How to do it ?

Started my layout 7 months ago and I am now ready to have a go at laying down my first grass. I have got several small bags of scatter and need to know the best way of applying it? The area is quite small, an embankment above a supporting wall.Advice please.

Hi Don,probably a good start would be to Google some railway embankment photos.Is your scatter the same colour?,as different shades will be better.Also some bushes or trees will enhance the overall scene.A base colour of brown or some earthy colour may also make the scene look more natural as parts show through.

I use the following method. Get hold of some hanging basket liners (the green hairy ones) and pull chunks off and glue that down first with PVA. Once dry use a brush and dab some PVA in places and add areas of colour using your scatter powders. Once that is all dry use some woodland scenics clumping material and glue that down in places to represent bushes and thick weeds. This can produce some very realistic embankments as can be seen here:

http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=10595&forum_id=21&highlight=trevennan

Try doing it on some waste material first and see how you get on. The gorse bushes in the pics are made from clumping material with blobs of neat watercolour paint dabbed on to represent the yellow flowers.

Hi 60019Bittern
Thanks for the advice and the link to your layout.Nice progression of photos showing the evolution of the layout. Gave me a few ideas for my embankment. Nice one….
Don

Hi Don,

Take a look here at how I do my scenery :

http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=12116&forum_id=21&page=2#p213052 Read on the next few pages. You may find my thread useful.

Cheers, Gary.

Hi Gary
Thanks for the info.Had a good look at your work. Very impressive.Finished off the last small area with the mod rock plaster  bandage so this weekend I will,try with the scatter.
Thanks again
Don

Hi Don,

What time frame are you modeling? and what scale? If it's 4mm/OO and scatter (not static) I use the following approach:

Dark brown and green paint applied as camouflage.

Let dry, paint with PVA (diluted 25%), apply fine scatter. I use a mixture of W/S burnt grass and earth, fine grade, 50:50.

Let set up for 15 minutes, mist with diluted PVA from a mister, apply the next layer of grass. At this stage vary what you put down. I use mixtures of burnt grass, earth, yellow grass and weeds.

Let dry overnight. Next up is clump foliage. Neat PVA in an old yogurt pot, add clump material (ring the changes, W/S do 5 different greens plus 4 fall/autumn colors), and use fingers to get the clumps saturated. Blob of PVA, press a finger/thumb full of the clump down in the blob. It will spring up, the blob of PVA is to keep it where desired. Keep it low, think blackberry bushes.

Using a herb chopper or coffee grinder, give the fine scatter a 30 second whiz. Light dusting over the clumps usually with a lighter color to represent new leaves before the PVA sets up. Use some of the fine purple/yellow/red scatters to give some berries. Plus some long grasses planted here and there.

Embankments today are far removed from the state they were kept in during the days of steam up to the 1950's. Bushes and long grass were not tolerated because of the fire risk. Scalped embankments were common, especially after the sleet train had been at work.

Nigel







 

Hi Don,

Something like this was achieved using the techniques I described (not the back scene!). Clearly the 1950's with all that gorse and dog roses. This is the branch line on the BMRCM club layout in Montreal where it crosses the canal. Check out http://bmrcm.org/patchwick-branchline-update for some more pictures (not all my work).



Nigel

Thanks for that.PM sent.
Thanks to all that replyed
Don