Gravy Browning

[johnco]

I wanted to place some coal staithes in the goods yard on my layout at the cheapest possible way. HERES HOW.
Appropriated some wodden drink stirrers the last time I visited a motorway service station, cut them to size and glued them to form the staithes with balsa cement, when set painted them with slightly diluted gravy browning and let to dry. Infilled the staithes with cut to shape florists foam painted with PVA and scattered crushed coal over the foam. A further sprinkling of crushed coal was placed over it to fill it out stuck down with 50/50 water PVA.
I'm pleased with the results as the timber has the look of dirty old sleepers with pitch seeping out of them.