Hey do any of you guy use plaster and lath? When I was a kids 30 yrs ago it was the real deal you could make mountains, ponds, all kinds of stuff. I think the ponds used mortar and a fish tank pump like a water fall dn the mt into the pond etc.

look at this stuff, it would make great walls for the track. What do you think?

I think these days styrofoam makes up the core of many detailed layouts.
It's light
It can be painted
It can be shaped
Or if you insist it can be covered with plaster...

Scott

Plasters great stuff and you can do MORE with it than you can with extruded foam BUT, There are some talented foam workers out there also.

Much depends on what you want to do, where its going etc etc.
Are you doing a scenic track that will see SOME racing by a couple guys once in a while....OR a track that will see heavy racing every weekend ??

If you will use Plaster, consider the Area's you use it.......A Head on crash into a Plaster wall at full speed in HO could get really Ugly.
1/32 cars are pretty tough and will take glancing blows, roll overs etc but Head on into an Immovable HARD object isnt something I want to find out about with my 60.00 car LOL.

Nice thing about plaster though is the way it takes detail, the ability to color it realistically and the ability to make Molds for repeating a wall etc.
Here's an area of Plaster on my track.....notice the traffic has the cars coming UNDERneath and Away from the walls not INTO them (unless I were to run counterclockwise like NASCAR which isnt likely)
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Tileguy86/SLOTS/Slot1.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Tileguy86/SLOTS/slot5.jpg

Adding greenery in the backdrop starts to give the added depth and takes away the monochrome look.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Tileguy86/SLOTS/forested.jpg

Not sure what "lath" is but today the easy solution is Woodland Scenics Plaster Cloth over newspaper or other simple support: I used the hard shell technique outlined in some of the model railroading books by Lynn Wescott.

http://www.woodlandscenics.com/

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/woo/wooc1203.jpg

Scott, using Lynn Westcotts Hard shell technique, The LATH would have been the Cardboard strips/Screen you weaved together to form your basic landscape outline.

WS plaster cloth is Fast and easy BUT its expensive......IF you have large area's to do buying Hydrocal in 50# bags and using Strips of paper towels Is far less expensive and will give the same results.

WS plaster cloth is Nice for small area's as its not near as messy.....Its perfect for a Diorama Artist for example.

If you need 40 Lbs Plus of Plaster to cover an area, The WS plaster cloth will cost 5 -6 times more.................Plasters a wonderful modeling medium.

I couldnt do landscaing like THIS without it!!

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f74/Tileguy86/Diorama2.jpg

Not sure what "lath" is but today the easy solution is Woodland Scenics Plaster Cloth over newspaper or other simple support: I used the hard shell technique outlined in some of the model railroading books by Lynn Wescott.

http://www.woodlandscenics.com/

http://www.hobbylinc.com/gr/woo/wooc1203.jpg

Lath is like using window screen and wood pieces, similar to the way walls were made in older homes before sheet rock. You would make a form and cover it with the screen then coat it with the plaster and shape for the desired look. I hope that helps