The Landscape

Most of the tunnel portals were self-built using Depron sheets of varying thicknesses and glued together with Depron-specific cyanoacrylate glue.

The arch shape, with the correct template for a single track, was obtained using a commercial portal for an electrified line as a reference. The same portal was also used to provide the necessary profile for the double-track portals, simply by widening the gap and smoothly connecting the upper part.

Before gluing, the joints between the stones were hand-engraved. It takes a lot of patience, but the result pays off. Pay attention to the size of the stones. In some cases, especially at the beginning, I made them too large for the HO scale, but I must say that only an expert eye would notice this.

The advantage of this technique is considerable, as it allows the portal to be integrated with the retaining walls at will, thus achieving both cost-effectiveness and great flexibility.

In addition to the portals, I then built the first 20-30 cm of the tunnel vault. To this end, I used extruded polystyrene in the thickest thickness available (50 mm) to reduce the number of pieces needed. To create a hole with the correct shape, I traced the portal's outline onto the polystyrene and then cut it with a hot wire.

Once I had obtained a sufficient number of 50 mm long vault sections, I sanded them using a rigid cardboard cylinder glued with sandpaper to obtain a smooth and uniform internal profile.

The biggest challenge was making the vertical cut necessary to align the vault with the track on the curved sections. This was also done with a hot wire, holding the piece vertically.

The resulting pieces were then glued together initially with hot glue and then with Bostik PoliMax.

Once the vault was assembled, I proceeded to sand the entire internal surface, followed by filling the joints and final varnishing. The final touch was the weathering with dry brush strokes to simulate leaks, smoke, and other typical tunnel phenomena. With the addition of the white line for the inspection niches, the vault is ready to be installed in the model.

In some areas of the model, it was necessary to build retaining walls of considerable size. The approach used to create them was very similar to that used for the tunnel portals. Depron sheets were inlaid and then glued on multiple levels to create the bas-relief arches.

The wall above the secondary station rises with increasing heights from left to right, requiring the creation of progressively higher arches.

Depron was also used for the sidewalks. The curb stones were created by engraving them into the material. The pedestrian crossings were created using a laser-cut product from Noch, and particular attention was paid to minimizing the thinness of the central section where the third rail passes. This section was also drilled to allow the metal tips of the third rail to emerge, so as not to negatively affect the current collection by the runner block.

After painting, including the yellow line, the sidewalks were aged with a dry-applied colored pigment.

Having decided to use C-track in the exposed areas as well, I had to experiment with techniques to create a ballast that struck the right balance between practicality, operational safety, and realism. The final method, which I then used for all exposed areas of the layout, consisted of the following steps:

1. Aging the rails with rust paint. I created the color by mixing Liquitex acrylic paints (Red Oxid, Burnt Siena, and Burnt Amber) until I achieved the desired shade. After thoroughly cleaning the rails with isopropyl alcohol, I applied the paint by hand to the four sides of the rails with a very thin brush, although an airbrush would probably have been better and faster.

2. To create the ballast, I used granules of two different shades of gray mixed at 50/50 (purchased from Linea Secondaria). A critical point is the space between the ties and the two rails. In fact, during testing, I noticed that some larger granules could interfere with the runner, as there wasn't much light available. To reduce the number of large granules, I used a finer grain from Woodland Scenics in the same color for the darker gray area between the sleepers and the two rails. Since it takes painstaking work to place the granules in the correct quantity and position, manually removing them from above the sleepers, I learned with practice that it's best to apply this part of the ballast before installing the track. In fact, it's better to do this while sitting comfortably in the right light, rather than bending over the track assembled on the layout. Once the granules were placed and arranged in a thin layer between the sleepers, I proceeded to glue them with Vinavil Extra diluted 50% with water and a little dish soap. The mixture must be carefully dosed using a hypodermic syringe, one drop at a time. Particular care must be taken not to overdo the glue, as excess will drip under the rails, the central conductor, and the ends onto the track junction contacts. I was worried that the water would cause corrosion of the metal, resulting in a loss of electrical contact, but fortunately this did not happen.

3. Before attaching the track to the 5 mm layer of cork previously glued to the wooden base, I inserted small shims of very thin wood between the plastic ballast and the cork on the outside of the track along the curved sections to allow it to slope. I then secured the track with a line of hot glue between the ballast and the cork base, applied approximately every 5 cm.

4. After placing the desired base granules between the tracks, you can distribute the granule mix on both sides of the ballast. For this purpose, I used a long test tube with a mouth about 1.5 cm wide. I then leveled the granules using foam pads to achieve uniform coverage of the plastic ballast. Once I'd removed the granules from above the protruding portion of the sleepers, I glued everything together with a solution of water/Vinavil Extra and detergent, letting the drops fall onto the top and then gradually working their way down until all the material was saturated with glue.

5. The track takes about 24 hours to dry. If the feedback sensors indicate that the track is occupied, this is normal; the problem persists until the track is completely dry. Once the track is dry, I smeared the ballast with a rust-colored pigment (made by mixing three basic pigments) and then brushed it over with a dry brush. In some areas where locomotives normally park and on the switches, I also smeared with a black pigment.

6. If the ballast was laid before installing the track in step 2, you need to place granules over the track joints. You need to be very careful with the amount of glue you use at this stage as any excess will end up on the contact junctions.

The technique used is as common as it is simple. First, position blocks of extruded polystyrene, cut to size with a cutter as needed. The blocks are then secured to the base and to each other with Bostik Poly Max. Once secured, you can begin working freehand using a hot-wire bow. The shape you give the wire helps create the final effect, but the most important part is imagination: you need to observe real rocks and then try to recreate them by moving the wire through the polystyrene. This process produces unhealthy fumes, so you need to wear an activated carbon mask that covers your nose and mouth (I used a 3M product).

Once the polystyrene has a satisfactory shape, you can move on to the next step: grout the joints between the blocks with paintable acrylic silicone. To create a more realistic texture, use smooth, white toilet paper. Mix 50/50 of PVA glue with water as for the ballast, but in this case it may be helpful to add color to the mixture so that the base color isn't white, but rather a gray or gray-brown. The color should be mixed with PVA glue before diluting it with water. This ensures the pigment is distributed evenly without creating lumps that are difficult to remove.

To glue the toilet paper, start by wetting the polystyrene, which has been shaped with hot wire, with glue, one area at a time using a brush with sturdy synthetic bristles. Prepare the torn pieces of toilet paper and place them on the glue-soaked area. Then use the brush, tapping the bristles vertically to the surface to force the paper into the cracks and depressions in the polystyrene. Keep the brush wet with glue while doing this.

After 24 hours, everything is dry and ready for the next step. Although the surface isn't white, it's now time to apply the rock color. I used Liquitex Natural Gray, Ivory Black, and Burnt Siena, mixed until I achieved the desired shade. After painting, you can add a more brownish color to the flat areas and/or deep cracks.

Once the paint is dry, apply a coat of black wash (very diluted black) over the entire surface. The final touch should be applied when everything is completely dry, then highlighting: using white paint and a drybrush, lightly stain the protruding parts and edges of the rock. Make sure the paint is almost dry on the brush to avoid ruining the effect.

Add stones, sand, or brown granules to complete the work. These should then be glued in place using PVA glue diluted with water.

The roads on the layout weren't designed with Wintrack. They were only defined after the secondary and main stations were in place. I initially considered including only static vehicles in the layout, but after watching some YouTube videos of Viessmann's new Car Motion system, I was impressed by the possibilities it offered and wanted to test its functionality in the field. So I purchased a basic set and began testing it on the layout, which I was convinced by.

Aside from the road near the secondary station, which I had already completed and was intended only for static vehicles, most of the other roads located on Level 5 and above were built with Viessmann's system in mind.

The roads connect all the areas on Level 5 of the layout. From the main station's freight yard, you can go to the locomotive depot on one side, then to the main station via a functioning level crossing, or to the village of Massa sul Cesi on the other side. From there, you can either turn back or take a longer detour to the main station at the bottom of the layout. A single-lane road runs in the background at level 6, partially through a tunnel. It loops around the fire station, then descends again via two hairpin bends to the main station square.

I've made it possible for vehicles to enter and exit the fire station. They can also drive up the freight yard ramp, park in its parking lot, or take the secondary road leading to the upper part of Massa sul Cesi.

Vehicles are guided by a magnetic stripe that must be embedded in the road surface. A minimum radius of 8 cm must be maintained on curves, while the vehicles have no particular problems with the slopes on the layout. To install the magnetic strip, a 1 mm deep groove must be dug into the road surface using an additional tool for the Dremel. The road surface was then filled with a specific product from Faller and finally painted with a small roller using a specific asphalt-colored product from Heki.

Some basic vehicle behaviors can be achieved by embedding small magnets in the roadway. Their polarity is read by the vehicles, which activate pre-programmed behaviors such as turning on their indicators, slowing down, stopping, and turning on their high beams.

Veissmann vehicles can be controlled using the DCC protocol via infrared transmitters hidden along the roadside. I therefore installed about thirty transmitters in strategic locations throughout the layout. A device (the Veissmann IR Mini) also allows vehicles to stop automatically when the level crossing closes.

One sore point was the switches. Viessmann actually announced them, but since after a year of waiting they still weren't available, I decided to proceed differently. I found a way to build the necessary switches myself, starting with some old Lima railway switches, suitably modified. I built eight of them, and although they're less flexible than the original ones, they cost practically nothing since I already had all the materials.

In the summer of 2025, two areas of the layout still remained unfinished: the South area, located at Level 6, and the North area, also at Level 6. The original plan for the South area was still undefined; I had some ideas but hadn't decided yet. At Christmas 2024, I received an unexpected gift from my wife: the large Faller fire station. Initially, I wasn't sure exactly where to install it, but then I realized it was the perfect piece to complete what I'd started in 2006 with the fire station starter set: in the South area, I would create a large fire station complete with its own railway to safeguard the woodland heritage of Massa sul Cesi 😃.

The North area, on the other hand, would house the town of Massa sul Cesi. A small mountain village famous for the Sacro Monte, a series of small votive chapels located on the path that leads to the chapel in the woods in the background of the layout.