sculpting large landscape

In my previous post I was not sure how I was going to disguise the back track and sidings, that is not part of the real landscape. There were a number of options open, including:

• Don't use a loop. - Then there is not much interest or fun when operating it
• Put the back scene in front of the track - OK but reduces depth in the scene.
• Use it as part of the landscape - Nice Idea, but even less authentic than my compromise detailed below.

In the end I decided on a compromise. Although the landscape in the prototype dives away from the road, I decided to curve the landscape up to just about the height of the engine, the top edge will then have hedgerow to increase the height and disguise the track a little bit more. Obviously when looking direct down on it you'll see the track, but when looking across from the viewing side the train won't be seen. I have plans for a radically different approach to the back scene, which is why I have chosen this option - More on that in due course.

Looking over the platform to the fields in the back

When building the large, sculpted landscape  I decided to use cardboard formers to use as guides for the hot wire cutter. It also allowed me to get an idea of how the landscape would look. At approx every 6"-7" a cardboard former was added with the section (profile) of the landscape. I then stuck bits of polystyrene together and shaped to approx size of the segment in the landscape, repeated this all the way down, and then segment by segment used the cardboard formers as guides to cut the foam to create the landscape shape, and glued it all down.

Cutting foam and landscape formers

You may have noticed that we have flipped the back siding around, to give more space to the field in the lower area of the landscape. Finished laying the loop track, and decided to remove Hackwood road from our model as it was adding unnatural/ unauthentic elements to the landscape.  Next up plastering.

-Ed