[BAracer]

I have some ideas in my head for scenery on my forest based track I am developing...so tried to sketch it on a photo to see if I can visualize what it might look like.

So here, I am proposing two piles of felled trees to make sense of the curves in the layout...

   

And if possible, I'm going to make them out of real wood/twigs from the garden.

[Scuderia_Turini]

Hello Jeremy,
Stacks of logs were/are certainly a feature of UK rally stages. A few incidents of spectators using them as vantage points led to injuries when the stack collapsed due to the movement. After that the Forestry Commission tried to clear such on rally days.

I have used twigs for scenery but finding appropriate lengths of straight ones can be challenging.  They can be very effective though.

Leo

   

[rallyhub]

I like the idea.
There are piles of wood everywhere on the Swedish Rally Track:

   

[BAracer]

When you see the price of model plastic logs, I will definitely be trying twigs first!

[BAracer]

Next thought process...banking around the track.

Many many years ago with my train set, it was crunched up newspaper and paper mache. The slot track I recently bought has some sculpted polystyrene features. I have seen expanding foam used as a base in one of the World Wide Chats, but what have people here used to create hillocks and slopes around a track?

[Mitch58]

The options are many

[Gpa113]

Hi Jeremy,

I have used expanding foam on my fully scenic layout.  It was used for banks, small features and for filling in gaps, large and small, around tunnel areas.

I paid £5 from Wickes for a pretty decent sized can.  Terrific fun, but less is definitely more with this stuff....

Once dried I cut it about as I pleased to get whatever shape I was after. Then covered it in tile grout, let that dry to form a nice tough exterior and finally painted in appropriate colours, scattering different flocks and ballast across before the paint had fully dried.

Worked well, and looks good. Very simple to use, but cleaning the adapter nozel is a real pain.  Easier to just use another if you can get a spare or two.

[BAracer]

Thanks for the responses. I like the idea of the expanding foam. I might try and get it done in one shift to avoid the tube cleaning!

The existing track pieces seem to be stuck to the ply base with silicon. I think I will continue with that method once I settle on the layout, and give the track pieces a good clean.

I was thinking of building up the ground level either side of the track pieces with the right thickness foamboard to give a flush finish either side of the track. I am imagining the expanded foam will be the wrong product in the wrong location for that. Any objections to the use of foamboard, or any better ideas?

[Gpa113]

Re expanding foam, you have exactly the right idea,  do it one go if you can, so much simpler. 

The expanding foam expands a lot, I mean A LOT    So that wouldn't be a good product to build up a nice flush finish to your track.
I used a roll of 7mm camping foam matt, for sleeping on. Technically 7mm thick XPE foam.
I used paper templates to get the correct sizes/dimensions,  and then just the cut the foam matt to size. Glue in place with a tub of glue designed for scenic flock matt, or whatever works for you....

Very cheap, just buy the cheapest you can find,  unless you actually plan on sleeping on it 
Having done this once, my advice would be cut it slighter larger than perfect,  so that if it shrinks a little during glueing,  or more likely painting,  you will avoid the small narrow stripes in places where it has shrunk, albeit,  very marginally.  I filled these little gaps with silicon, then PVA on top, with flock or scatter applied.  This actually looks really effective,  as it mirrors areas where drivers have cut the corner in pursuit of that all important extra tenth of a second.  Particularly true for a rally stage inspired layout. Happy to send photos if that helps.

Pip

[BAracer]

I'm beginning to wonder whether I should NOT go flush with the track. Thinking about forest tracks, alot of them have ditches either side, and I'm thinking that having a small track with drift zones everywhere will make for a unrealistic driving speeds and too short lap times.

So on that basis, I might elevate the track on some packing in the twisty bit to create ditches and jepody!

Hmmm...