In-ko-pah RR -- Spring in the desert

[Ray Dunakin]

I needed a break from working on my drugstore model, so lately I've been doing some stuff outdoors on the layout. I'm "fine-tuning" some of the rock work on older areas of the layout, and also creating and installing hundreds of miniature, scale plants. And, I'm working on improving my photography, trying out different camera angles, lighting, etc. Here are a few of my recent photos:

This first shot is one of my favorites... A train crosses the Serenity Canyon Viaduct, as the setting sun casts long shadows on the ruins of an old mine:




The fireman of this locomotive takes a moment to enjoy the view as the late afternoon sun highlights the rocks and plants:




A bird's eye view as a train traverses the cliffs of the In-ko-pah Railroad:




A view of the abandoned Monolith Mine, as seen from a train on the Serenity Canyon Viaduct. Note the red-tail hawk on the headframe:




Another view of the train on the Serenity Canyon Viaduct:




Scraggly ocotillos, prickly cholla cactus, brittlebush, and other desert shrubs dot this rocky ridge as a train passes in the distance:






The train struggles upgrade in the shadow of the cliffs:

[NORCALLOGGER]

Hi Ray,
Great photographs and outstanding plant life.
Please explain your technique for creating them.
Thanks
Rick

[Chuck Doan]

Some nice pictures, Ray. Yes, are those fabricated plants?

[JohnP]

Ray, that is fantastic.  The lighting makes the photos, very enjoyable to view. The setting looks like it was a lot of back-breaking work. Do you have a You-Tube available? More information or images?


John

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks!

Yes, the plants are all fabricated. The technique varies depending on the type of plant, but in most cases I start with plastic flowers/greenery from the craft store. Since this is an outdoor layout, I had to get creative about materials... the stuff commonly used for indoor modeling, such as ground foam, won't last outdoors. I've employed things like sand and plastic "grit". I'll try to put together some more detailed info including pics.

I do have some videos on YouTube. They were shot last summer so they aren't up to date:

http://www.youtube.com/user/raydunakin

And I have more images on my website, though all the most recent ones were also posted here:

www.raydunakin.com

[Ray Dunakin]

I've put together some pics and info about how I make my scale plants:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Plants.html

[Fred H.]

Most excellent, Ray! Do you do any sagebrush models?

[Ray Dunakin]

Most excellent, Ray! Do you do any sagebrush models?

Nothing specific yet. I'm still looking for suitable materials to model other types of shrubs.