Scenery Levels - Improving the enjoyment of my Richlawn Railroad

Here are some examples:

Level 1 (or zero?)  Blue foam - Yuck

Adding some color using ZIP texture for dirt - Level 2?

The area with ground foam foliage mats - perhaps Level 3

This area is UBF (Ugly Blue Foam)  I did start some hills (tan colored) by the wall

Level 3!  Much better!

Right now I'm working on the Hoovertown module to cover the blue foam in the back left corner.  It will go in as a Level 3 for future work.  This way I won't get bogged down detailing it so I can move on!

Ditto!

Rick,

What you are describing here is exactly the way I try to work on my layout. I doubt that I will ever get to level 5 as you describe it on my layout, mainly due to time and budget constraints. But if I can get to a point where the basic scenery is in and it provides an enjoyable background for operations, I'm content. 

I think the problem you describe of getting everything super detailed before moving on to another section of the layout, might be the weakness of the module approach to building a layout. I know modules could be built with just the basic necessities installed before moving on to the next module. But that doesn't seem like what I hear many talking about. It seems like most people talk about bringing a module to a high (level 5) degree of completion before moving on. I wonder how many of them will get stuck on the first few modules, and as a result never get to completing the "whole" layout they were shooting for as their goal.

Great subject. I'm sure your comments will spark lots of good discussion. Thanks for bringing it up!

Rick that looks great. Your

Rick that looks great. Your skill with scenery is top drawer. You are setting the bar high my friend, hopefully the rest of us do as well or close to it.

I agree...

A simple earth-colored base coat on everything really makes it look better. That and spray-bombing all the track. I can almost stop at that point and be satisfied, I'm here for the ops. They told me there would be ops.  

Randy

Level 4 & 5

The detail work can get bogged down real fast. My solution was to come up with a list of what I wanted. For structures I made a list of different parts, sides, roof, loading docks, surrounding area. Under each I put as complete a list of possibilities as I could come up with.

Take roofs...assume basic black styrene roof with no details. I list vents, chimneys, roof hatches, trash, figures, and anything else that could go on a roof. Depends on structure type and setting.

So when I wanted to do detail work I would check my list and pick one item and work on it for all the structures in the area, industrial or retail. Worked pretty well.

Jack

Paul K - thanks for sharing.

It's great to hear that others are facing (and dealing with) the same issues.

Thanks, Rob

I appreciate your kind words.  I consider myself to have average skill levels and enjoy learning from others.

Very Nice!

Nice scene!

Joe

I'm with you, Rick!

I have tried to create a very basic level of scenery on my layout and work in something like your "levels" concept. In fact your post motivated me to do some work on the part of my layout that needs to get to level 3. I'd call level 3 basic land forms/ground cover and some structures but no other details.

I don't work strictly in "levels" but I really like having the layout feeling like more or less a uniform whole.

Thanks for expressing a "theory" of layout development!

I too feel your pain Rick

Speaking only of scenery, Level 1 for me was painting ALL the foam a brown color. That did my heart more good than anything to not be staring at blue foam. At least it sorta kinda looked like a layout then. I am guessing Level 2 for me would be getting the buildings / structures in and arranging them to the track plan, and making adjustments in the track plan for the structures. Level 3 would be at least ground foam over the brown paint, with the addition of static grass for the steeper hillsides and to put some diversity in the " flat " landscape. I also work on getting some of my ditches and undulations in the terrain at that point. Level 4 would be getting the forms up for mountains, hills, valleys, larger topography and some of the trees that are going to be in the background, as well as the either painted or printed backdrops ( which could come earlier if the scenery or track is going to block it ). Level 5 would be the water, foreground detailed trees, roads, crossings, docks. I leave my track weathering and ballasting for somewhere in these last two Levels, no reason why....maybe because it is not one of my favorite things to do. Then at last on to the finishing stage : cars, trucks, people, dock clutter, fences, final weathering of everything, signs, billboards...etc.

NOW...with all that said....do I follow it...no. I get anxious, and start getting way out of sequence because I want to see how it is going to come out. Signs go up, people and cars come out, sidewalks get put in, well....you get my point. I think we all WANT to see a scene finished, and veer off course because it is in our brain to complete something and get that satisfaction from seeing what it will be. So maybe it is not completely tricked out, but we can envision what it will become, and that is good enough to keep us moving along. I admire the TOMA project, and think it is perfect for a lot of people, but I also want to see how EVERYTHING fits into the layout, and try and make it flow from one area to another. I enjoy watching you " level up " as you go along...and I think MANY of your scenes are beautiful...and complete. So carry on....don't be hard on yourself, after all...this is a hobby...and a beautiful one at that !

Michael

Rick

Just you removing the blue foam from your layout made a big difference , bit of grass some trees a dog here or there and things look different . Keep up the great work ?

45 degree C here just at the present . have not been in the train room for 3 days , another 2 days of

over 45 C heat , Cool change on Monday ?

Took 10 minutes to type this Post ( heat , signal dropping out , mobile phones the same .

Smokey Dawson      Australia

​ But we are alive and having Fun ? ? ?

Yeah I'm there too

You get to a certain point, leave the scenery as-is for now, and the next thing you know it's 2 years later and it's just as you left it.  Ya done got used to it and don't see it anymore.

This thread may, MAY, just be the spark I need to cover that yellow foam and white sculptamold from my layout.  I need a kick right about now!  Been too long!

I do have areas where there's ground paint and static grass, but no trees- and this is supposed to be an area (like near an interstate) where's there's sporadic trees/shrubs- should be quick and easy right?  I stopped too early!  The years, alas, they do keep a-comin'!

Well Smokey that is hotter

Well Smokey that is hotter than it gets here in my part of Texas, and I thought it got hot here.

Hot

Rob

I learnt the hard way , lay track in summer plus leave a gap and hope that it don't snow in winter like in 1966 ?

But we survived then , might survive I hope trains keep me going

Smokey Dawson         Australia

Scenery levels

Some good thoughts so far on levels of scenery. Thanks for starting the topic, Rick!

Although I only have a medium-sized layout, I try to cover the bare board quickly, even if it is only a mixture of green, brown and grey paint! Then I cover that with various scenic scatters, so perhaps that is my Level 2. This is followed by another layer of scenic scatter, along with telegraph poles, lighting etc, and after that comes static grass. That's probably where I am now, and is likely to be for a while. It looks right although I could add more detail, but it doesn't deter me from thinking that it acceptable.

@Rick....

In your last shot (which shows great scenery art, BTW) I noticed 2 round holes with what appear to be LED's in them.  What are those for and why are they where they are?  Thanks...........

Peter

Forgot!

Rick,

Rereading this thread I realized I forgot the most important thing in my earlier comment - Your layout looks absolutely fantastic! The scenery is to die for! Sorry for the oversight! In fact every time I look at your beautiful scenes I start drooling, which has really become annoying! I have to keep cleaning the track on my layout now  before I can run more trains!

With that oversight corrected, I'll add another thought here. When I focus on getting one task done over the whole layout, rather than many tasks on just one small section, I work much more efficiently. It takes more discipline to keep at a single task for a longer time like that, but there's a beneficial learning curve that takes place. After and hour or two of doing the same task, quite often I'll think of a new/different/more efficient way to accomplish it that probably wouldn't have happened otherwise.  

Peter - the two round holes that you see

Are control panels for my Singlet servos that work my turnouts, and in this picture the one on the right controls the servo that opens & closes the overhead door on the Palmer Asbestos structure.  Thank you for your kind words.

Here's a closer view of a panel before I added the ground foam.

I will have cover panel to completely hid the panels when I am throwing the turnouts using my throttle since they can be controlled by DCC.  Covering the panels would also be handy when having visitors that might be tempted to push the buttons.  You can read more about the panels by clicking HERE.

Thank you everybody

I appreciate you kind words and comments.

Nice Job

Your scenery looks great to me. 

@Rick....thanks for the clarification......

..........which brings me to another question.......your reasoning behind placing them horizontally in the layout vs on the fascia, the more common location?

Thanks again..............

Peter

Peter - I didn't want to

Peter - I didn't want to "deface" the fascia as it is a feature in itself.  Plus it makes them easier to conceal with lids covered with scenery.  

Got it Rick, I do remember..........

..........your posts about that neat fascia you made.  Reminds me of Tim Warris's Bronx Terminal I saw at the Amherst Show a few years ago.

thanks,

Peter

Looks amazing!

Terrific job, Rick, it looks amazing!