# Squirrel Creek backdrop update



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

had a little more time this weekend, and updated the backdrop... I had previously bought four rolls of sky with clouds off ebay, the rolls were four feet tall, and ten feet long, used most of them, maybe a half roll left...cost was just under forty bucks, plus shipping
I found some royalty free images, and went down to staples 39 cents a copy, 65 pound semi matte finish card stock, and a bottle of elmers spray craft glue, should be able to get most of them on this weekend, and then fill in the layout / backdrop joint with a little ground cover...I wound up using one main image for most, and three others for feature areas.... 
I had looked at the long commercial banners for quite some time, but couldn't justify the cost for what i needed, 35 feet in length... it's just a hobby,


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

or, if you prefer,


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

I'm giving this a few more hours then I'll be forced to quote myself.



Srsly, that backdrop sounds interesting, and we all like pictures.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

got most of the cardstock lower backdrop glued on, slow process... one two foot piece now has ground cover blended in, still needs trees, but they haven't shown up yet...


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Looking very nice. :smilie_daumenpos:
Keep us posted.

Magic


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

That does look nice. :thumbsup:


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## The New Guy (Mar 11, 2012)

That turned out quite right. Nice.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

I've been looking at the Backdrop Warehouse. $775 for 35 feet by 24 feet tall. I'm looking for another source.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

all photo bottom backdrops are on, maybe half the transition ground cover, but only two feet so far that's "good enough", only 33 feet to go, .. .. got maybe two weeks of time left until the snow is all gone...


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## wsboyette (Jan 25, 2014)

Awesome !


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

had some free time this morning, made a decal set and applied to a few loco's, scenery mostly done, maybe 3 or 4 hundred trees left to glue in... getting just about 'good enough'


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

lookin good.:smilie_daumenpos:

can almost here the axes ringing in the background


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

VERY nice! It looks quite real. :worshippy:


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

Absolutely beautiful. Looks so realistic! :appl:


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You know it's great terrain work when it looks
real in a close up. Beautiful.

Don


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

sprinkled ground foam on a couple of hundred more trees this morning, one more batch of these to go yet... I wound up with five different 'styles' of trees in all, over a few years of gathering for this layout, three were pretty poor in appearance, but a ground foam sprinkle made them 'good enough' for me...








a plain bottle brush style upper left, a wierd round pine tree, and some real scruffy pines, but I think they are okay now with a little extra sprinkle...








the fir tress look okay, got half of them glued on now, next on the list








and the ordinary trees for the lower areas didn't need extra cover, and again, about half are glued in ...








the fir and regular trees have a nice point and aileens tacky glue worked well for those, the ugly ones are blunt cut on the bottom, and I used a glue gun for those...


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## trains galore (Jul 22, 2013)

I love that wooden tunnel entry:smilie_daumenpos:
Did you make it yourself?


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

the tunnel portals are just coffee stir sticks , with bamboo skewers for posts.. budget..


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

the 'Squirrel Creek Railroad' is officially 'good enough' for now, finished up the mine spur, and cleaned the tools off, loco's are decalled, just going to run trains until the fall now...

photos attached...


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## wingnut163 (Jan 3, 2013)

very nice. you deserve some fun running now.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

real nice!:appl:
I really like your sawmill scene:smilie_daumenpos:


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

glad you like the sawmill, it was a fun build, the sawmill itself is a woodland scenics pot metal kit, rest is scale wood ties, coffee stir sticks, and bamboo skewers .. and some twigs off the neighbors tree [they fell off, no chainsaw involved, lol]
only expensive parts were the kit itself, and prieser figures
kind of amazing how a bit of a wash blends cheap materials together..


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

That is one beautiful layout. Great workmanship. :smilie_daumenpos:
It looks and feels like you're in the mountains, great job.
It's given me some ideas for mine.

Magic


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## musicwerks (Jan 4, 2012)

Beautiful! I like specially the view when the green loco hauls freight up the grade!

How did you achieve the brownish green turf that looks so nice and real?


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

I've got the keystone DANBURY kit in O scale. someday I have to get it built.

i'm still saving a place on layout for it


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

Simply excellent scenery!! Most impressive to look at!!


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

musicwerks said:


> How did you achieve the brownish green turf that looks so nice and real?


pretty easy actually, green paint underneath, spanish moss run through a meat grinder, and a few puffs of fine green and brown ground cover on top...
kinda looks like real vegetation, because it is...lol

here's a link to a 3minute video made with a flatcar mounted micro camera, one pass through both main tracks, kinda fast and blurry, but the cam was nine bucks including shipping.. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sJ32KBQwwo

track noise is pretty high with microphone less than an inch high...


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## Dirtytom (Jan 13, 2014)

Awesome


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Needs a few more trees. :thumbsup:

Needs some wildlife roaming around too?

Looks great, nice job. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

thanks.. big ed ..
got a couple of hundred more trees in today, forgot i bought them, six week shipping from china...
wildlife will wait until snow time...have to do some work for a change
someplace i should have some cows in a box, 
will have to make maybe a old time fence someplace...
turned out okay for just over a year from planning


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## Biggie (May 14, 2014)

Looking good, 

For smaller scales some beautiful calendar pictures can work magic (put them in different layers, making a 3d effect),

Take care
Rok


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