Stone dust for trail surface

[Canalligator]

I’m adding a multi-use recreational trail along the river; my little world is HO scale. I will surface the trail as a rolled stone dust. (Not gravel or crushed stone.) If anyone has done this, what did you use? Fine N scale ballast? Sieve down the real thing to its powder?

 

[RhB Michael]

You might try using some plaster or drywall dust. Mix in some grey pastel chalk or finely ground ash to darken it if needed.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Ya have to pack it down or it will have a fluffy looking surface.

 

[logandsawman]

I have a fine coffee strainer that I use. I also have an old flower sifter that makes a slightly coarser product, I usually run stuff through both. I have a small gravel pile from when they built our house that I get most of my native material out of.

Here are my sifting supplies:

Some people bake theirs, but my pile is very dry and I will sift that material.

Here is my material only sifted through the larger screened flour sifter pictured above, I use it as rough ground cover:

For road building, I also sift it through the finer coffee strainer pictured above-- a few grains of stray ballast ended up on there. The ballast is fine gray purchased commercially.

I worked in a soils lab for 4 years and also saved some other fine siftings that is used elsewhere on the layout. I make use of many natural materials on my layout.

Dave LASM

 

[Marlin39]

Dave and I think alike.
If you use a FINE sifter decomposed granite will give you what you want. The finer the sifter the smaller the grain.

This was done with a single mesh strainer. A double mesh would give you a finer product. HO scale track for reference.

 

[Canalligator]

Follow up.

My road sat idle for years, so I’m finding stuff that I’d forgotten that I had. I found a can of very fine sand. Looks like aquarium sand, though I’ve never had an aquarium. I tried it. I formed the shape by hand, dribbled in isopropyl alcohol as wetting agent, then scenery glue. Finally I applied gray paint in various shades. I think it looks pretty good.