There are many benefits to constructing the buildings in your model railroad from scratch rather than going with commercial kits, one of which being scratchbuilt structures are highly customizable. When you choose to build from the ground up, you get to pick the way it looks, from the windows and doors to the roof and material. In fact, if you want to make a structure out of stone, there's absolutely nothing stopping you; you just have to learn the proper technique to make the stones look as natural as possible. In this lesson, we teach you how to create a realistic stone scale model building for your next model railroad layout.
How to make a stone scale model building with plaster
The process for creating a stone scale model building for your model railroad is relatively simple but fairly time consuming, and also very up to your interpretation as far as rock patterns go. To help you figure out the best way to piece together the stones in your stone scale model building, modeler George Sebastian-Coleman walks you through the step-by-step method for creating a mold for your walls, windows and doors, pouring the mold with plaster, and carving stones into your newly dried scale model building.
He begins by demonstrating the proper technique for laying out and cutting the windows and doors for your walls using quarter-inch cuts of plywood. Once your wall shape is set and you've formed a casing to pour the mold for your scale model building, George shows you the finished product that you'll begin to score in order to form the stone pattern. Utilizing a knife while the plaster for the scale model building is still somewhat wet and easily sculptable, you'll carve away at the wall with varying sizes and shapes and eventually end up with a scale wall that looks like it was assembled by an expert craftsman. Follow George's simple technique and you'll be able to create a unique stone scale model building unlike those you'll find in anyone else's layout!
