Thinking of doing a few Diorama's and would like imput on how

[Nick Winter]

Well after the way the weather has been lately in south western Ontario, and hearing a story my dad told me, and thinking more about a Dio I've been thinking about for years now anyway.

Dio #1- I'd like to do a stretch of highway in 1/32 scale and have a big rig with trailer on it buried in snow, I'm pretty good at, making pavement, I've got this decreative sand stuff that when glued down looks like old asphalt and then I have some Black Night Airport Grade Driveway Sealer I brush over top of the sand.

But How should I do the snow?

Dio #2- Swamp Dio with a peiece of highway and soft shoulder, with a wrecked truck in it. This comes from the story my dad told me of him and his band around 1968 or so.

He and his band were driving up north to play a gig that weekend so they borrowed my grandfathers '64 Chevy C10 stepside to put the equipment in, well 3 guys loaded into the pickup, my dad, his friend, and his base player, the base player drove the truck, and following a few minutes behind them was a car with the manager and the rest of the guys, well they got on old number 7, which led to new number 7, well old number 7 has soft shoulders, swamp and marsh on both sides, they pretty well cut the highway through swamp. well the guys in the pickup got around a big bend and lost the guys in the car, the truck got to far off to the shoulder and went down in the shoulder the driver went to correct the truck and the truck hit the pavement and went airborne on a angle, the truck rolled 4 times into the swamp, and my dad who was sitting in the middle of the bench, grabbed the other two guys and pulled them down below the dash, when it came to a rest the truck was wheels down luckily, because the roof was flat to the doors in the back half of it, my dad checked on the other guys and kicked the windsheild out and they crawled out onto the hood, the band's equipment was all over the place and in water of course, the truck wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that great. They all went to my great uncles and called my grandparents and told my grandfather about his truck, my grandfather didn't give a ###### about the truck he wanted to know that the guys were okay. He and my Grandmother drove up that night, and the guys took photo's of the truck and it was taken to the local garage. That night a drunk came out of the local bar and went to drive home, he stopped at the garage to use there facilities, his car rolled into my grandfathers truck and the truck went off a cliff and was totalled. the insurance guys came up the day after it went over the cliff and took pictures and such then came back down to my grandparents home, and had a meeting, they told my grandfather that his truck was totalled, my grandfather and the guys from the band kept insisting that it was not, the insurance guy showed his pictures, and my grandfather said "That's not my truck, my truck only needed a new fender and a roof" so they showed there pictures, the insurance guys went back up and thats when the story came out.

I'd like to replicate the truck sitting in the swamp. I'm not sure how to make the swamp.

Dio #3- Garage Dio, I'd like to do a 2 car garage dio with tools and such, but I'm not sure how to make the walls and from what.

Nick

[GTMust]

Here's a couple of ideas:

Dio #1. Baking powder makes great snow. If you want snow just on the ground, brush the area with white glue and sprinkle the baking powder over it. After it dries, shake or brush off the excess. If you don't have enough coverage, just repeat. For snow banks, build up layers of foam insulation, glued together as high as you want and then carved/shaped to whatever contours you want with a kitchen knife. Then cover with baking soda same as above.

Consider using very fine grade wet and dry sandpaper for asphalt roadway. In 1/32 scale, I would suggest 400 grit. Then sand the surface after it's glued down and dried, in the direction of traffic travel with another sheet (dry) of the same grit. It will change the surface texture to look like worn aspalt. It's a lot simpler and quicker than your sand method. (See my two car garage dio.) I used this technique when I needed hills for my model railway in the past.

Here's a picture of a 1/32 scale used car lot I'm building that I used this method.

I haven't posted a thread on this project yet, as it's been dormant for a while.

Swamp dio #2. Asphalt roadway as above. The rest is done with model railway supplies from your LHS. Plus check out the ideas on the campground suggestions in this diarama category (wood filler, etc.)

Garage dio #3: See my two car garage dio. It should give you all the information on the materials you can use. Check also other great garage dios on this site.

I only started building dios recently, but once you start, you'll be amazed what simple and cheap materials you have around the house that you can use.

[Nick Winter]

Ok thanks.

[Mercman]

For snow Woodland Senic's make it in a shaker. Check out the railroad dept, of your LHS.

[crazyjim]

Nick, please keep the cold weather and snow up there with you.

[dptydawg]

Hi Nick

for snow I have used Styrofoam, both extruded insulation and beadboard. beadboard works well for snowbanks. these I cover withdrywall coumpind then paint with latex paint. I have also used the window decorating snow in a can as an overspray from about 3' away just to get a freshly fallen look.

Here is a picture of a snow diorama I did awhile back

Thanks

Carl

[Nick Winter]

For snow Woodland Senic's make it in a shaker. Check out the railroad dept, of your LHS.

Thanks

Nick, please keep the cold weather and snow up there with you.

Don't mind if I do Jim, made $50 from it yesterday.

[Nick Winter]

Hi Nick

for snow I have used Styrofoam, both extruded insulation and beadboard. beadboard works well for snowbanks. these I cover withdrywall coumpind then paint with latex paint. I have also used the window decorating snow in a can as an overspray from about 3' away just to get a freshly fallen look.

Here is a picture of a snow diorama I did awhile back

Thanks

Carl

Thanks.

and what a beautiful dio, I like your corn field one the best I think.

I cleaned out the shop and founds thing I didn't even know I had, plywood, plexiglass, chipboard, cardboard, shingles,

maybe I should clean out more

[Chuck Doan]

I have heard some horror stories regarding baking soda snow in model RR circles. I don't have personal experience, but approach with caution. Baking soda is very moisture absorbent and can do some unexpected things especially after some time.

Peruse some model RR forums and look for scenery ideas. Snow and swamps are common on layouts and there should be some good ideas available for materials and techniques.

[Nick Winter]

I have heard some horror stories regarding baking soda snow in model RR circles. I don't have personal experience, but approach with caution. Baking soda is very moisture absorbent and can do some unexpected things especially after some time.

Peruse some model RR forums and look for scenery ideas. Snow and swamps are common on layouts and there should be some good ideas available for materials and techniques.

Thank you Chuck.

[GTMust]

Just a quick correction to your last post, Chuck.

I suggested baking powder... not baking soda. Baking soda is caustic and can be a problem as you say. Baking powder is a different thing altogether and is harmless, just like flour. I've used it on my model railways and it works just fine. Plus it's cheap to buy.

Steal a little from your kitchen cupboard and see.........

[GTMust]

Whoops...... now I must add a correction and apology. In the last sentence of my first post in this thread, I did accidentally mention baking "soda" although I had referred to baking "powder" in the preceding paragraphs before. Put it down to a brain f..t by an old man. Sorry for the confusion.

[Nick Winter]

Thanks Tony.