We've been workin' on a Railroad...

[sarge]

The latest project has been to up the average height of trees.

Most railroads I see seem to be stuck on little 10-footers from Woodland Scenics and the like, while in reality here in the Northeast 60-footers are so common. I was in the mind for some mindless modelling (not needing a bunch of research as well as using easy techniques), so I cranked out big trees to add to the ones already "planted". The result is this:

[riogrande491]

Sarge -

I applaud your work at raising the height of trees. On most layouts I frequent they are way too short. Especially in O Scale, we can zoom in with our eyes on a narrow field of view and when the trees are just above the height of a boxcar, they look fake.

Well done.

[gregj410]

Agreed. Nice work Sarge. I found the process of making more scale looking trees easier than I first imagined it. I also found that fewer scale looking trees shows better than a bunch of non scale trees.

The trunks on these really need to be bigger but I find the height to be more pleasing to the eye.

[sarge]

Trees are useful for far more than just scenery, too. They can define locale (compare Greg's to mine) and they make good viewblocks to hide or distract the eye from the implausible bits like track passing through the 2-dimensional backscenes and scenic dividers in a diorama.

In my last photo, the big ones on the right of the frame are there to camouflage where the trackage passes through into the next scene.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

........... so I cranked out big trees to add to the ones already "planted".

Please elaborate on methods and materials? The need for reasonably affordable 60-120' trees is very real.

I recall an instance of someone actually using scale trees on an Nn3 logging layout that drew considerable criticism for it's trees: "the trees are too big; I can't see the trains..."

[healey36]

I recall seeing a write-up for making pine trees using dowels, some plaster of paris, and bits of asparagus plants for foliage. They looked pretty good, but Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it looked tedious. What you have looks pretty good, Greg and Sarge.

[up148]

Yes, there have been some great write-ups in magazines in past decades about how to tree and/or forest populate our layouts. Some of the nicest looking trees were very tedious to make, but the results were outstanding. But, I've always considered building good models to be tedious and exacting work, but that is part of the enjoyment. And when you get too tired or overwhelmed with the process you can walk away and come back later......

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I recall seeing a write-up for making pine trees using dowels, some plaster of paris, and bits of asparagus plants for foliage. They looked pretty good, but Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, it looked tedious. What you have looks pretty good, Greg and Sarge.

Those points are why I inquired with the hope of learning how to make good looking trees of good size w/o the "tedious".

...building good models to be tedious and exacting work, but that is part of the enjoyment.

Yes, but the enjoyment reward is significant and why I routinely have at 3-5 projects ongoing most of the time to minimize the tedium. Good background music and a time limit also helps.

[robert.]

I made pines from green furnace filter. . Then hairspray and green foam. ( ground seat cushion) i figured a tree would crush a house so maje them big. Problem with my pines was the gave a PNW. Look pennsylvania

[gregj410]

Here’s a few random trees I made. Not sure you can separate the tedious from making them although like anything once you get going you find it to not be as bad as you imagine at first. These are 3/8" balsa dowels shaped, scenic express super tree material and some super leaf flocking from scenic express a founders beer or two and you should be good to go.

[up148]

They look very convincing Greg.

[sarge]

I used lots of different techniques, none of which could be considered cheap given the cost of scenic material new, I'm afraid.

On the other hand, I have a few boxes of materials gathered together over the years, quite a bit from railroads that have been taken down or old friends' scenery stashes bought after they might have downsized or passed on as estate finds. No-one buys this stuff at estate auctions so it can be had in bulk cheap.

Some are built up from various garden shrubs and woody plants that look the part, then clumps of whomever's ground foam glued on with white glue or PVA to fill them in. Some are those plastic armatures intended as HO or O trees welded together using that weird tip included in every soldering gun set, the spoon shaped one intended for working plastic, then texture carved in the result using the edge. Foam clumps glued into the branches and filled in using PVA again. Some of the pines are the ones Kerry Kime makes of furnace filters.

Eastern trees need to be far more opaque typically than the tall western varieties like Greg's, and more varieties and sizes mixed in looks more convincing to my eye for representing the Northeast. The big stuff is freely mixed with smaller, all grabbed out of the stash of scenic stuff and refreshed if need be. Even those cheesy old Lifelike trees from the '70s can be brought up to date by hosing the lichen down with Aquanet and swirling them in a tub of fine ground foam. Until the Aquanet dries, the layout smells like a 1980s strip-joint. GRIN!

I find this effect though, so watch for it. I stick to a sixty foot or so max even though there are plenty in real life that are larger. The reason is illusional, for there seems to be a line over which trees can overpower the scene, especially as I'm really working to make an average sized space appear larger or at least convincingly large. Too small looks "layout-y" and too large, even though prototypical, can destroy the illusion that the space is bigger than it really is. Like everything on a layout, blend becomes important.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Thanks, all, for the responses. Yes, the cost of scenic materials has gotten painful. Still, I've been minimizing and clearing out my stock of the same. More needs to depart. I will not ever built another layout, and at best only build structures with a modest amount of surrounding scenery. A commercial tree now and again will be all I will probably need going forward.

[bob turner]

I am delighted that you are back!

[De Bruin]

Yeah me too Martin. The scenery discussion is a good step forward for the forum as well.
I hope you'll share your other current projects too as I'm a fan of those for sure!

I will say this about this forum, specifically our "2-rail" venue, as in why I still check on it and post; I've learned as much about my hobby here over the past 20 years, specifically on what I'm interested in building, as really anywhere else on other forums and the entire milieu of social media. Not that there isn't good posts/info/etc out there but I've never developed or enjoyed the relationship there as I have here, likewise as the clubs I've been in, which interestingly have had versions of the same "characters" we've had here too, albeit I sadly missed meeting some of those club predecessors timing wise.
It's indeed a good a hobby to have and I'm sincerely grateful for it and this forum.
(Even if you guys don't like my plastic stuff)