Vermissa Valley - PRR 1960s

[chicken45]

I hope Allen is lurking so he can see his F25 kit in action!

Need to get a load in that sucker!

Bob- that looks fantastic! What a subtle, but powerful touch that blue brings to the scene. I wish I saw more vernal layouts.

[Chevyconvertible]

What a great time last Sunday afternoon! It was a pleasure to meet you fine gentlemen and to check out the beautiful kit bashing you've done on those engines. 

Bob, the scenic work really is coming along, I just had to check out the thread since you talked about what you did last night at our rehearsal. I really like what you've done with the sponges and that ground cover looks so very realistic!

I'm looking forward to next meeting of the A$$hats for another running session! I hope I don't have to run off so abruptly as I had to Sunday 

[Hornwrecker]

Did some more 'sperimentin' today.  First up is an eastern redbud, about 20 scale ft tall.  Made by grinding up a sponge in the blender.  These new soft sponges need to be mircowaved for a bit, so that they'll be brittle enough to grind; zap them too long and they start burning.



Still looks like a cherry tree, but better than the other, darker pink one I made.

Next up turned out a bit better - the larch.  The. Larch.



Oops, I meant - the laurel.  Used the same pink sponge, but then sprayed them from the back with hairspray, then sprinkled a few coats of Noch olive leaves on them.  A good use for all those tiny bits of super trees that break off.

When I boiled the trees, I added about 6 oz of glycerin per gallon of water.  They're a lot less crunchy than before, and will take some bending.

[Hornwrecker]

Wide view of the spring vegetation test area:



mountain laurel, dogwood, redbud, bluebells, and as yet to be defined white wildflower

[Lemosteam]

Bob,

Need some Queen Anne's Lace.  1.5 foot tall with a flat white top finely ground stuff.

Man those looks great.

[Hornwrecker]

Need some Queen Anne's Lace.  1.5 foot tall with a flat white top finely ground stuff.

Man those looks great.

Thanks, John.  QAL is way too late for my layout, usually late summer I think.  Maybe one little bud off of a super tree would be about right for it.

Another experiment tonight:  the bottle brush pine tree reclamation project - attempt #1



From left to right: stock, random clipping and topped, Scenery Express hazy green fine foam, sifted through a tea strainer and applied with hairspray, and finally Heki forest floor 2mm, applied statically on hairspray.

Maybe both types of improved bbpt's could be used.  Planning on small groupings on the mountain in the rear of the layout.

Thoughts and ideas of other crap to glue onto them so they don't look like stock?

[chicken45]

Next up turned out a bit better - the larch.  The. Larch.

THE LARCH!

AND THE MIGHT SCOTCH PINE!

I think I found my tree guy! 

[eric220]

Number one: the larch. The larch. Number one: the larch.

[Chris333]

Lovin' the scenery! 

[Hornwrecker]

As I was driving around today, I noticed that a lot of different types of maple trees had reddish/brown buds on them.  When I got home I searched around my scenicing stuff to find a suitable color with no luck.  Going to my herb and spice cabinet, chile powder came pretty close but a bit too orange, and it had other things in it that I didn't want to put on my trees.  I did have some dried pasilla peppers that were the right color, so down they went to the basement and put into the blender to be pulverized.

Gentlemen, BEHOLD!  The mighty red maple:



Which may eventually show up, whenever Photobucket starts working again.

[Hornwrecker]

Four feet of mostly tall trees made, the tallest being about 120'.  Not sure if I'm going to go that tall, but the base can always be trimmed.  Boiled up the last batch of small STrees.  Glad that's done.  Painted another 80 or so today, lots of fun in a biting, swirling wind at 40*F.  Once I get these damn things done, then I can start on the understory trees and brush.  I hope I won't need another Big Box O'Trees.

The tackboard was found when I was a kid in GTW Nolan Yard, Detroit MI around 1970.  Fell off of a boxcar, I swear!

[Lemosteam]

The Detroit news reported finding a screwdriver and crowbar lying in the ballast for some odd reason and footprints leading to eigh mile road...  Witnesses claimed to see two boys fighting over a square object near the scene... The vandals were never found...   

Dude where are you going to put thaf forest?

[Hornwrecker]

That's not a lot of trees, Lemo.  This is...



You'd be surprised how quickly a forest can eat up all those trees.

That tackboard was lying on the ground, and I could run faster than Uboats to grab it first.

[Hornwrecker]

I got the crap laid down for the main forest floor area; large swaths of bluebells and some white whatever ones.



Now to get started planting some understory trees.

[Hornwrecker]

And now with trees!





I think I'm going to need another Big Box O'Trees.