The Beginnings of Mt. Roberts

Mt. Roberts creation was started a number of years ago by Larry R.. A lot of thought and engineering that went into the beginnings of Mt. Roberts. The mountain rests on a platform cantilevered off the end of the backdrop, secured with steel cables and turnbuckles so it seems to float above the scene on the first deck. The 5 mm underlayment backdrop on both sides of the stud wall that supports the layout helps transfer the load to the whole structure, rather than the load pulling only on the last stud. The foam mountain was required to cover the cable and turnbuckles. The foam was also constructed to allow for its removal from the layout at the time of final scenery installation.

Mt. Roberts has served for a number of years  with basic scenery and no trees as other items on the layout were worked on. With the advent of industrial scale tree production in the last year, it’s completion became possible. This page serves to document the steps along the way, with an emphasis on the final scenery methods.

Essentially, Mt. Roberts is composed of nine layers of foam of varying thickness each stacked on top of the other, much like a stack of flap-jacks. After the foam was stacked the layers were secured with foam adhesive between each layer. This made it possible to sculpt the foam to show various features of the terrain.

In the two images below you can see the steel cables and turnbuckles that secure the semi-circular platform that Mt. Roberts resides on. You can also see the various layers of foam and wooden skewers inserted to hold the layers in alignment prior to being glued together.

Construction of Mt. Roberts

The left image below shows the general shape on the mountain looking back toward Schaghticoke, while the right image shows the right side which will eventually become an orchard .

In the second image you can see the Roberts Farm barn and farmhouse in 5mm plywood mockup form. These mockups (since painted) have stood for several years as other work took precedence, and are only now being built in their final form.

The curved dam, Fisherman's Lane and the ponds are in the initial planning stages today, while the buildings themselves have been on the layout for a while

In the right image you can see the Roberts Farm barn and farmhouse mockups. The final buildings are under construction today

The right side of Mt. Roberts was planned to be a an area of sloping hills which eventually leads to Snyder's Bridge. The image below shows the right side of Mt. Roberts but does not show the foam that was placed there.

This area was repurposed to become O'Connor Apple Orchard which is almost complete, only a dirt road and a wooden rail crossing are left to be installed.

Initial Scenery of Mt. Roberts and Roberts Farm

The initial scenery on Mt. Roberts consisted of the following items:

1. Brown Paint which was used to paint all the foam prior to any additional scenery work.
2. Fine Turf of various colors which was used to simulate grass/weeds.
3. Course Turf of various colors which was used to simulate grass/weeds.
4. Clump Foam of various colors which was used to simulate shrubs and bushes of various types and sizes. 
5. Super Trees which are derived from a plant called "Sea Foam" which is grown in the Scandinavian countries and imported in to the United States.
6. Various items such as tractors, trucks, and cows were also added to Roberts Farm.

After observation it was decided by the Layout Chair, Jim F., to add additional lighting on the upper inside of the valance so the details of Mt. Roberts could be better seen. In order to add the additional lighting the valance needed to be removed.

The pictures below show the valance removed and members working on installing the lighting. The internal structure of the valence is seen (that was really fun to do to make the curve the same as the layout fascia sitting below it!!).

Starting Work on Mt. Roberts

Once Mt. Roberts was removed, set on a table,  and the valence reinstalled, the committee started work on adding rocks and larger rock outcroppings to the side of Mt. Roberts. These were cast in plaster using commercial molds and stained with India ink washes in isopropanol, and various rust colored stains. Larry R. has an old cast iron pan outside that he harvests the various colors of rust from when needed and other colors.

The side of Mt. Roberts was sculpted to take the rock and after securing the rock to the side of Mt. Roberts with hot glue and spackling compound was added to fill any gaps.

Once then rocks were installed on Mt. Roberts Claude F. and Stuart B. started work on adding Fine Turf ground cover, Leaf Litter , and creating a pond near the summit and a stream down the side.

The process to add the ground cover and leaf iitter of various colors which was used to simulate grass/weeds.
leaf litter was straight forward as the mountain could just be rotated on the benchwork when needed.

1. Initial creation of the stream bed.
2. Addition of rocks on the sides of the stream to simulate erosion of the underlying bedrock.
3. Creation of the spring fed pond on the summit.
4. Adding water effects to the stream bed.
   1. New ways of placing Mt. Roberts on an angle to ensure that the water stayed where it was intended to go required some thought on how to stabilize Mt. Roberts with a weird angle. 
5. Creation and installation of waterfalls.
   
6. Final details to refine the appearance of the water as it cascades down the side of Mt. Roberts.

Creation of the Stream Bed

Creating the Stream Bed

The first image (starting from the left) shows the sculpting of the stream bed on the upper portion off Mt. Roberts. The sculpting was created using a Dremel tool with a sculpting bit. 

The turquoise-colored area near the top of the first image shows where the spring fed pond will be created. This pond is the headwaters for the stream on Mt. Roberts. 

You can also see that the terrain in places drops off steeply, these areas will be where the waterfalls will be created. 

In the second image shows Stuart B. actually sculpting the stream bed using the Dremel tool. 

The third image is a closer view of the work being done by Stuart B. If you look closely you can the the rudimentary beginnings of two waterfalls. 

The fourth image continues to show the creation of the stream bed. 

The fifth image shows Stuart B. using a chisel to create a waterfall. You can also see in the bottom of the image the beginnings of the bedrock that will line the sides of the stream bed. The desired effect is to have the stream appear to have carved a groove in the bedrock as the water flows down the side of Mt. Roberts. 

Creating the Sides of The Stream Bed and Creating the Waterfalls

First row of photos - installing the rock ledge on the sides of the stream bed:

The first image (starting from the left) shows the initial "dry fitting" of the rock ledge that make up the side of the stream. 

The second image shows additional placement of rock ledge, this process is very similar to try and solve a puzzle, in that you try various pieces until you find the one that fits. At the bottom of this image you can also see the vertical drop that will make up a waterfall at this location. 

The third image shows the final placement off rocks. 

The fourth and fifth images show Stuart B. painting the rock ledge with India Ink before they were
permanently installed. The reason for this is to simulate wet rocks from the water in the stream. 

Second row of photos - Creating the rock ledge for the waterfalls 

The first image shows how a scale sized boulder was placed in the stream bed for the first waterfall.

The second image (starting from the left) shows how a waterfall can be created using multiple rocks. 

The third image shows the same area but from a greater distance.

The fourth image shows the overall stream bed before being painted brown. 

The fifth image shows the entire stream bed painted with an earthy tone of brown paint. This was done prior to the installation of the rock ledge that formed the side of the stream bed. The purpose of the paint is to hide the multi-colored foam that you viewed in a previous section of the document. We also added some gravel (not shown) to the entire length of the stream bed.

Installation of Completed Rock Ledge in The Stream Bed

After the rock ledges that were washed with India Ink had dried they were installed in the stream bed with hot glue and any openings between the back of the rock ledge and the foam were filled with spackling compound. 

The first image (starting from the left) shows the washed ledge rocks after placement in the stream bed. You can see a small gap between the ledge on the right side of the stream bed that will need to be filled with spackling compound. 

The second image shows the overall view of the stream bed after all the required ledge rocks were installed. 

The third image shows the overall view of the stream bed from a different angle after all the required ledge rocks were installed. 

The fourth image shows the completed stream bed after it has been washed with a light gray/brown wash. This was done to tone down the underlying brown colored which was applied in a previous step. 

The fifth image shows the completed stream bed prior to having any water added and before the pond was filled with water. Note the bushes  applied along the banks of the stream and the gravel in the bottom of the stream bed. 

Adding Water Elements to the Stream on Mt. Roberts

Preparing and Application of Water on Mt Roberts

To add water to the stream bed on Mt. Roberts we had to make sure that the area where we are adding water to was level. Otherwise, the water would have simply run down the side of Mt. Roberts and poured off, making a mess. 

We discussed various ideas and the final one was simply stacking scrap wood under Mt Roberts and adjusting it for each area of the water pour to ensure the water stayed where we wanted it to. 

The image below shows Mt. Roberts tilted back at a steep angle and after having water added. It was a lot easier doing it off the layout at eye level.

Note that the water is cloudy, it will become clear as it cures overnight.

Adding Water Effects to Simulate Fast Flowing Water on Mt. Roberts

To add fast flowing water effects to the stream bed on Mt. Roberts was totally different from what we had done up to this point. We used Woodland Scenic Water Effects to create the ripples that you see in the first image. 

To create these ripples Claude F. used a sheet of glass (using glass ensured that when the water effects have fully cured, they can be removed). The process is rather straight forward; you simply apply lines of the water effects on the glass in a parallel manner. After you have applied all the lines of water effects you then go back and rework the lines, so they become a single strip of the desired width. 

Important Notes:

- After the application of the water effects on the glass you will need to combine the
  lines to form a single line that meets your requirements for width and length. 
- You should not rework the water effects that you end up with a flat single line. When
  combined properly, the individual lines are what makes the water look like it is flowing
  and not like a ribbon. 

- The thicker lines will appear with a milky color; this will turn clear as they dry. 

Creating the Waterfalls used on Mt. Roberts

Creating waterfalls is easier than one would think. 

The process to create a waterfall starts with the same process as adding water effects to simulate fast flowing water, as detailed previously. 

Once you have a strip of fast flowing water that is fully cured you need to trim it to the proper width and length. This is best done before you remove the strip from the glass. The cured strip will be very pliable and if you try to install it without any underlying support, it will slowly collapse and not simulate how water creates an arc as it flows over a waterfall. 

To solve this issue, a clear plastic drink cup was sliced so the removed section matches the required width and length of the waterfall you want to create. Once you have the slice of the clear plastic drink cup you then remove the water effect from the glass and apply it to the outward curved side of the cup. 

After you have the curved water effect created you then install it where have a waterfall pre-made. You can use the same water effect product to blend the water on the fall with the water above and below the waterfall.

Once the decision was made as to which design would be used the culvert was cut out of a spare piece of plastic artificial wood from lawn furniture. The culvert  face needed to be blended into the ground. This required the installation and sculpting of foam open both sides of the culvert to achieve the appearance that the culvert was installed years prior - image one (starting from the left).

Re-installation of Mt Roberts on the Layout

The re-installation of Mt. Roberts was completed by members and required the following steps:

1. Raise the valance above Mt. Roberts.
2. Move Mt. Roberts back to its place on the layout.
3. Secure Mt. Roberts to the layout using wood screws - see graphics below
4. Mark the location of the screws  - see graphics below
5. Adjust scenery elements as needed.

Final Work on Mt. Roberts

Culvert Options

After Mt. Roberts was reinstalled back onto the layout the stream needed to be completed so the water would flow under the main line and off the layout. There were a number of options reviewed and decisions were made on which option to choose. 

The facia had to be cut to allow for viewing of the stream as it leaves the culvert which is visible in all images below.

Options:

1. Use a circular culvert that would be installed under the main line and empty out of a concrete culvert face via a circular opening - image number one (from the left). 
2. Use a dual circular culvert that would be installed under the main line and empty out of a concrete culvert face via two circular openings, image number two.
3. Use a box culvert that would be installed under the main line and empty out of a concrete culvert face via a rectangular opening.
4. Use a dual box culvert that would be installed under the main line and empty out of a concrete culvert face via two rectangular openings.
5. Use a hybrid culvert which would consist of single large grate to handle the inflow of the water and pass the water to two culverts that would be installed under the main line and empty out of a concrete culvert face via two rectangular openings - image number three.

After reviewing and making prototypes of each option and placing them on the layout, all of the options the Scenery and Structures Committee selected option 5 - the hybrid culvert. This was in part because the vertical space available did not leave enough cover over a circular culvert to make sense.

Preparation

Once the decision was made as to which design would be used the culvert was cut out of a spare piece of plastic artificial wood from lawn furniture. The culvert  face needed to be blended into the ground. This required the installation and sculpting of foam open both sides of the culvert to achieve the appearance that the culvert was installed years prior - image one (starting from the left).

The culvert face was brushed with a light gray wash to simulate the natural aging of concrete. Once that was done, ivy was added to help soften the concrete lines - image 2. 

After the culvert was fully installed a grate was created using standard window screen. The screen was weathered to achieve the appearance of aging. After the weather was done the grate was installed on the inner side of the main line - image 3.

After the culvert was fully installed the stream bed prior to where the water enters the grate needed to be modified to handle the volume of water. This was a simple and straight forward process which entailed removing a little bit of the stream bed. 

The area after the culvert face had cattails added where the force of the water was reduced - image 4. 

Installation of Water Effects

The area where the water effects needed to be installed for the stream could not be removed from the layout. The pouring of the water required that a barrier be installed on the face of the facia to prevent the water from pouring off of the layout. In addition, the barrier has to be one in which the water will not adhere to as it cures. A clear plastic sheet was chosen for this purpose. 

To prevent the water from flowing out of the intended area the plastic sheet had to be secured very tightly to the facia. This was done using duct tape with a strong adhesive. 

The first image below shows the clear plastic with the duct tape.

The second image shows the completed stream flowing in the culvert entrance via the grate.

The third image shows the final results of the work to create a flowing stream on Mt. Roberts.

Completion

The completion of Mt. Roberts by members of the NVRRA represents a love for the hobby, passion for all things related to railroading, and an endless pursuit of making the layout as realistic as possible.

From the time Mt. Roberts was removed from the layout until the completion was just over 1 year. I personally spent countless hours making the trees that have grown on Mt. Roberts, creating and sculpting the underlying foam, and a numerous list of other tasks the resulted in hours of enjoyment. 

It is up to you, the reader of this page top determine if the end results are as good as we had hoped to achieve. 

Acknowledgements

• Joe A.
• Ted B.
• Stuart B.
• Nick C.
• Dan F.
• Jim F.
• Claude F.
• Larry M.
• Matt P.
• Larry R.