Random question: Has anyone ever given any thought to sandpaper being used to represent the gravelly surface in and around switching yards, industrial sidings, etc? At first thought, it's easier than laying ballast for vast areas, and the speckled and (depending on the grit) "gravelly" appearance is not that unrealistic. Knowing somewhat of the collective experience and creativity on the Board, I was just wondering if anyone else has ever thought of this and, if so, what the pros and cons would be...
I've used sandpaper for roofing material and it works great. It had never occurred to me to try it for gravel roads or parking areas. I supose if a fine enough grit were used (gravel on roads is MUCH smaller than even fine ballast) the color variation could be effective. I think in large areas such as a field, it would look to much like , well, sandpaper. However in narrow sections for roads it should look ok. Hmmm... Only one way to know for sure, try it out.
There is a thread in the HO forum last July called "Streets (and maybe sidewalks) in HO..." which has some discussion on using sandpaper.
