Hi Dave! I've heard of others using kitty litter... but the kitty litter I've been around (we used to have a cat) would turn different shade (darker) once wetted. What keeps that from happening in model use?
As for using organic materials: In previous layouts I used real dirt/etc. I would sift dried/pulverized dirt with a contraption I made using some of the wife's discarded hoisery. I ended up with a very fine textured and VERY real looking dirt. (Secured with diluted Matt Medium.) I got the idea from Dave Frary's Kalmback scenery book. (Yeah, that was a while ago.) Anyway... my biggest concern has been whether ferrous content was in the material, but a quick pass-over with a magnet will tell the tale on that one. I've already been keeping an eye out for suitable materials around the RR yards and industries where I switch. I intend to harvest raw product and use the technique again. Best time to harvest is after a long dry spell and the ground is parchment dry. One of the best places is where trucks enter/leave a location: They pound the dirt into a talcolm-like consistancy that requires minimum "work" to make great ground cover! An unexpected upside to such an approach is that you get subtle color variations from harvesting dirt from various locations regionally. Of course, all of the above is from my "FWIW Department". Andre Ming
