Remedial scenery on the cheap/how to's and links!

[btaylor]

[Dodgefarmer]

You have my undivided attention as I am extremely AC. :lol:

Randy

[HomeRacingWorld]

[HomeRacingWorld]

You can also find this stuff at Wal-Mart at really low prices.



Now you have to move quickly. You don't want to be seen in this section of the store for too long :)

[btaylor]

:lol: You are so right Harry! i wear dark glasses and a hat pulled down,but i get what i went for!
Your ideas and links are exactly what i was hoping for! we could fill a book with all these great ideas and cheapo sources.
Keep em' comin!

Bob

[TsgtRet]

[btaylor]

Broom straw plant life
You will need an old wisk broom or a new one if your wife is watching! some scissors/wax paper/glue gun/green paint.
Start by gathering up a tuft of broom about the size of a pencil.

Put a gob of hot glue on the end of the broom straw.

Stick it to the wax paper,and paint if you don't want it to look like dried grass.and stick it on your layout where needed.

[Ember]

I just used corrugated craft card for my culvert. Painted silver and rusted with water colours.




Swamp grass, and the other long grass around my track, is sisal string died various shades of green with artists acrylics and dried. When dry lengths are combed out with a flea comb and used just as described above.

[Ember]

My track was built on a very tight budget. Here's another super cheap tip.

The ground layer on my track is sand. It's a tip I picked up off a model railway page. When you travel, have some little containers in the car, or a compartmentalized tray in which you can collect interesting coloured sands or stones. Road cuttings are a great because they usually show a range of colours in the earth or rock.

I gathered some decomposing sandstone by the side of the road when we were out for a drive one day. When broken up they were sorted into rough colour piles and ground in a heavy mortar and pestle. Not difficult.



My motto: Cheap is good, but free is better.

[btaylor]

I am amazed at the number of folks that make, not buy there own building materials! I think this thread will be very helpful to anyone getting started on a new track! Thanks for your contributions Ember, they are great!

Bob

[Ember]

Plenty more where they came from, Bob. :)

[chappy]

Yes please , keep em coming, I love this part of the hobby.
Seeing things done in ways I've never imagined ,
All great stuff folks .
My attention is yours.
Bob
:text-goodpost:

[Ember]

[Junior]

Don't forget about ceiling tile rock formations. I won't win any modeling awards with mine but it works for me. I kept it a single piece so it can be moved for cleaning since the track is in the garage. There are a lot of good how to articles on-line from our RR scenery friends. The section in the foreground was made with spray foam insulation. I laid wax paper everywhere and tried to lay the foam so it would fit the contour but also be removable. I wouldn't do it again however, that stuff sticks to everything and expands more than expected, I think I was lucky it didn't get onto the track.

[Ember]

Once again in the name of cheap, I used cheap semi-gloss clear varnish for water. You might need to talk to your paint guy to find which one is clearest. It didn't matter to me because I wanted a little murk.


Pour small amounts at a time and keep free of dust. It will shrink a little as it dries, particularly the earliest pours.