So this chapter is dedicated to the building of this small N-gauge layout!
A climber on his steep way to the summit
And there Rocks and mountains on the model railway layout are an important topic, the whole thing in more detail.
Model making: How to build a mountain
At the foot of the rock wall secures his climbing buddy
Whether the climbing goes well?
. may think the miller in the background on his weir:
But maybe our miller is just a bean counter and thinks to himself: They must have been a bit sloppy when plastering the rock face, hm? And we have to agree with him a little bit. With a lot of imagination, the small square structures of the plaster tissue can be guessed here and there.
Meanwhile, up on the plateau:
The climb to the castle is arduous.
And the hiker still has a few meters of altitude to climb to the castle. As befits a castle, it sits majestically on a rocky plateau:
Meanwhile, down in the valley, a small local freight train is on the move. The castle itself (nice model by Faller, available here*) is a bit smaller than 1:160 in scale. This is good for the height effect. By the way, the castle is modeled on Lichtenstein Castle in the Swabian Alb. Nice detail: Faller sells the model as a "water castle". Although this appeals to a wider circle of buyers, it is not correct. The model is of course, as here, on a mountain. But that’s no problem at all, the base plate with the moat can be left out when assembling it.
"There were many stones and little bread" used to be a catchphrase on the barren plateaus of the Swabian Alb:
Life was correspondingly hard on the simple homesteads. The apple tree must not be missing.
Charming the tunnel portals at different elevations. Another look down the steep slope:
The road tunnel is a gauge N railroad tunnel, shortened a bit with the saw. And as it should be for a small mountain road, it is secured by a guard rail, rockfall warning included.
Building instruction model railroad mountain
Clear. Mountains and rocks are an eye-catcher on every model railroad. Spectacular bridges, wild gorges, romantic valleys, tunnels, avalanche galleries, alpine huts or a summit cross – here you can get to grips with the subject of Design really let off steam. In addition, hills hide things that no one wants to see on a model railway layout: technology, electrics, staging yard. Or, as in this case, a switchback loop. alpine regions are rather the exception due to lack of space. Mostly it is a low mountain range or just a hilly landscape.
Now you can make a rocket science out of it and reproduce each pebble or edelweiss individually and with faithful color shading. Emphasis on "skill. Or you do it like me: Build a model railroad in 7 days – fast, simple and also quite nice to look at! If you like my mining method: Following the Building instructions Step by step explained.
Make the mountain yourself: Classic method
The classic construction method consists of four steps and is a best practice:
- Creating the substructure: The rough form is prepared. Pin aluminum wire mesh over it
- Landscape& Rock modeling: The actual terrain skin is plastered
- PaintingThe mountain gets two base coats: black and gray
- Design: Granulation, greenery, vegetation and details
Allow for drying phases in the work process. And since it is Model construction acts, this Instructions for building in principle also for gauges H0, Z, TT and so on.
Quick& easy to build with the lid technique
The Lid technique is a particularly simple variant of the classic construction method. It is suitable for model railroaders, who – like me – do not like the notorious Railroad plate love.
Here the mountain is designed as a self-supporting component extra and then like a Hood The cover plate is placed on top of the base plate. The trick is that there is a central lid plate, which is one piece and cut to fit. This continuous plate ensures the accuracy of fit of the mountain component. Some torsional stiffness and stability is added:
Building mountains as a lid technique: clearly visible is the suitably cut carrier plate, quasi the "tunnel lid.
The cover plate rests on support strips, which have at least the height of the tunnel portals. In this case, these spacers were a tad higher, matching the level of the viaduct. The rest of the mountain is also built on this support plate:
Test fit: Sits, fits, has air. The mountain is already designed, the rest of the model railway layout on the other hand still remains in the naked shell stage. By the way, I have used the lid concept with success on other little projects:
>> Railroad plate with vineyard worth seeing (harbor project)
>> Cover construction at the "Gemogelten Kopfbahnhof"
Material check for summit strikers
Do you also want? The following are the building instructions in detail. At the beginning there is of course the necessary building material. As an "all-round carefree basic package" for the Mining I have you the direct product links right out:
// Commercial break mode on: If you like my website, you are welcome to honor that and click on the links marked with * and buy from Amazon (="advertising links*"). I receive then a small commission – thank you!
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The quick option for smaller slopes : Take the 3 meter rolls with 10 cm width : For rock modeling : RAL 7001 "silver gray" matt : As a spray can from the hobby accessories : Is needed for granulating. Explanation of this painting technique below! : To stick the green litter : As a green vegetation base : Brings some structure to the green vegetation base : As firs I like the ones from Busch very much. Tip: H0 pack, if necessarylls. shorten
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And what about special landscaping plaster or mining kits from model railroad supplies? My opinion: Basic material from hardware store accessories is also good, but cheaper.
But enough of the work preparation. Building a mountain in four steps – start with..
Beautiful mountains N scale!
Beautiful Mountains H0 Scale:
Step 1: Substructure
For the Substructure in principle, any material is suitable. Many model railroaders also use this method Styrodur. But I prefer to work classically with Wooden strips and frames, to create the rough shape of the mountain. About it Aluminum wire mesh pin or staple. Tip: Crumple the aluminum wire mesh beforehand, this creates structures. For smaller corners or slopes I also like to use Plug-in foam, as you know it from the flower shop.
The Substructure does not have to be particularly stable or accurately worked, as plaster is self-supporting once it has hardened. For accuracy of fit provides yes the continuous cover plate. Only the tunnel portals must fit exactly. Nevertheless, this is the most time-consuming part, because already in this phase, in addition to the tunnels, bridges, roads and sites for castles, houses or mountain huts must be prepared. For mountain roads, especially serpentine roads, flexible material such as hard fiber or hard foam is well suited.
It makes sense to provide for intervention at the sides in the form of hatches.
Step 2: Modeling with plaster
Work in sections and cut the appropriate bandages beforehand. Several layers of plaster bandages are necessary, laid crosswise. Pass well, otherwise one sees later the fabric structure. In particularly exposed areas or steep slopes with Moltofill Modeling rocks with a small spatula.
For the terrain skin some modelers also take Paper mache. I prefer plaster.
Step 3: Painting / color
There are two base coats of paint: First black, then gray (RAL 7001 "silver gray"). Why? Thus, as a basis, a "rock gray" is created with depth effect. For this purpose, during the second painting, paint the gray color richly, but with a light stroke. In places where texture is desired, such as rugged rocky areas, steep slopes, or rugged terrain, simply let the black paint of the first coat show through a little here and there. Gentle alpine meadows or calmer slopes can be painted opaque in gray on the other hand.
Work from dark to light, not vice versa!
Also paint the tunnel portals completely in gray with. This makes the whole scene seem more organic. Who wants can color the tunnel portals later with an extra color. Sufficient for me Weathering of portals and walls simple black from the school paint box, very strongly diluted with water. The concept Washing is to be taken almost literally. Similar to a Glaze emphasizes the wall structures.
Step 4: Design& Finish
The finish consists of Granulation and Greening.
White paint is applied cursorily with an almost dry brush. The brush only touches the surface to be designed very lightly at highlighted points. This is how you set "highlights.
For granulating I used ivory as color here, because this color also fit very well for the gravel road.
For greening, first saturate the areas with grass glue. But not consistently. Here and there the rock gray may show through later on. Vertical rock faces are of course completely left out, at best some green vegetation lies on top of rock outcrops on rocky slopes. Then is scattered. For sprinkling, professionals use a sprinkling device that works on an electrostatic basis, such as this model from Faller *. The tea strainer method is enough for me.
Tip: The Play with size is a well-known Design trick, to create spatial distance. This is especially true for high mountains. So at the bottom plant large trees, with increasing height smaller trees. Experiment also with kits or accessories from different gauges. For example, buildings or figures in Z scale look quite good in high mountainous regions of an N scale model railroad layout. For this purpose, the trees in the valley or in the foreground may also be in H0 scale.