There is little room for scenery here, so I want to be sure that what little there is does justice to the other aspects of the layout. I decided to use lightweight plaster of paris (Hydrocal by Woodland Scenics) on the bridge end of the layout, and I'll use a mixture of that and craft foam around the station (where the ground will be essentially flat).

First task was to cover the craft foam layers with plaster cloth. I have also cut out the top of the mine shaft (it's only 3' square and will be lined with boards) as well as the stream bed beside it. There is little flood risk as the rocks are riddled with fissures and caves and underground rivers.

There will be two bridges: a “proper” one for the branch line and a culvert for the mine spur.

Hydrocal rock castings have been added and the plaster cloth has been painted with a layer of plaster. Looks unconvincing at this stage—this is the part I do not enjoy!

The stream bed and retaining wall. The wall is simply a length of craft foam with rocks drawn in by hand using a blunt soft pencil: very easy. I have cut out space for the bridge abutments, which I’ll measure out and fit as one of the next steps.

The lighting of this picture is weird. I’ve closed the vertical gap with a low rise in the landscape along this edge; along the right-hand (station) side the three buildings will cover most of that gap. The buildings will be built on a 12 mm MDF board bases (leaning against the back scene one the right).