Horse poo...!

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As most of my personal railway modeling is around the pre-Grouping era, when horse-power was used extensively, the natural result of having all those horses around was horse manure….and so no scene where horses were present would therefore be complete without some!

It has to be said that my representation of this commodity has drawn quite some comment and indeed I am proud to say I know of at least one well-respected fellow modeler who has used my method to great effect on his own railway!

So I thought it might be useful to mention below how I go about making my own (in model form that is…)

  1. Gather the raw materials: sieved sharp sand, sieved fine and dry garden soil, PVA, washing-up liquid, water.

  2. Mix them all together to form a stiff paste.

  3. Form into manure-like deposits on your scene. Real droppings were spread out in clumps but don’t over-do it. In real life, deposits were quite quickly cleared up in goods yards. maybe less frequently on roads. Also be mindful of keeping it all in scale.

  4. Wait until thoroughly dry.

  5. Chip or abrade any large lumps. This should have the effect of exposing yellowy-ginger sharp sand. Smear some superglue around and sprinkle with more dry seived soil.

  6. Allow to dry and vacuum any remaining dust or soil. Repeat the superglue/soil if necessary or desired.

  7. Straw can be added around the manure if you wish to add further texture and realism. I use chopped-up cheap paint brushes and chopped-up coarse string.

And there you have it…!