Static grass

Mid-west Utrainia is famed for its vast fields of waist-high grass, so naturally I had to model this. A recent innovation in model railway circles is static grass, and after some hunting and researching I set about making some of my own.

The grass fibre

First ingredient is static grass fibre, apparently a side-effect of textile manufacture. I got mine from ebay, from Aussie Scenics. I used their Wheat Fields, Late Harvest Brown, and Desert Scrub flavours. Since ordering they have come out with a new expanded range of dry looking colours which I am keen to try. Another source on ebay is War World Ltd, also on ebay.

The Grass Blaster

The other ingredient is a static grass machine. Mine is a home made one, based on a very simple circuit of power-pac...

Power poles

When the Soviets build the Utrainian State Rail Road (USRR) they strung up a great network of communication lines to ensure operating orders were swiftly and efficiently delivered throughout the railway. Of course as the relentless march of technology progressed, two-way radio links mostly replaced the traditional analogue lines of past, however if you look hard enough there are still patches of the old lines standing.

To model this, I took some very ordinary Atlas N scale telephone poles. I chopped off the molded on bases and drilled a small 1mm hole into which I stuck a beheaded track pin. I then primed them with some spray can primer (good and quick).

Nice and straight? Notice original brown plastic underneath.

I stuck them in a lump of cork and went ove...

Making a fence

My third module, the prairie scene, is rapidly approaching completion. It is based on a grain elevator I bumped into while taking a wrong turn in Washington State during my 2011 visit to the USA. The elevator is located on North Paha Packard Rd next to the Union Pacific track between Spokane, WA and Portland, OR.

My most recent project on it has been to build a small 3 strand wire fence next to the tracks to keep the pesky sheep in.

To build it, I cleaned and copped up some ~1mm piano wire, into regular lengths. I primed and painted them an acrylic "dust" color. Google suggested...

Introduction

Welcome to sunny Utrainia.

About Utrainia

The country of Utrainia is located deep in Europe. It is spread across a diverse geographic zone, and its seasons are as varied as they are extreme. Stormy coastlines border Utrainia to the south, while in the north high mountainous passes lead to neighbouring country Trainsylvania. It's interior features vast prairie lands with legendary grain crops.

While most of Utrainia is sparsely populated, there are several cities that support both long distance passenger trains, and high density local commuter trains.

The name "Utrainia" is a combination of "train" and "utopia". It's a fictitious country where rail is the transport mode of choice. Passenger trains are fast and luxurious, while freight trains transport everything from coal to containers.

The history of Utrainia

Under Soviet rule Ut...