Believe it or not, I was actually playing trains last night. I've been
stalled, thinking about the 100 square feet of scenery that needs to
look like the fuzzy brown stuff you see in these photos from
Canyon and
Dell in the Cajon Pass.
I
was walking through the automotive section at WalMart, and there was a
roll of Medium Almond, Ozite replacement carpet for car interiors. The
store lighting made it look like it was a sign from above, because I
instantly thought of the brush in the Pass. It seemed too easy, and I
shook my head no and pushed my cart to the next isle. But I stopped and
returned for a second look. I actually put it back and forth into my
cart three times before I decided it was worth the $9 gamble.
When
I got home, I unraveled it, and stared at it for at least an hour.
Anyone looking at me must surely think I was the Rain Man - definitely
not wearing my underwear. I finally decided to cut about a ten-inch
square and try it out on a scrap of wood. I used a hot-glue gun to
attach the edges and provide some hills. I then sprinkled some
Woodland Scenics
Earth Blended Turf into the carpet, and then provided some highlights
with WS Fine Yellow Turf. I sprayed everything with rubbing alcohol and
then glued it down with WS Scenic Cement. I then soaked some Olive
Underbrush in Scenic Cement and placed it randomly on the carpet with
tweezers.
The
first thing I noticed in the morning is that the glue was still wet in
many places. I think the synthetic fiber of the carpet may actually
repel the glue. I'm going to let it dry another day and see how it goes.
I need to experiment with using some hair clippers to cut trails, paths
and roads through the stuff. I'd really appreciate your opinion of the
results, especially since I have over 100 square feet of area to cover.
