# What's next?



## DanSam72 (Dec 31, 2017)

Hi everyone. I'm new to this site and look forward to many years of friendship and collaboration. Here's my question...what is the best order to continue my layout. For example, ballast, grass, and then cement roads? Or cement roads, ballast, grass etc. I'm at the stage where I have my track down, some grass, some scenery and most of my ballast. I am seeking advice on the best order so I don't have to retract and go back to correct things, potentially causing damage. 

Thank you in advance and cheers from Canada,

Dan


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## J.C. (Dec 24, 2016)

its really hard to give advice on that , for everyone does it different ways , some complete track and ballast first , others do sections. what I would say is do it the way your comfortable with.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

My preference is to do laying track, land contouring, roads, grass/ground cover, and lastly ballast. I'll come back and add some weeds/grass over little-used track.

Mark


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

There isn't any "right" way. Or rather, there are lots of them. Here is the order that works best for me ("foam boards" below refers to extruded Styrofoam insulating panels):

1) Create flat layout base -- extruded foam boards on L girder joists for me.
2) Lay out track centerlines. Note planned locations of roads and structures.
3) Add inclines and areas of level track above the baseline. Re-lay track centerlines and road / structure guide marks as necessary. I use 1" and 2" foam boards.
4) Add "gross" terrain features, again using foam boards, shaped with a rasp and mini-hacksaw.
5) Add more refined terrain using Sculptamold. Although I'm not making the roads yet, my terrain reflects where they are. 
6) Lay roadbed, then track.
7) Paint everything that isn't track / roadbed a base color (Glidden Nutmeg Brown; your choice may vary).
8) Add roads (using drywall mud and strip styrene). Paint (I usually add pavement markings later).
9) Add grass, brush, undergrowth.
10) Ballast track.
11) Add trees and scenic details (telephone poles, mailboxes, streetlights, etc).

I build my structures on bases of 1/8" Gatorfoam. They are dropped into their "spot" at any convenient time.

That said, a "once and done" approach is unrealistic. You will want to go back and fix things, or modify them, or add on, or whatever. You will very quickly learn how to blend modifications into the original work. Assuming you're working from an actual plan that you have created, and not designing on the fly, the risk of saying "oh crap, I wanted a road there" is minimal.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

If you're interested in making it look really real, then keep in mind that nature was there to begin with. Then mankind came and made a railroad through it, cutting through hills, building bridges and all. Over the years since, nature has filled back in with grass, brush and trees, even some erosion.

Of course, building your model won't take those progressive steps, but you can keep those things in mind as you work. As I once read, make it look like the railroad, streets, buildings, etc came after man arrived.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Each order of doing things requires some later accounting or adjustment, or if it makes sense, refinement. I have built splined roadbed, figured out where the bridge should go, cut out a span of the roadbed, and then built abutments and set the trestle in place later. Some would be horrified by that. They'd say build the bridge location first, and then build the roadbed up to each end of the bridge deck. Well...sure...why not?

And that's just it....why not? Pick your level of comfort with each order of doing, and then patiently craft what you need out of it. I have never laid perfect tracks. I always find out when I make my first run with an eight or ten-coupled steamer where my outer rail dips are. The lead two drivers end up on the ties, outward. No biggie, I rerail the engine and back it up a foot. Slide a thin shim under the dip, and try the steamer again. It always works the second run. While this isn't quite the same issue as which order to do things, it's an indication of what you must do to make things 'work' or to 'look right'. You fiddle, You can do your road first and then sprinkle ground foam up to its edges. Or, you can make the terrain and then scrape a shallow groove and pour some goop into it and smooth it to look like a road. Which goes first, the roadbed or the bridge?

If it matters after all that, here is how I generally approach a layout construction:

Scale drawing

Lay one-inch masking tape on the floor to represent the tracks and the benchwork edges. That way, I see the width of the aisles, how close the curves must get to the walls, how long the yard ladder tracks will turn out to be, etc. It's all there at my feet. Later, I use a plumb to get close.

Build the benchwork

Build the risers and roadbed

Lay cork and tracks for all except the yard...it comes last

Hot glue window screen to hold up my goop terrain. I have to cut the screen and hot glue it to the sides of the plywood subroadbed and to supports on the backdrop.

Place bridges and tunnel portals, any snow sheds, being especially careful about side and top clearances, particularly along curves!!!

Test the tracks using several locomotives, walking beside them in case...

Ballast the tracks.

Cover the tracks and ballast with wide masking tape, and begin to cover the window screen with terrain-making goop. While it's still wet, but hardening, I spray with light wood glue solution and sprinkle on at least two different colours and coarsenesses of ground foam. Bushes and trees come much later.

If I want tunnels to be dark and smooth-lined, I bend Bristol Board paper, black, or grey if it's to resemble concrete, and form an arched cover behind the portals. I screen over them, and cover the screen with goop.

This is also when I begin to cast rock faces and hot glue them into place, or to carve them in place from rough plaster/hydrocal.

I always have in mind where things will go. Rock cuts, snow sheds, tunnels, roads, streams, culverts...this has to have been pretty much solidly decided before beginning to slather ground goop onto the screening. As you move along from place to place, you fashion supports, screen, rock castings, etc, and craft nice effects. Even so, nothing is permanent. If it doesn't work, yank it out, start to repair the area, and try something else.

Later detailing, like trackside artifacts, signal towers, road markings and signage, utility and telegraph poles, buildings...that all comes later, although I know where and how it will be added as I am building terrain. Nothing like completing a spot with nice and realistic scenery only to remember you need a spot for a large coal washery there. D'OOHHH!!!


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## DanSam72 (Dec 31, 2017)

*thank you so much*

WOW HI,
thank you everyone!!!
that's what I wanted to read or didn't(in a good way)!
It was helpful. I now see how others do it, and that's what I wanted. there are indeed many ways. i just don't want to do it THE WRONG WAY.Its my fist "real" try. I must say its coming along.
(a couple more years).
I bought some acrylic sheets to make smaller scenes and fit them in and take out to work on.
I have Lupus and often hurt myself working on table so hope this will help. ( My Dad jokes that I should not lift rail ties alone!)
thanks again!!!


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