In the last blog (Section 14 - Satsop River Bridge - Part 1) I identified the layout design elements of the Satsop River Bridge Module and laid out the roadway lines.
In this blog I am identifying the scenery construction concept and laying out the landforms.
As a refresher, here are the scenery elements:
- A darkened cloudy sky suggesting inclement weather is approaching.
- A mid distant tree line and visible riverbank.
- A shallow river with significant sand and gravel on the river bottom and sides.
- A sloped bank on the north side of the river.
- An engineered embankment on the south side of the river.
Scenery Design Considerations
Background. The backdrop available for the Satsop River Bridge Section is 22 inches in height. With the bridge height at approximately 4 inches, and the roadway centered at 12 inches on the module, a 45 degree angle would suggest that the background trees painted on the backdrop could be 8 to 12 inches in height. This would then allow 10 inches of cloud/sky. Rain clouds would cover about 5 inches of this cloud sky space.
Background land mass. My initial plan was to use only extruded polystyrene insulation but realized that should I have to move the section, the mid-distant land mass would probably break loose during movement. I have chosen to use a 1/8 " luan panel to anchor the landmass. The panel is sized to the height of the riverbank on both sides (approximately 4 inches) and about 6 foot long. It is anchored to the module with L shaped anchors.
In front of this luan panel I will add a 1/2 inch thick polystyrene for the river bank, and a two inch styrofoam piece cut at a 45 degree angle to provide a foundation for planting the treeline. This is a good height for the edge of the distant river bank, and an additional two and half inches in height three inches deep from the backdrop will give sufficient base for a line of trees and shrubs adding depth to the backdrop painted trees, and several inches of depth to plant the trees without them falling over.
See 5.5.7 Three Dimensional Backgrounds for construction details.
Mid-ground.
The river will be approximately centered on the module and will disappear to the right rear. The base of the river will be the 3/4" plywood base. The river bank will be a slow rise to the left and a fill embankment to the right, and a background land mass.
North river bank. The north river bank (left) is a natural occurring slope. I found a better picture of the river and banks on the Mount Ranier Scenic Railroad web site. The slope is essentially flat for quite a distance. I will selectively compress the distance and create a greater slope. The bank will be 2 inch polystyrene cut at about a 20 degree angle to model the slope with the base reflecting the effects of erosion caused by the occasional high river in spring. Building the trestle in advance is indicated in order to locate and cut in.the north abutment, and locate and place the trestle piles.
South river bank. The south river bank (right) is a man-made embankment. The AREA standard for an embankment is a 60 degree angle from the edge of the roadbed to the river bottom. I'm cheating a little bit by cutting the foam terrain on the backside of the embankment to a sharper slope while the visible side is AREA standard. See 4.1.1.2 Embankments for construction details. Using to total length of the bridge complex, I will locate the south abutment and cut it in. Pieces of polystyrene and expanding foam will complete the basic land form.
Once the bridges are build and temporarily placed I can
shape the river and the river banks, adding foam as necessary to reach the bridge abutments.
Waterway
This section's foreground is the Satsop River. The river bottom is to be gravel strewn. I have two gravel sources: 1) an unknown brand of gray kitty litter, and 2) a bag of Quikcrete general purpose paver mix. I am not sure yet what product will be ultimately used, probably both - the kitty litter for the water covered gravel bottom, the paver mix for the dry rock shoreline.
The critical piece of river construction will be the location of the
bridge piers. A wood footprint of each pier type will be constructed and
temporarily screwed into the section base from below.
The water product is also undetermined. I have not poured a river yet, and am not sure whether epoxy, decoupage resin, or a Woodland Scenics product will be right for the river. It all depends on how the gravel bottom looks (dark and wet enough to pass as gravel). The river's edge is a continuation of that product at double to triple thickness (depending on the distance from the river's edge.
Because this is a wide, shallow waterway, I am using the stream construction techniques. See Streams for construction details.
In the next blog (Section 15 - Basalt - Part 3) I will discuss the Track Detail Considerations.
