First Level Backdrops Complete

 Above: A quiet cascade afternoon in Oakridge. Helper units sit waiting for their next trip up the hill on the back tracks.

After many hours spent trying to figure out how I wanted to paint the backdrops for my Cascade Sub Railroad (more on that in a coming post) I finally bit the bullet and completed the backdrops on the lower level.

The backdrops add much needed depth to the railroad and serve as a foundation for future scenery work. I am purposely keeping the painting simple, but suggestive of distant landforms and trees. I've run into the trap of trying to paint every tree and rock, but I think in this case less is more!

 Above: Oakridge from operator's height. Where there is whitespace at the ground level I will build up terrain and vegetation to blend the foreground into the backdrop.

 Above: Salmon Creek and Pope & Talbot Lumber.. This alcove of the railroad room is starting to have the feeling of stepping into another place and time: a rainy, spring day in the Cascades.

Above: Westfir and future Tunnel 23. This is the "first" scene of the railroad and important for setting the stage for the rest of the modeled Cascade Line. With backdrops complete, the scene is coming together more and more.