Category: scenery

Thunder Mesa Studio > Thunder Mesa Blog > model railroading > scenery

A Haunted Hoedown | Sound and Special Effects for Gruesome Gulch | GGRR 22

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

It's special effects time! In this installment of the Gruesome Gulch build, I install a pair of Pricom Dream Players with custom soundtracks from Fantasonics Engineering. Then it's time to add, lights, motion, and a UV illuminated set to the final scene in Cadaver Caverns. I use the old reliable "Pepper's Ghost" effect to bring an otherworldly western town to back to life with a cast of ghostly characters. It may not be a swingin' wake, but it's definitely a Haunted Hoedown!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Many thanks to Jim Wells and Fantasonics Engineering: http://www.fantasonics.com/
Pricom Designs Dream Players and amps: https://pricom.com/audio/players.shtml
Tang Band speakers: https://www.parts-express.com/Tang-Band-T1-2025SC-1-5-8-Full-Range-Speaker-Module-264-939?quantity=1

More Bridges and Scenery for Cadaver Caverns | Gruesome Gulch | GGRR 20

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

In this installment of the Gruesome Gulch build, I finish up a large portion of Cadaver Caverns, with new bridges, more underground cave scenery, and LED lighting effects. One bridge is a rocky natural arch that looks ready to collapse at any moment, while another is a rickety suspension bridge that looks like it might have come from Indy's Temple of Doom! Plus, track ballasting, weathering and more.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Gruesome Gulch T-shirts: https://bit.ly/GGRRTshirt

The Helldorado Mine | Gruesome Gulch | GGRR 19

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

It's time to build the Helldorado Mine - a mine so deep it goes all the way to... well, Hell-dorado! This latest addition the On30 Gruesome Gulch mini-layout features a compact "gallows style" head frame connected to a semi-collapsed mine shaft that goes right down through Cadaver Caverns. The mine is weathered and detailed to look abandoned, but there may be more here than meets the eye!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

A Bridge of Skulls | Gruesome Gulch | GGRR 17

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

In this installment of the Gruesome Gulch build, I create a macabre “Bridge of Skulls” for the trains to cross deep inside of Cadaver Caverns. Loads of tips and techniques covered in this video, including carving Polyurethane foam, making realistic rocks from Extruded Polystyrene Foam, painting and finishing with acrylics, and even some track ballasting!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

The Maggie Mine | Calico Boomtown 8

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Sometimes you gotta change things up! This is a little story of the mine that moved – from Hanging Rock to the boomtown of Calico. I built the mine back in 2019 but recently decided that I like it better in a different spot. In this video, I show how I blended the model into the town of Calico and added a few more details to turn it from a background model into a foreground model.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Polyurethane Carving Foam: https://www.dickblick.com/products/sculpture-block/

Bandit Canyon Railway | The Blackjack Mine Pt 2

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

BCRy Part IV. Here it is! The second episode of the Blackjack Mine build for my On18 Bandit Canyon Railway project. This time around, I build a steam powered hoist for the mine with all of the machinery visible in an open air shed. Plus weathering, final details, lighting, and a scenicked base for the entire complex that blends right into Bandit Canyon.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Crow River Products: https://www.crowriverproducts.com/index.php?cPath=33_36&osCsid=jtu2jnmd3ep4p2r17m9ntvu555

Blackjack Mine Part 1: https://youtu.be/i3Aw-SBnBkQ

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Boot Hill Graveyard – GGRR Part 9

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Boot Hill Graveyard is a scenic centerpiece for my spooky-themed Gruesome Gulch mini-layout. This step-by-step build covers scenery techniques using foam, Sculptamold, and Polyblend sanded grout – plus painting and finishing with acrylic paints and colored chalks. I make a spooky tree from some sagebrush branches, and “populate” the graveyard with a passel of laser cut headstones. Loads of details, including dead grasses, tumbleweeds, ravens, vultures, and a dilapidated old picket fence!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Making Skull Butte – GGRR Part 7

Posted on by Dave Meek

Scenery work continues on the Gruesome Gulch mini-layout with the addition of Skull Butte! Carved from XPF foam and painted with acrylics like the rest of the GGRR rockwork, Skull Butte rises high above the landscape as a spooky landmark for the entire layout. A good recap of my foam rock carving techniques with insights into planning and executing themed scenery to look natural while telling a specific story.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave