Substitute for Real Dirt

You buy a bag of top soil at any hardware store. I do that in the winter.

You can find scenic materials such as dirt, earth, rocks and ballast from Scenic Express, such as Woodland Scenic, Noch, Heki, and even rock formations. Personally, I like getting dirt from my yard, screening it, and baking it in an oven for a half hour to get rid of any bugs.

I used real dirt - - actually washed and screened sand for traction on ice. An 80 LB. bag cost less than $5 at a local hardware store.

Used real dirt dug from the area that I model; back yard is all clay.....  Screened and when glued down with dilute carpenter's glues, no worries and just right.

You could try dyed sawdust.  I'll dry to dig up some pictures later. (Pun intended).😉

Ron

Here you go.  Sawdust dyed with Rit.

I'll still say washed sand for low cost and less work. But to each his own.

Unfortunately, there isn't really a good substitute for real dirt. It really helps if its from the area you're modeling. I used to live near the old ATSF "Redlands Loop" so I got some dirt from the abandoned right of way (literally next to where the tracks were) for this micro contest entry.

Be careful of real sand & dirt...There are tiny bits of metal in the dirt that can be picked up by your Lionel Magna-traction...Always glue it down!

I would certainly recommend baking real dirt (as suggested above) in the oven for at least one-half hour @ high temp to get rid of some uninvited "guests".

I just dig dirt out of my yard and gravel drive, Screen it, roll big magnet over it and bake it. I get several size of rocks and aggregate and colors, textures of soil.

For like plowed fields and fresh dirt I have used coffee grounds successfully.

@Chuck Sartor posted:

For like plowed fields and fresh dirt I have used coffee grounds successfully.

Absolutely!!!  Been using it for years.  You can custom blend it with real dirt and sand for various colors and textures.

I get a 2--3 gallon supply of sawdust that I stain with coffee grounds.  Each day we have coffee, i take the used grounds and mix them in.