I added some cinders area on my switching layout. That area separates the track from the road. It is obvious here that the cinders are too clean. Any suggestion to make that area more realistic will be welcomed. Jacques
Looks good! I would add some WS dirt next to the road...sprinkeled lightly, and then some grass sprinkeled in places over the cinders. Maybe add some field grass here and there.
Try to old stand-by, india ink wash. India Ink in rubbing alcohol. The more ink in the alcohol the darker the wash. You can use the stuff to tone down almost anything. I always make my own mixture.
A wash of India Ink is a good choice to tone down the cinders, You can also use a wash of Grimy black.
I'd wait about... ...3 weeks for some dust and "stuff" to accumulate- you know, kinda like things do. Then it'll look like it should. There's always the accumulation of an old tie, trash, wild grasses looking to burst forth from beneath to reclaim the turf. Man there's so much that can be happening. A few telephone poles that always followed the tracks. Maybe a line of old ties that were used to "landscape" the area and keep back the ballast from getting too far away... Mark
Thank you OC Engineer JD, Mark ( porkypine52 ), Bob ( Powersteamguy1790 ) and Mark ( Lark ). First, I'm tempted to go with the Lark's suggestion: let the time ( and dust ) do their work but I doubr my spouse will appreciate that solution because she is always suggesting that I should remove what she calls dust ( and what I call " inexpensive natural weathering" from my rolling stock. I like the idea of using a wash, but what I don't get is that some of you people suggest using some India ink for that wash. My 1st reaction is that black India ink on black cinders shouldn't give much contrast. Am I missing some point here? On the other hand, using a wash of grimy black seems more obvious I'll try both first on some patches hidden by the 3 structures I intend to install. From left to right: 1 interlocking tower, 1 small shed and 1 freight depot. I'm not familiar at all with using cinders as ballast or on yards because here in the province of Quebec there is not 1 single coal mine so that kind of material is never used here by the railroads. I'm not a botanist, but do weeds grow on cinders ? I agree too that I should add some WS dirt next to the road and seme weed on the shoulder of the road. I already had in mind to place some Preiser railroad maintenance workers on that area so , as suggested , some old ties wouldn't hurt. By luck on my daily ( I'm retired ) railfanning walk ( I live 100 meters of the Canadian Nationall track down the road ) 2 days ago I took some pictures of old ties Jacques
Jacques: Yes weeds do grow on cinders as the spores from the wind make their way to cinders as well as other areas. You can use weed clumps from Scenic Express or you can make your own from any WS ground foam products
Cinders fade in the sun and get covered with dust. I'd airbrush on a light coating of PollyS "dirt" colored paint (light tan) until the scenery blended the way it looks in the picture posted. Adding grimy would be good in the yard between the tracks, but you are asking about what is essentially a parking lot. Use the grimy black to add car tire disturbances, since someone skidding on the cinders would turn over the dirty cinders and expose fresh new surface.
Thank you Bob , Larry, BlazeMan and Tony for the additional suggestions. First I tried some grimy black wash ( 1 part paint to 16 parts alcohol ), but I could barely notice any difference. Maybe it's because my home mixed grimy black is ... too black and not enough grimy :tb-smile: I then tried some L&N gray wash ( 1 part gray to 8 parts alcohol ) , but the result was overdone unless I first unload most of the wash on paper towel . Some kind of " dry wash " ( I think I invented a new weathering technique lol ) It's OK because I still can reapply some grimy black wash on top of the gray one. At least now I have a plan. I'll finish the weathering by slightly blowing some Woodland-Scenics dirt and fine mixed turf. I have an airbrush but so far I only used it for weathering rolling stock and not scenery. Here is the result with the L&N gray wash. At least it's not unuform anymore. Jacques
I would suggest some tire tracks (coming off the road they would be lighter, dustier.), weeds (they grow anywhere, especially close to the buildings), and a few spills. I like to use chalks to weather. Start light and darken to taste. Things like oil spills will attract dirt, gravel dust which will differentiate it from the plain cinders. Dave G Cache Valley & Northern RR
Jacques: Try a wash of grimy black using one part grimy black and four parts water. Air brushing the wash on the ballast should give you the results you want.
Try using a product calleh Neo-lube. Works great on locomotives, ballest, roads etc. I used it to put oil streaks between the rails on the right of way.:tb-biggrin:
The alcohol will evaporate, leaving what ever else is in there behind, mostly graphite I think. It works well on the drive rod of my steam locomotives, but will rub off, a shot of dull coat helps there