Prototype Information
Prototype railroads right of ways are determined by the terrain in which they operate. Where Mother Nature places obstacles, the railroad seeks the best possible route (straight and level), and where surveying cant find straight and level, railroad engineering departments cuts, fills, bridges or tunnels its way to find the next best route.
Terrain Features
Terrain features are identified in the same manner on all maps, regardless of the contour interval, but
you must realize that a hill in the Rocky Mountains will be much bigger than one in south Florida. You
must be able to recognize all the terrain features to locate a point on the ground or to navigate from
one point to another.
The four major terrain features are: Hill, Ridge, Valley, and Saddle.
- A HILL is a point or small area of high ground. When you are on a hilltop, the ground slopes down in all directions.
- A RIDGE is a line of high ground with height variations along its crest. The ridge is not simply a line of hills; all points of the ridge crest are higher than the ground on both sides of the ridge.
- A VALLEY is reasonably level ground bordered on the sides by higher ground. A valley may or may not contain a stream course.
- A SADDLE is a dip or low point along the crest of a ridge. A saddle is not necessarily the lower ground between two hilltops; it may be a break along an otherwise level ridge crest.
The three minor terrain features are: Draw, Spur and Cliff.
- A DRAW is similar to a valley, except that it normally is a less developed creek or stream course.The ground slopes upward on each side and toward the head of the draw.
- A SPUR is a usually short, continuously sloping line of higher ground, normally jutting out from the side of a ridge.
- A CLIFF is a vertical or near-vertical slope. A cliff may be shown on a map by contour lines being close together, touching, or by a ticked "carrying" contour line.
Modeling Information
Railroad modelers have it a little easier than the prototype engineering department. Often we work against the prototype, creating rights of way that require cuts, fills, bridges or tunnels to enhance the railroad modeling experience.
The WWSL
I plead guilty to creative right of way planning. While I consulted historical and terrain maps to create the WWSL right of way, I planned to model a right of way that would be pleasing to my operating interests. Here is the high and wide view of the WWSL's operational area. It is hilly but not mountainous. There are two narrow river valleys, and a multitude of streams and creeks.
Here is a USGeological Topographic map. Green is vegetation, White is cleared land. Blue is streams, creeks, lakes and rivers. The brown lines are countour lines (the shape of the ground) and the numbers are elevations.
A closer look at the terrain identifies specific terrain features that can be effectively modeled.
- Mountainous terrain (Hills)
- Ridges
- Valley
- Saddles
- Draws
- Cliffs.
- River with streams and creeks.
- Flat land.
Landform Construction
Over the years, I have used a variety of materials to model landforms. On several table top layouts, I modeled hillsides and mountainous scenery using:
- crumpled newspapers and paper mache,
- chicken wire and hardshell plaster (and enduring numerous cuts on my hand attempting to rerail rolling stock stuck under the mountain).
- cardboard strips and hardshell plaster.
My last layout, WWSL vers 2.0, I used rigid styrofoam insulation, building up contours with stacked layers. Gaps were filled with spray insulating foam. I use knives, a hot foam cutter and a Stanley Surform scraper for shaping the terrain contours. That's as far as I got. I am starting with that technique and going to completion on the WWSL vers.3.0.
5.5.2 Cuts and Fills
5.5.3 Embankments
5.5.4 Hills
5.5.5 Rock Faces
5.5.6 Mountains
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