Back To Some Scenery Work

Over the past week, I worked on several wiring and DCC projects, and it was starting to stress me out. So I realized I had a fair amount of scenery materials on hand and several projects I hadn't worked on for several months, so I turned to some lower-stress scenery work. The photo above is a key area I need to finish, where I've built out some rock and hillside formations that hide a sewer pipe.

I have a lot of Norfolk Southern, Clinchfield, Norfolk and Western, and CSX videos showing Appalachian scenery, and I've been watching them to get inspiration for how to scenic this area. The tunnel portal, which I think is from Pre Size, actually looks more like Norfolk and Western/NS portals than I'd thought.

I've always liked John Allen's advice that taking photos of your work helps you improve.

The ballast here is pretty beat up. It's s 25 year old Woodland Scenics, made from crushed walnut shells. This deteriorates and fades over time. It's also been through various disasters ranging from major rewiring to leaking pipes, and I need to redo it with Arizona Rock & Mineral. I also need to add dirt, vegetation, rocks, and so forth below the track in the foreground, and farther to the rear, I need to keep inserting foliage clusters in the rock faces and actual trees higher up and farther into the background.

Depending on how things go, I'll post progress photos.