Has anyone ever used real rocks on their layout? We have a very large garden and every spring when we till it we pull out a few buckets of rocks any where from the size of a marble to the size of my fist. Is there any issues in using some of these rocks. My layout can well handle the weight of the rocks even thought I only intend to use a small amount.
This layout was featured on the cover of GMR -2000 I think - and uses real rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vn_DZ67FwQ
ratled
Yes.
!(http://stremy.net/SRA/Mtn Line/DSCF0047.jpg)
I also use small flakes for talus at the base of slopes. The layout has a mix of real stone, plaster castings, structolite and carved foam. Some people have a hard time telling them apart.
I use quite a bit of real stuff on my layout. Gravel rock from the driveway becomes rock retaining walls, twigs become tree trunks and forest detrius, beach sand gets worked into either dirt piles or gravel parking lots - depending on color and size… only error in judgement was to take fresh from the bag cat litter to mix into scree along cliff faces–the furry four legged ones were rather demonstrative in their disapproval of my preemption of something that they have permanent claim on. Use of a chisel and Lysol spray was imperative before rebuilding.
Years ago a rail by the name of Eugend “Gene” Hickey from Minneapolis incorporated real rocks into the scenery on one of his Idaho Midland model pikes . . . . . I do believe there were at least two… MR visited this particular layout in 1968 or 1969 I believe.
Mr Hickey served a term as NMRA President in the 1960s.
I use gravel size stones and twigs. I have not used anything bigger … yet.
Yes, the rock in the right foreground is a rock from my neighbourhood.
Crandell
I saw a river modeled with a “Birdseye” mixture. The guy bought it at a landscape shop. That was the most realistic river I have ever seen. Very West coast.
Brent
Nothing beats the look of rocks like real rocks!! Still, color and size somethings can be a problem. The great thing about real rocks is that they are cheap and you can find matching smaller rocks and dirt around the real ones.[8D]
The parking pad for my car is surfaced with quarter-down crushed limestone and it makes excellent stones, talus, rip rap, etc on my N scale layout. When my son was very young he brought me a rock about the size of his fist and said, “Here, Daddy, here’s a pretty rock. Put it in your trains.” Well, I couldn’t disappoint the little fella so I plastered it into a hillside and let it stick out.