Creating sandlots and dirt roads

[Lemosteam]

Mods, if this subject and my requests are inappropriate, please let me know.

The purpose of this thread is to collect various techniques for the subject matter in a single place for future reference for all modelers.

Over the years, I have had much difficulty remembering and/or searching for methods or the person who posted them, making it doubly hard to find.  If this flies, I will creat a couple more that are not already in the main category.

Posters, please include at least one of the following:
-A description of yours or favorite method
-At lease one image/video of your method's result or a link to the originators result
-Enough instruction for someone to follow the method

As tho OP I would like to set two rules:
1: Please no quoting of posters, except when in the form of a question to the original poster to keep the drift down
2: Please voice your approval of a method using the respect arrows.

I would like to thank posters in advance for their contribution(s).

Let the brilliance begin:

[tom mann]

Mods, if this subject and my requests are inappropriate, please let me know.

FYI - this sentence just set off warning alarms at the Railwire HQ.  We all got to slide down the pole to see if we needed to delete anything off the RW mainframe.

[Santa Fe Guy]

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I used very fine sifted stone dust applied over white glue diluted with alcohol then dusted with some weathering powders to create my construction lot.
Rod.

[Lemosteam]

Rod, three questions:

Did you use a base color under the dust?
Did you apply a misting over the dust? 
Do you think that vehicle tracks would have been possible while still soft?

[chicken45]

Too many rules! Also those arrows aren't active in this forum. 

[Santa Fe Guy]

No, No colour under the first layer of stone dust and I did not apply any misting after the weathering powder, just scrubbed it in and left it.
I did not attempt to apply any wheel tracks into the dust at all. Sometimes they look too big to my eye.
The black is just more weathering powder.
Trust that answers your questions.
Rod.

[Lemosteam]

@Santa Fe Guy, it does, thank you!

[Angus Shops]

Years ago while digging my brother back yard I dug up a patch of very fine sand. The previous owner had worked in a foundry, so I assume that the sand was some sort of casting sand. It is very fine and perfectly consistent, no lumps or variation in particle size, and tan in colour. Anyway I collected about a gallon can worth and I've been using ever since.

I place it dry, mist it with alcohol, then mist it with diluted white glue (standard procedure) and try to obtain a consistent level finish. Where I differ from what I gather is the most common technique is that I don't try to preserve the colour or the sand; I paint it entirely. I use various shades of grey from rattle cans, then more detail from an airbrush. I don't try to 'dig ruts'; I use colour instead. If you think about it, in most cases visible ruts in real gravel surfaces are as much a variation in colour as they are changes in surface elevation. The more traveled areas of a road will tend to have lighter shades than the rest of the surface, as will corners where've vehicle movements will scatter surface gravel. If a car spins it's tires it will leave a narrow strip of light coloured disturbed gravel on the surface, but won't very often dig a deep trench in the road surface. This can be simulated with some light shade of grey applied with narrow brush...

Geoff

[Lemosteam]

@Chris333 cmon Chris, you got anything?

[Chris333]

lol I don't do much scenery.  I use the fine dirt from Scenic Express.

[Lemosteam]

lol I don't do much scenery.  I use the fine dirt from Scenic Express.

I swear I saw someone here that used unsanded grout, with tire and crawler tracks and the whole bit, but I'll be danged if I can't fin it!

this does not take away fropm the things presented already!

[Chris333]

The one time I used grout was told I did it all wrong.  Mixed it like I was going to grout with it and then spread it around.

[wazzou]

The one time I used grout was told I did it all wrong.  Mixed it like I was going to grout with it and then spread it around.

Just like your leaves.   

[Santa Fe Guy]

Tile grout is a great scenery item. We used it on our now sold Thompson River Canyon N Scale display layout many years ago. Same process, spread out your glue mix and sift on the tile grout powder. It came out looking very good. It is very fine and can get into you nose if not careful.
Tile grout is available in a great range of colours that you can use as is or dry mix several colours together to get the colour you want.
Rod.

[Jim Costello]

I agree with Rod. We have used it many times  on many a N-Trak module and it looks and travels good.We used it dry through a fine sieve  and then misting with a water/detergent mix.
All that is needed to set it. While still wet you can sieve on any other colours to enhance the effect. You have to let it dry though to see the proper colour effect you have.

Jim