In planning my N scale Rio Grande Moffat Road, I knew that one of the challenges I would have with scenery would be the Flatirons between Plain and Crescent sidings. I envisioned the route though the Flatirons to be a highlight of this portion of the layout. Since this scenery has a very unique look to it, I thought long and hard on how I would construct it. Follow along and see if any of these techniques can help you out with some scenery projects on your layout. Occasionally upthrust to nearly vertical slabs, the Flatirons were a formidable barrier for the railroad. They stood in the path to the drainage of South Boulder Canyon, the most logical westerly route through the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, and the only way for the railroad to access this route was to bore through these slabs. The railroad's survey from Plainview to South Boulder Canyon took the route northward through seven tunnels (Tunnels 2 to 8) to pierce the Flatirons. These unique rock formations are composed of sandstone and pebble conglomerates and are remarkably stable, requiring little support inside most of the tunnels. The railroad changes to a more westerly direction with a 90 curve through Tunnel 8. Flatiron scenery quickly changes at this point as the railroad escapes to a different environment high above South Boulder Creek in Eldorado Canyon.
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