Roughing in a Gully

New England terrain is anything but flat, and I wanted to represent that on my layout. Even in the railroad town area, where most of the land would be level, I thought a little dip and bump along the front might be nice. Also, I wanted to add a little water feature along the edge such as a gully where trash collected and weeds grew.

I started out by using my hot wire tool to cut away a portion of the foam. I didn't really know exactly what I had in mind but I was sure I didn't want it near the edge of the benchwork. Like before, I struggled to find how to optimally use the knife. 

Then, a layer of ground goop was added.

I smoothed it with a chip paintbrush and water, and then sprinkled on a layer of real, fine dirt.

Finally, some ground foam and brush were added. I need to finish more of the scenery in the back and sides before I work on this further, as the water should be added last. I also need to add the fascia boards before the water, and that is likely several months away. But it is a start.