Scenic alterations- using my competition prize culverts.

Having received my 4mm scale size culvert competition prizes, I decided to set about incorporating them into my existing layout scenery, not always an easy prospect, as it's mostly 'finished' if that's the right description. I have a dam wall with overflows to a river below, and I decided this would likely be the best (and probably the only) location where it might fit in, so after a bit of thought and measuring, I started hacking things about a bit. Trees were removed from each side of the river bank, and cuts made into the existing scenic banks to accommodate each culvert, the idea being that they are used to divert flow in times of heavy rainfall (just like we're experiencing now in Derbyshire!). My scenery is constructed from polystyrene blocks glued to the baseboard (9mm ply) and coated with my usual scenery plaster, which is Wickes (other brands are doubtless available) plaster coving adhesive. I use this for 2 reasons, firstly I have some left over from fitting coving, and secondly I find that it's workable for longer than standard Plaster of Paris or similar, so more time to get it how you want. The culverts are pushed into place at this point, and alterations to the river bank sides both above and below each culvert will be needed to blend things in.

 

It's obvious that I'll need to add more 'bank' above each culvert and probably trim a bit off below. Both culverts are now glued in place, and I'll need to be careful with the plaster so as not to get it all over the culvert mouldings themselves, since I don't want to make a mess of Paul's efforts or create myself more work than I need to. My 'River' itself is made by several different colour coats of acrylic art paint followed by several coats of clear yacht varnish, the weir towards the front was built to help disguise the fact that this board (which is situated above my loft access) can hinge downwards, the back edge being the 'break point' at the board edges where it hinges downwards. This is the left side culvert, which will need some addition to the bank above, with blending in below.

 

The 'weir' idea was the only way I could think of to disguise the boards hinge edge. I think (hope) it looks convincing enough, the break in the scenery to each side is concealed by the tree 'plantation', after all, trees are normally used as a cheap way to stabilise river banks, and my layout is set in the late 50's/early 60's probably before the invention of Gabions which would likely have been used nowadays, so it works for me! This is the right hand bank with culvert fitted, again some filling in and blending will be needed, and then some painting and varnishing to blend overflow water into the 'river'. Next will be the messy plaster bit!
Keith.

 

After spending some time completing my "Brighton Works" 'Terrier' shunter, I decoded it was time for a change, and move on with blending the culverts into the scenery, the messy bit! As I've mentioned before, I use plaster coving adhesive, basically I guess it's Plaster of Paris, but with some additive which makes it workable for longer, handy if like me, you end up faffing about trying to get it how you want it! Anyway, the basic shape each side is now sorted, it needs time to 'go-off' and then maybe tomorrow I can look at cleaning up and painting the 'ground' before further 'blending in'. This is the Right hand side.

 

....and the left side.

 

This is how it looks in context.

 

Having completed several outstanding projects, I decided it was time to get back to completing this one too. The bare plaster was painted with green acrylic paint to blend it in better with the surroundings, when dry a 50/50% coat of PVA/water then scenic scatter added, and after this too had dried, I attempted to blend the outflow to the existing 'river bed' with Black/Green/Brown acrylics. After drying, a couple of coats of clear 'Yatch Varnish' for the water, then various sized clumps of grass/weed added around, before 'replanting' trees I'd removed initially to make way for the culverts. I hasten to add that any form of 'Art' is NOT my strong point, least of all scenery, but I hope I've at least done some justice to Paul's excellent model culverts. I think it might have been easier to build them into a new layout rather than trying to blend them into my existing one, but fortunately I had a scene which I could adapt to add them into without too much difficulty. See what you think of the results.

 

And the other side. The new scenic scatter will eventually fade to the same colour as the surroundings, which were originally the same colour scatter believe it or not!