In March 2022 I wrote a construction article about an O scale caboose I had scratchbuilt, and since I didn't have a layout then I decided to build a small test track to use as a photo diorama. The project would also allow me to experiment with ballasting O scale track.
I obtained piece of Gargraves track from a friend, and I supplemented it with a piece of Lionel tubular track to get the necessary length of the board. Then, the track was sprayed with Rustoleum camouflage paint to unify the color of all three rails (I dislike it when the middle rail is painted black).
A gentle hill was formed behind the track with some crumpled newspaper, and that was covered with paper towels dipped in a yellow glue and water mixture. A bit unusual, but it was during the pandemic and I didn't want to spend a lot.
Then, everything was covered with a layer of Ground Goop. After that came a bunch of ground foam and various greenery. I noticed right away that it is difficult to glue down large bushes and stuff, something that wasn't an issue when I was in HO scale.
I bought chicken grit for ballast (which was recommended online) but the brand I bought had a lot of red-pink pieces in it. Most of the pictures I saw online were pure gray, so this was annoying. But, a stone company is literally about 30 seconds down the road from me and they gave me a free cup full of gray stone that I sifted down until I only had the smallest rocks. This I used for ballast and it worked okay, but I don't think I will take this route on my layout.
The left-most portion of track isn't ballasted, and that is where the Lionel track is. The rest is Gargraves, which I like better. All and all, it was a fun diversion, though in the end I never actually used this to take pictures with.