When creating scenes, whether it be city, mountains, or rural areas, you will want grass, weeds, trees, etc. A typical modeler will want their layout to look as real as possible. So how do you go about doing that?
One nice thing about model railroading is that there are manufacturers that make landscape material. In fact, some of them make such a huge selection of it that sometimes you just don’t know what to get.
The first step is deciding what season of the year you want your layout to represent. Many modelers like the fall so they can use an array of yellows, reds, and oranges. Some like the summer for the light and deep greens. I have also seen layouts where modelers have divided the layout into sections, mixing two or more seasons divided by a mountain or a wall. Before you start buying ground cover, trees, and such, you need to decide on the season you are going to model.
There are many places to get scenery material from:
- From your local hobby store, if you have one.
- Online hobby stores.
- Arts and crafts stores.
There are many manufacturers that make all kinds of scenic material. One of the most popular manufacturers modelers use is called “Woodland Scenics.” You will find this brand in most hobby stores, and you can find it on the web. They have a huge selection of products to choose from, but I will warn you, although it’s not too expensive, it will still drain your budget pretty quickly.
You will be able to find everything from green and burnt grass to weeds and trees. You can find rock molds to create rocks, plaster, and paper mache to help create mountains, lakes, and ponds. If you can dream it, you can probably find the materials you need from Woodland Scenics.
Don’t limit yourself to just one manufacturer. I encourage you to take a trip to your local arts and crafts store. Many times you will find things that you didn’t even think of or find something you can use that is much cheaper.
I like to go to Hobby Lobby or Michael’s store. You have to be mindful of what you get, but many times you will find you get more for the same price as you would by purchasing it from Woodland Scenics. I purchase bags of paper mache from Hobby Lobby that I can’t find elsewhere.
The other thing to consider when doing scenery work is to check around your house, in junk drawers, the garage, etc. With a little imagination, you can take a vegetable can and turn it into a grain bin or silo. Taking an old round doorknob and creating a water tower with it. Empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls can be used for bridge supports or track supports and more. Everyday items, with a little imagination, can be transformed into some type of scenery, and it will save on your budget.
My wife calls my layout a repurposed layout because I find ways of reusing what most people would throw in the trash. For example, I use egg cartons; I cut them into chunks and use them for rocks on my mountains. I’ve taken styrofoam meat trays (after cleaning them first), cut them up, and put them in an old blender, painted them, and used them to make a rocky ground, or just cut them into strips and used them as a road.
The possibilities are endless if you use some imagination. For me, that’s part of the fun of modeling a railroad. The only thing that can stop me is if I stop dreaming.
When it comes to landscaping work, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on products when you probably already have most of what you need in your home.
Let your imagination out and let it go wild. You will be very surprised at what you can come up with.
Until next time,
Happy Landscaping!