I’m practicing digging ditches on a scrap piece of foam, using a utility knife. Next I’ll paint it a flat tan color (I’m so tired of BLUE!), ballast the track etc… all for practice since I’ve never done it before.
So… how does the ditch look? Ok, good enough? Need roughing up some more, me thinks… but thats easy with a wire brush.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Jarrell
Depending on what you want the area to look like, you might want to try this instead of using paint:
Get some local dry dirt, and sift it through a piece of window screen or an old flour sifter to get the larger pieces out. Mix white or yellow glue, a little plaster, a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing detergent, water, and any desired paint to tone down the white of the plaster. Add dirt, mix thoroughly, and spread it on the sides and the bottom of the ditch using the back of a spoon or small paint bru***o spread it out. Let this dry thoroughly, and then add your water. The glue and plaster hold the dirt in place.
Don’t forget to also run a magnet through any dirt collected outside naturally. There’s no end to the oddball things that accumulate in otherwise ‘plain’ dirt, and magnetic particles can be attracted to loco motors and get into gearboxes, to the detriment of the gears and bearings.
–Randy
“Let this dry thoroughly, and then add your water. The glue and plaster hold the dirt in place.”
What am I adding the water to?
Jarrell
Add the water to the glue, plaster, and dirt mix. When I said to add water after this has thoroughly dried, I meant your imitation water, unless you just want a dry ditch.
Ok, I got it now. If I decide to try this method, about how much glue are we talking about?
Jarrell
I’d round out the sharp edges with a wire brush, Jarrell. Other than that, the ditches look great (not too even, not too helter-skelter).
Wanna come over and do mine next?
Next time put the ditch out about 3/4 to an inch from the edge of the cork. With the ditches the way you have it there would be no way anybody could walk along side the train if it stopped with a problem , they would slide down the embankment into the ditch.
Also if the ground fell off just beyond the ditch they would grade it so there was no “ditch”, instead the ground would be sloped toward the larger body of water.
Dave H.
Ray, at least now I feel like I’m doing something. I’ve been stuck for so long trying to come up with a trackplan that I like. 
Jarrell
Dave, you’re absolutely right. I hadn’t thought of that but I’ll keep it in mind for next time. The poor RR worker on this stretch would have no place to walk.
Thanks for the tip.
Jarrell