Still amazed at how much you get done! You do in a day what takes me a month!!!! Love seeing the next generation moving our hobby forward. Carry on!!!😊👍
Thanks! You'll have to keep in mind that this was filmed over the course of a year or more, so I'm not THAT fast haha. I appreciate the praise, nonetheless. -Cam
This layout has quickly become on my top 5 all time list and I’ve been in the hobby since high school and I graduated in 1995. So over 30 years and counting.
The better technique (hold up longer without cracking) is to use a contoured foam stack for the base. After you carve the mountain's general shape, then apply a thin shell of plaster cloth where you want ground cover, and rock molds for the detail of the rock cliffs. I actually have three mountain scenes on my layout, two were done with this carved foam method, and one with the cardboard lattice method. The contoured foam method is holding up much better, I've had to repair cracks on the other section several times (and need to do it again).
Hey Cam... awesome job.. quick tip for shaping foam... use a Stanley brand Shure Foam Hand Planer.. it makes a little bit of mess, but you can smooth out the cut lines from the hot wire... keep up the good work...
I am enjoying seeing on several channels like this one is that some things haven't changed from 55 years ago when I was a child, if you can mold it use it nobody's gonna see whats underneath. 😊😊 One of my most favorite ways to stiffen things up was wood glue lightly thinned with alcohol, the alcohol caused the glue to dry faster. I was kinda impatient as a child. 😁
Haha yeah sometimes simple, cheap, and easy is the way to go! And a bit of isopropyl is a good idea. It would definitely give the glue less time to bead up and run, which I did have happen occasionally. Thanks for sharing! -Cam
Excellent work! I loved the methods you used in creating your mountains, especially with the use of painters paper. I will defiantly use this same method as well. Thank you for sharing!
I like how you just build over previous scenery. I would have not thought like that - I would have ripped it out to start fresh but this method saves a ton of time.
I used screen wire (metal type) and stapled to the wood. Then plaster on top to make the desired contours, painted over with earth-color paint, foam cover, etc. I modeled parts of the California desert, so it came out really nice. I really like your layout, and your realistic operation. Keep up the good work!! 👏👏👏
excellent video, very well explained. Your method is very good and it seems quite easy. The painting job you do is very important. Congratulations , take care
Cam your appearance on Second section podcast last night was very motivating. You showed me some great ideas and now I have some binge watching to do. I can't wait. Keep up the good work. Mike
Looks great, very satisfying to see the transformation taking place. I’ve used the cardboard lattice, with plaster cloth and then sculptamold method on my Cajon Pass layout but I’m definitely going to try the paper method you shared in some spots now. Thanks for sharing. - Steve
@@railfan220 Cam, tried your method on some spots and like it so far. Haven’t got as far as painting and scenery but just the brown paper and wood glue is very sturdy. Thanks again. - Steve
I like to stack pink 2" foam sheets and make the mountains solid so I can move them if I want to.yes it's a bit costly but if you ever have to move your layout it makes it so much easier.
The results are what counts and not how they're arrived at. And your results are great! I've always avoided the cardboard web method, however. For me I find it too "fiddley". But building an entire mountain with foam requires a lot of expensive material. Shaping and carving the foam produces a lot of messy waste. Nearly all my experience has been with club sized layout building. When building a mountain ridge 30 feet long and 3 to 4 feet high, you come to favor methods which move along quickly. It's not in wide favor and may seem "old school" these days, but I like to use chicken wire. It goes up quickly and I feel it allows greater control to shape mountain formations. (I like rugged mountains.) I use plaster cloth to cover the wire. Most rock formations are cast in place using rock molds I've made.
I definitely avoided the cardboard lattice method at first because it seemed like too much work and too soft. I've since come around to the idea (obviously), but I like the idea of using wire. Seems like it would be nice and sturdy and easy to mold, like you say. Thanks for sharing! -Cam
I normally do foam with sculptamold for my scenery base, but have done shell type bases before, and would probably do that for any large scenery projects since it would be easier. I mainly like having the foam so there is more support for tree trunks and that kind of thing, but if there is a thicker coating of plaster or sculptmold on top of whatever shell you have that works fine too. In the past I have done shell type scenery and then done puff-ball type trees as a base, and then super trees glued into the puff ball base for extra support and that worked well too. Anyway, love the progress! Things are moving along.
Interesting. I do certainly prefer the foam for planting trees. I've managed with the paper shell, but the trees feel less "rooted" for sure. Thanks for sharing! -Cam
[thank, you for you're great video. mountains I have not decide how I im. going to go with making the mountains yet on my 24x50ft ho-scale model railroad yet]👍
Hi Cam! In the past I mainly used cardboard or foam board for the contours and then applied fiberglass screen over the top. For the covering I used ether squares of newspaper buttered with joint compound or more recently plaster cloth. The thick paper covered with wood glue looks a lot faster! Will give that a try going forward!
I used Scuptamold. Newspaper impregnated with sculptamold draped over crumped up newspaper to produce a shell over which I used thicker amounts of Scultamold. I used some rock casting but most of my detail was hand carved. I used dollar store acrylic paints to paint the plaster. Zip texturing, static grass and scratch built trees completed my ,mountains.
excellent tour and class on doing your scenery. i learned a few things however pink foam is not readily available in my neck of the woods so i used plaster castings for rocks. ps, I really like your layout.
@@railfan220 I had a friend who made his own molds . He gave me some but they are shallow and not sure what the outcome will be. It's worth a try and with your great scenery why not.
I’ve used the lattice method too. After my first attempt at it, which involved scrounging up cardboard, cutting the strips and sometimes my fingers. When I decided to use the strip method again I took the easy way out and ordered ready made strips from MicroMark😊
Haha yeah there have certainly been times when I wish I remembered to leave my fingers out of the scissors. Pre-cut strips would remove a lot of that risk. -Cam
Oh an old friend Brian Stewart has a big N Scale layout. His dad worked for the SP a lot if years. On the cardboard he'd just spray watered down glue on to like bounty paper towels. They harden and this is the another way I've seen scenery done.
amazing work, loving the paper idea more.. seems like it would be alittle faster then using the foam. For me I build dioramas right now and I want to learn how carve and paint rocks from foam but honestly I have no idea where to even begin.
Looks great. Question on your atlas signals... what resistor do you use inline for the red, yellow and green led's? Atlas is very unclear on what resistor should be used in line!! thanks, Kurt
Nice to know that rule G does not apply to scenery work. Most of the time i use pink foam for track base and scenery, using minimal plaster. I've used beaded foam too, but that requires plaster to hide the beads. I like foam for holding trees. The size of your mountains justifies the cheaper cardboard and paper method. I'm consider the media for my large home layout, foam has gotten quite expensive. What kind of paper did you use? Sorry could not pick out what you said on video. I think Joe fugate used rosin paper, but you'd looks different. Please show how you install trees, how you make the hole and glue as that is my greatest concern with paper method.
Thanks! I can't believe I forgot to mention in the video that I use a big roll of contractors paper I got a the hardware store. I can't remember the exact product, but I picked something that is decently thick...similar to red rosin paper. And thus far I've just been stabbing the trees into the paper shell without gluing. I make my trees, and they have a pointy metal end. So I'll make a tiny hole with a razor blade to get things started, and then push the tree in. They tend to just grab, and it helps when you have a decent density of trees since they support each other. Thanks for the comment! -Cam
Interesting video. Question: I have never really used the white glue and paper method before. Do you dilute the glue with water? Also, is that the regular type white glue (like Elmer's) or another type as it looks a light tan type color on my computer? Thanks and well done video. Phil Jersey Shore Area
Good stuff my guy... quick question, I've been watching since you're beginnings & just don't have the time to go that far back to check, lol, was wondering what your square footage is... I'm getting ready to finally plan a build in my garage & this at least appears to be around the same space I'll have to work with, I also think at least I see your not worried about 2ft aisles?... me neither... lol... anyway, just wondering what your sq footage to build is...
Haha I'm in a 12'x28' space, but most of the layout is basically contained within a 10'x24' space. You can peek at the track plan here: facebook.com/railfan220/posts/pfbid026MhLeMbePvPStrvdjytXc1Df4LVpHFJ1CXUf5QhcfuWfYVKWNHqm1ASPzqpoTYTdl And I definitely have some tight pinch points that are about 24" wide...if I made the layout again I think I would avoid that. I like how much mainline I was able to cram into the space, but I think I value the ability to stand back from the model and take in a bigger vista. It's hard to get away from being trackside on this layout, which was the goal when I started. I just think my priorities have changed. -Cam
Thanks! Apologies that I didn't mention it in the video, but I'm using Trimaco contractor paper. I don't know the density/thickness, but I just picked something at the hardware store that seemed robust enough to not sag but not so thick that you can't bend and crumple it well. I know many others use red rosin paper, but I couldn't find it at the store. And the roll I got comes with a lot of paper. I'll never run out. -Cam
Use white foam boards you can get for free so much around. Hot knife to shape it paint to color. Cal coat 127 insulstion material to fill in were needed. There is part 2 to this video. White foam ruclips.net/video/T3s4x63wi1E/видео.htmlfeature=shared
Still amazed at how much you get done! You do in a day what takes me a month!!!! Love seeing the next generation moving our hobby forward. Carry on!!!😊👍
Thanks! You'll have to keep in mind that this was filmed over the course of a year or more, so I'm not THAT fast haha. I appreciate the praise, nonetheless.
-Cam
"moderately drunk" lol Glad to hear i'm not the only one who enjoys running model trains with a couple beverages
That state of awarenes always results in more realistic steep mountains!
This layout has quickly become on my top 5 all time list and I’ve been in the hobby since high school and I graduated in 1995. So over 30 years and counting.
Thank you! That really means a lot, and I greatly appreciate your viewership.
-Cam
👍👍👍
@@railfan220 how old are you sir if you don’t mind me asking ?
Thank you for sharing your techniques for making the mountains, obviously we can all learn from different ways and your mountain scenery is top notch.
Wonderful, beautiful layout, I can't stop watching your channel!! The detail, the design just blows me away.
Thank you! I really appreciate the kind words, and I'm more than happy that you're enjoying the videos.
-Cam
Great video. Would love to see one on how you carve the pink foam to resemble rock. Looks incredibly life like.
Thanks! That is a video I'm working on producing. I'll have that one out soon (might be the next construction video...we'll see).
-Cam
Nice video. Very detailed. I love how you painted the mountains on the background. I look forward to that video.
Thanks! That video is being uploaded tonight!
-Cam
Beautiful layout.
Very realistic.
Very good . Thanks for sharing. 👍👍👍 Jeff.
The better technique (hold up longer without cracking) is to use a contoured foam stack for the base. After you carve the mountain's general shape, then apply a thin shell of plaster cloth where you want ground cover, and rock molds for the detail of the rock cliffs. I actually have three mountain scenes on my layout, two were done with this carved foam method, and one with the cardboard lattice method. The contoured foam method is holding up much better, I've had to repair cracks on the other section several times (and need to do it again).
Hey Cam... awesome job.. quick tip for shaping foam... use a Stanley brand Shure Foam Hand Planer.. it makes a little bit of mess, but you can smooth out the cut lines from the hot wire... keep up the good work...
Good idea! Thanks for sharing.
-Cam
Great work ! Hard foam board is by far my favorite to sculpt.
Nice scenery work, paper shell always works.
I am enjoying seeing on several channels like this one is that some things haven't changed from 55 years ago when I was a child, if you can mold it use it nobody's gonna see whats underneath. 😊😊
One of my most favorite ways to stiffen things up was wood glue lightly thinned with alcohol, the alcohol caused the glue to dry faster. I was kinda impatient as a child. 😁
Haha yeah sometimes simple, cheap, and easy is the way to go! And a bit of isopropyl is a good idea. It would definitely give the glue less time to bead up and run, which I did have happen occasionally. Thanks for sharing!
-Cam
Excellent work! I loved the methods you used in creating your mountains, especially with the use of painters paper. I will defiantly use this same method as well. Thank you for sharing!
beautiful layout
I like how you just build over previous scenery. I would have not thought like that - I would have ripped it out to start fresh but this method saves a ton of time.
Great video , very handy for a new person to the hobby or as you guys would say a rookie, very helpful indeed.🇦🇺👍
what a beautiful layout!
looks Great i Think you nailed it there are a half a dozen ways but i like wat you are doing thx for sharing😊😊👍👍.
Nice 👍👍 Strictly pink foam for me.
I used screen wire (metal type) and stapled to the wood. Then plaster on top to make the desired contours, painted over with earth-color paint, foam cover, etc. I modeled parts of the California desert, so it came out really nice. I really like your layout, and your realistic operation. Keep up the good work!! 👏👏👏
I think wire screen would be fun to work with. Thanks for sharing!
-Cam
excellent video, very well explained. Your method is very good and it seems quite easy. The painting job you do is very important. Congratulations , take care
Thats impressive
Cam your appearance on Second section podcast last night was very motivating. You showed me some great ideas and now I have some binge watching to do. I can't wait. Keep up the good work.
Mike
Thanks, Mike! It was so fun to be on the show and interact with you all. Thanks for stopping by!
-Cam
Great job!!
Great video! Also enjoyed your episode on the Second Section. Nice to know another model railroader is near by.
Thanks! Glad you caught that episode. Are you near/outside of Indianapolis?
-Cam
@@railfan220 I’m in Fishers.
Looks great, very satisfying to see the transformation taking place. I’ve used the cardboard lattice, with plaster cloth and then sculptamold method on my Cajon Pass layout but I’m definitely going to try the paper method you shared in some spots now. Thanks for sharing. - Steve
Thanks, Steve! You can't go wrong with that sturdy method.
-Cam
@@railfan220 Cam, tried your method on some spots and like it so far. Haven’t got as far as painting and scenery but just the brown paper and wood glue is very sturdy. Thanks again. - Steve
Nice video of your process, Cam! Thanks for posting these "how to" videos. - Brian
Thanks for watching, Brian!
-Cam
I like to stack pink 2" foam sheets and make the mountains solid so I can move them if I want to.yes it's a bit costly but if you ever have to move your layout it makes it so much easier.
Very informative thanks for the ideas
The results are what counts and not how they're arrived at. And your results are great! I've always avoided the cardboard web method, however. For me I find it too "fiddley". But building an entire mountain with foam requires a lot of expensive material. Shaping and carving the foam produces a lot of messy waste. Nearly all my experience has been with club sized layout building. When building a mountain ridge 30 feet long and 3 to 4 feet high, you come to favor methods which move along quickly. It's not in wide favor and may seem "old school" these days, but I like to use chicken wire. It goes up quickly and I feel it allows greater control to shape mountain formations. (I like rugged mountains.) I use plaster cloth to cover the wire. Most rock formations are cast in place using rock molds I've made.
I definitely avoided the cardboard lattice method at first because it seemed like too much work and too soft. I've since come around to the idea (obviously), but I like the idea of using wire. Seems like it would be nice and sturdy and easy to mold, like you say. Thanks for sharing!
-Cam
I normally do foam with sculptamold for my scenery base, but have done shell type bases before, and would probably do that for any large scenery projects since it would be easier. I mainly like having the foam so there is more support for tree trunks and that kind of thing, but if there is a thicker coating of plaster or sculptmold on top of whatever shell you have that works fine too. In the past I have done shell type scenery and then done puff-ball type trees as a base, and then super trees glued into the puff ball base for extra support and that worked well too. Anyway, love the progress! Things are moving along.
Interesting. I do certainly prefer the foam for planting trees. I've managed with the paper shell, but the trees feel less "rooted" for sure. Thanks for sharing!
-Cam
[thank, you for you're great video. mountains I have not decide how I im. going to go with making the mountains yet on my 24x50ft ho-scale model railroad yet]👍
Great job. I have been using foam. It is pretty messy but works. I do like your way also. I might have to try it.
Very nice video
Hi Cam! In the past I mainly used cardboard or foam board for the contours and then applied fiberglass screen over the top. For the covering I used ether squares of newspaper buttered with joint compound or more recently plaster cloth. The thick paper covered with wood glue looks a lot faster! Will give that a try going forward!
Interesting! I've never heard of a fiberglass screen scenery shell, but that's a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
-Cam
I used Scuptamold. Newspaper impregnated with sculptamold draped over crumped up newspaper to produce a shell over which I used thicker amounts of Scultamold. I used some rock casting but most of my detail was hand carved. I used dollar store acrylic paints to paint the plaster. Zip texturing, static grass and scratch built trees completed my ,mountains.
Cool! I really like the zip texturing method. It's incredible how cheaply you can make a ton of dirt that's perfectly colored for your prototype.
-Cam
excellent tour and class on doing your scenery. i learned a few things however pink foam is not readily available in my neck of the woods so i used plaster castings for rocks. ps, I really like your layout.
Thanks, Mark! I really appreciate it. I almost used castings. In the future I think I'd like to make my own molds and try that out.
-Cam
@@railfan220 I had a friend who made his own molds . He gave me some but they are shallow and not sure what the outcome will be. It's worth a try and with your great scenery why not.
I’ve used the lattice method too. After my first attempt at it, which involved scrounging up cardboard, cutting the strips and sometimes my fingers. When I decided to use the strip method again I took the easy way out and ordered ready made strips from MicroMark😊
Haha yeah there have certainly been times when I wish I remembered to leave my fingers out of the scissors. Pre-cut strips would remove a lot of that risk.
-Cam
Oh an old friend Brian Stewart has a big N Scale layout. His dad worked for the SP a lot if years. On the cardboard he'd just spray watered down glue on to like bounty paper towels. They harden and this is the another way I've seen scenery done.
I was moderately drun- *subscribed*
amazing work, loving the paper idea more.. seems like it would be alittle faster then using the foam. For me I build dioramas right now and I want to learn how carve and paint rocks from foam but honestly I have no idea where to even begin.
Thanks! I will be making a video on carving and painting foam rocks, so be on the lookout for that. It's really quite simple.
-Cam
I used cardboard to shape then foam . Then newspaper and plaster cloth and then real rocks. Then secenry coloring
Love your method! What do you use for dirt and rocks on your hillside? It looks amazing!
Looks great. Question on your atlas signals... what resistor do you use inline for the red, yellow and green led's? Atlas is very unclear on what resistor should be used in line!! thanks, Kurt
Nice to know that rule G does not apply to scenery work. Most of the time i use pink foam for track base and scenery, using minimal plaster. I've used beaded foam too, but that requires plaster to hide the beads. I like foam for holding trees. The size of your mountains justifies the cheaper cardboard and paper method. I'm consider the media for my large home layout, foam has gotten quite expensive. What kind of paper did you use? Sorry could not pick out what you said on video. I think Joe fugate used rosin paper, but you'd looks different. Please show how you install trees, how you make the hole and glue as that is my greatest concern with paper method.
ditto on how trees are installed on paper.
Thanks! I can't believe I forgot to mention in the video that I use a big roll of contractors paper I got a the hardware store. I can't remember the exact product, but I picked something that is decently thick...similar to red rosin paper. And thus far I've just been stabbing the trees into the paper shell without gluing. I make my trees, and they have a pointy metal end. So I'll make a tiny hole with a razor blade to get things started, and then push the tree in. They tend to just grab, and it helps when you have a decent density of trees since they support each other. Thanks for the comment!
-Cam
Interesting video.
Question: I have never really used the white glue and paper method before. Do you dilute the glue with water?
Also, is that the regular type white glue (like Elmer's) or another type as it looks a light tan type color on my computer? Thanks and well done video.
Phil
Jersey Shore Area
I use the pink foam stack method 😊
It's fun for sure! Very satisfying once it's all carved up.
-Cam
hello railfan220 it's is randy and i like yours video is cool thanks friends randy
Good stuff my guy... quick question, I've been watching since you're beginnings & just don't have the time to go that far back to check, lol, was wondering what your square footage is... I'm getting ready to finally plan a build in my garage & this at least appears to be around the same space I'll have to work with, I also think at least I see your not worried about 2ft aisles?... me neither... lol... anyway, just wondering what your sq footage to build is...
Haha I'm in a 12'x28' space, but most of the layout is basically contained within a 10'x24' space. You can peek at the track plan here: facebook.com/railfan220/posts/pfbid026MhLeMbePvPStrvdjytXc1Df4LVpHFJ1CXUf5QhcfuWfYVKWNHqm1ASPzqpoTYTdl
And I definitely have some tight pinch points that are about 24" wide...if I made the layout again I think I would avoid that. I like how much mainline I was able to cram into the space, but I think I value the ability to stand back from the model and take in a bigger vista. It's hard to get away from being trackside on this layout, which was the goal when I started. I just think my priorities have changed.
-Cam
Thanks for the reply man. Keep going.
Great work! Been working on my layout myself lately and was just curious, what type of paper do you use for the hills/mountains?
Thanks! Apologies that I didn't mention it in the video, but I'm using Trimaco contractor paper. I don't know the density/thickness, but I just picked something at the hardware store that seemed robust enough to not sag but not so thick that you can't bend and crumple it well. I know many others use red rosin paper, but I couldn't find it at the store. And the roll I got comes with a lot of paper. I'll never run out.
-Cam
Use white foam boards you can get for free so much around. Hot knife to shape it paint to color. Cal coat 127 insulstion material to fill in were needed. There is part 2 to this video. White foam ruclips.net/video/T3s4x63wi1E/видео.htmlfeature=shared
Good thoughts! In many ways I'd imagine the white foam is easier to work with than pink insulation foam.
-Cam
Give Cam a SWUI, Scenery Work Under Influence.
It not going to be the final time. I read in model railraoder as a kid. Layouts are never done until you go winter!😂🎉
are you fixing it to the wall ? :/ what will happen when you 'll have to move the layout ?
Unfortunately, this layout is a permanent installation. So if the house gets sold, it stays or gets ripped out.
-Cam
Was wondering bout ir layout size and what not?? I'm doing small room layout looking for ideas. Thank u
The layout is 12' x 28'. I have a minimum radius of 26". There are some other details you can look at in my channel description. Hope that helps!
-Cam
Geodesic foam by bragdon enterprises for mountains...
Why don't you check with your local recycling center for cardboard and paper.
I certainly didn't buy cardboard. It was all recycled from material we had at the house. Good suggestion.
-Cam
Hi
I use aluminum window screen