Building photos on foam core, anyone use them?

Sounds like a capital idea to me !

The use of photographs will work providing they reveal the right perspective. You can see my use of a photograph as a "scene divider" & backdrop on page 63 of the OGR Magazine Oct. / Nov. Run 280.

I took the photographs of the area and made numerous enlargements so the buildings and street looked correct for this Hi - Rail application. Once I selected the correct size, the photos were seam matched & mounted on white foam display board using a heavy dose of rubber cement. Properly weight and dry over night.

Now for the interesting part.  You have to cut out the buildings along the roof line with an Xacto razor knife.  Take your time so you don't crush the foam.  (When you are done, paint in the white foam with acrylic paint to match the buildings roof lines colors when viewed from the ends.)  Blue sky w/ clouds are visible as the wall is painted. (page 66 - 67) This will help finish the image.

My photo scene break is about 3' in length and 8" tall. I glued the back of the foam board up to a piece of 1" X 2" painted an earthtone color. The board was screwed to the table. The board is covered on the edges with foliage and blends into the scene behind it.

When viewed head on it draws the viewers eye while trains move in an out.  A small portion of the table in front of the photo scene break is painted to match the street in the photo.  If there are no trains, there are a couple of scale / period automobiles that look like they are traveling along the street in front of the buildings so the scene still works. 

You can contact me if you require additional information or support.  Just take your time, don't rush the process. Your results will be most rewarding.

RMROD's advice is spot on.

One thing to note: Cutting foam cleanly requires VERY sharp Xacto blades--you almost need to use a fresh one every time. Single-edged razor blades work well as an alternative, and (purchased in bulk) are MUCH cheaper. Harder to work with, though.

MONON_JIM posted:

I have been considering using the pictures that you glue to foam core on my layout for a backdrop.  Anyone use them?  Pros & cons.

I've used foam board for flats, sidewalks, retaining walls and paved blacktop streets.  Also blue foam poster board can be used as sky background.  I still have a lot of finishing work in the area where the flats are located.

Looks good.  I suppose there is a ton of trial and error.....

It's fundamentally a good idea. It seems to work best when behind full scale buildings, so that you see from mid-point or tops of the flats. Even if you see to the bottom of the flat, I add three dimentional details which help enormously. Things like vents from windows, air conditioners, wall billboards, etc. I also add about two inches of roof and sides so that I can add water towers, roof vents and roof billboards. I subtly weather with chalks which gives the flat some more dimension. 

Rather than use paper backed foamcore board for backdrops my preference would be thin plywood veneer sheet available at building supply stores.  Foam core tends to be affected by moisture and will often warp.

Also painting the backdrop board with a primer is best to seal wood.

I've used a number of them. Mostly HO ones to represent buildings off in the distance. I have a few O Scale ones that are used in the foreground. Usually go for the backside factory type. I bought them on eBay. angiestracksideflats I think. Reasonably priced. 

Have a friend who did a whole row of these, came out fantastic looking. (and thin!)