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    I approve them too Allen. They look great. You sure need a lot of patience to make them look this good and any help you can get is surely appreciated, I'm sure. I was very fortunate to have Mike Deverell give me his thees off his old Colorado Front Range layout when he moved.
    HO Scale

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    • Allen
      Allen commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Michael!

    That steaming technique seems the way to go, Allen. I think you told me what device that guy used to steam the armatures with, but I forgot.

    ​​​​​​I too have an entire box of Scenic Express trees to sort, clean, steam, treat and paint.​​​​
    Last edited by Paul S.; 04-16-2022, 06:39 PM. Reason: Spelking
    Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

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      Originally posted by Paul S. View Post
      That streaming technique seems the way to go, Allen. I think you told me what device that guy used to steam the armatures with, but I forgot.​​​​
      Of course as it is on the net a lot of the times, if you don't bookmark something when you see it, it's gone forever, much like coupler springs.
      I just went to Wally World and found this cheap $6 tea kettle.
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      Added some water, cranked up the stove to high and waited for the steam.
      I held the offending trees directly in steam for a few seconds, in some cases you could see the trees start to straighten out.
      I removed them, held them stretched for about 10 seconds and Viola.
      Some of the more stubborn trees I steamed a little longer and then pressed them flat on the countertop.

      I've seen guys use soldering irons and heat guns, but I think my trees are much older and too brittle or dry, my luck I'd end up with a forest fire.


      The Little Rock Line Blog

      Rule #1 of model railroading.
      It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

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        Red teapot, eh? Funny, I had pictured you using a calico decorated teapot. ...
        Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

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        • Russ C
          Russ C commented
          Editing a comment
          Or one in Rock Island Maroon & Yellow...

        • Allen
          Allen commented
          Editing a comment
          I thought about painting a shield on my pot.

        Looking good!

        The steam function on a clothes iron might also work. Although never tried this.

        Joe

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        • Allen
          Allen commented
          Editing a comment
          Don't see why not Joe? Anything that produces a little steam.

        Those take a lot of work, but are worth the effort. Someday...someday...

        Comment


        • Allen
          Allen commented
          Editing a comment
          That they are Eric. Like I said before, I think I like ballasting better?
          But these add so much more than ballast.

        • Greg
          Greg commented
          Editing a comment
          I think my layout will follow the David Barrow approach. Lol

        I got started on growing the forest.
        This is only about 1/4th of the large trees.
        I've got four different colors of foam so I can vary the shades a bit.

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        The Little Rock Line Blog

        Rule #1 of model railroading.
        It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

        Comment


        • Michael Whiteman
          Michael Whiteman commented
          Editing a comment
          Lookin' good buddy! Hang in there.

        • Eric - Housatonic RR
          Eric - Housatonic RR commented
          Editing a comment
          Wow, those are nice. I love being able to see the branch structure on these.

        Looking forward to seeing how the addition of trees enhance the scene, Allen. I bet it will be dramatic.
        Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

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          Thanks guys!
          I'm looking forward to it as well Paul.
          If they turnout as well as the first batch did, it should really change the scene.

          Click image for larger version

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          The Little Rock Line Blog

          Rule #1 of model railroading.
          It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

          Comment


            Very realistic looking scene. I wish my chosen area had more green shaded deciduous trees that I could model. Right now, I scatter around the odd aspen or birch, with some fruit trees in the fruit grove.

            Regards,
            Jerry Z

            Comment


              Originally posted by Allen View Post
              Thanks guys!
              I'm looking forward to it as well Paul.
              If they turnout as well as the first batch did, it should really change the scene.

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              Dear Allen's Significant Other,

              Can Allen please come over and paint my backdrop?

              Sincerely,

              Paul
              Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

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              • Allen
                Allen commented
                Editing a comment
                Dear Paul,
                I will have a sit down with Lisa and get back with you.
                But there might be some sort of Horse Trading needed?
                Allen...

              Originally posted by JerryZ View Post
              Very realistic looking scene. I wish my chosen area had more green shaded deciduous trees that I could model. Right now, I scatter around the odd aspen or birch, with some fruit trees in the fruit grove.

              Regards,
              Jerry Z
              Thanks Jerry!
              Since you mentioned Birch & Aspen trees, have you seen this video that Grant Eastman did a while back?
              It's a twist on Bottle Brush trees that he's adapted for his Birch and Aspen trees.



              I'm going to try the same method and see if I can make some Loblolly Pines that are prevalent in my modeling area, once I finish this batch of Super Trees.
              The Little Rock Line Blog

              Rule #1 of model railroading.
              It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

              Comment


                As of yesterday I have all my Supertrees flocked and ready for planting.
                Last night I started playing around with making some Loblolly Pines.

                But first, a little background.
                Loblolly Pines (Pinus taeda) are very common in the south and in the area that I'm modeling (AK to LA).
                Prized for their lumber that they can produce.
                Ever since I've decided to model this local I've always wanted to have some on my layout.

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                Here's a few behind the actual bridge on Google Maps (the three in the middle).

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                Recently I found a way that I think I can make these trees easy enough in order to have a decent amount of them represented on the layout.

                In my previous post I linked to a video that a modeler made not long ago in which he shows how to make Birch and Aspen trees by using the Bottle Brush technique. Using his same method, I think I can closely represent some Loblolly Pines?

                I started by picking up some supplies, this included a roll of Sisel and some Floral Wire that I found on Amazon (where else does one look these days?).
                He used 18ga copper wire to make his trunks, but with the cost of copper these days, the Floral wire I found on Amazon was 18ga steel, but painted brown not green.

                I made a couple them so far and I think these will work pretty good as long at the steel wire doesn't test my patience. I'm sure the copper would be easier to work with, but we'll see.

                The wire came at 16" so I started by folding it in half to make the trunks.
                I cut the Sisel at 2" and twisted them with drill. Instead of typing out everything I did you may want to watch the video I posted above.
                Here's a couple of shot of the Proof Of Concept trees.

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                I shaped them and then sprayed them with Krylon Camo brown this time.

                Once dry I sprayed them with Loctite Spray adhesive and rolled the edges in a container filled with Woodland Scenics Coarse Turf: Medium Green.
                The next step I've read and seen a lot of guys doing lately, that is to apply static grass to their Coniferous trees to give them "Needles"
                For my trees, I applied some Medium Green 2mm static grass by Woodland Scenics that I had on hand.

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                Here's a shot next to a couple of my Supertrees.

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                I still need to add the crayon to make the trunk and play around with the overall process, but I think this method will work just fine?
                I'll need to add more Sisel to the tops of the trees and thin out the Sisel as the branches get lower. Making the branches a little more uneven might also add to the looks?
                The Little Rock Line Blog

                Rule #1 of model railroading.
                It's probably responsible for the greatest number of shoddy layouts because no one feels compelled to improve themselves. Meh, good enough...

                Comment


                • herronpeter
                  herronpeter commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Hi, I use air drying clay to build up the trunks. Is that what you meant when you said crayon as Crayola makes it.

                  Peter

                • Allen
                  Allen commented
                  Editing a comment
                  @herronpeter
                  In the video I posted a couple posts back, Grant melts white crayola crayons and applies them to the twisted wire trunks.
                  He shows the process about 6:45 in the video. https://youtu.be/I85wMzsgvzY?t=405

                • herronpeter
                  herronpeter commented
                  Editing a comment
                  After watching the video and seeing the process for these thin tall trees, I can see the logic behind the method. It’s much quicker and easier to get the consistent diameter of the trunks! The clay works a lot better for thick elm, oak and maple type trees. Thanks for sharing this.

                Looks a bit like Virginia pine, Allen.

                I'm not suggesting anything. . .except, well, seeing as you are twisting wires and twine.

                Click image for larger version

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                Southern Railway Slate Fork Branch: https://realisticmodelrailroading.ne...-fork-branch-n

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                • Allen
                  Allen commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Geeze Paul, first your backdrops, now your trees? 😂
                  All kidding aside, those could be made just like I'm doing now. The first time I applied ground foam, it was the fine turf and they turned out looking a lot like those. Thin branches, fine needles and more branches down the length of the trunk.
                  Last edited by Allen; 05-01-2022, 09:40 PM.

                • Michael Whiteman
                  Michael Whiteman commented
                  Editing a comment
                  It's all about the shape and the color

                Wow, that static grass needles really make the model pop! Great job on those!

                Comment


                • Allen
                  Allen commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Thanks Eric.
                  This was just a proof of concept, but I do like the result of the needles.
                  Just wondering if I should apply more, or keep with the adage of Less is More?

                • Eric - Housatonic RR
                  Eric - Housatonic RR commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Allen, I would go with less is more. It looks great. That being said, trying one with a little more static grass, or being wild and crazy by sparsely adding some tan/buff colored "needles" to the outer tips, could give it a later summer appearance.

                • Allen
                  Allen commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I'll probably pass on the tan/buff colored grass as I'm trying to model Spring, but I may try another brand of 2mm grass that has a better shade of green and maybe add a touch more?
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