Scenic update for Sweethome Alabama

[Jon Grant 4472]

The grass continues to grow rapidly on Sweehome Alabama as the green baize spreads eastwards towards the freight house. I also added the greenery to the small area behind the backscene, which is visible through the fiddle yard exit in the backscene.
First up, some photos taken from behind the layout with the backscene removed for to make the scenery work easier.

More photos to follow, taken from the front of the layout

Jon

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

Moving to the front of the layout, the grass and underbrush have now been laid as far as the freight house. The trees will follow just as soon as I can 'grow' them.

Jon

 

[trailrider]

Ya can't fool me! Except for the photos with the backdrop removed, the rest are from the prototype railroad! Seriously, great work! When you're finished could you come out to Colorado and do the scenery for my new layout?

Green board all the way!

 

[ho/ttothemoss]

wow! hell of a job man that is one realistic looking layout. great work.

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

Work on the trees and ground cover continues rapidly and tonight I finished the basic scenery in the East Yard. There's still a bit to do over the weekend, before I can add some flowers and weeds, but the end of the tree planting is in sight, after making what seems like hundreds of them.

Here are the latest photos around the freight depot.

Jon

 

[Cjcrescent]

Jon;

Again, your work makes us mere mortals look like rank beginners. Fantastic work man!

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

Thanks Carey. I hope the Alabama 'feel' to the layout is starting to show.

CSX MP15AC switching cars in the east yard

Jon

 

[Rico]

Awe c'mon Jon quit posting all these pictures will ya?
You've got me thinking about ripping my scenery out and starting over!

 

[trailrider]

I'm tellin' ya! That's the real thing!

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

I removed the end-scene between the layout and the fiddle yard to get some unusual photo angles of the freight house

I also took an 'aerial' shot to show the overall appearance of the new scenery

Jon

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

I've also been working on a few smaller details and sceniced the area around the rainwater culvert and started making a 'pad' to hold a chlorine (or propane) tank - I have several chlorine tank cars but only one to carry propane at present.

Jon

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

The tree planting is finally complete. After a marathon tree-making session which lasted into the early hours of this morning, I had enough trees to cover the remaining areas at the back of the layout.

Here are the first photos with all the trees in place

Jon

 

[Jon Grant 4472]

As well as adding the trees, I also had time to work on a few new details for the layout.

I have replaced the Hayes bumpers with piles of old ballast - the Hayes bumpers being too upmarket for a lowly branch line in rural Alabama. I still have some weeds and junk to add to the piles.

I also added some power lines to the opposite side of the tracks to the telephone lines. I have yet to decide whether or not to add the wires - previous experience showed that the lines will get knocked and the posts damaged.

Jon

 

[Gabe]

Awesome scenery!