Westfir Scenery Revamp

 

This spring I spent a large portion of my modeling time transforming the Westfir, OR scene from bare foam and plaster terrain to something more representative of a forested right of way. However, my initial efforts fell short of both what I had envisioned and what I had documented in the actual Westfir. My grasses and vegetation were a little to thin, not conveying the lushness found in the rain-soaked Cascade Mountains. So this past weekend, armed with a freshly stocked arsenal of scenery supplies, I removed the trees and bushes I had installed in the spring, and gave Westfir a much needed scenic facelift. 

Removing previous work is always difficult, but often a necessary starting point. While I felt the trees I had planted in Westfir this spring were good, it was the vegetation and undergrowth on the forest floor beneath that was the true issue. So, to begin this project I stripped the scene of most of the trees and even removed a good number of the bushes that I had glued around the rock outcroppings and tunnel. 

Westfir before removing previously planted trees.

Trees removed.

I began by adding an additional layer of dirt texturing around the rock outcroppings. This step "pushed" the rocks a bit further into the hillside and provided a base on which to plant bushes and grasses. Once this dried, I began planting bushes and grasses around the rocks. For bushes I used Martin Welberg Scenic Studies Low Bushes in spring and light green as well as winter brown. Grass tufts were a combination of Silflor tufts and Martin Welberg layered spring tufts. These products were all held in place with white glue. 

Additional dirt layer to rock outcropping with the start of vegetation.

In addition to vegetation around the rocks, I wanted to thicken the grasses I had added throughout the scene. To better replicate the spring grasses I had documented on a research trip to Westfir, I came back over the top of the 4mm spring green grass I applied previously with a layer of 6mm autumn grass. This represents taller, dried and dead  grass from the previous year with fresh tuft growing beneath. I also made quick poly fiber bushes using a technique from Jason Klocke. Everything was fixed with hairspray. 

Modifications made to grassy areas include thickening layer of 6mm autumn grass and poly fiber bushes. 

I continued these techniques around the rest of the tunnel portal and throughout the whole scene. With this work complete, I feel more confident moving forward with planting larger bushes and trees. Certainly this scene is coming together with only a few major elements still to add. Next I will turn my attention to detailing and weathering the ties, rail, and ballast before finishing with trees. 

New vegetation around the portal at Tunnel 22. 

Overview of revamped scenery in Westfir.