Boy this is fun. I haven’t done a lick of building yet, but I’ve gone from a 4x8 layout to an 8x11, having ransacked my gym equipment to make it happen. So my ideal set-up would be the coastal mountains of California, but my kid got a Bachman’s Hogwart’s Express and there will be a Hogwart’s in the layout. The area around Hogwart’s and the creek/ riverbeds will be lined with oak, but the Mountains (I’m going to have 3 rows of them) are going to be about 80% or the layout.
I’ve figured out how to get half the track up 5" without breaking the 2% rule so about half the track will be at that level.
If I’m going to have a forest, thought, I’m going to need a lot of trees. My hobby store has them for $2 a piece, but I don’t want to spend a grand on trees. So how can I make a bunch of pine trees? Don’t see a problem with the Oak forest–though I haven’t figured out the Womping Willow.
You mentioned you are a former Californian: mind if I ask what part of California?
I ask because I’m a Californian too and went to school up on the Northcoast (Humboldt State) and know a thing or two about the railroads up there. Beautiful country, too–should make an impressive model.
One piece of advice, though: Start small. I’m building my layout in six-foot long modules, and only starting the next module once the previous one is operational. Helps keep things in perspective and I don’t end up staring at a vast mass of plywood.
The link above to AggroJones’ pine tree post is a good one–if you’re modeling the Northcoast, you’ll need a lot of them! Keep in mind that actual scale-sized redwoods are almost unmodelable–an old-growth redwood, even in HO scale, would be an inch or two thick and about three feet high!
I grew up in Oxnard-Ventura area, but live my early years in the Northern Central Valley.
Land of the Humboldt Honies. [:D] My Brother was a Lumberjack (and he’s okay). Played on the soccer team there. In my young and stupid days I spent a summer living in a shack that was completely overgrown with blackberries on the Mad river. I was thinking more of the American River for the layout. Has anyone tried modeling Sinsimilla fields?
I don’t think I have that in me. I think I will have to get the trains up and running asap or my kid will lose intrest. I picked up enough EZ track to give my kid a good 4x8 (bare plywood) layout which he (and I) will be able to play with during construction. Once the basic track, frame, frame and layout are done. I’ll have to do Hogwarts first. Then I’ll do sections of the mountains. I’ll probably wish I followed your advise.
I didn’t even think about scale for the trees. The ones in the hobby shop were about 4".
The quick response is, “check with God!” According to the poet, “poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”[8)]
Somebody on one of these forums has a method involving the stuff from furnace filters that makes a bunch of trees in short order. One of the Allen Keller videos shows a similar method, but I’m drawing a blank on where to point you for this stuff. I’m at my office and all my reference stuff is at home. I’m sure someone on the forums will come up with the info shortly.
Building in stages is the fastest way to get trains up and running–each six-foot segment becomes fully operational and usable, rather than having to do ALL the benchwork and ALL the trackwork before running trains. The 4x8 is a good place to start–you can build that and expand from there. I use six-foot sections because I base my modules’ size on their ability to fit inside my station wagon should I ever move the layout for train show or relocation purposes.
The north central valley was SP territory–did you ever get a chance to see South Shasta Lines? It is a huge O scale basement-filling layout in Gerber, built to represent the line from Gerber to Dunsmuir, based on the SP (but carrying his own “South Shasta Lines” livery.) It’s a heck of an accomplishment. Unfortunately it’s no longer open to the public, but this spring I went up there with my wife and some nephews (she grew up in Redding) to check it out.
The 4x8 sheet is a temporary RR I am throwing together with EZ track for my kid while I work on the larger layout. Unfortunately, I really didn’t design the track to be modular. If I don’t do the entire track as a unit, it won’t really do much until I do. This will probably be my mistake layout.[:o)]
Yes, you can make enough to cover a forest (100 or more) for about $20.
If you want more accurate ones for your foreground or somthing, replace the thick bamboo skewer with a tapered down 1/2" dowel. And do the same process on it. The trunk will be more correct but it will cost more. I’m planning to do a few trees with the dowels for certain scenes on the SP&E.
Another technique well-suited to this time of year: Fake Christmas trees! They’re on clearance sale, just buy a couple of fake plastic christmas trees, slice the branches to your preferred tree size with bolt cutters, use tin snips to trim the branches, then spray on some adhesive glue and dip 'em in scenic foam.
