How to Make Model Train Trees and Bushes

You have rediscovered your childhood love of trains, assembled a display stand, designed a layout – now what? Making a realistic model railroad is all about the details. Before you begin searching the Lionel catalog for expensive structures with moving parts and lights or buying dozens of miniature figures to paint, complete the basics. One you add trees, water features, landscaping coverage and rocks, your own private village will being to take shape.

Research and Realism

Regardless of the scale, era or theme of your model railroad display, the addition of realistic looking natural features turns stark pieces of plastic and plaster into a personalized work of art. If your railroad display is specific to a particular region of the country, such as with Civil War, World War II or Wild West scenes, search online for flora and fauna specific to that area.

Make sure you know the measurements which coincides with your scale display. Some of the landscaping and scenery supplies are scale specific. Your display will not look authentic if you place HO scale trees on an O scale model railroad.

Scenery Supplies

A scale model measuring tool or a standard ruler.
Light head magnifying glass. This visor style tool will enable you to accomplish tiny details with a hands-free lighted magnifying glass.
Scenery packets such as lichen, loose greenery or dried vegetation
Pine cones, twigs or artificial tree and shrub bases.
Scissors
Craft and “Super” glue
Craft or garden gloves
Pliers
Tweezers
Water
Bucket or mixing bowl
Large mixing plastic spoon
Old baking sheet or plastic tray
Paneling nail or headless pin
Power drill and small drill bit
Crafting clay or styrofoam
Pocket or utility knife

How to Make Model Trees

You can purchase scale specific model trees, but they are very expensive when attempting to fill a large display with realistic scenery components. Tree kits are a little less costly and are helpful for those with dexterity problems. If you are physically able, have several hours to spend and enjoy a hands-on approach – then making your own trees will be both fun and a money saving way to bring your model railroad to life.

Evergreen Trees

If you are lucky, you can collect enough pine cones from your backyard or local park to fill your display with evergreen trees. Bags of pine cones can also be purchased from local craft stores or online at ETSY.com

Step 1

Use pliers or tweezers to pull the pine cones petals apart. By pulling the petals apart, you give the illusion of branches and not a wide petal shape. If the pine cones are especially brittle, you may want to soak them in water for several minutes before pulling off the petals. Be careful not to break the cone’s stem, or you will be creating a bush and not a tree.

Step 2

In a bowl or bucket mix 1 part Elmer’s glue with four parts water. The mixture will resemble milk. The mix will dry quickly, so make sure to keep stirring in between cone dipping. Do not not make more than a half a gallon at a time, the glue hardens when within 15 minutes of mixing.

Step 3

Dip the cone into the glue and water mixture. Do not allow the pine cone to sit in the glue, just dip it in once or twice and remove. Shake the excess glue off the pine cone while dangling it over the bowl or bucket.

Step 4

Hold the pine cone over a plastic tray or old baking sheet. Open the package of loose greenery, lichen or foliage you purchased from the hobby supply store. Sprinkle the faux leaves over the sticky pine cone and allow it to dry over-night.

Step 5

Drill a small hole in the bottom of the pine cone stem. If the cone is very narrow, you may be able to accomplish this step by simply without the use of power tools. Push the paneling nail or headless pin inside the cone’s stem. Make sure to leave approximately half-an-inch of the nail or pin sticking outside of the cone.

Step 6

Drill a small hole in your display board or into a fiberglass mountain to hold the tree. Be careful not to drill the hole completely through the board or fiberglass. Squirt some glue into the hole and place the tree firmly into place. You may want to add something solid on either side of the tree to help it stand straight up while the glue hardens. You may also use modeling clay or styrofoam as a base for the tree. If you choose to use styrofoam as a base, paint it a color which blends into the background before pushing the tree into the foam. Spray “dirt” and nature tone clay are available at most hobby supply stores. Squirt glue onto the display stand or fiberglass mountain and press the clay or foam base firmly into place. After the base dries, push the tree into the base. If you are adorning an styrofoam mountain, the tree can be pushed directly into the accessory without the need of a base.

Deciduous Trees

Step 1

Once again you can collect some of your supplies from your own backyard, local park or hiking trail. Scour the ground for broken twigs and small branches. The best deciduous tree bases will have at least three small branches. If you are unable to find enough twigs with existing branches, bundle several together and tie them together with craft wire or bread wrapper.

Step 2

Twigs and small branches which have broken from trees tend to have more jagged ends than pine cones. When necessary, use a pocket or utility knife to cut away any jagged ends.

Step 3

Simply follow the above steps to decorate and affix your deciduous trees. The process is identical for adorning either type of tree. Make sure to vary the size of your trees and use different colors of faux leaves to create depth and realism in your display.

Tips

1- Make sure to measure and cut your trees to scale before decorating. Should you get so wrapped up in the creation project that you forget to complete this task, you may dislodge the “leaves” from the trees when cutting them down to size.

2- Create an even more realistic mountain, backdrop or forest by include fallen trees to your display. You can glue a tree into the arrangement on its side, to intentionally break the tree so that it remains somewhat attached to the “trunk” and falls over in a natural position. Using a tree which you accidentally broke is a great way to re-purpose the less than perfect looking artificial tree.

Bushes and Shrubs

Step 1

Creating shrubs and bushes is less time consuming and tedious than making trees. One simple method of making natural looking plants and bushes is to replicate the tree making process on a smaller scale. You can cut the twigs or pine cones smaller and follow the exact same steps for decorating and attaching to your display.

Step 2

To add more color and texture variations to your model railroad display, use dried vegetation. You can find packages at hobby supply stores, or collect and dry your own. Search outdoors for peppergrass and candytuft to make bushes and flower beds with for your display. Check with local floral shops for the possibility of collecting their scrap pieces of baby’s breath and related floral arrangement left-overs.

Step 3

The light and narrow pieces of either artificial or dried natural vegetation must be gingerly pushed into styrofoam or clay. Squirt glue onto the display board, foam or fiberglass mountain. Gently push the tree into a piece of styrofoam or clay mound and place it onto the glue spot. After placing all of the shrubbery you would like in a particular area, cover the clay or foam with spray dirt, artificial turf or lichen which matches the overall landscaping. Just cut the turf to size and glue into place. If you use loose greenery such as lichen, squirt glue around the top of the foam or clay and sprinkle the loose faux foliage into place covering the base.

Reference:

• www.stormthecastle.com/diorama/how-to-make-miniature-trees.htm
• www.hobbizine.com