If a miniature gamer ever needs help with making it look real, just talk to a railroad hobbyiest.
They have loads of resources, techniques, and materials to build/fabricate/paint/weather a model to make it look like it should. This includes the time period and version of train or scenery they are working on. Railroad hobbyists also like to share information of how they worked out how to do things
My uncle has always been fantastic at this hobby and has slowly expanded what he had. It shows what patience and precision over time can achieve. He has even created ficticious buisnesses based on family's and friend's interests or ones that he has old photos of which no longer exist.
Seeing his layout always wants me to work on more terrain. Standby to see more in the next year.
That crossover works especially well when the terrain is planned from viewing distance backward. I would first lock the ground scale and the height of doors, road markings and vegetation, then build three values of ground cover rather than one uniform green. A dark earth base, a mid-tone texture and a few lighter dry areas usually read more naturally than adding detail everywhere. Railroad practice also transfers well for durability: seal loose material in thin layers, keep glue away from moving or mating surfaces, and test the finish under the lighting used at the table. I work with Muncle Mikes, where we publish model-train scenery and scale references, and I appreciate seeing those methods carried into tabletop terrain.
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