# making mountains & cliffs



## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

i'm trying to figure out the best, easiest, and lightest way to make realistic mountains and cliffs to add to the scenery of the layout. 
i need to know what supplies to use to create them as well.
any suggestions??

much appreciated


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## Boston&Maine (Dec 19, 2007)

Hmm... Have you ever seen that insulation made by Owens-Corning that is basically a long "board" of foam? I think you can get them up to 1" or 1.5" thick... It is very stong and compact, which means it is easy to sculpt...

It should definatly be easy and lightweight, although I can not remember how much it costs :dunno:

It looks a little like something like this...


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

i was thinking of using chicken wire to mold the shape and cover that with paper mache. do you think that is a pliable option and will it look real?


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Everything will look real after you paint, apply scenery etc.

Question is, you want to remain light as possible so I would recommend cardboard strips stapled or glued together with a glue gun, to form your base. Then, put plaster cloth on top of that. The plaster cloth I am referring to is the same stuff they use to make casts for broken limbs etc.

You should be able to get it at your hobby shop.

The foam works as well but is harder to contour and VERY messy - you have millions of little static charged BB's of styrofoam clinging to everything.

Hope this helps.


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

so your sayin i should use cardboard to make the sides of the mountain? then put plaster over that?


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Yeah. You use the cardboard strips to 'weave' your hills / mountains - think of a basket - and then apply the plaster cloth or papier-mache over that, once the structure is solid and can support the plaster soaked cloth or roll.

Try it out in a small space first, see if the technique agrees with you.


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

awesome! thanks a million. by the way i'm justin. a new guy to all this. i'm about to build a 4x6 platform. i'm just gathering ideas. i'm pretty much set on starting with a DCC starter set by bachmann. but i want a set from the late 1800's. what would you suggest? also i'm a huge geology buff and want to build a working cvolcano on it. do you think it's possible or should i stay away from that due to the electronics involved. thanks again....


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

and by the late 1800's i mean a new set that looks like its from there.. i'm sure you knew what i meant though.


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Yep, from the 1800's you would want Old Timers like the Virginia and Truckee 'Reno' - a real classic by the way:










Read more about the V&T railway here:

http://www.virginiaandtruckee.com/

You will need to look around for those types of models, as they are not as common as stuff you would get in a starter set from Bachmann, as an example. What you also might want to consider is a is a time period - ie 1800 - 1900 for example, which will widen the amount of rolling stock you can operate while keeping it realistic as possible.

Now, your idea for a volcano is really original !! Hadn't heard of anyone modeling one of those before. The only question I have, and you being a geology buff should be able to answer - how big is the smallest volcano in real life? Divide that size by 87, and then you will know how much space you will need to model one in HO scale


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## Stan kolak (Dec 4, 2007)

*making mountains*

I used old screen wire, torn from window and doors. Glued stick together in to a rough shape of a mountain. Then stapled the screen wire to the wood sticks. Bought a 2&1/2 gallon can of joint compound and applied to screen. Good if you can add color to the joint compound when applying. One solid color of grey, brown, or green to hide the white. Very inexpensive, but could get heavy in weight.


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

fantastic! and that train is gorgeous. perfect. and thanks for the volcano size idea. i'll look that up.



Stan kolak said:


> I used old screen wire, torn from window and doors. Glued stick together in to a rough shape of a mountain. Then stapled the screen wire to the wood sticks. Bought a 2&1/2 gallon can of joint compound and applied to screen. Good if you can add color to the joint compound when applying. One solid color of grey, brown, or green to hide the white. Very inexpensive, but could get heavy in weight.


and i am actually kinda worried about weight. i'm planning on almost half of my layout being a mountain range.. would paper mache lighten it up instead of joint compound


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

It will be significantly heavier if you use joint compound.

The lightest would be styrofoam and / or the card board with the lightweight plaster cloth. That's the method I would use if I had to do it tomorrow.

http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/woo/wooc1203.htm

Link to Woodland Scenics plaster cloth.


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## blinndside (Feb 24, 2008)

excellent. thanks very much. i really appreciate your input. one more question.. i'm going to make the train go on a bridge on the layout. what is the steepest incline i can get away with?


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## tworail (Apr 13, 2006)

Try this thread for more information on maximum grades:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=68&highlight=grade

And if you haven't already, please post in the 'Introduce yourself here' thread:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=1

Have fun!


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## upsman4767 (Mar 30, 2008)

I've found that "oasis", the stuff that florists use works well. So does "celuclay" for small landscape stuff (it's heavy-ish)


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## Stan kolak (Dec 4, 2007)

*mtns & clifts*

Screen wire is another option. Staple it to the board. Joint compound added in thin layers should keep the weight down. Adding green, brown, or grey paint to the joint compound will be easier later to color in.


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