East Branch Scenery Updates

A little bit of Pacific Northwest "Atmosphere"

In my last post I mentioned that the scenery on the East Branch staging had become a series of stumbling blocks that morphed into a gumption trap. Over the last week or so I have tried to work through them.

One area that had been bothering me was the road towards the east end of the East Branch. I had glued down cork sections for the road, but I was not really happy with them. As seen in the photo I applied a first layer of wallboard mud when I was adding sculptamold to the painted plywood last month. Even after sanding and painting with gray craft paint, I still was not pleased with how it looked. Trimming a too wide section of the curve was a step in the right direction. Another layer of joint compound, sanding, and painting . . . warmer, but not there yet.

Well, it was time for the scenery material du jour: sanded grout. I have been experimenting with sanded grout as a first layer, combing it with various other materials, and preparing a short clinic on using it. Here, I mixed up a dry batch of mainly gray sanded grout and some gray fine ballast from Woodland Scenics and used my now standard approach: white glue, grout mixture tapped from a spoon, isopropyl alcohol, and scenic cement. One issue with the cork road surface was the dip where the cork ended. I was able to disguise that with the grout mixture. While it is still not perfect, I am satisfied with the texture here on this gravel road.

As I mentioned before, I have been applying sanded grout as a first layer on a lot of the East Branch sceniced staging. In this photo I am applying a second layer over an area that appeared "too" soupy after the scenic cement was applied. Particularly when this second layer is a subtly different mix of grout colors or additives, this adds a variety of color and texture without impacting the overall unity of the scene. This is one of the kinds of scenic techniques that approach using elements and principles of art that Lance Mindheim discusses in his book, Model Railroading as Art. 

Two of the goals that I have for building this model railroad are to strive for the model railroad to function as a three dimensional art form and to capture the "atmosphere" of the Pacific Northwest. Yes, it is a model railroad and the trains are important, but maybe they aren't the top priority for me that they may be for some others.

With the goal of capturing some atmosphere, I tackled one area of the berm between the three dimensional benchtop and the backdrop. It already had a first layer of sanded grout applied, and I wanted to attempt to model a section of clearcut there. Using Google images I looked at a number of photos of clearcuts. I had some plaster stump moldings on hand and ordered some more. Using the older ones, I stained them with a dark gray wash and started arranging them in place. Once I was happy with their placement, I used some of my dry grout mixture to level their bases. In the photo one can see this leveling process. 

Having been exploring the look of clearcuts, I decided to expand on my first layer approach and move this scene into a more finished state. I explored using a spray/mister bottle to apply the alcohol wetting agent. Having noticed stray sticks of various sizes abandoned among the stumps in the photos, along with rocks and some greenery, that is what I tried to model. I had a box of grayish (I think oregano) branches that I had collected from our garden in Meadville, and I got into my tub of scenery materials to find some static grass clumps and other foliage. Placing them on the damp grout, I then applied scenic cement.  The end results can be seen in the opening photo of this post. 

Having gotten started, I am enjoying the process. Next up, I envision the clearcut area doubling, exploring with static grass mats and static grass applicator, getting into my box of trees, and ballasting the track. I just watched a couple of videos of model railroaders stating that having one section of completed scenery inspired them to be enthused about their railroad.