Seaboard Central 2.0

[Iain]

Needs more pine.

[davefoxx]

A lot more.  I haven't sufficiently researched that issue and come up with an affordable and quick solution for pine trees in the Sandhills.

[packers#1]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with; if I ever build a layout based on my hometown in the (South) Carolina sandhills, I'll need a million of those things too.
I did see someone make a few pines out of Crepe Myrtle flower twigs (after the flowers turn into the seed pods and fall off); that may be a good starting point?

[davefoxx]

Well, I like to think that I came up with a solution for kudzu, so I'm hopeful that I'll figure out those southern pines.  Although that, I admit, is not at the top of the to-do list for now.  But, stay tuned.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Another reason that model pine trees are not a priority at this time: I'm playing with trains!  Highball!

DFF

[John]

these shouldn't be that hard

[davefoxx]

Perfect example, John.  As you can see, the lower branches drop off, making the trunk very much exposed.  It's probably going to take a tapered dowel on each tree.  Then, the upper branches will just need to be applied individually with the proper flock.  Not impossible, but it will take some experimentation to get it right.  Then there's that pesky colorblindness thing to get the colors right.  I just hope I can get it to where I can build them quickly, because I'm going to need a ton of them.  If I build a couple a night . . .

DFF

[160pennsy]

A lot more.  I haven't sufficiently researched that issue and come up with an affordable and quick solution for pine trees in the Sandhills.

davefoxx,

I've tried the "Scotchpine or florist wire method" for making detailed southeastern pine trees and posted my photos & initial comments back in March 2009.

http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,17911.0.html

If you have some of the raw materials on-hand already, then your costs will be minimal. These pine tree armatures can become labor intensive for the first few (unless you have quick nimble fingers) and based on my experience in making over 25-30 of these for various club N-TRAK modules, it's best to break down the construction into steps and work on multiple trees (5-6) at the same time to reduce boredom:

1.) Cut florist wire stems (larger diameter wire, various lengths from 60'-90' tall) and shorter, smaller diameter branch wires. Poke them into foam or separate by diameter.
2.) Start twisting/winding smaller dia wire around bottom of stem wire & also twist out perpendicular to the stem, leaving loops on opposite sides of stem wire. Continue up to top of tree.
3.) Use CA with Zip Kicker to glue the windings. This keeps everything in place, keeps the windings from coming undone and permanently sets up the CA so you can move onto the next step quickly.
4.) Clip ends of loops open and if possible add on additional smaller dia wire to increase number of sub branches - use CA as in step 3.) above
5.) Don't forget to leave some shorter "dead branch" wires at the lower end of the trunk.
6.) Go back and shape the main trunk to keep it straight and also remember to add realistic bends into the smaller branches - use prototype Southern Pine tree photos as guides !

For additional photos and instruction on the above steps, use the following link        http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23011&whichpage=3

7.) Mix up some white glue & water (50/50) and starting from bottom or top, brush onto the main trunk windings as well as the smaller branch windings. Work in small batches.
8.) Sprinkle saw dust material on top of the glue to represent the bark texture.
9.) Once the bark has dried overnight then use CA with Zip Kicker to glue on the teased out blue furnace filter material clumps that will represent the fine sub branches at the ends of the main branches.
10.) Spray paint the tree armatures using color suggestions in my Railwire posts.
11.) Final step is to use spray adhesive on ONLY the top sides of the ends of the fine sub branch clumps, then sprinkle on pinches of fine ground foam or static grass flocking. Use different shades of green and try to match colors seen in prototype Southern Pine tree photos.
12.) If any ground foam gets on the larger branches or trunk then use a small brush dipped in thinner to "clean off" the ground foam pine needles and reveal the bark texture underneath.

Again I will remind you that this type of detailed pine tree is best suited for use as fore ground scenery and for close up macro photography. During a public 2-day train show last year, I had some club member's grand children (7-10 year olds) along with some other adults, helping me make tree armatures. We followed the basic steps listed above and their tree armatures came out looking just as good as mine !!

Let me know if you need any additional information on this topic.

Paul

[davefoxx]

Paul,

Thank you for the resources, links, and information.  That's very helpful, and, as evidenced by your great examples, I don't need to reinvent the wheel.  I appreciate the help.  The trees in North Carolina that you're modeling are exactly what I need.

DFF

[Scottl]

Paul,

Thanks for the detailed description.  I have had recent success with a minor variant of this approach, mostly because I am modelling fir and ponderosa pine, which tend to have denser lower branch networks. 

In addition your your instructions, I would suggest a few alternate materials that are particularly handy in my experience.   First, use latex caulking to thicken up the trunk and branches, as it is easy to apply, and you can fine tune it in an hour or so without getting messy.  It takes paint well too.

Sawdust is of good quality is hard for me to get, so I sought out alternatives.  One thing that works well is the textured spray paints that have grit in the paint and give you texture and colour at the same time.  They are available in hardware stores and are a good product for this application.

[davefoxx]

I messed around with some 2" scrap foam (I'll need more) to rough in the scenic forms on the new portion of the layout.  I really need to determine the exact space that the yard in Hamlet will occupy, so that I can figure where the ridge will go.  The foam pieces that you see in the following pictures and video are not glued down.  I usually place the pieces in oversized, so I can carve and sculpt the final shape. And, don't worry about the hole that the SBD line is currently in; it will be cut back into moderate slopes on each side of the track, so that the line is in a cut, not a trench.  I want to minimize the impact of the SBD line under Raeford, but not make it invisible.

This also allowed me to place a temporary track down for the A&R, and, today, the first train rolled into Raeford . . . well, where Raeford will be; there's not much there yet.   









And, finally, here is that first train rolling into Raeford on video.  It's fitting that it should be pulled by A&R GP38 #400 "Duke Blue Crane."  It was a real pleasure running a train out of Aberdeen, up Bethesda Hill, and across the trestle without stopping.  Welcome to Raeford!

Thanks for stopping by,
DFF

[Ian MacMillan]

Much like!

I love to see how it is expanding.

[sizemore]

I spy a B-17G in the middle photo. Particularly a 91st Bomb Group member.


The S.

[davefoxx]

I spy a B-17G in the middle photo. Particularly a 91st Bomb Group member.


The S.

How in the world were you able to decipher that from such a distance?!  But, you're correct; it's a model of the "Chow-Hound" from the 91st Bomb Group.  It's up on the shelf keeping the Space Shuttle "Endeavor" company.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Last post of the weekend.  It's been a productive couple of weeks on the Seaboard Central.  The SBD mainline is installed, and the passing siding in Southern Pines is complete.  This is allowing me to run trains, which has been very enjoyable on the lengthened mainline and for meets in Southern Pines and Aberdeen.  The benchwork is complete, and, as soon as I buy some cork roadbed and the #5 turnouts become available, I'll finish the trackwork.

Today, I bought another sheet of 2" x 4' x8' foam to build the hills.  The pieces of foam you see in the following picture have been glued down with Loctite Power Grab that comes in a caulk tube.  I'll let it set up at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours before I even consider carving the hills and cuts.



The picture above also shows the 33" x 18" addition near the hot water heater that will become Dundarrach, North Carolina.  If you look close, you'll see that I laid down a temporary track for the A&R, and that road has brought its first grain cars to Dundarrach.  Meanwhile, on the SBD, two SD50s on the point of a coal train sit in the hole at Southern Pines, awaiting the arrival of Amtrak's Silver Star.

Have a great week,
DFF