Best form of laying grass, dirt, and other ground cover

[green_elite_cab]

Hello!

I'm moving along on my first layout, and i wanted to start putting down grass, turf, gravel roads, and other things. True, my layout is mostly urban, but for the small areas i have grass, what would be the best way to land scape my layout?

I see all sorts of ways to do it. There is static grass, ground foam, and other things. there are different wayt to apply it to. I see some people sprinkle the stuff in paint while it dries, and i've seen other people spray or drip diluted glue over the materials.

What works for you? what looks most realistic? I'm going for some patches of alive and green grass, but then also weedy and semi living grass that you associate with being baked in the sun to long during the summer, with dirt patches showing.

speaking of which, is real dirt effective for modeling dirt?

Thanks for your advice
Chris

 

[Relic]

I didn't vote on this 'cause I have one littlt patch of" ground foam" actually it used to be the back seat of my Olds 88. I'm gonna take some pic's and see what the experts think.
What I'd like to know /see is how to do static grass WITHOUT buying a 400$ machine. A while ago I saw something about a thing you just shook and dropped the grass into gloo or wet paint but I can't find it
thanks

 

[PennCentralFan]

Hi, I'm sort of doing the same thing--a small town setting with roads and houses with green yards and so on. I'm just starting. I'd reccommend real dirt or sand you can get outside. It's cheap and it's the real thing. Look for a place where the rain water has created little streams and ephemeral-alluvial fans. The sand is already sorted for you.

I'd also reccommend ground foam. If you want neat yards and so on, don't forget some masking tape. Just brush glue, drop foam and then drop more glue. If you want patches of earth with grass, lay down the dirt first in a thin layer, sprinkle with wet water and eye-drop glue and then drop ground foam and then drop more glue.

You may wish to paint your base in an earth color. If you go to a place that sells Benjamin Moore paints you can buy 2 ounce cans of paint. It should cover a 2'x2' area with two coats. The colors Sandy Brown and Crown Point Sand would do a good job of the ground.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

Hi, I'm sort of doing the same thing--a small town setting with roads and houses with green yards and so on. I'm just starting. I'd reccommend real dirt or sand you can get outside. It's cheap and it's the real thing. Look for a place where the rain water has created little streams and ephemeral-alluvial fans. The sand is already sorted for you.

I'd also reccommend ground foam. If you want neat yards and so on, don't forget some masking tape. Just brush glue, drop foam and then drop more glue. If you want patches of earth with grass, lay down the dirt first in a thin layer, sprinkle with wet water and eye-drop glue and then drop ground foam and then drop more glue.

You may wish to paint your base in an earth color. If you go to a place that sells Benjamin Moore paints you can buy 2 ounce cans of paint. It should cover a 2'x2' area with two coats. The colors Sandy Brown and Crown Point Sand would do a good job of the ground.

One word of caution if you use dirt or sand from the ground, run a magnet through the material before you put it on the layout to remove any iron particles. You don't want anything in that dirt that might migrate to a locomotive's electric motor.

 

[shaygetz]

I use everything---sifted and demagnatized parking lot dirt, ground foam, sisal rope for weeds, pea gravel, different scales and colors of ballast, sawdust...even pencil shavings from a sharpener.

 

[Play-Doh]

MR suggested using pete moss. Just sift it through screens till you get the real fine dirt and then sprinkle it on while the paints still wet.

 

[green_elite_cab]

Ok thanks, i'll have to try that.

 

[lester perry]

I use everything---sifted and demagnatized parking lot dirt, ground foam, sisal rope for weeds, pea gravel, different scales and colors of ballast, sawdust...even pencil shavings from a sharpener.

Sounds like me, I use a little bit of everything and anything. I don't worry about magnets though everything is glued down so tight I use a vacuum cleaner to get dust up and scenery stays there.
Les

 

[green_elite_cab]

I think their may be a problem with this thread. It keeps saying people are responding to it every day ( right now the main page says lester perry responded at 7:01 today), but i only see his response on the 17 of june. at 10:43 PM if anyone could read this PM me, and if anbyone else can't read more recent posts, tell me.

 

[lester perry]

I think their may be a problem with this thread. It keeps saying people are responding to it every day ( right now the main page says lester perry responded at 7:01 today), but i only see his response on the 17 of june. at 10:43 PM if anyone could read this PM me, and if anbyone else can't read more recent posts, tell me.

I was notified twice of your reply which is a little unusual. Your reply is the only one I see.
Les

 

[green_elite_cab]

yeah, everyday it says you post in this thread, but there is nothing here... somethign is up i guess.

 

[shaygetz]

Ya see the goofy stuff that happens when ya doesn't demagnatize yer dirt, Les? ...now this thread's all gormed upsign1 :thumb:

 

[lester perry]

Ok, OK Ill take the blame. Let me find a magnet and I will demagnitize my computer to fix it.
Les

 

[hooknlad]

Chris- CAB - announce1 Great job on your webpage. Fantastic !!! I've read about you mentioning the "older model railroaders, with their aches and pains ", May I inqure as to your age? The reason that i'm asking, Most teenagers wouldn't want to go into so much depth on a subject, especially if they had to do it for school as an assignment... Great Job, Keep up the good work !!!! :thumb:

 

[green_elite_cab]

Chris- CAB - announce1 Great job on your webpage. Fantastic !!! I've read about you mentioning the "older model railroaders, with their aches and pains ", May I inqure as to your age? The reason that i'm asking, Most teenagers wouldn't want to go into so much depth on a subject, especially if they had to do it for school as an assignment... Great Job, Keep up the good work !!!! :thumb:

I'm 16, and apperenlty no one can bend over a table like that and escape without having some sort of back pain. If only i put the kind of effort I put into my railroad into my school work! I would have all As in AP classes. I just like to build things, more than anything else, and a model train layout is like the model that never ends, yet isn't as annoying as an airplane kit (which never comes together in the end, there is always a seem...).

Thanks for the encouragement!
Chris

 

[lester perry]

Chris I visited your web site and I am very impressed. Nice work on the layout and the site.
Les

 

[MilesWestern]

My thoughts exactly!

 

[green_elite_cab]

thanks guys!