller than the base and the hill slope was filled with Red Devil One Time Spackle®
.The free-
lance Sugar River Valley shortline exists in the present day and uses a boxcar for a yard office (below right). This scene is built on a single layer of scrap wall paneling. Since the footprint of the scene is small, warping has not been a problem.
mensions may not yet be known. For the smallest micro-scenes, the scenery base is Evergreen styrene in .040″ or .060″ thickness. For the largest micro-scenes, I use foam insulation board–usually in a 1″ thickness. Ply- wood would work, too; but it could warp if you use a lot of water in the ad- joining scenery.
Edges of micro-scenes are easily hid-
The construction of micro-scenes can be considered an art form unto itself. It allows the most fussy, picky, and time- consuming aspects of scenery construc- tion to be done prior to actually starting the layout. The painstaking work can be spread out over a long timeframe. It can be done at a convenient workbench–it’s hard to do one’s best work while reach- ing far into a layout. And let’s face it, many layout builders are so anxious to get trains running that once the bench-
den by adjoining scenic elements.
I
paint the edges of micro-scenes an earth tone so the adjoining scenery blends better with it. A micro-scene can be removed from a layout to be used again by cutting through the scenery around it with a carpenter
work is up they don’t do justice to the scenery that makes the railroad seem real.
Indeed, building micro-scenes
could be considered a hobby within the hobby and a great opportunity to build finished scenes for those who otherwise would not build a layout.
A burned-out foundry is situated on a hill- side on the author’s MP&N layout (above). The base is two laminated layers of 1″ pink foam insulation board. An advantage of mi- cro-scenes is that messy construction meth- ods–such as shaping foam board–can be done in a more suitable location than the fin- ished train room. The autumn corn is dry and the pumpkins are ready for harvest (right). This micro-scene extends just outside the fence and blends seamlessly with the sur- rounding ground cover; yet it can be easily removed with a slight pry with a putty knife.
78 JULY 2013
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