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Ridley Keystone & Mountain Railroad

The Road to Fantasy

The Water Tower Diorama

Ground Contouring

The ground is taking shape

Once the glue had dried the next step was to begin to shape the ground. For this operation I used an old tried and true. I mixed up a solution of plaster of Paris. Remember that this process can be a little messy. I covered everything that I did not want spots to get on. This included portions of the diorama, the workbench, and the floor.

The normal mix rate for plaster of Paris is 1 part plaster of Paris to 2 parts water. For this operation I start with a mix of 1 part plaster of Paris to 3 parts water. If the solution seems too thick I add water at a rate of ½ parts until I am satisfied with the solution. I want it thin but not too watery.

Another view of the diorama with the plaster laden paper towels

The next step is to take a paper towel sheet and shred it in half. I then place the half sheet in the plaster of Paris solution and soak it. I then take the sheet and begin covering the foam. I overlap the subsequent sheets by half. I let the first layer of sheets dry for about a day.

If the layer does not seem strong enough I will then do a second layer. The thing you have to be concerned with when doing a second layer is how thick the paper towels are getting versus how thick you want them. Remember you have to come back with a layer of plaster of Paris to seal them.


This view shows the problem when the paper towel layers get too thick




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Updated August 5, 2006


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