The contours of the layout east of – behind – the track are really going to be determined by the setting of the dam walls in the Boltorr Brook valley.
Marking out the structure onto foam-board
This is going to be quite a large edifice, about 600mm long and 300mm high. In scale about 150ft/45m long and 75ft/23m high.
I considered using the same method to represent stonework as I had on the Bolt Tor tunnel portal, but, as effective as it is, it would be a considerable amount of work to render the entire reservoir structure in that manner.
Besides, the portal method produced a very rough stone texture, appropriate enough given it was originally built by French prisoners of war, whereas the dam retention walls are going to be rather more dressed and regular in a Victorian mason sort of way.
So, I’m building up the form the stonework from foam-board and plastic card. I’m ten going to roll DAS Clay as thinly as I can, hopefully under 2mm thick and laminate it onto the foam-board. When it’s dry I’m going to carve the stone courses into the clay and, hopefully, achieve a realistic 3D effect.