From day one of the planning of the Standard Gauge Pacific Coast Railway, I have decided to really stray from the prototype and build a hill with a tunnel to hide the loop factor. My plan was to build a base with the same blue foam and then an old fashion plaster/paper towel hard coat. This morning, I braved my 42f/5c degree garage to start mocking up the mountain. I am getting the basic shape in, and I am testing the clearances as I go. I am about to place a cover on the hill and then add height to the hill to bulk it up and justify the tunnel.
On a side note…I have been listening to Lionel Strang’s A Modeler’s Life podcast. Smoken’ Joe D’Amato from Micro-Trains turned me on to this. Joe’s 187 part interview was great to listen to, as well as Joe Fugate’s interview was fun to listen to, and gave great insight on Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine. I find listening to this podcast as a great way to keep focused on my project.