Of course, Terry, that also gives you an excuse reason to model a construction/demolition scene as well.
Whenever I'm making a new model, I 'drag out' my construction scene from Life-Like (sorry Bach Mann) and plop it down where the new building will go until it's finished, and I swap them out.

Trainamn203, I live in a fairly large city.  Thus the warning to all.  But whatever works in your area, right?

Another tip:
          Those flexible foam paper-like sheets some small electronics are packaged in (and some model train cars, such as Bachmann's Old Time passenger car [Union Pacific])?  Snow.  Just cut the shapes of vertical things (trees building, people, but not bushes) out of it and lay it down.  Don't bother gluing it as you can then change the scenery for non-winter scenes.

To hijack Trainman203 comment on house construction.
Go talk to the foreman (white helmet) to see if you can pick up scraps with his blessing in the middle of the day (not illegal).  Or take your chances and sneak around, possibly getting caught and dealt with for trespassing (illegal).  And if you get his okay, see if you can borrow a helmet.  Always watch where you're walking.  I will probably repeat this phrase every time I post on this thread.  You never know where inspiration may come from.  A scrap of wood or bent metal thingy might remind you of something you could model.  And look for sanding blocks that are all 'gunked up' with drywall dust and stuff, or otherwise torn.  They come in more handy than sandpaper when modelling because of the harder, FLAT surface instead of the soft surface of the paper on your fingers.  And a few flicks with your finger should knock off most of the dust.

And from Terry Toenges
If you paint the end of the skewer gray or brown and leave it sticking out of the walls, you can model either a building going up (gray) or coming down (brown).

So you have the train, transformer, and an oval of track (12 curved pieces and 2 straight pieces) correct?
I'm going to assume you are in HO Scale.

20 curved pieces (18" radius [standard EZ Track])
4 straight pieces (9")
14 piece graduated pier set
Is what track you'll need from scratch, also is what is included in the Bachmann EZ Track Over-Under Figure 8 kit ($89, #44475).  Just to make sure you have the room, this will be 78"x36".

So what you need to get are 8 curves, 2 straights, and the piers.

Real gravel ballast made from rocks you find outside, or prototypical limestone-like coloring by using chunked limestone, like most rock pathways are made from.

Hit the rocks with a hammer until the chunks are the correct size for your particular scale.

While not really trash, it's still a way to make your roadbed more realistic.  And keep the dust from pounding the rocks.  Depending on the type of rock, it may look like snow, gravel, or sand.

Mostly, the answer will be NO.

The hard, thin plastic most things are packaged in now?
          I cut it into rectangles small enough for my spare parts bin and use it to glaze windows in structures or passenger cars.  And I cut the plastic base off of the 'little people' (after painting, if I paint them) and glue a small square to their feet so they won't fall over.

Tissue paper?
     I mean the kind of stuff that's used in gifts, not snot rags.
          Useful to wipe up spilled liquids or ball up to use as paint sponges.  Or if used correctly with the plastic packaging, making a 'glazed window' effect.

The plastic (sorry, resin) sprues that most of your injection-molded plastic models are packaged with?
          Cut, slice, or (miter) saw them up in tiny pieces and glue them to trees as fruits, birds (in the smaller scales), or Christmas ornaments.  Use them to create your own pipework for an oil refinery.  Or super-detail a scene with downspouts, garbage, drainpipes, etc.

The foam blocks electronics are packaged in?
          Glue them together and shave them down for hilly scenery.  Cut (or dig) out space in them and put some fragile things in them when you're not using them.  Actually, that last one is kind of what they're made for anyway...



A lot of the things you toss can be used on your model railroad if you just stop to think for a moment.  Hold it in your hand and turn it around a few times.  Ponder.  Imagine.
And what you may not realize, is that you're recycling and liking it!

Or you can hook up only the switches away from the edges of your layout to your controller, and use hand-thrown switches for the ones closer to the edges or controls.

I don't have to worry about dust too much, as I set the whole shebang up only around Christmas time.  I just blow the dust off the fragile stuff or wipe the dust off the building before boxing it away.

I might keep a small circle around, but not up, just as a test track for new purchases.

Actually, I'm planning to re-sell the set.  I have the Atlas Rerailer, and it's a perfect match to the hole in the box.  But I'll keep looking into meets and hoping to find one in the track boxes.

Thanks.  I'll try that and then post the results.  I also visually sighted down the tracks and the grade was a lot more than I thought it was, so I re-graded the incline (put styrofoam strips under it).

Oh my, that would indeed make a mess.  Thanks for the warning.

Would I be able to make an approximation of the fluid from P Glycol and Glyerine from RiteAid or Walgreens?

Cool, they do have them.  I suppose I could use the EZTrack if I had to, but the rest of the track (and what the box will fit) is non-EZ.  I don't believe Bachmann sells non-EZ tracks anymore.  Is that correct?

So, a while ago I bought the train, cars, and box to the Bachmann/Department 56 Heritage Village train.
So far, I've been able to buy the proper type of controller box and almost all the right (Bachmann) track.  But one piece still eludes me.  A straight section, 9", rerailer.  But not a rerailer/terminal.

The question is, was this the only set that had this particular piece of track?

Part 1:
What is in the Bachmann smoke fluid?  I've heard propylene glycol, glycerine, and both.  And I'm wondering if I would be able to use vape juice in a pinch, because there's a vape store down the street and the local hobby shop (flea market permanent booth) is a bit small in inventory, specifically accessories.

Part 2:
If I wanted to use non-Bachmann smoke fluid, whose would cause the least 'spitting'?

Actually, I mean the Prussia, one of the Classic Collector Series of Bachmann Trains in HO Scale.  It is DC powered.

So I noticed that, while a very good small engine, but big enough to bridge gaps from insulated frogs, it seems to be a little light.

Any kind of a grade, and the wheel just spins.

Any idea of how much weight I should add to it to help?