Layout Foam

I began with two 12x24-inch sheets of 1/4-inch foam.  I cut one of these to a 6x24-inch size, then held the two pieces together with a strip of duct tape on the bottom and a bead of Scenic Glue where the two sheets butt together.

Because of the curvature of the corners of the suitcase, I marked off one-inch from each corner and cut off all four corners.

I then took two 12x24-inch sheets of one-inch foam and cut each into two 18x4.5-inch pieces.  I glued these together to make two pairs, for the "highlands" at the ends of the suitcases. I cut one-inch corners off as before, although the back-left corner was enlarged to about 1.5-inches to accommodate one of the suitcase's wheel wells.

With pieces of one-inch foam scraps I made small extensions for each end of the highlands and glued them to the larger pieces.

In addition to the foam pieces, the picture shows the lowlands track and some Z scale farm buildings that will eventually be located in the highlands, and one of the bridges to support the highlands track.

I used the hot-wire foam cutter to create an irregularly beveled edge where the cliff face meets the top.  I also used the foam cutter to cut out a tunnel through each piece where the road will go through the highlands.

To keep the cliff face from looking just flat, I used Woodland Scenics Foam Putty to provide texture.  I applied the putty with a table knife and provided texture with the rounded tip of the knife and with my fingers.

One note to add here - It's been over a year since I opened the first carton of Foam Putty and the small amount remaining has started to dry out enough that it does not spread easily.  I'd e-mailed Woodland Scenics to ask about rehydrating with a little water and was told that it wouldn't work.  Since I had nothing to lose, I decided to try it anyway today.  It seems to work - I added a little water, stirred well with the table knife and got a nice, spreadable texture.  We'll see if it holds together all right.

Now it's time to start more serious landscaping.