Old yard look

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a small yard on my layout I would like to make look old and not well maintained. Whats a good tech. for making the track (ties) look to be in dirt with very little or no ballast left? you know the look, some weeds growing up through the ties, rusty rails ect, ect. .

2

Mix fine material in with the ballast, ballast up to the tops of the ties, mix other colors with the ballast (grey/cinders/brown), put vegetation , clumps of weeds in the tracks, put papers along the lead (old switch lists), paint the ties grey (not black or brown).

Dave H.

3

Depends on whether you want to operate the yard or not.

  • Operational - mix a little ballast with Ground Goop of appropriate mud color. Smear it over the surface outside of the rails, staying below the railhead. Apply some between the rails, but make sure you don’t foul flangeways or points. Add fine green ground foam, more between the tracks, but some between the rails. Place a few larger pieces of foam between the tracks, clear of the possibility of fouling trucks. Garnish with some strategically placed trash (bits of colored plastic, shreds of toilet tissue) before cleaning the rails.
  • Non-operational - Apply the Ground Goop, without ballast, all over - including over the rail tops on one or more tracks. Dump on LOTS of ground foam, and a couple of N scale trees to simulate saplings in HO. Throw on a LOT of trash. Forget about cleaning the rails, just paint them the color of aging rust.

You might think that I’m exaggerating - but I railfanned a Penn Central yard in Illinois that looked just like that in 1974. The ‘sunk in the mud’ tracks were embargoed - with odd pieces of board nailed X-fashion across the target on the switch stand. The main track alongside the yard wasn’t much better.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

4

tomikawaTT, thanks for your advice. One question, whats Ground Goop?

5

"Ground Goop is a texture material, originally written up by Lou Sassi in MR about 5 years ago. Here’s a formula, courtesy of Jarrel (jacon12):

  • 1 part vermiculite.
  • 1 part Celluclay (papier-mache material available at craft stores).
  • 1 part latex paint (appropriate mud color).
  • 1/2 part white glue.

It provides appropriate texture, as well as color. For really wet mud, use the paint straight and spritz with glosscote.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

6

Thanks