St.Oval - A scenic Set Track Oval

[Dad-1]

Hi E2E,

Nothing that I know of.
My own next outing is the clubs Open Day on
5th May at West Bay.

Geoff T.

[End2end]

Thanks for the heads up Dad-1. Thats a shame as I'll be visiting family down that way at Easter.
Thanks
End2end

[Dad-1]

Trees, and even more trees ........
This layout seems to eat trees. I also need to get trees growing from a steep rock face at the gorge.
I've tried cutting the plastic stem of Woodland Scenics trees at 45-60 degrees. Then drill into the trunk
so it'll accept some fence wire I have here. I can then bend that to fit into holes drilled in the steep ravine.

A rough idea of where I'm going :-





I might even cut some branches away ?

I know roughly what I want, but exactly how to get there is still a mystery. All I know is I'll be lucky
to get away with less than another £50 worth !!

Geoff T.

[Bufferstop]

The "classic" method is a good place to start, then see if your imagination comes up with more ideas as you go along. You need some photos of trees without too much foliage so now might be a good time to take some. You start with a packet of florists soft iron wire in approx one foot lengths, work out the height of your tree, leave an inch or so for the roots, then bind the trunk section with masking tape until you get to the point where the first branch splits off. From the bundle pull out enough wires for the thickness of the branch, twist them into a bundle and continue along trunk and branch with the tape. When you've split off the major branches, stop wrapping in tape, rely on twisting the bundle. Don't get too ambitious for your first couple of trees keep them relatively simple. When you have an armature that pleases your eye, give the whole of it apart from the root a good coat of Araldite and leave for 24hrs. When it come to the foliage take your pick, wire wool, plastic pan scourer, rubberised horsehair, depends how dense you want it to be. Then spray with a can of spray mount (or hairspray) and shake the finest flock over it.
Or you can go for the cheapo job, plant sedums, wait until autumn, harvest the heads, bundle them together and go to the hairspray and flock step. They tend not to look quite right if you look along the ground at them, so keep the edges of the crowns low and surround with bushes

[Dad-1]

While feeling rough enough to decide not working on anything, I
thought a video might keep me busy for a few minutes.
A 1st take as well !!

https://youtu.be/2kroQMWLz90

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

Bufferstop I'm simply not into making my own, too little life & energy left.
I have some bespoke made for me, quite expensive and with a wire loom,
but there is no way these will fit my slope.
I don't particularly like the Gaugemaster and rejected in favour of Woodland
Scenics which are made on a plastic core of branches and trunk. These I can cut
the basal trunk at an angle while not exactly fitting my slope they will be near
enough to blend in.

Geoff T.

[Dublo]

Hello
I had a similar problem with Little Weldon once you start planting trees you just never seem to have enough. Forty one at present and still planting.

[Dad-1]

Hi Dublo,

Just keep planting .......

Yes expensive, but they make all the difference to a country scene. Some would have 100
locomotives worth anything up to £10,000 and begrudge spending a couple of hundred on
making the scene look right.

Geoff T.

[glencairn]

Hi Dublo,

Just keep planting .......

Yes expensive, but they make all the difference to a country scene. Some would have 100
locomotives worth anything up to £10,000 and begrudge spending a couple of hundred on
making the scene look right.

Geoff T.

Yes, Dad-1. I agree. Just to add; there are 'fifty shades of green'. Not all trees are the same. Even the same type of tree can be seen in a different colour and or shape to its neighbour. The soil trees grow in varies. An animal may stand/rub/scratch against a young tree, preventing it to grow properly. The variations are enormous.

Glencairn

[Dad-1]

Hi glencairn,

Yes, I've notice the last few years growth just outside Sovereign Street.
I'm beginning to wonder if those not far from the engine shed will soon
become a fire risk ? Those firs will flare up, but will the weather hold ?
I suppose you can rely on regular rain.

Geoff T.

[brit-in-bama]

Making Tree's have always been a p-i-t-a to me, they never looked right but I couldnt figure out why? then a girlfriend looked at one and said, you do know that tree's use the "Fibonacci sequence" in their branch placement dont you? and no I didnt, anyway to cut a long story short if you arrange the branches looking from above in a spiral 5 to 2 (5 to make one rotation around the trunk, and 2 in hight to separate the branches) even without leaves the branches do indeed look much more realistic, I include a link to an article, that explain just why tree's use this method, sadly I dont have any trees here to show but it is something to think about if you do feel like making your own wire branches and stuff. Dad1 your models and scenery are great, you have much more patience than I.

http://earthship-academy-experience.tum ... in-trees-a

[glencairn]

Hi glencairn,

Yes, I've notice the last few years growth just outside Sovereign Street.
I'm beginning to wonder if those not far from the engine shed will soon
become a fire risk ? Those firs will flare up, but will the weather hold ?
I suppose you can rely on regular rain.

Geoff T.

No fire risk at all. Due to a certain Dr Beeching the engine shed was due to close; therefore the overgrown appearance.
Then the reprieve came. Hurrah! Cutting back the weeds etc. will happen, (but not yet). It all takes time.

As for trees? I have more to plant.

Glencairn

[Dad-1]

Hi brit-in-bama,

That link was most interesting.
It shows how 'Nature' is much cleverer than we think.
Confirms my belief that we really don't know much, but enough to be dangerous !!

Geoff T.

[Dad-1]

I've been working on other layouts, making wagons, trying to convert club stock to Kadee couplings.
Decided to run my cement industry train at club and when home put on St Oval just because I could ?
Here we have a Hornby Railroad class 5 pulling the load. Being a Railroad model it had no problems
with the set-track points and 1st radius curves.

https://youtu.be/ORAjo1KT560

Now I have to abandon computers to do my mornings baking .........

Geoff T.

[Lysander]

Can hear those flanges squealing from here! I was waiting for the Black Five to reappear before the guard’s van had passed! Very nice train there. Are the Iron Minks Ratio?

And baking? You are truly a New Man, Geoff. You shame us all!

Tony