Model Railroading > Another Scenery challenge follow up

A fellow TOer asked some questions about my earlier post.  Here are answers to that post.  
How much planing did it take.  Simple answer...a lot.  I usually sketch what a scene should look like. These are rough sketches, not a finished look.  You will notice that the bents are not a dark color as you might expect.  This was going to be a showcase scene and if it was dark it would ruin the scene.  It would distract the overall effect.  This was part of the planning.  If you look at the panorama view in my first Post you can imagine  how distracting it would be.  Back story: this trestle was on the original main line so it has faded?  The main goal of the finished scene was to make it look as if the scenery was there first.  This was more difficult and required extra planning.  The easy way is to just make the bents taller and then shorter.  I also use ceiling tile extensively and that make the sedimentary rocks easier to make.

How long to build? I always tell visitors who ask, "It took four years" to build.  Among my various jobs as a planetarium director I was also the auditorium director. During the summer the dance studios in the area had shows.  The rehearsals were very dull.  Play a tape, change a tape, etc.  I used this time to cut the scale lumber to size and shape.  I had pre-stained the wood. Over 4 summers I had the wood pieces ready to go.  I made a jig for the bents and went to work.  It took 2 weeks of evenings to build the trestle. Take a close look at photo 3.  Those are individual Grant Line bolts  There are nearly 2000 of them!  I know there should be two per spot.  I was going to do that.  However, the scale wood wanted to split.  I settles for one.  Modellers compromise.

How long to install? The base for the trestle was ready to go in 2 evenings. Once I knew the trestle fit, I removed it and began coloring the tile rocks. There was big challenge to face.  The rocks on the left inside was interesting.  The middle photo shows part of that face.  The panorama showed it clearly.  As part of the layout  there is an access space behind that rock face. I stood there and I had to prop a mirror opposite it and build it looking at the mirror.  I have built two telescopes and am used to working with mirrors.
It took about a week of evenings to totally install this area of the layout. 
 

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