Now that  have my main yard track in place, I can start thinking about filling in some of the structures and details.  The photo below shows an area with a spur I would like to put in some sort of scrap yard to park a couple of gondola's for unloading or loading - not a lot of room for buildings there except maybe a small yard office building or shed and some fencing to surround the end of the spur.

The largest area is in the foreground between the fascia and the single track spur - probably about 5 inches between the spur and the yard lead thats behind it.

Given that I'm modelling a relatively remote, difficult to access part of the world, that few others model (except you, Tim...), it can be a challenge to get an idea about how to do the scenery.  I'm currently on a work trip to a different part of northern Canada than I model, however there are similarities to the topography and forest cover that I model.  I'm taking advantage of my ability to wander around the bush - no one calls it the forest except tourists - to cast my eye about, looking at how I can capture the look of the land around me on a layout. 

After watching TMTV's series on painting backdrops with Chris Lyon, I gathered materials and gave it a shot.  For reference, my switching layout is N scale, five foot long by 18 inches wide, and the backdrop is 1/8" masonite that rises 12" above the foam.

Getting up close, you can see just how abstract it really is.

This week I'm looking at how to turn plastic into wood in a few easy steps.

See you next week

Kathy