updated 18 February 2001

When I began building my module I was not sure what I wanted it to represent. I just knew that it would represent the Illinois Central Railroad in Kentucky, and that I wanted to have much terrain and scenery elements.

The picture on the right is where I was after the main construction process. I owe much thanks to Don Fowler and Gary Metcalf for helping me in the carpentry effort. It is basically a wooden frame with three layers of two inch foam to create of a total of six inches of sculptural terrain below the track level.

After bringing the module home in this condition, I had to figure out what I would do with it before I could take the next step. I had read articles where people do miniature mock-ups and thought they were quite neat. But I had never done that before, so I decided to give it a shot.

The following four images are views of the mock-up. I discovered the modeling clay to be a great medium for this process. Changes are so quick to implement and you can sort of brainstorm in 3D.

Notice the small bridge for the road below the tracks that follows the contour of the river. My white trees,... just imagine them being green. :^) Due to the confusion of earlier viewers, I must mention that this clay mockup is 1/10 the size of the actual module. This puts the mockup at less than five inches long.

Although it would have been nice to have cut the terrain contour in the fascia before the main carpentry was done, I opted to assemble it first. (Mainly because I don't have a good workshop and I was anxious to get it home.) It took some doing, but I was pleased with the end result of the fascia contour cut. I used a Dremel tool with a "Saber Bit". It looks like a drill bit but cuts like a saw. This allowed me to cut any curve while changing the angle of the cut as I went. Click on the image at right for a closeup of the angled cut.

At this point I had a perfectly flat piece of foam six inches thick. This was the best time to lay my roadbed for the railroad tracks. I decided to use Homabed roadbed. This is a roadbed product made from Homasote. I thought that this would be the best product for handlaying track. Cementing the Homabed to the foam was an easy process with carpenter's glue.

This is where the messy part of foam sculpting usually comes into play. But, I have eliminated al lof the mess of foam sculpting by building my own simple "hot knife" out of six "D" cell batteries, a 6 volt lantern battery, and some small gauge wire. This is the tool I used for the beginning sculpting. I will later describe my tool for detail work.

When I first brought the module home, the foam was about an extra 1/4 inch taller than the wood frame. So my first version was a four foot long hot knife so that I could cut a thin sheet off of the entire module. If you look closely at the large version of the first image you can see the marks of the "Xtra jumbo hot knife". It worked perfectly to give me a smooth perfectly level top surface for my roadbed.

As I began creating the river cavity, I harvested the larger chunks of foam to add some terrain above the track level. The foam bridge pieces are just mock-ups to give me an idea of space while I'm contouring the river.

The above photos show the different stages of sculpting from two different angles. The detail sculpting was achieved with a high power soldering gun with a 12 gauge copper wire that I used as a bit. I was able to use the gun in one hand, and WITH A LEATHER GLOVE in the other I could reshape the wire in between cuts to get the shape I needed. This method proved to be so easy and mess free. It does smell a bit, so I took it outside just for the smell factor. A nice byproduct of this carving method yields a harder shell on the newly revealed foam which makes it tougher for potential dents.

With all of the foam sculpting completed, I gave it a base coat of latex paint the color of earth, and painted the carpentry a flat black. It is amazing the difference a little paint makes. I also made some shorter legs than what will later be used. These legs are shorter so that I can work on the module at a comfortable level, and it will store under a window without obstructing the view.

February 2000
                                                                                                      Click on each photo for a larger version

Now became the trick of timing everything in the correct order of construction. I can't lay the track until the bridges are installed, and the bridges can't be installed until the bridge abutments are in place. But the bridge abutments can't be placed until the bridges have been built so that I can place them at the correct height and distance apart.

I built the bridges and the abutments. And used the bridges to measure the location of the abutments. After installing the abutments, I am now working on the rockwork. I want to be able to completely scenic the riverbed before installing the bridges so that I can easily get to everything and won't have the problem of damaging the bridges.

As you can see from the photo to the right, I have sculpted and painted the rock face below the tracks on the front of the module. I am now focussing on the riverbed.

The two photos below show the riverbed with the rock work sculpted and the base coat of dark brown to resemble the mud in the bottom of the riverbed. I am currently trying to decide how much of a water effect I want to create. I was originally thinking that I wanted a dry riverbed, but now I am thinking I would like to simulate a one scale foot of river flow.

The four photos below show some close-ups of some of the rock work. The first one shows the "raw" unpainted rockwork. Some of my rockwork is cast, and some of it is carved on location. You can also see my ties are already laid. Since my track will be handlaid, I had to lay the ties at this time so that I could match up the elevation of the bridges before installing the abutments.

The other three images above just show some of the finished rock work before any vegetation, and details are added. The fourth photo shows some of the detail I have been able to achieve with acrylic paint and drybrushing. Be sure to click on this image to get the larger version. I have placed a clothes pin on the rock to give you a sense of scale. My little digital camera was about two inches from the rock face for this image.

For me scenery is the part that gives me the most enjoyment. I am enjoying the exploration of trying out some materials and techniques that I have never tried before. Although, I am anxious to have the module operable, I don't want to rush it and do something half way, so I am taking my time, having a blast, and learning as I go.

February 2001
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Wow, a whole year has passed since I have updated this particular webpage. I have enjoyed trying the new techniques and materials applied in this project.

The image to the right and the image below it are overall views of the status of my module at this point in its construction. Yes, the scenery is starting to now look actually like scenery. No more bare foam, homasote, or rock castings. The track is now ballasted and the bridges are installed.

I did manage to show the module for the first time in January 2001 at our local GATS (Great American Train Show) exhibit. It was connected for the first time to other modules from our club and ran well. I anxiously watched as I saw each of the three tracks transport its first train safely across its bridges.

I still have a long way to go with the details. At this point there are only six trees installed and they are small ones. It will eventually be overtaken with deep woods and 200 year old trees and much underbrush. I will be using BranchBunches from ScaleTree.com for most of the materials to replicate the trees and undergrowth.

The photos below show the finished riverbed rock work, stone abutments, and bridge piers. The first two show the beginnings of the latex gel gloss medium being applied to the river bottom to simulate the water in the rushing stream. The third photo shows some detail of where the bridges will be installed and where the dirt road will go. The last picture in the set shows a close up view of the look being achieved with the gel gloss medium for water.

After installing the bridges, a good weathering was in order to give them a sense of permanence. I also added the backdrop prior to the first show. In the future, the backdrop will have panoramic scenery photography attached, but for right now, blue is better than the surrounding room.

After completing the riverbed and installing the bridges, I was able to focus on some of the upper land. This is where I wanted to experiment with using some new materials for ground cover. since my module represents the backwoods of Central Kentucky, I knew a manicured lawn was out of the question. I needed tall overgrown weeds to be the dominant grown cover.

When I was 10 years old in 1975, I experimented with this idea by using a scrap cut from my train room (the attic) rug (see archived image from the Pine Valley Railroad ). My attempt was successful back then, but I wanted to refine the idea and technique further. For this module I used a product that is still being devloped by ScaleTree.com that is sort of a highly refined fake fur for the tall weeds. It also helps to hide any defects in the terrain and in the mounting of rocks and abutments, and keeps the lanscape flowing. Although the images are a bit blurry, and the florescent lights certainly tainted the colors, they will give you an idea of how the developmental product is turning out to be a viable option.

The next two photos below show how the rock work, bushes, trees, and tall weeds are starting to work together to get a good mix of the textures that are found in nature. Although it is shaping up, this area will have many more trees to fill in much of the foreground.

This next image is the last image for this installment of this article. I am pleased with the effect of this image because to me, the module is starting to evoke a sense of nastalgia with the meandering dirt road under weathered railroad bridges and limestone abutments.

I am having fun seeing how each of my planned out "photo opp" locations keeps getting better and better. One of the goals of this module is to be able to take photos without any straight edge module front getting in the way. So far, so good.

I will continue to update this page as progress continues. If you would like to be notified when the updates are made, just email me and let me know. If I notified you of this update, then you are already on the list.