16 A Small Oasis

A few photographs showing “finished” scenic areas.

The drywash bridges.

The BMLA signal.

This is the area I refer to as Mormon Rocks. I created the weathered rock outcrops from insulation foam that has been carved with a kitchen knife and then sanded. Colour was added with white emulsion paint tinted with poster paint. PVA glue was brushed on to the upward facing ledges and various ground cover added to represent vegetation.

The area to the left of the control panels has been modelled to represent a small oasis with “Hart of the South” palm trees and a small pool watched over by four gulls and two white egrets. The boulders are suitable pieces of gravel from my garden paths supplemented by Woodlands Scenics talus.

I have found that I need significant numbers of grass tufts in various sizes and hues – and this can be an expensive route to take. I now make my own!

I use static grass fibres in various lengths and hues from a variety of manufacturers. My method is to create various sized PVA glue drops on greaseproof paper and then use a static grass applicator to apply the fibres. The greaseproof paper is


turned upside down and shaken to remove the excess fibres. The paper is then held upside down for a few minutes over a room heater. This allows the fibres to remain upright until the glue starts to dry. The paper is then turned the right way up to finish the drying process.  These are small tufts created with 6mm fibres.