Author Topic: N scale farmland  (Read 580 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Dave V

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 12295
  • Gender: Male
  • Foothills Farm Studios -- Dave's Model Railroading
  • Respect: +11804
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2026, 06:03:11 PM »
0
Strawberries and potatoes are two other options for July-ish crops in Lancaster county.

For scenery supplies, check out the various items offered by NOCH.

Yep, they have some promising stuff!

Lemosteam

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 6435
  • Gender: Male
  • PRR, The Standard Railroad of my World
  • Respect: +4950
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2026, 07:20:51 PM »
0
The corn actually shouldn't be as high as the Bluford corn early-to-mid summer but it is what it is. It'll still look good and convey Amish Country.

Just use a knife to follow the edge of the corn base, and shave some foam down to the height you want, and fill in around the base and stalks with nice brown cultivated dirt.
John "Lemosteam" LeMerise

Maletrain

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 4230
  • Respect: +906
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #17 on: October 05, 2026, 02:30:44 PM »
0
I live in Maryland's "Eastern Shore" (of the Chesapeake Bay), so see a lot of corn and soy beans.  (Maryland did away with tobacco crops decades ago.)

So, my trip to Stasburg through Amish farm country showed me a contrast I was not expecting.  The corn there is huge, compared to Maryland crops.  And so is the tobacco, compared to what I remember from long ago. 

So, if the N scale corn is as high as an N scale elephant's eye - it is prototypical for Amish territory in PA.  :D

Point353

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 3740
  • Respect: +922
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #18 on: October 05, 2026, 04:42:31 PM »
0
So, my trip to Stasburg through Amish farm country showed me a contrast I was not expecting.  The corn there is huge, compared to Maryland crops.  And so is the tobacco, compared to what I remember from long ago. 

In that case maybe the HO scale tobacco plants from JTT would be acceptable for N.


Dave V

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 12295
  • Gender: Male
  • Foothills Farm Studios -- Dave's Model Railroading
  • Respect: +11804
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #19 on: October 05, 2026, 04:57:46 PM »
0
Would take more than a few packages of those to do a full field!

Maletrain

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 4230
  • Respect: +906
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #20 on: October 05, 2026, 06:38:40 PM »
0
Amen on the full field issue.

Spookshow has a full field of the plastic corn.  It looks amazing.

But, real corn stalks are spaced much closer together than these model stalks permit.

I keep looking for something that would make a convincing field of corn that doesn't cost so much.  But, no good ideas, so far.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sokramiketes

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 5404
  • Better modeling through peer pressure...
  • Respect: +2158
    • Modutrak
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #21 on: October 05, 2026, 07:00:55 PM »
0
Charlie Vlk brought back, from one of his Kato trips to Japan, some "putting green astro turf".  It was tighter spaced and shorter weave than what we usually see, and looked great on the CGW.  I have never been able to locate a supplier since!!   Some hints of it here:  https://modutrak.com/passenger-consist-santa-fes-san-francisco-chief/

Then there's the broom corn idea.  Cheaper than cheap, unless you count the time it takes to plant each stalk...
https://modutrak.cgwrr.com/MiNi/Corn.htm


Point353

  • Crew
  • *
  • Posts: 3740
  • Respect: +922
Re: N scale farmland
« Reply #22 on: October 05, 2026, 09:01:32 PM »
0
Would take more than a few packages of those to do a full field!

Plant a couple of rows and imagine that the rest of the field goes beyond the edge(s) of the module.

Leave space around each plant.