Recently, I have been using Woodland Scenics grass and other similar home made items to model weeds along the right-of-way. I have always thought modeling the spilled grain that sprouts around grain facilities would be a good detail. I tried to do this at my grain facility and used the light green color to simulate grain sprouting along the track. I put the sprouting grain both between the track and along the outside of the rail. After the white glue dried, I used a very small pair of scissors to trim it as close to rail height (code 55) as I could. I was successful with rolling stock, but my new MP15s would not pass over the grain placed between the rails. Still, I like it along the side of the rails to simulate sprouting spilled grain. Pictures: The white material in the pictures is baking soda residue remaining from my bout with salt on the layout. [ January 23, 2006, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: sapacif ]
Cool, all you need now is a few hundred pigeons. They like to flock around spilled grain. I have also seen spilled grain sprouting on top of hoppers where it accumulated and got rained on.
The baking soda could look just like a sander gone wild. A few little piles found by the rails just short of a signal or at the ends of a siding would do it.
Nice job, Flash...very effective. I can't recall ever seeing this modeled in any scale before. Your track looks good, too!
Flash (if that's your real name ) Looks good. I used some white chalk and some tan chalk on my grain track to represent some spilt grain, but your impormtou row of agriculture is a nice touch. Looks good!
That was his radio name when he was a Top Gun pilot. Was probably given to him by the other pilots because he was always taking pictures of trains instead of chasing bad guys in his F100.
That's a great little touch that really adds to the scene. It looks natural enough that I didn't notice it at first. Subtle yet realistic, I like it!
That was his radio name when he was a Top Gun pilot. Was probably given to him by the other pilots because he was always taking pictures of trains instead of chasing bad guys in his F100. </font>[/QUOTE] Flash in the cockpit of his F-100 Super Sabre: "Engaging Sunset Limited with PAs on point...rolling in...camera pod activated...nice paint job on that lead unit! Have run-by footage, returning to base. Wait - just spotted some diesels by the station, am scrambling to intercept!" BTW, the baking soda residue looks like spilled lading, I like it.
Flash, I suspect you either had to trim that grass really close between the rails or pull it up, eh? Overall a very nice effect though...
Flash, The grass looks great. It looks like it is as low or lower than the rails, so why is your MP15 having trouble going over it? What did you do to fix it? Any tips would be great and probably will help the rest of us from creating the same problem.
Flash, Great job! The weeds are a darker green than fresh sprouting grain. Have you tried an electric Dog Clipper used to groom Poodles? Without the scalp guard, the clipper will ride right on the rail tops, but do keep it flat or the points will try to trim the rail heads! You can get various colors of green by putting small drops of glue down, then lay small pieces of a fuzzy material, even flannels and some felts on the glue. It is better to flatten the glue droplet so it does not soak through the material. All you want is the fuzz. When the glue dries well and hard, gently pull the material up and the glue will hold some fibers that will look like tufts of grass, wheat, etc. Lightly tip some tufts with red, pink, yellow, and white to make flowers in bloom. (An old museum trick).
Great detail! It can also be added elsewhere. Such as in yards. As some grain cars do leak cargo along rights of way. I have seen trackage in April that looks like part of a farm field. Boxcab E50
That looks more like flour that has not been washed away by rain yet. It can get more than a foot deep out north of Wichita where the really big Mills are!
The MP15 gearbox cover was striking the "grain" placed between the track. I could cut it lower, but it practically disappears. Also, I was concerned that it might get into a gearbox someday, so I just pulled it up. I have since found that placing the grain at the edge of the end of ties is just as effective and makes it easier to trim. Also, it is a little more visible. With the grain placed like this, The MP15 will brush against the it and bend it over just a little. The grain is soft and doesn't impede movement and it looks neat when it bends over. The grain is trimmed about twice the height of the code 55 rails. I am glad the baking soda looks like spilled flour or something realistic. I didn't know how to get it up. A happy accident. Now, if I can just keep this salt from eating everything up! [ January 24, 2006, 12:33 PM: Message edited by: sapacif ]
Thanks Flash. That makes sense and your right, it would show better from the sides. I bet it does look neat as the switcher brushes through it.
