Seaboard Central 2.0

[davefoxx]

I'm going to try some sort of leak flakes over appropriately colored poly fiber.  The poly fiber will represent the vines, and the leaf flock will hopefully properly capture the look of the large leaves that, to me, scream kudzu.

Check out this website to see what we're after:
http://www.jackanthonyphotography.com/yahoola/kudzu/index.html

To really get it right, I want to have a structure or telephone pole(s) covered with kudzu like some of the photos on the website above.

DFF

[GaryHinshaw]

Nice looking scene Dave.  Here is some more kudzu inspiration for you:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=203122&nseq=29

In fact, if you make your foliage a deeper green and lighten up the trucks on your diesel, you've pretty much got this look nailed.

[davefoxx]

Gary,

Thanks!  That's a great picture.  Interesting thing about that pic, the kudzu foliage almost appears glossy.  I'll have to figure out how to capture that look.

My foliage is only a base layer, in case you see through the top foliage, trees, or kudzu.  It's not thick enough to represent kudzu.

Oh, and four SD50s.  They developed their own not-so-good reputation on first impression with railroaders, but I like 'em.  Sweet.

DFF

[GaryHinshaw]

Roger that.  I knew you didn't intend the ground cover to be more than a base layer.  One recommendation I have for kudzu is Silflor's leafy horsetail foliage.  It's a fibrous foliage with leaf flock that I happen to have a sample of, so I stuck it on the layout in front of my one and only CSX loco:



The leaf flock scales out to almost 6", but it doesn't seem that large and it has a great airy texture.  The leaves themselves are pretty light in color, but I think if you misted it with a darker green, you'd get a nice dappled coloring that looked really convincing

It's not cheap, but you're worth it.    There may also be other similar and cheaper euro-products that I'm not familiar with.

-gfh

[Philip H]

Gary,
That looks like a great solution.

Dave,
I think we have found our kudzu!

[davefoxx]

Gary,

Wow!  Philip's right; we have found our answer.  That looks great!  How big is a sheet of that stuff?  Depending on the size of the sheet, $25.00 might not be too painful.

By the way, you need to get that stuff off of your layout immediately, or else the Tehachapi, B.C. will become infested overnight.   

Thanks,
Dave

[GaryHinshaw]

Glad you like it.  The material comes in 3 1/2 x 5 1/2" sections, and I think the package has 6 of those, but I don't honestly remember.  You should be able to get pretty far for the cost of a loco.   Here are a few other items that may be worth looking at as well:

http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MN72522S
http://www.sceneryexpress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MN93612S

The latter might be good for that classic vine on a power line look:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=24715&nseq=51

-gfh

P.S. It's already off TBC!

[GP38-2freak]

More Kudzu, this time with GE units^^ http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll221/CSXDixieLine/6560_1143234000.jpg

[Bsklarski]

I think you guys are onto something with this "kudzu". There are some spots here in the summer in Western Mass that have something close to that.

[Philip H]

Kudzu is an Afrucan vine introduced in the 1930's for erosion control. Turns out it grows really well down south. I'd be surprised if you had it in Mass - it's not hard freeze tolerant for more then a couple if days.

[Dave V]

Kudzu is an Afrucan vine introduced in the 1930's for erosion control. Turns out it grows really well down south. I'd be surprised if you had it in Mass - it's not hard freeze tolerant for more then a couple if days.

...it's not Japanse?   

[Philip H]

Probably - I've heard both actually.  Sorry for any botanical confusion.

[davefoxx]

Definitely Asian.  According to Wikipedia, kudzu is native to Japan and southeast China.

Now that I have a portion of the layout far enough along, it's time to order some materials.  Thank you, Gary.  I just hope that the kudzu doesn't take over the basement.  If so, I'm calling it the Hinshaw Disaster II.   

DFF

[Scottl]

We need to put up a wall to keep that Kudzu out of Canada!  Still, I think Gary's suggestion is a convincing way to model it.

[packers#1]

We need to put up a wall to keep that Kudzu out of Canada!  Still, I think Gary's suggestion is a convincing way to model it.

It's cold, that stuff will stay away.
Dave, looking good, excited to see what you come up with using those materials!