08-19-2012, 11:36 AM
Sailormatlac asked for a tutorial on my ground cover ,,so here it is..I'll start with the harvesting and prep work that I do before I plant it on the layout..
I live on a gravel road that is privately owned by the homeowners on the street so it is not maintained by the township or any other government body, it's all on us to keep it up. After a few rain storms it becomes pock marked with pot holes. In order for us to keep our morning cup of Joe in the cup-holder, myself and a few other neighbors will go out and do a little road work every so often. This is when I do my harvesting
. My neighbors thought it was a little strange at first, but are now used to it now and just wave hi.
I like to use a regular Spackle bucket that I have cut a hole in the top of the lid for the first step. I cut out a section of fine window screen and place it on top of the bucket like a basket then snap the lid on to hold it in place.
Then with the help of a fellow Model Railroader we scoop up some of the road into mesh and give it a shake.
this separates the larger particles that get dumped back into the road leaving me with the finer material for the layout. This does work much better when the ground is dryer, moist soil tends to stick to the screen and clog it.
after the first sifting I run the same dirt through a finner sifter to leave me with only the finest material, if a little of the courser stuff get in I don't worry because it varies the texture on the ground cover and makes it look more natural.
I live on a gravel road that is privately owned by the homeowners on the street so it is not maintained by the township or any other government body, it's all on us to keep it up. After a few rain storms it becomes pock marked with pot holes. In order for us to keep our morning cup of Joe in the cup-holder, myself and a few other neighbors will go out and do a little road work every so often. This is when I do my harvesting
. My neighbors thought it was a little strange at first, but are now used to it now and just wave hi. I like to use a regular Spackle bucket that I have cut a hole in the top of the lid for the first step. I cut out a section of fine window screen and place it on top of the bucket like a basket then snap the lid on to hold it in place.
after the first sifting I run the same dirt through a finner sifter to leave me with only the finest material, if a little of the courser stuff get in I don't worry because it varies the texture on the ground cover and makes it look more natural.
My other car is a locomotive, ARHS restoration crew