3D Landforms -- Another Technique

Base landform added between the trestle and box company

Over the past three months I have been involved with the Meadville Model Railroad Club as an adult mentor/instructor. The young people there have been building a Woodland Scenics "Grand Valley" layout kit, and I thought I would try out one of the techniques from there on the 4th Subdivision and one of my T-Trak modules. Essentially, this technique is a hardshell technique with plaster cloth over wadded newspaper held in place with masking tape.

This is quite similar to the technique in an earlier post, only with the newspaper and masking tape instead of cardboard webbing. The first step is to crumble or "pillow" the newspaper and then tape it in place with a web of masking tape to form the land rising from the plywood flats. In the back, I want a slight rise to hide the ninety degree edge between the backdrop and the plywood. In the front, I want to have an undulating surface for the scenery. Before applying the plaster cloth, it is advisable to protect nearby surfaces. To accomplish this I taped over the painted track and cork underlayment with blue painter's tape. I also taped some wax paper over the backdrop.


The next step is to apply the plaster cloth. I have found it easiest to precut some strips or rectangles of the plaster cloth appropriate to the size I am covering. Then, I briefly dip each through water in a paint tray and apply over the newspaper. I overlap the next strip over the first strip before smoothing the joint lightly with my finger. As the newspaper is covered, I also smooth down the gauze on the plywood. In the photo, one can see the strips ready to apply to the newspaper in the back as well as the finished section in the front. The plaster gauze needs to dry until it no longer feels damp or cold, usually over night.

Depending on the techniques to follow, the next step could be to add a layer of Sculptamold to hide the gauze pattern or to paint over the dried gauze before adding Ground Goop. Ground Goop will be the topic of another post, which I hope to do much sooner than the gap from the last post!