Amoskeag Northern - Simonds Industrial Branch

[Bsklarski]

The road that went from nowhere to nowhere through nothing....should be an easy enough build 

Thats what they said about the CV. "The railroad that went from nowhere to nowhere and missed every major city in between".

[Bsklarski]

Then here's the railroad for you to model...



...ducks to avoid incoming rotten tomatoes...

More of a rut to actually get building. I end up building a little and stop. build a little and stop. You are a funny man Mr. Smith.

[Chris333]

Ian,

Does that sanded grout ever dry out and crack when used over such a large area? (larger area than a grout line between tiles)

[Philip H]

I've used the stuff widely and while it dries nice and hard, it has yet to crack.  Cool thing is once dry, it seems not to soften when you wet it for grass installation and such.

[Ian MacMillan]

Yes, like Phil said, it does not crack and stays rock hard. In some spots I have to use an old drill bit in the drill to make pilot holes for trees.

[Ian MacMillan]

My mind has been kinder to me this week and allowed me to get off my a$$ and back to working on the layout. I started banging out some trees and planting them on the west side of the layout. I have an order of pine trees coming in on Monday so that I can mix up the forest a little bit. But the for now the trees that I have installed really help to bring the scene together.

I also was able to get the lane striping down on I93 using 1/32 chart tape I bought from a company in MA.

Here are some quick cell grab shots.

[DKS]

Nice! Really says New England now.

[peteski]

The trees (and vines) look great!  Did you expose your tree-making method earlier in this thread (or in another TRW thread)?  I'm, curious how you make them so realistic.

[Ian MacMillan]

I did not. But it is nothing special really. The trees are SuperTrees from Scenic Express. I boil the branches and hang them with weights to straighten them out. After about a week of drying I spray paint them individually with dark gray primer. I spray it on heavy, and while it is still wet I coat it in Scenic Express Medium Green - Coarse. I then poke them into a piece of builders foam to dry over night. Once dry I spray them with super hold hair spray and highlight areas with Woodland Scenics Burnt Grass - fine.

Poke hole in scenery. Plant. Done

[DKS]

I boil the branches and hang them with weights to straighten them out.

That's a trick I think many may not do. Excellent.

[nscalemike]

Thanks for the super tree tips!  One of my favorite layouts here, great work!  Lots of good ideas, top notch modeling, plenty of motivation to get moving again.

Mike

[packers#1]

That's a trick I think many may not do. Excellent.

I don't...I really should...looks great Ian!

[peteski]

I did not. But it is nothing special really. The trees are SuperTrees from Scenic Express. I boil the branches and hang them with weights to straighten them out. After about a week of drying I spray paint them individually with dark gray primer. I spray it on heavy, and while it is still wet I coat it in Scenic Express Medium Green - Coarse. I then poke them into a piece of builders foam to dry over night. Once dry I spray them with super hold hair spray and highlight areas with Woodland Scenics Burnt Grass - fine.

Poke hole in scenery. Plant. Done

Thanks Ian!  I have never worked with Super Trees (although I've heard good things about them). Next time you're making a batch, would you mind taking few photos of the various steps?  That would be just dandy!  Your description is good but I just can't visualize attaching weights to the branches.  Also, what "Scenic Express Medium Green - Coarse"? I see several Medium Green Coarse items.

You don't use any poly-fiber in them? I'm surprised that the canopies look so airy and realistic?

[Hornwrecker]

Great tip on the trees!  I've got an order of them coming in this week, so I can start learning how to make foreground trees.  Now to figure out what to use for weights, and how much is needed.

[M.C. Fujiwara]

Groovy job on the trees!
Amazing how a few well-made trees can "fill out" a scene and allows the mind "fill in" the rest.

Kudos for taking the time to boil & straighten.
Too impatient, myself, so I just take a couple supertree "stems" and CA them together to create fuller, straighter tree.
Yours look a bit better (and taller  )

Diggin' your use of grout, pipes and fences.
Nice angles!
Looking forward to seeing where this scene goes.