Swamps and inexpensive scenery for beginners---

[Jennifer Marie Parisi]

Well, I was asked to post some scenery techniques for beginners. A swamp
can be a very interesting focal point on a model railroad. Also, a
marshland can be very easy on the wallet.
Many modelers shy away from trying something new or out of the ordinary,
but making a swamp is very easy, even easier than making a lake or river.
First, you obviously need an area. It doesn't need to be large, my swamp
is only about 2" x 10",it just needs to be in a right location. For
instance, I've never seen a swamp on a mountain side or in the middle of
a prarie. Choose a place that is low lying and is somewhat near a river or
lake or other body of water capable of feeding the swamp. Once your area
is established its time to do some landforming. Swamps aren't deep, only
a few feet in most places, so if you've choosen a low lying area on the
layout your already set. If you have a good location but it's not low
enough, don't fret, just cut (scary word isn't it -cut-) out a hole in
the scenery large enough for your swamp. This can be done on any layout,
even on a 4' x 8' starter layout. Fill in the hole using some scrap
'Styrofoam', a hardshell technique (paper towels dipped in plaster, laid
over a base) , or any other scenery method you might be framiliar with.
Once you have a 'lowered' area to work with it's time to start the
landscaping, as I like to call it.
First, paint the area to be the swamp with a brown wash. By this I mean,
take some water based brown paint and mix it with a small amount of
water. This will thin out the paint and make it flow better. I believe
washes tend to look better than full strength paint, because of their
more subtle tone. Once the area is painted, the fun part begins. Go
outside, bring with you a fairly old pot or pan (one the wife won't
miss), and fill it 3/4 the way full of dirt. The dirt can be taken from a
garden, a flowerbed, or underneath a bush. You know as better than I,
where you can get dirt in the local area. DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF
CHEMICALLY FERTILIZED OR TREATED SOIL. When you have your dirt collected,
sift it using an old screen from those aluminun windows that you 'got
rid of ten years ago but still have all the screens from'. If you don't
have an old screen, use a wire mesh strainer. When the dirt is sifted,
put it back into the pot or pan, now here comes the kicker: bake the dirt
in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at about 350 degrees. Your house
might smell like dirt for a little bit, but at least you will have gotten
rid of any bugs or seeds that might mess up the layout later on.
Remember, this is the inexpensive way to scenic a layout.
Take the cooked dirt, after it has cooled of course, and sprinkle it over
the area of the swamp. Spray the area with a mixture of white glue
diluted in water with a drop of dish soap. The dish soap 'wets' the water
by breaking the miniscus(surface tension). Wetting the water prevents the
dirt from balling up when sprayed with the glue mixtue. Let the glue dry.
Making reeds in the water is very easy. Cut the bristles from an old
broom. You'll only need a few. Cut the bristles into pieces about have an
inch long. Make about 50 or so, then paint half of them different shades
of green, using waterbased paint, of course. When this paint dries take
the very end of a green 'reed' and dip it into a small amount of white glue.
Then take the glued end and roll it into some of the finely sifted dirt,
pull it out and -- instant cattails !! Make a lot of these, and glue them
around the edges of the swamp. Take the unpainted reeds and glue them
around also. These will represent dead cattails. You might even place
some laying down to simulate ones that have fallen into the water.
Now it's time for weeds, these can be made for no price by using old
scraps of green or earth tone carpet. Just cut off some of the fibers,
unravel them, and once again- instant plants. Fake fur (sold in many
craft stores) can also be used as straight standing plants. Glue plants
and standing weeds all around the swamp area.
Next you'll need some trees, dead ones preferably. This time you might
have to actually break down and buy something. Woodland Scenics makes
great soft metal castings of trees. Build them as per directions in the
box, and they come out great. Most kits contain many trees also, so
you'll probably have leftovers for different projects. Instaed of
painting the trees brown, paint them tan or light gray. This will
simulate a dead, barkless tree. Lightly stain the 'dead trees' with a
wash made of 90% water, 5% india ink (available at art supply stores) and
5% alcohol (this will help the mixture flow over the tree better). Once
the trees are completely dry, glue them in place all throughout the swamp.
When the whole thing is dried completely, it's time to add small twigs
from outside to make fallen trees and logs. Glue these twigs with full
strength white glue. Some can be debarked to match the trees in the swamp.

So, now you have a dry pit with cattails, weeds, reeds, trees and fallen
trees. All you need now is water! Water is easy to make using any of the
commercially available products on the market for making water. My
favorite is 'Envirotex Lite'. Envirotex is a two part resin and hardener
that makes great simulated water. It has a 1 to 1 mix ratio and should
only be used in well ventilated areas. Once you mix the resin, using the
manufacturer's instructions, pour it onto the swamp bed. Be very careful
not to hit any trees or weeds, or you'll have branches that look like
they've been varnished. You can use a small throw away paintbrush to
manipulate the water around the trees and weeds. Blowing on the water
with a straw will release any air bubbles that might have been created in
pouring the mixture. Once the Envirotex dries, in about two days, you'll
have a beautiful swamp that many layout visitors will speak about.

James A. Powell
NCR/NMRA
CLEVELAND, AVON LAKE & NORTH COAST
a small little subsidiary of CONRAIL.