So based on Pete's input, I ripped out that wall next to the front right portal and redid it to make that portion a "rock cut". It required extending the cardboard support plate and then applying the strips to fill it all in. Before attempting to reconfigure this area, took an engine with a huge overhang, my 3rd Rail Pennsy S-1 and drew a clearance line around it. That's the "no-pass" line for the subsequent terrain. Speaking of terrain, has anyone see the new W-S foil terrain base. It's very clever and if my mountain weren't so freaking big I would like to try it. It's a very heavy duty foil backed by some form of fabric. You bend the foil any way you want to form a landform and then apply plaster cloth to the fiber backing to form the hard shell. The aluminum replaces all this cardboard. The downside: for 18" X 72" cost about $20. For a small HO mountain that wouldn't be so bad. For a massive O'scale affair, I would need 6 rolls of the stuff. So over $100 just to get the landform... no plaster, no paint, no ground cover, no trees. For small jobs it would be terrific.
Here's the piece of heavy board support by triangular cardboard deals that are packing directly from a shipping box that held my shopvac and cut to length. Everything as usual is hot glued. I'm using a ton of hot glue, I hope the fumes aren't too toxic. I find that the double layer board like this that held an LG flat screen TV, is good for structural stuff but less agile when doing the stripping.
Stripping was straight forward. I put in an intermediate strip behind to add some stability. I used some clamps for a minute or so until the hot glue melts.
Here's the completed "rock cut". The unfinished open area behind this is where my scaffold plant will go when plastering the middle reaches and will need a different contour because of the coal mine.
Back again to the left side. I finished stripping the top most portions that I could reach from the ladder, and then added two more tiers of cardboard framing. The bottom most has a vertical drop component since the block on the right is lower than that on the left. I just didn't want the cardboard plank to be a flat (boring) slope. This meant making a more complex cardboard assembly and lots of hot glue.
Here are those two in position. Next session I'll strip this and move on down the mountain. With the scaffold plank I can sit with my with my legs hanging down into the openings in the open grid layout framing and comfortably strip this part of the mountain. I'll have to do just a little bit sitting on my knees (UGH!) to reach the upper level. Plastering all this isn't going to be easy. I also used some staples on the ends on the blocks since I didn't trust hot glue alone to do the job. These are stressed joints and would be a disaster if they let go. I may also add a vertical support to the center if it ends up drooping too much.
With all the reinforcement ribbing, those cardboard planks are pretty stiff and will hold the plaster up until it sets. I wouldn't want to stand on it. And the price of this pile is $0.00 plus the price of the hot glue (Sears 20 sticks for $7.95)
