Model railway scenery basics: landforms, grass, ballast and weathering

Plan before you build

• Decide where your railway is supposed to be. Rolling farmland, a seaside town and an industrial yard each need different colours and textures.
• Look at photographs of real railways and landscapes for reference. Real ground is rarely flat or one shade of green.
• Finish and test your track before starting scenery. Changing track after ballasting is messy.
• Protect points and moving parts with masking tape while you work.

Building landforms

• Polystyrene or foam board: cut and stack it, then carve to shape. It is light and easy to work.
• Card lattice: strips of card woven into a framework, then covered.
• Covering: plaster cloth, or paper towels soaked in diluted PVA or plaster, makes a hard shell over the framework.
• Rock faces: carved plaster or ready-made moulded rocks, painted with washes.
• Paint the shell an earthy brown before adding grass, so any gaps do not show white.

Grass and ground cover

1. Scatter material: coloured foam or flock, sprinkled over wet PVA. Simple and fast.
2. Static grass: short fibres applied with a static grass applicator so they stand upright like real grass. It gives a much more realistic result, and you can mix lengths and colours.
3. Layering: start with a base of earth colour, add short grass, then patches of longer grass, weeds and bushes.
4. Variety: mix two or three shades. Real grass is never one uniform colour, and patches of dry or worn ground near paths and fences add realism.
5. Fix it: once dry, a light mist of diluted PVA or matt varnish helps hold everything down.

Ballasting track

1. Choose a ballast grade suited to your scale and a colour matching the railway you model.
2. Spread dry ballast between and beside the sleepers with a teaspoon.
3. Brush it into place with a soft paintbrush so it sits below the top of the sleepers and clear of the rails.
4. Keep ballast out of the moving parts of points.
5. Wet it with water containing a drop of washing-up liquid, applied as a fine mist or with a dropper, so the glue soaks in.
6. Drip diluted PVA onto the ballast and leave it to dry completely.
7. Vacuum up any loose grains, then clean the rail tops and test run.

Weathering buildings

• Washes: thin, dark paint flowed into brick mortar lines and corners picks out detail.
• Dry brushing: a nearly dry brush dragged lightly over raised surfaces highlights texture.
• Streaks: rain runs down walls, under windowsills and from gutters. Fine vertical streaks look convincing.
• Weathering powders: brush on soot, rust or dust and seal with matt varnish.
• Restraint: start lightly. It is easy to add more and hard to take it away.
• Practise on a scrap kit or the back of a building before working on the front.

Small details that add life

• Fences, gates and telegraph poles break up open ground.
• A few figures, vehicles and signs suggest activity.
• Bushes and trees of different heights soften the edges of the layout.
• A painted or printed backscene hides the wall and adds distance.