Model railroad layouts are too neat and clean. Walk out into the real world and you will see piles of debris everywhere. I’m not talking about trash – although there is a good bit of it lying around most places also. No, I’m talking about natural debris; in particular, brush piles. Wherever man has been around, brush piles tend to accumulate.
They are easy to model on your layout. All you need is a handful or two of yard debris: sticks, twigs, and dead leaves.
Crush up the leaves and break the twigs into small pieces. Don’t use your wife’s blender or food processor – an irate spouse is a modeler’s worst nightmare.
You can also use lumber scraps from your modeling projects. Make small piles about an inch or two in diameter on a piece of plastic. You can use a plastic drop cloth, a zip-lock bag, or a piece of kitchen plastic wrap.
Spray the debris piles first with wet water (water with a couple of drops of dish soap added) before applying the glue.
I use a 50-50 mixture of Titebond III wood glue and water. Add a drop or two of dish soap to the mixture and apply with an eye dropper. Soak the pile thoroughly until glue runs out from the bottom.
Then just walk away. Don’t touch the debris piles for at least 24 hours. If they are still not solid, apply more wet water and more glue. Then wait some more. When they are fully dried, you can either peel away the plastic or cut around it with a hobby knife. Here are a couple of examples of piles I made this morning that will be ready to use in a day or two.
Next time you’re bored and looking for a quick and easy modeling project, just make a debris pile or two. Then just add them to your layout and watch it come to life.
Bob
