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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Working on a super detailed model railroad in HO scale. Something I had planned to do for many years and if I don't just do it I will never enjoy it in this short life. So in looking trough the old Model Railroader mags I find some great shots of natural materials used to make very realistic scale trees that I will eventually need hundreds and hundreds of.... It seems "Red Seedum" is one such plant that I have found in a few places locally and makes great small trunked trees but some of the best stuff there is to make knarled twisted and real looking trees is "Sage Brush". I guess this is a Midwest kinda thing.
Now from what I gather it is not much more than a weed out there and easy enough to find and it makes great little 5, 6, 7" little trees when you clip the ends to the right lenghts.
Is there any of you boy's from Texas or anywhere else this stuff grows that would let me send you a few bucks to cover any shipping etc. to gather me a very large box packed full of small pieces of this stuff? It does not weigh much and it can be crammed into a box without too terrible much damage....
I am not sure but this might be one of the oddest, off topic threads and since it is the end of the year perhaps the oddest this year?
I am serious, this is not a gag, although I am sure it sounds like it might be. Hobbies take you in the dambest directions sometimes. I just don't know anyone from the Midwest that I can ask. This is the largest demographically diverse group I know.
Randy |
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Posts: 194
Location: Huntington Beach | I set up my 50s vintage Lionel in the living room for Christmas as i always do. Best gift I ever received. I have the living version of sage brush - which turns into tumblweed - growing in my yard. It is sage the "herb" and you can cook with it when you take the train down. If you want the already dry and knarly version I don't have that handy.
Choo Choo |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | I had to double check the OFC Calendar and see if Brad had slipped in another unknown holiday on us. Nope, I guess you're legit!
There is Sagebrush in Eastern WA as well. Why some of the stuff floating through Hanford kinda glows and makes your radio crackle.
Couldn't be any tougher than sending JW my cut off strings! |
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Location: NW Washington State | Are there pics somewhere of the finished trees or the raw materials used to make them?
I put my Lionel away yesterday. I only run it around a little circle of track these days. |
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Location: Huntington Beach |  |
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Location: SoCal | We've got plenty of California Sagebrush growing on public lands.
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Posts: 2487
| Here's a nice little how too thing that shows it pretty well.
Being a model maker most of my life and doing it for a living for the past 10 years I plan to try and make this railroad as nice as the late John Allen's famous layout in CA from years ago. The Sage branches will take a lot of work but the best results I have yet to see for small realistic tree's in scale. Thanks for the interest and possible help here.......
http://www.fsmtrees.com/tutorial1.htm |
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Posts: 3606
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | We're lookin' at 4-to-6 inches of the white stuff tomorrow, in YakiVegas. I'll see what I can dig up.
There's a good patch of sagebrush about 100 yards away. |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | You sure that isn't ash from Mt. St. Helens that they dumped into trenches? A little wind from the gorge up over Horse Haven Hills would do it...guess you will know when it does or doesn't melt. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | That is so cool. I remember in my youth a schoolmate's father had half of their basement transformed by an HO layout. Mountains and hillsides going up the wall and a rail-yard towards the front.
Needless to say, Dad would only let us look! And only when he was Present.
But there is a hobby that can use-up a whole lot of time and money. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| So far ain't nothing like music and guitars to soak up the time and money.
I figure since I can't make this world do what I want it to do..... I'll make my own.
Its all part of my evil plan to take over the world......even if "the world" is on a much smaller scale. |
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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Randy, you'll appreciate this story. SWMBO's dad (RIP) was a collector of HO gauge trains all his life, beginning when he was just a boy and he was born in 1909. Growing up in Kansas, many boys were fascinated by the trains moving people and goods through their small town. When he downsized his home in the 1970's, he had no room for his huge layout, so he gave his entire collection to the historical society in Abilene Kansas. Based on a letter in our possession, his collection included over 100 antique engines alone, all of which he maintained in good working order. Last October, we tried to research the whereabouts of these trains without much luck. I'm sure it was worth a small fortune. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Great hobby.
Lionel corporate headquarters is just a mile down the road. I have been in their factory working on injection mold machines.
There was a time when I was into model building.
One time I built a USS Enterpise model where I drilled teeny tiny holes in the hull and wired with it fiber optic lights.
Another time, on the Millennium Falcon, I crushed pencil lead into a powder, mixed it with water, added a drop of dishsoap to break the surface tension, then used an eye dropper to simulate laser blasts.
And even with interests like that I still found a good looking woman that wanted to marry me.
Go figure. |
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Posts: 15656
Location: SoCal | About 23-24 years ago Tom Snyder (used to be on after Johnny Carson) had a local radio talk show on in the middle evening. One night his guest was the president of Lionel and it turned out the Snyder was a huge fan of HO trains.
One of the best shows I've ever listened to.... |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Any websites I can learn more abouts "HO's" from?
Oops, never mind...
My brother and I did enjoy some model train layouts in the 60's. I remember this one set that used 110v AC on the tracks.
The sparks were really cool! |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Mike I still do not do the photo downloads and my camera is still so obsolete the photo's are just not worth the time anyway. Since there are a few of you guy's who appreciate this off topic thread and, If you don't mind, I'd like to send along a shot of an old oak storage case/display case that I have finaly gotten around to putting small shelves in to get some of the brass engines I have out in the light of day where they can at least be enjoyed while the layout begins and continues for the next few years until completed.
Randy |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | There are model train layouts, then there's this one . . .
Largest train layout in the world |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | There is that unique smell that a running model train set give off.
Ozone & oil. Nothing else like it. |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | 
Randy's Train-a-torium |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Not to derail the thread (groan) but I am invovled in trying to relocate this WWII era Turntable here at PSNS as well as the loading of an American Ohio Locomotive Crane.
The Turntable weighs about 200K and the Locomotive crane cannot exceed 36 mph tow speed so we will be taking it apart and loading it so as to clear tunnels and weight restrictions from here to South Cal via Mexico.
These HO scale jobs are definately less expensive. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Not at ALL! I took my oldest to Steam Town and she just fell right in love with these old moster machines. I know after seeing the place I know I would be working there if I lived there.
I am also a local Historian and have written a couple of small pictorial books on the area one on our vanished Railroad. This is good Stuff.
Its the Steam Era stuff that seems to be alive to me....it's like the difference in owning and playing an acoustic guitar in comparison to an electric or lets say a keyboard. Steam has life and mojo, Diesel is more artificial and not as romantic. If you can at least get someone to donate a place to keep that turntable up on blocks and it can get some good paint to help keep it for a time when you find a place this would be something Mike. The Crane should not be a problem to get someone to take I would think.
That case of Brass engines has some monetary tag attached to it. I bought each one of them right and I think my Daughters will do well someday when they sell some of them. In the meantime I will be running the Big Union Pacific Steam right along with Shays and Narrow gauge minning and Logging operations.
Thanks for the photo download Mike. NOah has mentioned that he lives near a canyon that has much of the sage I am looking for. What an amazing site this is. Like I told Noah, never would have expected that a site dedicated to the topic of Ovation Guitars would wind up being filled with such a diverse and intersting crowd of characters. Never would have thought I would type a message one day on a guitar forum and possibly get help for a model railroad endeavour? Go figure. Thanks guys
Randy |
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February 2009
Posts: 194
Location: Huntington Beach | Just had a thought on your trees and such. I have a couple pine trees that started life as Christmas decorations that I use in mu setup. You might find seasonal closeouts that could be modified into the design. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Well I can't say there won't be a few odd pieces of family significance that are not really very realistic but will end up hidden in places around the layout.
For now I am interested in finding anything that actually looks like a real tree in small scale when it is done. The level of detail I want sghould be second to none when this is done. I'd someday like to see a photo spred of it in Model Railroader, etc. No Guys.... these are not porn mags.... well they are to a model railroader but not to most of this bunch.....
This Sage brush has an amazingly detailed look for trunks and heavy branches I just need to make the rest of the leaves and small branches look real and it's a done deal. I will need 2000 trees in all but only a couple-a-hundred or so need to be these sage brush type
they will represent Oaks and large Maples.
All those engines accept for one need to be painted and weathered to look like they have been in service on a real railroad. Rust, Lime, dust, grime, graphiti and dirt. even the rails need to be weathered and small pieces of debri along the tracks with rusted parts here and there. No shinny brand new toy engines or rolling stock on this layout. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Northcountry:
Rust, Lime, dust, grime, graphiti and dirt. even the rails need to be weathered and small pieces of debri along the tracks with rusted parts here and there. No shinny brand new toy engines or rolling stock on this layout. Just send your items to my brother. Ya shoulda seen my Dad's '60 Gibby ES 330T before I did an IBT on it two years ago!!! :eek:
Would love to see your progress pics! Quite a project... |
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Posts: 161
Location: Atlanta GA | To bring this post into a musical context, Neil Young bought Lionel train in 1995. |
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Way OT
