Golden Flame Coal

Birds eye view over Manhattan, to the left is where the Golden Flame Coal company will be. I cut out the piece of foam so I can work on this at my workbench.

I lay my track using 3M transfer tape, ballast is what we call Siver Sand dyed with pigments, black pigment because it's at a coal company and I figure the spillage in time would color evrything black.

Placed the buildings, also using 3M tape , sticks more then well enough , yet If I want to I could get the structure loose without causing damage to it.

Wooden crossway using strips of scale wood.

Applied grass with my homemade static grassmaster. I paint the foam with tab colored acrylic paint ( can of paint from the leftover department at the local DIY store ), I put this on fairly thick so it stays wet a minute or 2-3 and while still wet apply the grass, the grass sticks in the paint, then when dry I vacuum away what hasn't stuck. I use a small handvacuum and make sure I empty it after every use, that way I can empty it into the box of whatever I used it for. After that I placed drops of diluted glue on several places and added some other grass so it won't look too manicured. When the scene is in place on the layout I will add trees and shrubs against the backdrop.

Placed some spillage of coal in several places.

Started the road at the crossing. I make dirt roads almost the same way I make grass, paint the underground and sprinkle dyed sand on the wet paint, main difference to grass is that I vacuum right away so the paint doesn't suck up into all the sand. This leaves a nice layer of sand.

Base layer of sand all around the buildings.

Overview , with the sand stained with dye mixed with gypsum , the gypsum together with wet water makes sure it stays in place.