I'm debating whether to go with pink/blue foam board or use risers and subroadbed. The foamboard seems like it would be easier, but I'm intrigued by the risers.
But I just can't envision putting all that plaster cloth down to cover all the open spaces.
Can someone point me to photos of this being done. What alternatives are there to plaster cloth to fill in the gaps? Thanks.
Photos of application of terrain to open grid benchwork?
Re:Photos of application of terrain to open grid benchwork?
Ken,
What I do if I have a large gap is go back to the old method of using metal screen wire. Holds its shape better than wadded up newspaper or a web of cardboard strips. If its a real large area you may need a couple of risers to help support it. Then I use (once again an old method) newspaper strips soaked in plaster to cover it. You could use plaster cloth for this, which is a little faster.
Re:Photos of application of terrain to open grid benchwork?
Re:Photos of application of terrain to open grid benchwork?
Once again I put in my plug for Glueshell. Bits of brown washroom paper towel dipped in slightly thinned white glue and applied over a screen or newspaper in layers to build up a strong hard shell which is already earth colored. Ground foam can be applied directly over the last layer before it even dries! Fro more information, seek out articles by Iain Rice in Model Railroader Magazine.
Re:Photos of application of terrain to open grid benchwork?
I'm using blue styrofoam as my Unitrack base and white styrofoam in many locations for filling in and rockwork.
I had an area that I wasn'y happy with so I decided to change it radically.
The first photo shows the track layout before the change and the second photo shows the after result. This changeover took only a few hours including the time to paint the basic grey ground cover.
Of course there is still a lot of ground cover to install and ballasting to be done, but the ease of using styrofoam put me to this point very quickly so I could determine which scenery effect I liked better. Probably some would prefer the first photo, but I prefered the second effort.
The second photo shows a siding for storage of a pusher engine (preferably a steamer) at the top exit from the helix. This required installation of a coaling station and a water tower and a speeder station. This gives the layout more serving jobs for these utilities, so it makes the layout more interesting to operate on.
Large image #1
Large image #2
I'm using Unitrack, so changing the trackwork was not a problem.
:D
Foam on open grid............
CNGUY, I am wondering what you used to carve the foam with, it looks pretty good. I have some of the sheets that are 3/4 inch thick, it's a bunch of little beads fused together. When I try to cut or carve them I get little white foam beads all over the place. I guess what I need is closed cell foam?
Jacko
Extruded Foam
Hi Jacko,
It sounds like you're using the kind of foam that inexpensive coolers are made from. The pink or blue (depending on manufacturer, I forget which is which) extruded foam can easily be cut with a serrated knife and shaped with a hot wire cutter or a Surform plane. You'll still make a mess, but the extruded foam has much more structural integrity.
It's normally used for building insulation and can be hard to find in some warmer areas. In the San Francisco area, none of the big box home improvement stores carry it; I had to let my fingers do the walking through the construction/lumber supply stores before I found a source. Hope this helps.
Joined: 2007-05-14