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

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

Foam Rock Scenery for Gruesome Gulch – GGRR Part 5

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

It’s alive! Spooky rock formations sculpted from extruded polystyrene foam (XPF) help to set the scene on my On30 Gruesome Gulch mini-layout. In part 5 of this series, I demonstrate techniques for carving and finishing lightweight XPF foam to create realistic looking rock formations.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Putting the Rainbow BACK into Rainbow Caverns

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Sometimes things break and that means you get to fix ’em! In this behind the scenes look at repairs on the Thunder Mesa model railroad, I go spelunking inside Rainbow Caverns to bring a long lost effect from the early days of the layout back to life. Bringing back the old Pepper’s Ghost rainbow may only require changing a light bulb, but getting to it is the real challenge!

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Big Thunder Mine Part 2: Ore Bins, Trestles & Retaining Walls

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Welcome to part 2 of the Big Thunder Mine build! In this episode, I scratch-build some retaining walls, mine cart trestles, and a custom ore bin to serve the On18 Big Thunder & Calico tramway. Then it’s time to dirt things in and add a little weathering.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave

Big Thunder Mine Part 1: https://youtu.be/KcTcyTm_c_g

The Legend of Coyote Rock

Posted on by Dave Meek

 

Thunder Mesa Country is full of legends and tall tales. And no wonder. They say if you’re out in that desert heat too long you’re likely to start seeing all kinds of crazy things in those colorful rock formations! Today we have the story of Coyote Rock, both the tall tale behind it, and modeling methods used to put the scene together. Inspired be a real Coyote Rock in Sedona, AZ, as well as by the 1945 Disney short of the same name, Thunder Mesa’s Coyote Rock was carved from polyurethane foam and painted with artists acrylics.

Thanks for watching, amigos!
Dave