To start, I first needed to complete the tree line that runs along the top if the rock ridges and spans between the 2 mountains in each corner of my layout. I had already previously painted trees onto the backdrop, however this did not suffice to represent the forest above the rock ridges, and definitely required more texture. These rock ridges are only about ¼ of an inch thick, so the pine trees needed to be literally attached directly to the backdrop. When building the tree armatures, I made sure the back sides of the trees were flat, which allowed the finished trees to be easily glued to the backdrop.
With the addition of actual model pine trees to the backdrop, I also added clumps of Woodland Scenics conifer green foliage directly to the painted trees, further adding texture and blending the painted trees in with the actual trees. The tops and faces of the rock bluffs were finished with various foliage, ground foam, bushes, and lichens.
The completion of the scenery around the road that passes under the warren-truss bridge and disappears into the background was also on the list to be completed. I started by temporarily removing the bridge so I could more easily access this area. I applied fine gray gravel to the shoulders of the roadway, then the normal cementing regiment of thinned glue and isopropyl alcohol. The next layer was earth coloured ground foam, followed by coarse turf and bushes, which I applied generously around the base of the bridge abutments.
While I had the bridge removed, I decided that it required a bit of an upgrade. I originally had to custom build the deck of the bridge using 3 Atlas bridge girder pieces to allow dual tracks to run over it, and used the truss supports from an Atlas warren-truss bridge kit, which I glued to the sides of the deck. I wasn’t happy with the design or look right from the beginning; the truss structure rubbed against rolling stock, and looked to be too small to support the double track.
I started by adding 3/8” wide styrene strips to each side of the deck, thus widening it by ¾” so trains would no longer rub on the support structure. I wanted the truss structure to also be enclosed over the top, which required raising the original Atlas warren truss supports. To do this, I built 1” risers out of styrene, which I then glued to the bottom of the trusses, following the angles of the original struts and bracing bars. The horizontal struts and bracing were also constructed out of styrene strips, which I built into t-girders for the main roof supports.
The truss system is not attached to the deck; but instead sits in 2 support slots that are located on the deck. I needed to build it this way so I could slide the deck back under the track-work as the track is no longer easily removable. The re-designed bridge was then sprayed flat black and lightly weathered with powdered pastels. I then simply slid the deck under the track and onto the abutments and place the superstructure into position.
Ballasting the rails was next, followed by weathering the center of the track with black powdered pastels and applying light vegetation and overgrowth between the double tracks (once the ballast was dry of course). The backdrop section of track and surrounding areas are the same type of mountainous scenery as the completed tunnel mountain, so I used the same methods as before to build up the scenery here (see my Scenery – Part I post).
I ran out of trees to fully complete the raised section of track leading up to the trestle, so I will need to finish this once I put more trees together. At this point I’m not sure what section of scenery I will tackle next; most likely the area in front of the single and double tunnel portals on the front of my mountain and the area right in front of the backdrop section I just completed. However, I am currently working on finishing my very first scratch built structure, which is a priority to complete in the next day or two.
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