Project 24 - Battledown Flyover #17 (Embankment Grass)

Seems to me the grass was tidier in the 1960s than the scrub evident today. (1960s example here). To emulate the tufty grass of the 1960s I followed WWScenics guidance in this video except, I used inexpensive heavy duty glue spray and firm hold hairspray instead of the two WWS glues presented in the video.

I have applied static grass before but, this is the first time I used the WWScenics method so, a little apprehensive. My main concern was my glue selections. Would they stick well enough?

With buildings and signal removed I masked the ballasted track and embankment surrounds and set to work. The grass finish is not as  spiky as I expected but looks tufty and about right compared to the prototype.

Now, it was time to vacuum up any loose fibres, which would reveal how well the grass stuck. With a fine mesh over the end of the vacuum hose to catch loose fibres for reuse it was slowly moved across the scene about 10 mm above it. To me surprise and delight the grass held with a small amount of loose grass collected. A few bare patches did appear which were easily covered with a brush of PVA and a pinch of static grass pushed into the glue.

This end of the layout is the busiest in terms of lineside objects. There is the repurposed signal box base, wooden lineside hut (1960s Airfix kit), distant signal (part custom, part ratio kit) and a scratch built railway telephone box near the signal.

Behind the embankment is a double track mainline and 3 'fiddle yard' sidings. The scene there is not prototypical (the main line in reality sweeps away from the embankment whereas in the model it is alongside) and as such may not be landscaped, being treated as a service area. I may not tidy up the backscene there either. Whilst it stands out in the photograph when viewing the scene my mind tends to ignore it!

I do need to disguise the tunnel mouth that is there for a scenic break since there is no tunnel at the prototype location. 

To Part 18.

To Part 1.