To some extent the scenery has been progressing along with the construction of the railway. I have been acquiring buildings, vehicles, trees, people and scenic materials of various types while I have been buying the track and trains etc., and some of the scenery has to be built as the railway is built: the station building determines the platform height, and some electrification masts are planted on its platform; the tunnel mouths need to be in place for the electrification system as well, and they in turn need the basis of the mountainside to be in place. But work cannot really start in earnest on the scenery until the track in fixed and wired and tested, although building kits and buildings made from scratch can be put together on the workbench when a change of task is required or desired.
A couple of weeks ago I experimented with putting some light snow on some of my road vehicles to suggest that they had come through snowy weather on the mountain passes before arriving in Innsdorf village where there had been only a “light dusting” of snow. I am using baby powder for the light snow covering in the village, a technique I learnt from another modeller at an exhibition a couple of years ago. The snow is kept in place with hairspray – the only use I’ve had for that since the 1970s …
For the more plenteous snow on the mountain I am using a winter starter pack from Woodland Scenics (purchased at a recent exhibition) which also includes material for making icicles. Its snow effect actually sparkles a little, just as snow should, and is far more effective for anything other than the light dusting of the village. I am not attempting on this part of the layout to create the 2 or 3 metre depths I have seen in the Swiss Alps, but may have a crack at it on the next section (which will probably not be portable) if it seems appropriate.
Snow modelling by Woodland Scenics 
Innsdorf Modellbahn 
Lots of good technical info here.
Of course the details, like the ice-rink and beer garden (1:55), make all the difference.
More power to your elbow (or should that be dexterity to your fingers?).
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Dexterity, or at least flexibility, is becoming a bit of an issue. Putting tiny pieces into place shows that my hands are not as steady as they used to be, either. And a selection of spectacles is required, too. Some things have to be done several times until I am happy that they’ll pass. The trouble with a small layout (which the exhibition version will be) is that the details need to be as good as possible.
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