building lionel postwar dealer display- What grass mat do I buy?

So if anyone can help me on the brand or who knows what grass mat looks somewhat like the postwar era grass mats, then that would help me out.

As far as I know, Lionel did not use grass mats. The "grass" was attached directly to the board.

I used the Woodland Scenic mats with good results.  

The Lionel displays were green sawdust sprinkled over wet paint.   But I have use the Woodland Scenic mats for two small layouts, and they work just fine.   Easy to use and look good for a display layout.

The color will be tough to match, so it's up to your "eye" or liking.

The WS summer grass is close to how they look after fading through the years.

You can scrape the vinyl for the roadbed and streets.

There's a few nice threads on the forum about them.

I used actual Lionel "919" grass that is basically dyed saw dust. I picked up several bags of it on ebay and you can usually find some for sale there. Shop around you can get a few bags for decent prices.

EDIT:Check out this thread.

https://ogrforum.com/t...rass----i-need-ideas

I am currently building a D-289 and I used LIFE-LIKE TRAINS 1008 GRASS MAT - LIGHT GREEN purchased at the local Lionel Dealer that is left: Evans in Sheboygan Falls, WI. It looks great, but don't try to glue it down with wood glue, use spray adhesive or it will buckle.

Joe L posted:

I am currently building a D-289 and I used LIFE-LIKE TRAINS 1008 GRASS MAT - LIGHT GREEN purchased at the local Lionel Dealer that is left: Evans in Sheboygan Falls, WI. It looks great, but don't try to glue it down with wood glue, use spray adhesive or it will buckle.

Joe, That's great. Please post some pictures sometime . Many of us who have built, or are building, Lionel Dealer Displays would be interested in seeing your work.  

I'll second the posts calling for painted sawdust or an old-fashioned "grass" product rather than a mat.  Easier to put exactly where you want, won't buckle, easy to repair if there's a mishap, and easy to scrape off and re-do if you want to change things around.

And the newer scenery products don't provide the period look of a dealer display.

johnstrains posted:

Joe L posted:

I am currently building a D-289 and I used LIFE-LIKE TRAINS 1008 GRASS MAT - LIGHT GREEN purchased at the local Lionel Dealer that is left: Evans in Sheboygan Falls, WI. It looks great, but don't try to glue it down with wood glue, use spray adhesive or it will buckle.

Joe, That's great. Please post some pictures sometime . Many of us who have built, or are building, Lionel Dealer Displays would be interested in seeing your work.  

I will do that, although it is not a full perfect recreation, as I want to utilize many more items and give it my own touch. I have a small house so not a lot of room for displaying it so it was the perfect layout for me. I will do so in the next week or so when I get most of it completed. Yesterday I got the accessories rough laid out and the track and ballast laid down and fastened to the table.