Vermissa Valley - PRR 1960s

[GaryHinshaw]

Looking great!  Very innovative to think of using sand for the buds, but it really works.  I don't think you need too much understory in that last scene.  I do have one comment about the ground cover: I think you nailed the look of a muted forest floor with new sprouts emerging from last years leaf fall, but you might want to make a clearing with a few redbuds in an emerald green meadow.  Then there is this:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=433984&nseq=21. 


-gfh

[Hornwrecker]

I did look through the penny candy aisle to see if there was anything better than the colored sand, but the sand won out.  Nice pics, except maybe the last one.    I'll put a few in the open like that one photo, have to decide where now.

I finally got the east (left) portal embedded, and threw some static grass and dead leaves over the top and edges of it.  I have a few small trees that I salvaged out the supertree waste, should be enough to get that area planted.

In other news, I put light coating of grout over the old, double ended Pennsy yard.  Made a mixture of 25% XF sandy dirt from my backyard, 25% WS fine cinders, and 50% unsanded charcoal color grout.  This, I hope, should unify the color and texture of that yard, and make the trackwork look more neglected.  I hope it sticks; find out tomorrow.  If not, I can always spray it down with dilute white glue.

[Hornwrecker]

I think I'm going to plant trees on the slope to the right of the tunnel.

Yard grouting didn't go correctly, but the color looks better.  Second attempt later this week.

[LIRR]

nice work, what diod you use for the pine trees?

[Hornwrecker]

It's been awhile, but the trees were in a big bag of about 40-50, bottle brush type.  Maybe it was Noch???

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Wow, I'm still only looking at page 9, and I am thoroughly impressed.

The color choices, scenery materials, all absolutely killer.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Oh, and let me fill you in on the trick for underbrush.

I had struggled with it for, literally, years.

But then I spotted the answer on the Scenic Express tables at a Timonium show.
It's from Heki, and it's called Decovlies Weisengras. For some reason, I can't find it on Scenic Express's website, but here's a review:
http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=1068

Of course, if you leave it green it'll look stupid, but what you do is take it, stretch it apart a bit, and then paint it like tree armatures (gray and a touch of brown). Theoretically you could flock it too.

You can see it in the lower left here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103328750375507168249/ApartmentLayout#5067181758101544434
https://picasaweb.google.com/103328750375507168249/ApartmentLayout#5483456106434117890
On the right here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103328750375507168249/ApartmentLayout#5066871893391007202
All over here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103328750375507168249/ApartmentLayout#5314745342566990898
And this is a shot of just it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/103328750375507168249/ApartmentLayout#5483455998068935922

[eric220]

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=433984&nseq=21. 

There's an inattentive Toyota driver there that's about to get a nasty surprise.

[Hornwrecker]

Thanks for the tip, Ed.  Now to hunt down a source for the elusive Weisengras in this country.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Sure thing. I'm happy to help a fellow traveler.

[LIRR]

Thanks Bob,
They look good. I have an are where I need a few dozen but I am not in the mood to build them one at a time...

[Hornwrecker]

Thanks Bob,
They look good. I have an are where I need a few dozen but I am not in the mood to build them one at a time...

They're easy to fix up.  Chop the tops off a few with some wire cutters, then hack away at them with scissors  (hold scissors perpendicular to the trunk to make them more irregular, from top to bottom), spray down with cheap hairspray (in pump bottle).  Lastly, apply some dark green ground foam. I used Scenic Express haze green, sifted through a tea strainer; the finer texture really helps to make them look better.  Takes less than a minute to make one, once you set up an assembly line.  Thinning them out with scissors takes the most time, other than sifting the foam.

[Hornwrecker]

Looks like I got the colors right for the redbud tree.  Maybe mixing them together would make it even closer.  I'll have to try making one that way.



Got the retaining wall installed, sculptamolded in, and basecoat of paint.  Hope to scenic it in  tonight and post pics.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

As we were cruising around central PA this past weeekend, I couldn't believe how common those were.

Really good spot on including them!

[Lemosteam]

Looks like I got the colors right for the redbud tree.  Maybe mixing them together would make it even closer.  I'll have to try making one that way.

Yep!  60% lite 40% dark