Styrene is a railroaders best friend because it has so many uses. It is cheap and quick to use. It provides insulation and using it is a quick way to add a 3D look to your layout. You can glue chucks together to form mountains and valleys and then hack away at it with a knife, saw, or file. If you make a mistake you can simply glue another piece on. You can often get styrene free from the likes of an electrical store as they will only throw it away.

Mountains are quick to build up with styrene and you can even cover them with newspapers covered with white PVA glue mixed with water. The other option is to cover the styrene with plaster before adding rocks, trees, scrubs, grasses and weathering effects.