High end trees

JohnM2104

I'm beginning to look into buying some nice trees for the logging branch. Since the Fine Scale Miniatures John Allen Special 2 stall engine house is at the front of the layout on the 3rd level, the trees should be impressive in this location. Further back where visitors can't really see I can go with lower quality and smaller trees for forced perspective. I'm thinking along the lines of 9" to 11" inch fir and pine trees for this area leading up to the central valley 200-foot truss bridge. Does anybody have any recommendations for me? I have no experience with building trees and really no time to dedicate to this with so much else going on with the layout. Much Appreciated. Thanks

brownbr

Canyon Creek Scenics advertises in the Gazette. Never seem their trees in person but they look nice on the website.

JayNSmith

https://canyoncreekscenics.com/

Karl.A

Canyon Creek are definitely an option, they have some nice products and are great people, spent many an hour across the aisle from their booth at shows admiring their product.

You should also check out Roberts thread in our scenery section right here on the forum, you can do some judicial pruning of his method and Roberts intricacy and incredible modeling and yet still end up with trees that look better than "store bought" within an hour.
Roberts are at the top of the best I have seen.

http://www.craftsmankituniversity.com/vanforum/index.php?p=/discussion/842/growing-fine-scale-trees#latest

AlexR

I bought my trees for the wood cutter shack..... #bought not built..

I'll message you John.

JohnM2104

Thanks to everyone for the great and speedy input. I will spend time tomorrow reviewing the links. I had been looking at Coastman's which are far more pricey than what you describe Ed. I love these types of trees and look forward to Alex's message. Any ideas on proper heights?

CarlLaskey

I have then a photo later on they are nice.

CarlLaskey

This is what they look like.

JohnM2104

They do look really nice for the money. I agree that taller will work better here and should add to the backwoods feel. Impressive, deep forest look is what I'm shooting for. Sounds like a fair deal and looks like I have 2 new options to explore. Baybestbev or Nancy, ahhhhhhh, decisions, decisions. I appreciate your advice here and will definitely explore these options.

CarlLaskey

If you want better pics let me know.

JohnM2104

I'd love to see more pics, Carl. I will call Nancy too.

JohnM2104

Ed, I strive to achieve the perfection you guys demonstrate on these forums. I love this hobby and learn more and more each day. I quit the model RR club over 17 years ago and have been building my own layout ever since because I couldn't deal with the politics, and nobody really wanted to do anything, so I couldn't learn anything. When I first built Foss' Landing many years back, I ended up using some of Brett's techniques on a plastic building nearby the Foss' Clam & Oyster Co. Visitors have commented that they could not tell the building was plastic! That is satisfaction for me.

JohnM2104

Thank you for the compliment. BTW, I wouldn't think you could fit into either one of those cars?

JohnM2104

Wow, a car enthusiast too, I see. I always liked the NSX but I was more of an old GTO guy myself. My father had a Norton and 15 Harleys when I was growing up. He still his road king but doesn't ride much anymore as he will be 89 in October.

mikemettelka

Ed and I have talked porsches a couple times. I worked at a porsche exclusive restoration shop.... I have since stepped up to mercedes benz 300 SLs (gullwing)

CarlLaskey

This is the best I can do.

JohnM2104

Hopefully, you have one of those restored Porsches replicated in HO scale?

CarlLaskey

By the way Guy's I have two Porsches just in case you want to know.

CarlLaskey

No.

JohnM2104

Hey Ed, I never heard back from Nancy & Vince after emailing them on Monday. Maybe, COVID-19 related as I know some folks aren't answering emails or phone calls.

CarlLaskey

John.
...It has been a few years since I bought them could be they are not making them anymore.

JohnM2104

Many thanks. Had a root canal today and am a little tired. will try him again tomorrow.

Joel

Hi John, If you are talking about higher end trees I think you should at least look at Coastman and Scenic factory. both sell kits to assemble some foreground trees. I've been very pleased with the Scenic factory ones and he sometime sells completed trees in small batches.

sdrees

I Purchased the Green Branches material and the dead branches from Coastman. The dead branches material is dried sage brush that he has treated. The Green Branches material is something similar to the furnace filter material, but he uses a coconut husk coir fiber for the mat and he has applied Woodland Scenic Green Course Turf. The material is a lot easier to use than the furnace filter material because you can just tear off a piece from his mat instead of having to cut the furnace filter material. It goes so much faster. I made my own trunks from balsa wood. This batch of trees were only 3-1/2" and 5" tall because they are background trees set right up against the backdrop. I made approximately 60 trees in this batch.

Once the green branches are installed on the trunks, you then need to apply more Green Course turf to the branches. I used the dead branches material for some snag trees.

I am happy with the way the trees turned out.

AlexR

I'm using the dead branch material from coastmans for the ground cover on the woodcutter shack. The fine debris works great for o scale.

Geezerbill

John, I purchase a built tree from both Canyon Creek and Coastmans as reference. I found both trees to be excellent and both parties to be extremely informative and helpful. I made my own trunks out of cedar and used a nail board to create the bark effect. All of my trees are to replicate Douglas Fir. I find the new material used for branches by Coastman ,as noted in a post above by sdress, to be easy to work with. I apologize for being late to this party.

Geezerbill

JohnM2104

I am ok Ed and I appreciate your concern. Cant' believe it's been since June 11th? I'm just getting back to the forum and will review everyone's responses. Life gets in the way sometimes and I've been busy with chores and the family. I also returned to work part-time last week after the COVID19 furlough and am trying to maintain some sense of normalcy. I was working on some detail castings about 2 weeks ago and they came out nicely. Now I need to get back to the waterfront project as there is much to do including painting the water area in anticipation of a 16' Envirotex pour! I need to be sure there are no leaks or this stuff will go everywhere.

JohnM2104

Nice to be back.

Sakman

brownbr said:

Canyon Creek Scenics advertises in the Gazette. Never seem their trees in person but they look nice on the website.

I have a lot of Canyon Creek trees. A couple hundred I guess. And now I know how to make them myself. Send Pete Vassler an email and tell him I sent ya.

JohnM2104

Thank you for the information