Lockdown Activities: Train Room Mountain

Since our ability to travel was curtailed, and we could not spend all our time with our own projects (too much repetition), we decided to take some time to figure how to build a mountain.

The Granite Farms Estates Train Room had hit a wall, so to speak. The opportunity to request money had dried up. No volunteers came forward. How could we proceed, using only that to which we had access (mostly the woodshop, plus materials at hand)?

First, to protect the trains, we turned the masonite fascia boards
upside down so that they projected above the train table

Later we returned the fascia boards back to their original position!

We created two sides of the mountain from pieces of masonite,
with a window to the right to let in light, and an opening to the rear
to allow someone to reach in and set derailed trains back on the track

In the meantime, we had this old coal operation that was not
supposed to sit over the main track, but had to back out to the
right, over empty space, which we would have to fill in

Here you see the odd-shaped section of platform that would
extend out under the coal plant building that was hanging
over space; while at the same time strips of heavy cardboard
were glued in place to form the mountain, since window
screen would not hold its shape over such a large space

The cardboard lattice seemed to be the method of choice for a
hollow-shell model railroad mountain, but ours needed more support

To secure wood post supports, we had to make our own
corner braces; thank goodness for the woodshop and its
drill press for creating holes in metal bars

Now with posts and heavy duty wire arching above them,
the window screen wanted to float above it, then come
straight down where there was no support

We added the odd-shaped piece to the train table, so now
the coal plant sits supported in the proper place

A closer view of the train table extension

Trying to get the window screen/mountain to ease
gradually to table level, and attach to the train tunnel portals

So back to the cardboard strips, using half of the original number
to create a supportive lattice work under the window screen,
which still wanted to float, so the wood strips on top were just
to show that there would be some undulation

We started with watered down plaster of Paris,
dipping in paper towels and laying them in
overlapping strips over the window screen

The plaster of Paris set up too fast, and although we worked in small batches, we could only lay down 3-4 paper towels at a time. Then we ran out of plaster of Paris with one quarter of the mountain covered!

Next we tried diluted joint compound, which worked much better and we were able to work in larger batches. The mountain was two-thirds covered when we ran out of joint compound! Maintenance donated what was left in a five-gallon pail of joint compound, and we used it all!

The weight of the paper towel layer pushed the window screen down between the supports, so that the undulations were more exaggerated than hoped.

The mountain (actually part of a ridge that runs diagonally
across in front of the sliding glass doors) has been formed!

Walt H wanted part of an Appalachian mountain ridge. I am not sure this fits the bill!