I'm modeling the central Georgia area in summertime, early fall. Anybody got any thoughts on modeling Georgia red clay? I'm in the building stage right now... got the foam board shaped, filling in sculptamold over plaster cloth. I'm leaning to just painting the sculptamold, but is there a product out there that I could shape... clay often shows erosion pretty dramatically. If I paint over sculptamold, any suggestions as to the color? Any woodland scenics products come to mind (though I think they are over priced in large part). Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks
For a scenery base I use a concoction of celluclay, vermiculite, latex paint and white glue commonly called ground goop. I spread the goop in a small area and then sprinkle on real dirt, among other scenic items such as ground up foam. I go out and find red dirt, that would be clay when wet, spread it out to dry and then sift it through screen wire. It gives a fairly good representation of the red clay hills of central Georgia.
Jarrell
Welcome to the group,
What I would do is build up my land forms with pink or blue foam. Paint it the approximate color of rust. Go out back with a screen and sift what I need. Spread white glue on the painted foam and sprinkle on the dirt fairly thick in small sections at a time. Press the dirt into the glue and vacuum off the excess. If it is not quite right I would hit the area with some hairspray and sprinkle dirt on top of that, then NOT press it down. Experiment off the layout and find what works best for you. Don't forget to cover layout sections you are not working on. Also don't forget to empty the dirt devil frequently and keep the filter clean.
Having said that dirt within a given area can be different shades of red. Where I live the dirt varies from pale orange to a very dark red-brown. Do you live near red clay? Sometimes you have to improvise. I model the mid-west yet I live in the South. Not much black dirt here. I use fine corrugated cardboard glue it down and paint it dark brown. I use hairspray, and sifted brown dirt from a friend's driveway for my plowed fields. Woodland scenics soil and earth mixed in help get the approximate color I'm after. Remember to let everything dry for a day or longer between steps. Humidity can drastically affect the drying times.
Bob
Modeling in N scale: Rock Island freight and passenger, with a touch of the following; Wabash Cannon Ball, CB&Q passenger, and ATSF freight and passenger. I played in Peoria (Heights).
Just an idea, Woodland Scenics fine Iron Ore would be pretty close to the right color I think??
Quote "Anybody got any thoughts on modeling Georgia red clay?" Could you use Georgia red clay to model Georgia red clay?
I was modeling east Texas with distinctive East Texas red dirt. I took a tour of the area I was modeling on November 28, 1983 with some grocery bags and a trowel, with the idea of STEALING some east Texas red dirt, but since it is a national forst, that might involve some federal red tape in the red dirt. I found a small homestead with a owner-operated dump truck parked alongside, and some piles of red dirt from truck cleanout. I asked the resident if I could buy some of his spilled red dirt and he let me take some. I kept it 20 years or so before I got around to using it. Pulverizing it, etc.
That is some of the pulverized and screen-sifted red dirt in front of the heavy-equipment unloading platform.
Maybe you could go on a Georgia red clay gathering expedition.
You should go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and find:
Delta Ceramcoat® Acrylic Paint:Georgia Clay (2097)
Use the paint as a wash or straight from the bottle.....
Don Z.
Research; it's not just for geeks.
how about using sifted baseball clay? It's usually pretty red.
If you can't get real Georgia clay ,try to find some older bricks of the right color (some of the older ones weren't fired too hard). You can grind them with a coarse belt sander or disc sander or even an old coarse file. I believe that ballfields are covered with ground bricks but you may not find enough fine material to warrant the effort. Steve
Bob--Would you like some real Iowa black dirt? I live six blocks from the IAIS ROW and could send you some for the cost of USPS. Steve
Do you live in Georgia, by chance?
- Harry
Durango/Steve,
Not meaning to hijack the red clay question thread. Just a quick branch line trip.
Thank you for your offer. I have used Woodland Scenics "soil" and "earth" for my test layout. My mother and my in-laws both live in Peoria, Illinois. I figure when I get to the "big layout" I would get some from their yard. Having just lost my job that may have to wait. I do have at least one excellent prospect.
You may have access to another thing I need. If you can see the old Rock Island ballast/roadbed...was it a cinder base bottom layer? Then what color was the ballast on top, tan or gray? I grew up in Peoria Heights, IL and as I recall the line going from Peoria to Chicago was tan ballast over cinders. As my "technique practice" layout could be set in IL, IN, IA, or MO I went kind of generic light gray ballast with cinder sidings. I want to be more knowledgeable for the next layout.
As I recall Atlantic Iowa was on the route of the Rocky Mountain Rocket, among others. While a future layout will probably also be somewhat generic most of my passenger equipment is Rock Island based, including an AB6. So the more I can find out about the RI the better.
Thank you again,
Easy--I walk out into the back yard and dig some up! Seriously, I am modeling north Georgia and there are several spots where I will need to model exposed red clay such as in the scene below. I plan on drying actual soil from the area and sifting it over the scenery base. If you are ever in Georgia, be sure to bring a few plastic containers! As for simulating the red clay without the actual stuff, what about plaster blended with colered pigments like Joe Fugate does in his model railroad scenery videos? Sure seems like the texture would be perfect if you could get the color matched. Jamie
CLICK HERE FOR THE CSX DIXIE LINE BLOG
BTW the clay is red because of it's iron content, same color as raw iron ore from the Missabe Range in Minnesota.
Reddish dirt / clay caused by iron is common enough that back before artificial paints and dyes were available, the cheapest paint available was a rusty red. It was dirt cheap because it was made from dirt !! It was called "putty" in New England, "Boxcar red" too. That's why barns are red, because they were painted that color. (Fire engine red barns came along after artificial paint colorings were introduced in 1859.)
Thanks to all of you for replying... always one of the greatest aspects of our hobby.
I live in Atlanta and have plenty of concrete around, but little red clay. Perhaps on my next trip to my hometown in SoWest GA I can dig up a few buckets.
In the interim, however, I have tried the following:
Foam insulation carved/sanded as needed to form desired shape. Overlay with Woodland Scenics plaster cloth. Smooth the cloth and after allowing it to harden for a few minutes, use fingers to bunch up the cloth in irregular, vertical patterns in areas that would be in "run off" areas. This replicates the fissure/ravine/erosion pattern of some of the hills/banks/etc of red clay topography. Sculptamold to smooth out some areas as needed.
Then paint with base color to suit area with the "clay areas" painted with Delta Creamcoat Georgia Red Clay acrylic paint. I plan on topping off with WS turf etc and want to try the Vermiculite approach as well/blendered dried leaves etc. I'm going to throw on the WS iron ore to add some texture as well think.
Again, thanks to all. Now about the kudzu.....