The Modelers Thread

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Silly question...roof is removable presumably to accommodate a detailed interior? Is this a bunk car or one intended for storage and/or a workshop? Could be fun to build an interior.

I'm guessing that it was left removable for add an interior. Could be a lot of variation on actual use. Window arrangement does not align with any of the PRR XL MoW cars that I have pics for so.........more freedom to interpret the interior. Commissary dining car maybe?

[gregj410]

I guess trees are suitable for the modelers thread. I purchased some 1” x 1” x 36” balsa rods sometime ago knowing that for a logging pike I’d need something more substantial to be closer to scale. I hate the idea of spending hours over making one tree when I need 1000.

I found a way to make a reasonably fast lodge pole pine like tree or maybe a sequoia for the arborists who maybe reading. Not exactly sure what it’s closest to.

Started with square stock a draw knife and a large wood screw for texturing. Followed by some paint and disposable furnace filters.











A blue spruce !

[J. S. Bach]

Very nice. Add a little "dirt" around the base, that would add to the realism.

[webenda]

That looks good. It is not often that I see scale-size trees on a model railroad, they are just too big.

Ponderosa Pine

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Those look good; more than decade past I made tree trunks for a friend from large balsa stock tapered and then textured with a wire wheel in the drill press. They looked pretty decent. But they were really tall and dwarfed the RR. Scale trees are really big!

[healey36]

Great idea using the screw threads to detail the trunk(s). Looks very realistic. Now you just need to make a couple hundred of them.

Scale height adds a lot. I recall making trees for The Old Man's HO layout many years ago; when I was done it looked like the entire railroad ran through an orchard. Gotta have height to make it believable.

[gregj410]

I guess I’ll play around with it a bit. Now that I have closer to scale trees planted they are growing on me. I don’t have a lot of visitors but when I do I can see them saying ‘Why are the trees so big’? One problem I have is tolerances. Everything on this pike is really close to the track. I can’t run certain rolling stock because they will drag the mountains. I may stay with the smaller than scale trees after all.

[robert.]

I made a bunch of furnace filter trees. They were fun and easy. They did cut the sh$t out of my hands. I had used some dyed sawdust to sprinkle on them. I used Mohawks powdered pigments. Add water and then sawdust. I had shifted the sawdust to get the thinner stuff. Dye it then dry it in your oven.( wife should be at book night when you do this) i made a few with bent trunks. Hairspray will hold the sawdust on

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Back to the Hartley kit.....

New underbody installed.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Starting to get one of the ends complete now. Lots more to do....

[healey36]

Looking good. That’s an interesting panel arrangement in the door with three smaller in the bottom half. Perhaps that was done to provide additional strength.

[E7]

Best trees I have seen:

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/wire-tree-speed-up

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Looking good. That’s an interesting panel arrangement in the door with three smaller in the bottom half. Perhaps that was done to provide additional strength.

I guess; 5-panel doors I've seen. It's what the kit provided to whoever built up that part.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Working on the sides....


Back to wrap up the ends next.

[healey36]

Looking very nice. Even without trucks, that could make for a great MOW shed along the right-of-way. The configuration of windows is very interesting.