Closing the Gap

 

The last unfinished section of my East Broad Top model railroad can be seen in the above view.  To the left is the back of the roundhouse.  The opening in the center of the picture is a pop-up for access to the roundhouse and the HO gauge tracks that descend below the coal mines at Robertsdale, circle around and reappear on the right.  Above the HO tracks is the HOn3 track that allows the narrow gauge loop to access a high bridge over Aughwick Creek before its descent on a long grade back to the dual gauge yard at Blacklog. 

Here is a photo of the same area with the drop-in cover that holds a small church,, cemetery and house in the background.  You can just make out the HO tracks behind and below the church.  The tracks in the upper right are the HOn3 main.

 

 I decided to begin by adding a foam mountain that would cover the HO approach to the hidden loop.  Using two inch blue foam insulation, I cut and layered four sheets of foam, then used a saw and a Surfoam brush to shape the mountain.

  

The curved end would eventually descend to a two track stone tunnel portal,  The opposite end was cut flat to blend in with existing mountains above and behind the pop-up.  The next stop was to paint the foam with latex brown.  I then applied matte medium to glue clumps of lichen foliage to the foam. I collected the lichen from alongside a road where it grew in abundance, cleaned it, immersed it in a solution of hot water and glycerin to preserve it, finally spraying it with Aileen's Tacky Spray followed by an application of green foam.  Looks pretty realistic, if I say so myself.

The foam mountain was designed to fit behind the cover of the pop-up service access, covering the HO tracks that ran beneath it.  Here is a view of the pop-up hatch with the mountain behind it.

 And here is a view of the mountain taken from the opposite side of the layout.  The tracks in the foreground are the HOn3 wye on the left and the sidings for mine number 1 at Robertsdale.  The new mountain fits snugly against the EBT tracks leading to the return loop.

 

In my next post, I will share how I detailed the scenery to this yet unfinished part of the EBT.