Large scale model trains

[Mike Flea]

That's cool! It's good to see you have a plan, some guys just lay track with no planning

[Peaker]

Just a general plan.
I was not really able to do anything with the pile of dirt where it lie, so just have to work around it, and then as far as i can tell we have to shift all or most of it a few meters.
Also with the lack of turn track it is hard to go creative with the design, so we have to start with something simple we can then expand on as we get more track ASO.

TBH i have still not resolved how we can build a tall "mountain" with just the plentiful gravel and maybe with a coat of dirt on top, but gravel dont naturally stack very high and we need to go up around 5-6 feet in the tallest places.
And it would be best if we did not use too much of the dirt as that is needed to build scale truck challenges on, we are shooting for 4 scale truck trails.
So we probably have to make some form or reinforcement and maybe in places build fake mountainside with concrete on top of a wooden skeleton just like i have done in a smaller scale before making a stream for my friends garden pond and also "mountains" on the train layout at his old place.

The good thing is we are both retired so we have "plenty" of time to work things out.
Also have to work in some greenery of some kind, but i am absolutely clueless when it come to gardening so i will probably have to study that at some time too.

I am going again this Friday and Saturday to build, this will be the 4 week in a row i set those 2 days aside to help my friend, cuz he are not able to do much of this on his own, both from a physical lack of strength due to rheumatism and also the "engineering" aspect, even visualizing a thing and then do it he admit he have problems with.
So lucky he have me around.

[Mike Flea]

For your mountain, make a shape with cinder blocks, stacked where need be, and once you have a basic shape, use chicken wire to form the peak or plateau, and the sloped sides of the mountain. Once that's done, cover with mortar or stucco, paint, add trees and some dirt while the mixture is still wet. Instant mountain!

[TexasSP]

Originally Posted by Mike Flea

For your mountain, make a shape with cinder blocks, stacked where need be, and once you have a basic shape, use chicken wire to form the peak or plateau, and the sloped sides of the mountain. Once that's done, cover with mortar or stucco, paint, add trees and some dirt while the mixture is still wet. Instant mountain!

Instant Mountain, sounds like a good product in a can for a late night infomercial pitch! Just need to bring back Billy Mays from the dead......


One day I would love to have an outdoor layout, 7.500" scale so I can ride on it.

[Mike Flea]

It does sound like an infomercial, but what I just explained doesn't go up fast, even if you have all the material at the ready. Depending on the size of the mountain you want to create, it can take anywhere from 8 hours to a couple weeks to build what you want, maybe a little longer if he wants to build a tunnel through the mountain.

[Peaker]

Yeah i have done that before, works okay even if you dont have a abundance of godlike skills in creating mountains ( remember as a flat country dweller this Dane have barely seen a proper mountain, you dont find those here for sure )