With the internet at our fingertips and You Tube a household term, it is now easy to learn several methods to build a realistic-looking railroad diorama. Prior to having other people's knowledge just a click away, we die-hard miniature railroad people either had to buy the newest edition of a railroading magazine or get our own brain working to solve the questions as to how to make the landscape look real. A running H.O. scene is difficult, too, to build with a sense of realism in time and place. But with a diorama, everything is a sort of microcosm of the area and era you are depicting, so even more care needs to be taken with every detail.
If you want to create an H.O. railroad diorama, it is still all right to look at the glossy magazines first. There are so many new techniques in model railroading which were not used or not even possible ten or fifteen years ago. It is exciting to view the newest products available. This is an artistic field. The miniature art techniques used in miniature railroading surely cannot be classed solely as a hobby or a craft..
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The method or process I am going to explain is one which my husband developed in the basement twenty years ago. The dioramas he created have withstood many moves and are still intact. (They were crated when being moved across an ocean several times.) This process builds a sturdy diorama which can be counted on to stand the test of time.
These miniature scenes, called dioramas, can be built to fit on top of your living room cabinet or bookshelf. You might want to place your completed diorama in a Plexiglass cube or an oak and glass cabinet, for example. Alternatively, you might enjoy building your first diorama so much that you want the scene to be accessible for children and grandchildren. This kind of diorama is built from scratch and is built to last. Plastic moldings that you buy from a hobby store are not used in this method.
Let us assume that you have decided you want to create a 16" x 48" diorama which could fit nicely on the top of various types of living room cabinets, commonly called entertainment centers.
You will need to purchase a few inexpensive materials. You will need a 4' x 8' sheet of 2" thick Styrofoam. You can buy this at any store that sells home building supplies. You will also need a bottle of household plaster. If you were filling in the nail holes on your walls, you would use this same kind of plaster. Additionally, you will need glue, a jar of sand, a jar of gravel, two or three colors of fine dirt and a jar of tiny rocks. You will probably want some bigger rocks, too. Rocks the size of a fist and slightly larger can help the scene look very realistic. You can find the rocks in your neighborhood or at a river. You can purchase the colored fine dirt at hobby stores such as Ben Franklin. You can collect lovely different shades of dirt and sand in the great outdoors if you are so inclined.
The first chore is to cut the 4' x 8' sheet of Styrofoam into four pieces. Stack the four pieces. Insert a few long nails between two of the pieces of the stacked material so that the top level is attached to the second level, the second level is attached to the third level with at least two nails, and the third level or tier of Styrofoam is attached to the bottom level with a nail or two.
Next, get a sharp knife and carve out the topography you want for your miniature scene from the Styrofoam landscape you have now created. If you want to make a tunnel scene, you only create the top of the tunnel and then carve an indented area long enough to hold one H.O. train car which will give the illusion that a whole train has gone through the tunnel or is coming toward you from the tunnel. Decide the route of the track you will eventually place onto the scene.
Decide where you want small rocks in the scene and where you might want big boulders to be placed. Keep this in mind while you proceed. Now, spread the household plaster over the topography of the Styrofoam. You may want to be wearing gloves for this part of the process. Spread glue over the entire scene you have created, lightly pouring the glue on top of the plaster. Sprinkle sand over the glue so that there is a light covering everywhere. The next step is to sprinkle the small pieces of gravel over the scene. Use your artistic judgment to decide if there are a few patches of sand that you want left as sand.
If you are creating a bluff of rocks in your scene, use two or three different shades of dirt - such as red dirt and light beige dirt - to fall between the rocks. This diorama is going to look completely natural. You can purchase very green grass in various shades of green from a hobby store. If you decide you want grass in your scene, pour a thin layer of glue over the areas you want the grass to grow. Sprinkle the grass while the glue is still damp.
I think you will be having fun by this time. Now, decide where you want an area of small rocks. Lay the small pebbly rocks in without glue. Once you have placed them exactly how you want them to lie, pour a light layer of glue over them. Now add another layer of small rocks if you are inclined. Pour another layer of light glue over the newly placed small rocks. Now it's time for my favorite part: Begin placing the large rocks, approximately fist size, on to your landscape. Place your larger rocks in positions that bring realism to the miniature scene. At this point, you dilute the glue with water. You need to use a 50-50 mixture of water and glue at this stage of the work. Pour the 50-50 mixture over top of the large rocks. This sets them in place and they will sit like that for decades if this procedure is done properly. Make sure the glue runs down into the bottom crevices of each rock.
It is likely you will want to add trees to the scene to enhance the realism. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there are types of foliage that lend themselves to this art, gather those. Let the pieces of foliage dry for a few weeks. If you cannot find foliage in your area, you can purchase a variety of types of foliage from a hobby store. Modeled trees range in price and in realism. From evergreens to red maples, trees can be found at sale prices if you have the time to browse online. Another option is to advertise online to find someone who is selling their H.O. trees and supplies privately.
There is a plant in the Delta area of British Columbia which we discovered years ago. When it is in its dry form and shaped just a bit, it looks exactly like an evergreen tree - to us, anyway. Look around you before you spend money. You might find just the right plant for your diorama's forest of trees.
When you obtain the trees you want, purchased or plucked, get yourself a toothpick in hand. Poke one little hole in each exact position you want to place a tree. Dip the toothpick into the glue and then into the hole you have poked for each tree. Also dip the bottom of each tree into the glue before placing it into the position where it will stand forever more.
You will now have completed the artistic phase of the project. It is time to locate your railroading cap, place it on your head and begin to lay down the train tracks. Get your best dummy engine out. No need for a real engine on a diorama.
Even though you will have created a non-running layout, the scene will be able to transport any railroader down the train tracks to Boy Land where all the good trains go -- and some of the good men with them.
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Oct 19, 2011 09:47:46
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Five-tier Black Ladder Bookshelf Feature
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