How Many Of You Use Real Rock?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Just woundering ,Im building my river bed and for the sides im useing real rock. Do any of you do this also ,?pics welcome for input and idea’s
Carl…

2

Hello Carl,

I use rock castings,made from play-doe. It’s very hard to find rock’s with the right texture and look,worsest of all ,I have to drive to upstate SC,just to find them. Nothing but sand,where I live. The best scale rock,close to HO,I’ve found is a shale deposit.

Rock is to heavy,to really use on my pike…not that the bench work will ever fail. Have you thought of useing ceiling tile? It’s a bit messy,but it looks great when weathered.

Patrick
Beaufort,SC
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}
Making HO scale steel by the ton!!!

3

I use mostly plaster rocks, but I have used gravel when I could get by with it and it’s a whole lot cheaper too!!

I plan to try some of this on my next layout.

4

i Have an entire tunnel entrance and cove made out of real rocks the hard part is finding rocks that match cant have quartz with limestone but aslong as u find the right types u like it should be find

5

I tried using real rocks but ended up tearing them back out because they looked too real.[B)] They made the surrounding scenery look fake. [:(!]

6

I have a “what I did” about making ceiling tile rocks at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/more_rocks/

Click image to enlarge

I find them versatile, they don’t always have to be stair step strata. Most home improvement stores will sell the broken ones for less.

Thank you if you visit
Harold

7

I use a lot of real rock to suppliment and enhance all varieties of model rocks. We have been rock hounds for years and it is fun to go through the barrels and find stuff that will work. I have some great petrified wood that is still waiting for a place. I just installed a piece of volcanic rock at the top of a mountain that looks like the rocks at Wisconsin Dells. It is a challenge to keep the plaster up to standards, but with the real rocks in place it gives a good carving and painting model. I don’t have any pics of the real rocks. I will try to take some for Weekend Photofun. I think they ad a lot to realism and memories.

8

Good advice everyone! This is what i started with not sure if im going to keep going what do you think?

Carl.

9

I have not started my layout yet…ongoig project of garage conversion…oh well! Anyway, I plan on using real rocks, gravel, etc. I am also planning on a stream/river using the fake water as a base.color and then flowing real water along it. I saw that done at a train show in Dallas.

10

acc4400fan - I like them.

I will post some pics of my rocks on a separate thread today or tomorrow.

rrgrassi - no real water. It looks way out of scale and is impossible to maintain. Even the bad water experiments I have tried are better. Look at some of the water these guys have made and you will be won over. There have been several wonderful threads recently.

11

Looks good. From the picture the rocks look quite big - any clue if they are scaled properly?

12

I’m going to use real crushed gravel to go around the tracks on my layout. It looks more realistic than track on plastic roadbed, and it’s also quieter because the cork roadbed muffles everything. If I put any boulders or anything like that on than I’ll use some river rock from the front yard.[:D][:D]

13

Its comming along ,I think im going to play with differnt size rocks along the river sides and banks

Carl.

14

I used real rocks in a couple of places on my N scale layout. One was a small rock that my son (when he was young) thought would look good on the layout so I used it as a rock outcropping on a plaster covered foam hill. It looks pretty realistic blended into the hill. (The things we do for our children! The yard has a crossing tower in it compliments of my eldest granddaughter who made and painted it when she was younger.) I also used some crushed limestone about 1/4" or so in size off my daughter’s driveway as rip rap to “prevent erosion” on bend in a river. It looks pretty realistic there too.

15

not to crash your ideas, but i was told and read in several magizines that useing real rock on layouts was a bad idea, as lots of rocks have magnetic properties or iron in them. the dust from them can get in your motors and cause real problems. hasnt anyone else heard of this, or am i all wet? just a thought.[;)]

16

never herd of that but im using them in a river bed so if thats the case the track is well above so i hope i dont have this problem
heres a pic does this look realistik or what?

carl…

17

ac4400fan, i must admit, it DOES look good.[;)] i know i was told that about the real rocks though, and have read it. could just be an old wives tale, what do i know. perhaps someone else could chime in on this matter.

18

Please carl… hehe i would love to hear any info on that matter ,but how many bolts and screws do we use that are magnetic good thought

19

Bye the way great pics on weekend photo fun if any of you havent seen it check it out ,Great work!
carl.

20

if i remember right, it was more a matter of the iron particls that are in rocks. if they collected in the motor,… hey, DONT get me wrong, i DONT want to scare you, just know i have heard/read it. keep in mind, i’m 40, and have read alot of old magazines. like i said, could be an old wives tale. i would NEVER intentionaly steer a fellow modeler wrong. if you have followed any of my posts, you would know i only state how i feel, or if i’m pretty sure of something, i’ll post to it.(except those darn train trivia polls,cripes, i cant get them right.LOL) sure hope someone can straighten this out, i would REALLY like to know. edit ac4400fan,THANKS[:D]