It is me again ….. looking for more help !!!!!!

I am looking at my engine depot and surrounding areas including water tower, sand tower and possibly coal loading and wonder what is available for ground cover. I know that the whole place will be covered in ash, cinders, coal, ballast, muck, sand and such like material

My question is to the many experts on here what do you recommend and where can it be bought. The sand may not be a problem as I have a ottle of Sahara sand (another story) which is as fine as talcum powder which may be of use.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to the responses

Matt

have a BBQ and use the ash for ground cover

sweep the path and use the dust collected as cover

:thumbs

Top tip……………..

DO NOT try to use Memsahib's food processor to chop up lumps of real coal unless you really do want to go and buy her a new one, as pressing the chip'n-pin keys is difficult with your arm in a sling :shock::shock:


Oft' chastened Doofer

A trip to a preserved steam railway or a traction engine rally can be a usefull source of the odd handfull of real coal dust , ash etc for layout use.

If however you want it ready prepared there are several ebay suppliers that do prepacked real coal for model railways .

Matt
you can also pop to the model shop and buy some woodland scenics cinders which is good for steam yards
Thats a very fine Black ballast which you will see on my steam module

Brian

……….or , when I finally escape from deepest darkest Lincolnshire, I'll pop round and tap out my pipe a couple of times!

Thanks Guys …  Food for thought

Lawrence ….  I have seen what you put in the pipe !!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Products from this firm may be of use.

http://www.geoscenics.co.uk

Will give the site a look ..... Thanks

I reckon you can't beat the real thing for coal or cinders provided it's well pulverised to the right sort of size.  If you can't get use of the mortar and pestle in the kitchen try a hammer in the back yard ;-)

However if real coal isn't available or suitable then Woodland Scenics does a range of fine, medium and coarse coal cinders and the other scenic suppliers (Noch, Faller and now Skaledale from Hornby) have similar products.

I just tossed some fine coal with fine buff ballast and threw it around the shed area.  The result may not be the best ever representation of cinders and oily gunk but it's not bad.

What ever you use it can be stuck down with a spray of 50:50 PVA and water mix.

Rick ….  Have ordered some of the Woodland Scenics material including cinders, coal and a lighter colour of ballast to mix with the ballast I already have.  Would I be right in saying that there would be evidence of sand around the sand tower area as I assume that the sand boxes were filled by hand using some sort of funnel. If so Ihave some fine sand that I can spread around

Thanks for you advice

Matt

 

You would probably find a little sand around the sanding area though the overall environment in a steam locomotive depot would be dominated by the black of coal dust, grey ash and usually puddles of filthy water as well.