Newbie question on Scenery grass

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

We have a layout that is in the very early stages of development. Here is the beginning:

We like to put some grass down and few buildings just to put some life into it. Any suggestions on what to use for grass that can be changed without a major overall?

I ask this because it seems, from some of the materials one can use to create grass, that once this stuff is down it’s not coming back up.

Thank you in advance for your input.

2

That is the nub of it…the coming back up for you. So, why not pour coloured sawdust, or actual WS ground foam, but don’t fix it in place with glue. As you mess up an area, sprinkle more to cover the swipe. Eventually, sweep it up carefully and rebag it for later use.

Or, if you have a few dollars to spare, purchase the new WS rolls of “grass on vinyl”. They’ll lay and come up like rugs.

3

I would be worried about the loose foam and dust ending up in the locomotive motor (and everywhere else if there’s one good sneeze in the right direction [:)] ).

If it’s just a quick fix you are looking for to get an idea of where you would like to put stuff, why not just paint the wood green?

pros: it’s quick, it’s clean and it’s easy to cover up with new scenery, it’ll look better than bare board

cons: it’s paint

Bryan

4

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=56936

i posted this receipie a few months ago, i think that you could use very rough sandpaper to remove it.

alexander

5

Newbie here, so next newbie question: Who or what is WS?

6

WS = Woodland Scenics http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.htm I would be very wary of just sprinkling the ground foam without glueing it down. It will not look good for long and will make a huge mess IMO. WS has a new product that might be good for you. It is called “ReadyGrass vinyl mat” If you click on the Landscaping link on the left of the web page, it is the top choice on the list. I have not used this product myself, but it looks like it would be ideal for your situation.

7

Woodland Scenics has a new product called the “ReadyGrass Vinyl Mat” and other companies, such as Heki, make grass mats, too.

Check page 31 of the May 2006 issue of Model Railroader magazine for the WS product.

8

Thanks folks, I’ll check it out.

9

It is best to paint the plywood top with and earth color latex paint. Use WS fine and medium grass while the paint is wet. The grass can be remove later for roads and building sites with a spatula. If you fail to fix the ground cover it will create a terrible mess and get into your crossover and equipment running gear.[8D]

10

Seeing what you have and your concerns, I’d make the scenery out of 2" extruded foam. The foam could sit on the table without gluing it down. Maybe use Double Sided Tape to hold the foam land form and grass mat in place. Check out Bill Carl’s Basic Scenery-Foam. And see Bill’s other pages, Basic Scenery for some ideas. The grade level areas, for grassy lawns, buildings and roads could be based on a Grass Mat.

I would also use a view block down the center to divide the scene. Another forum member, mondotrains, has a novel approch to mounting backrops, Backdrops: A New and Simple Approach

(click on highlighted words for links)

11

Well I went with the Woodland Scenics ReadyGrass vinyl mat. Here are the results.


Thanks for all your input.

Now on to more building.

12

Looks nice. I just ran across your question and see you have your answer. I was going to suggest using sandpaper in patches and paint it various colors. Glue it down with rubber cement, it comes up easy.

13

The Woodland Scenics ReadyGrass vinyl mat is almost that just more money…and maybe a bit better looking.[;)]

14

Woodland Scenics Ready Grass Vinyl Mat is available at most well stocked hobby stores. I’ve seen it at Hare’s art and hobby in Alexandria, La. where I get my hobby stuff. It looks very good for a shooth surface. I don’t know how it would look on hills though. I might try it myself. I’m more the old WS foam and glue kind of guy.
Jeffrey Wimberly, Leesville, La.

I’m out of my mind, but leave a message anyway.

[soapbox]

15

Gumby4, any chance you can post a real close up shot of the mat? I’d like to see what it looks like really close up and how high does the ‘grass’ stick up. I think it looks good, I might have to get it for my layout.

Thanks,
Aaron

16

Good job Gumby. That HO scale crane really sets off the scenery.