Andrew’s been in touch with a very useful ‘how to’ on using plaster of paris for model railroad scenery:
“Dear Al,
You have kindly posted my previous layouts as they were finished and fully operational. I am now working on my fifth layout in my shed with my 70 year old Hornby Dublo track and trains originally a gift from my father.
I am creating some of the scenery on platforms that enables me to work on the side that is close to the wall that would otherwise require double joints.
I start by making a paper template of the area I am modeling then transferring the paper template to a piece of polystyrene packaging.
At each stage I check that the template and the polystyrene base will fit the location and not catch any passing locomotive or its consist.
The polystyrene is built up in layers, carved with a sharp knife and stuck together with PVA glue.
I cover the polystyrene with Plaster of Paris then paint and decorate with coloured saw dust, grasses and Woodland Scenic bushes.
Attached are 16 photos that I hope might be of help and interest.
Yours sincerely.
Andrew”
A big thanks to Andrew for sharing his method of using plaster of paris for model railroad scenery.
Peter uses plaster cloth: model railroad scenery design.
Richard put together a fantastic step by step too (not just on the plaster cloth, the whole layout): HO layout build.
You can see Boyd builing up his layers too: Model train hobby.
That’s all for this time folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.
WELL DONE Andrew!
Thank you for the ‘step by step’ description and pictures of your process.
Would like to see the rest of your layout and perhaps a track plan.
Many thanks again!
Wes
KY, USA
I love always to see the three rail stuff!
That is a unique way of doing the scenery. I will have to try it out, I have an area that is hard to reach.
Thanks for the idea!
I like what you’ve done here. Keep up the good work.
Andrew, your view around your turn table on your railroad looks awesome. Very well done. It just shows that just a addition to a small area makes that section of your layout look great.
Very nicely done! This technique will work well for a “lift out” section I have planned for my layout. Thanks so much for the “how to”!
Nicely done. Fit to space without working directly on the layout. No mess, no accidents. Great job.
Jim AZ
Andrew that is a nice job! I’ve used a product like that to make mountains. Well done!
Excellent photos and explanation of your approach to capturing brilliant scenery. I once did an incline using a similar method. However, your method looks better than any I have tried before and I’ll certainly think about it for future plans. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us all!