THE SKY IS RISING!

Rather than playing “Chicken Little” (sky falling…), I did the opposite for the wall the major mountain grade is mounted on.  I applied my standard multi-band sky treatment (http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2012/11/backdrop-sky.html)to about sixty feet of wall.  This completes my expected sky treatment on walls, as I do not expect to need any sky color behind Cascade summit—the terrain will reach the ceiling before the wall behind that scene.  I remembered how applying the sky treatment immediately transformed a layout area when I applied that treatment to the McCredie Springs “nook” area last summer.  Completing that effect for the rest of the railroad has been on my active list since that time, but operating features of the railroad always took precedence—right up until my enforced operations break this winter.  (http://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2016/01/house-maintenance-pause.html)

Sky treatment applied to wall behind Cruzatte.

Cruzatte wall before the sky treatment.

Completed sky treatment blends with previously applied sky treatment in the nook to the left.

Sky treatment extends to the Salt Creek Trestle scene.

The next step will be a basic hillside treatment approximating where I expect to build up the terrain and extend the tree line above that.  Meanwhile my operating crew and I (whenever that happens again!) can enjoy the introduction of this real world element to the layout space.  I have already seen how my eye and brain accept the completed sky as belonging there, even when viewed above the backdrop spine behind Springfield.