Let's see your cuts and fills

Will, Are you referring to something like this...?

FrankM

Not exactly, I would say that's more of a multi-level layout,  but it looks great. Nice rock work and I love your town buildings.

Here's a video of my layout that I think shows what you are talking about. 

@johnf posted:

Here's a video of my layout that I think shows what you are talking about. 

That is a beautiful layout!! Love that rock cut into the tunnel. I'd love to see more of your layout. 

Here are a couple of examples of very cool cuts. Not mine and I don't know the source, so I can't credit.

I did a typical corner mountain but created a cut through it for the grade.

I changed this corner recently and removed the grade. Still kept the cut through the mountain.

Not exactly a natural formation but an example of making a cut on a flat table. This is one of my club modules which all start out as a flat piece of plywood. The road was cut out and replaced with a piece of 1/16" lexan bent into a cut. It is supported underneath. Walls are also lexan though thin plywood would also work here. Being portable it has to stand up to constant moving and rough treatment.

Pete

My area is the bottom left-hand corner of this picture.  

I wanted to try something a little different than just another tunnel, simply for variety's sake.  So I modeled it this way.  Here are some shots of trains passing through.

Will,

Here are some pictures that show most of my layout. The first one shows the mostly finished area that is also visible in my earlier video.

This picture is looking from the finished area. I still need to install a backdrop and add the trees/vegetation:

Here is another cutout area:

Here is the next section:

And finally, here is the yard area:

As you can see, I still have plenty of work to do.

A prototype cut that I want to duplicate when I start my layout, it is located in Pelzer, SC:

I always liked that look too. That's why I made my layout "bumpy" 

I don't know if this qualifies or not for your topic. I know multi-level mountain terrain is rare for a tinplate layout.

Scott Smith

Here are a couple. This one is harder to see as a cut from this angle.

This is one of my favorite photo angles.

Here are a  couple, not cut and fill, mainly cuts, showing two different landscape treatments

Some new rock cuts I just made recently. A new mountain tunnel is under construction now.

Wow, so many great shots and examples- too many to acknowledge them all. I also love urban cuts- the stone or concrete you go through riding into the city just before you dive into a tunnel. Dave's photo reminded me of that. Scott, I like the shots of what can only be described as a super deep cut.

My favorite though is probably Matt's second photo. Beautiful blending of rocky outcrop and grassy slope. I think it can be as interesting to watch a train disappear into and reemerge from a deep cut as a tunnel.

The CBS railroad has a few cuts....

Looking down into the cut

This is a work in progress. From over six ft. high to the floor. Don

John,

Looks like you have gotten more rock work done in the middle section of the layout. Very nice paint job on them. I like your uniformity. I have been experimenting with various types of rock mostly for variation but trying to keep it regional. I can't wait to see how you tackle the section in the corner near the yard.

Dave

Here is my cut and I know that it does not look like much but had to use a cold chisel and a sledgehammer to make it 

My Big Cut:

Not too thick, though:

@CBS072 posted:

The CBS railroad has a few cuts....

Looking down into the cut

Keith,

I really like how your puffball trees turned out.

Dave

My attempt at a cut.

ARC, that's not an attempt, that's a great cut. Nice shot. Don

Early on in my last layout on the mainland with home made electric. Two Lionel #520 shells and a GG1 running gear plus detail.  I then added rock molds and a tunnel. Don

This has some color now; sandstone and a rainbow of mineral layers.

Bridge!....um, Tunnel..um.. retaining wall.... I'm to.indecisive to decide

Pulp tunnels on grass mat ... "Paper cut" 

Tunnel or cave? I couldn't decide..... again 

When building small enough, every inch is cut 

Let's begin with two views (from either side of the truss bridge over the White River) of the cut leading to the East Portal of Roark Mountain Tunnel:

Next, here's a view of the cut leading into the West Portal:

Both portals' cuts need some trimming.  My son just bought a scale crane, and it hits the stonework in the portals.  The rock on the West Portal is still raw, anyway, and needs to be finished.

Finally, here's a view of the shallow cut on the curve by the farm coming into Notch Junction:

@trainbob posted:

Here is my cut and I know that it does not look like much but had to use a cold chisel and a sledgehammer to make it 

That's outside? A real cut I think? Very cool!

@ARC posted:

My attempt at a cut.

That is very convincing! Love it.

John F,  and Scale Rail,

Can you explain how you achieve your rock texture? 

I have just roughed in two mountains that run up to almost the ceiling in multi layers of solid foam.  Right now they are  just large featureless smooth bald domes.

 Need to keep them light weight for lift out turnout service.  Suggestions?

Thank you,

@scale rail posted:

ARC, that's not an attempt, that's a great cut. Nice shot. Don

Agreed.  Can't do it much better than that.   

Tom,

I used latex molds from Bragdon Enterprises and hydrocal to make my rocks. Some of the molds allow you to make thinner castings and keep the weight down. Bragdon also sells a 2 part resin to make light weight foam castings. I tried it out, but thought the process was too difficult. It is described on the website.

John

Hi All,

Here's my "cuts" for now.

Dave

Paper glued to styrofoam. The inside of the tunnels and the river cut away was done in a similar fashion.

You fellows are humble about your skills and work.  The model terrain says it all, though.  

Years ago, I read a little one-line filler at the end of a Reader's Digest article:  "Your horn always sounds louder when someone else blows it for you."

So, with special permission of the Vice-President of Operations, the personal record of each Forumite who has posted a picture of his cuts and fills had been awarded ten merits for adding realism and visual interest by constructing prototypically difficult engineering features on your respective model railroads.  And you also get a tip of our hats from the management and scale employees on the High Plains Division (O Gauge) of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway Company.

John,

How long ago did you order from Bragdon? I checked their website last week and noted that it had not been updated since 2013.

BTW, I used their system about 10 years ago, when I built my Rock Face modules. It works quite well. The rock face is both light weight and strong.

Chris

LVHR

Chris,

Your rocks look great. You did an excellent job with the colors.

My last order from Bragdon was in October of 2016.

John